Two Russian cosmonauts accompanied by veteran Jeff Williams space, ready to beat the record for cumulative time in space for an American, were on their way Friday for the International Space Station (ISS), after taking off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Jeff Williams, 58, a grandfather of three grandchildren, and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripotchka and Alexei Ovtchinine, took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 9:26 p.m. GMT.
“the Soyuz rocket took off successfully,” confirmed the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said in a statement, adding that the docking of the spacecraft to the ISS was scheduled for 3:11 GMT on Saturday.
the ship, launched to the ISS was threatened until the last moment by strong winds, is decorated with a portrait of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, in which Russia will celebrate the April 12 the 55 years of the legendary flight of 1961.
“We’ll definitely celebrate on 12 April. The day Yuri Gagarin went conquer space, we will meet all around a festive meal, “told reporters Skripotchka Oleg, 46, shortly before leaving for Baikonur early March.
“We still have a lot of work, but it will be a day of celebration”, also assured Jeff Williams.
After this trip expected to last about six months, his third in the ISS, Mr. Williams has spent a total of 534 days above the Earth.
He thus surpass the 520 days in the aggregate of his compatriot Scott Kelly, 52 who returned on March 1 of a 340-day mission aboard the ISS, a continuous record time in the station where he made four trips in total.
the absolute record remains held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, returned from his last mission September 2015 after accumulated 879 days in space.
Ovtchinine Alexei, 44, this is his first flight in space, while Oleg Skripotchka will make his second mission aboard ISS
They join three other crew members of the ISS. – Russian Yuri Malenchenko, American Tim Kopra and Briton Timothy Peake – to continue the hundreds of experiments biology, biotechnology, physics and geophysics are being
-. ‘a lot of enthusiasm’ –
“I feel really ready to return to the ISS (…) it is a great privilege, “said Jeff Williams, a native of Wisconsin (north), television Nasa.
this former driver, who was part of the ‘parachute team of the military academy at West Point, had stayed in the ISS in particular in 2006 when the station included only two modules.
“I did the math recently and I think I was orbiting the ISS with 45 different people in total, “detailed Mr. Williams, promising to share his experience on social networks.
Since its arrival in Baikonur ago about two weeks, Jeff Williams has shared on Twitter several pictures and videos explaining the preparations for the launch of the Soyuz rocket and praising the “peaceful” Kazakh steppes.
“on launch day! There is some snow in the air and a lot of enthusiasm, “he wrote Friday on Twitter a few hours before take-off to the ISS.
Meanwhile, Alexei Ovtchinine told the press carry with him into space a pink stuffed owl, a toy of her daughter.
“My daughter loves owls, and she was kind enough to give me this toy will make me remember my family throughout the flight, “said he told the official news agency TASS.
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