Expedition 30 thread (November 22, 2011 - April 27, 2012)

[Space Pete]

Help ESA to name Europe’s next mission to Space Station
 
8 June 2011
Now that Paolo Nespoli has returned from the International Space Station, we are looking forward to Europe’s next mission. André Kuipers will be launched to the orbital outpost in November – but his mission still has no name. Help us to find a good one!
 
This will be André’s second mission to the Space Station: he made an 11-day visit in 2004 as part of a crew rotation flight. But this time he will be staying for about six months, as a flight engineer on Expeditions 30 and 31. He will see the complex in its full glory – in 2004 it had just three main modules.

He will perform an extensive programme of scientific experiments and take part in several educational activities, in addition to an engineer’s operational duties.

DELTA last time, but now?
 
On his first trip, André’s mission patch was inspired by the style of famous artist Piet Mondrian.

The DELTA name stood for ‘Dutch Expedition for Life Science, Technology and Atmospheric Research’, and also referred to the Dutch Delta Works that protect the low-lying land from the ravages of the North Sea during storms.

Something more broadly European is now required, preferably linked to the environment, climate and biodiversity.

André is an ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund and an emphasis of his mission will be on taking care of Earth and its inhabitants, and how space can help.

He is also a medical doctor, and this might inspire ideas for a name and logo leaning towards health and biology.

Europe is looking towards the Moon, Mars and other bodies in the Solar System, and the International Space Station – with the Columbus laboratory and Cupola observation module both ‘made in Europe’ – is a unique place to look down to Earth, leap into deeper space and study the Universe.

There are countless possibilities for naming André’s mission. You choose!
 
What to do
 
Send your proposal to [email protected] by 18:00 CEST (16:00 GMT) on 30 June 2011.

Before sending, please read the instructions carefully.

The competition is open to all citizens and residents of ESA’s Member States (see linked instructions). The winning name will become the official European name of André's mission and the winner will receive a framed mission logo signed by European astronauts.


http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMD0KJ4LOG_index_0.html

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Expedition 30 patch:
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/iss030-s-001.html

[bolun]

Do you want to call André in space?
 
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMC3L3TBPG_index_0.html

[jacqmans]

[bolun]

Call for Media: ESA presents André Kuipers mission to Space Station
 
31 August 2011

ESA PR N°22-2011 - ESA astronaut André Kuipers will talk about his upcoming mission to the International Space Station during two media events: 5 September in Cologne, Germany, and 8 September in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
 
The events will highlight the scientific and educational aspects of the mission, the operations teams and the mission name and logo. André will be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in late 2011, subject to confirmation of the return to flight of the Soyuz launchers.

http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEM4COUTTRG_index_0.html

[Space Pete]

André makes a PromISSe
 
5 September 2011
All the pieces are coming together for the next long mission by a European astronaut. Now it has a name and logo. ESA today revealed the name of André Kuipers' mission: PromISSe.
 
ESA called on citizens of its member states last June to propose a name for André’s mission and received more than 200 proposals in just a month. Surprisingly, they also came from Slovenia, Australia, India, Mexico and Argentina.

The judges weighed the eligible entries from a wide range of people, from a 13-year-old Italian to an 82-year-old Dutchman.

The vast majority came from the Netherlands – André’s home country – and the winner is one of those. 

It was not a declared intent to embed the abbreviation of the International Space Station in the logo, but both the design and the chosen name have it.

PromISSe represents ‘Programme for Research in Orbit Maximising the Inspiration from the Space Station for Europe’, explained the winner, Wim Holwerda, a 61-year-old Dutchman.

Wim believes that the name “symbolises the promise space exploration poses to the future of our planet and humankind, as well as the role Europe can play in it.”

Three powerful messages are integrated in PromISSe: the crucial role of scientific research, a greater use of the Space Station and the inspirational value of ESA space programmes.

An inspirational mission patch
 
The logo for the mission features the Space Station orbiting Earth, accompanied by three icons and six stars.

The PromISSe name crowns a circular design belted with orange cords, while the International Space Station acronym is highlighted in the same colour to bring out the Dutch participation in the mission.

The core of the logo is a globe free of national borders. A silhouette of the ISS is shown circling Earth, about to fly over Europe.

The icons on the left represent the mission’s three crucial elements: science, technology and education.
 
The globe stands for a knowledge-based society focused on our planet. The electronic circuit denotes technology. The conical laboratory flask illustrates scientific research.

The six stars represent the six crewmembers, the six months that André will stay in space and, as the stars are similar to those on the EU flag, the European character.

André will work on the Station as a member of Expedition 30. His launch is expected in early December, but the specific date will be selected after the Soyuz launch vehicle is returned to service following the Progress loss in August.


http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMK66J37SG_index_0.html

[bolun]

PromISSe´s logo

[jacqmans]

Nice photos in this PDF

http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/eac/ESAs4thLongDurationMission.pdf

[Ronsmytheiii]

I dont know about everyone else, but cant wait for more Saturday morning science with Dr Pettit!

[robertross]

I dont know about everyone else, but cant wait for more Saturday morning science with Dr Pettit!

Agreed!
I love microgravity science 

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-190

EXPEDITION 30/31 SPACE STATION CREW CONDUCTS BRIEFING, INTERVIEWS

HOUSTON -- Three International Space Station crew members will discuss
their upcoming Expedition 30 and 31 missions in a news conference at
1 p.m. CDT Tuesday, Sept. 20, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Houston. The briefing will be broadcast live on NASA Television and
the agency's website. Reporters may ask questions from participating
NASA centers or by phone.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers are set to launch to
the station aboard a Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft later this year. They
will round out the six-man crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Following the news conference, round-robin interview opportunities are
available in-person, by phone or via satellite. To reserve an
interview opportunity, U.S. media representatives must contact the
Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16.
To participate in the news conference from a NASA center, U.S.
journalists must call the center's public affairs office by 5 p.m.
local time on Monday, Sept. 19. Reporters participating in the
briefing by phone must call the Johnson newsroom by 12:45 p.m. on
Tuesday, Sept. 20. Priority will be given to media participating in
person and questions from reporters on the phone will be taken as
time permits.

International journalists wishing to attend in person at Johnson must
contact the newsroom and submit the required paperwork for
credentials by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers are three of six crew members who will
comprise Expeditions 30 and 31. Aboard the station, they will join
NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov
and Anatoli Ivanishin.

The NASA Live Interview Media Outlet (LIMO) that will be used for
satellite interviews following the news conference is a digital
satellite C-band downlink by uplink provider Americom. It is on
satellite AMC 3, transponder 9C, located at 87 degrees west, downlink
frequency 3865.5 Mhz based on a standard C-band, horizontal downlink
polarity, FEC is 3/4, data rate is 6.0 Mbps, symbol rate is 4.3404
Msps, transmission DVB-S, 4:2:0.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:




http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


For more information about the International Space Station and its
crew, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/station

[John44]

Expedition 30 - Crew News Conference
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7110

[Space Pete]

Future ISS Residents Meet Media

[CitabriaFlyer]

Agree with prior comments re Sat AM science.  The Expedition 6 post flight film was awesome mainly because Dr. Petit is a great science communicator.  Makes things outside my area of expertise interesting.  In prior posts we have debated about what backgrounds make for the best astronauts for a Mars mission (pilot, engineer, geologist, etc) but in reality the best crewmembers for such a mission will likely folks like Dr. Petit who are good mechanics and who have excellent observational skills.

[Space Pete]

Next ISS Crew Meets Media and Visits Red Square

[Skylab]

@astro_andre André Kuipers
My launch date is fixed. Dec 21st 13:16 GMT. Soyuz TMA-3M (29S), expedition 30, ESA's PromISSe mission. Till May 16th 2012

[Space Pete]

Expedition 29 Crew Departs for Kazakh Launch Site

[bolun]

Launch date confirmed for PromISSe mission to Space Station

4 November 2011

ESA’s next mission to the International Space Station will be launched on 21 December: André Kuipers will ride into orbit aboard the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft as a member of the orbital outpost’s Expedition 30.
 
Originally planned for late November, the launch was put on hold in August after the launch mishap of Russia’s Progress 44 unmanned freighter.

With the successful ascent of Progress 45 on Monday, a series of flight readiness meetings and the identification of the probable cause for the loss of the previous vehicle, the Soyuz rockets are again cleared to carry out human missions.

In addition to ESA’s André Kuipers, the crew includes cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and astronaut Don Pettit. André and his crewmates will stay in space until mid-May 2012.

André’s PromISSe
 
During his 5-month PromISSe mission, André will conduct more than 20 ESA experiments and around 15 from other Station partners, including human research, life sciences, physics, materials science, radiation research and technology demonstrations

His mission also features a strong educational aspect centred on the theme ‘Spaceship Earth’.

The lessons from space will educate children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as teaching about the requirements for life on Earth.

As part of ‘Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut’, André will invite thousands of students to perform physical exercises and classroom lessons to compete with teams around the world to become as fit as astronauts. 

http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMBDBLUBUG_index_0.html

[tva]

Peter Harding wrote this in the latest article:

"...the Expedition 30 crew will usher in a new era by being the first humans to fly inside a commercial spacecraft when SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft arrives at the ISS, currently likely to be sometime in February."

What does this "Expedition 30 crew...to fly inside" exactly mean ?

[Silmfeanor]

Peter Harding wrote this in the latest article:

"...the Expedition 30 crew will usher in a new era by being the first humans to fly inside a commercial spacecraft when SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft arrives at the ISS, currently likely to be sometime in February."

What does this "Expedition 30 crew...to fly inside" exactly mean ?

Once the Dragon is docked, they will open the hatch and enter to offload cargo and load trash. At that time, they'll be inside the dragon. It is still docked to the ISS of course, but they're flying in orbit within a dragon nonetheless ( I know, I know..)

[bolun]

The PromISSe mission

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/PromISSe/SEMV3DJ37SG_0.html