Expedition 27 Launch Date And NASA Television Coverage Updated

HOUSTON -- The Russian Federal Space Agency has adjusted the launch
date for the next three residents of the International Space Station
to Monday, April 4 (April 5 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan).

The new date enables engineers in Baikonur to complete their checkouts
of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft. The launch date was set after a
thorough review of Soyuz systems by Russian space officials and engineers.

Russian cosmonaut and Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev, NASA
Flight Engineer Ron Garan and Russian Flight Engineer Andrey
Borisenko are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at
5:18 p.m. CDT on April 4 (4:18 a.m. Baikonur time on April 5).

The launch will occur less than a week before the 50th anniversary of
Yuri Gagarin's historic flight from the same Baikonur launch pad to
become the first human to fly in space.

Samokutyaev, Garan and Borisenko are scheduled to dock their Soyuz,
dubbed "Gagarin," to the Poisk module on the space-facing side of the
Russian segment of the station at 6:18 p.m. CDT on April 6.

They will join the other three Expedition 27 crew members, Commander
Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space
Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, who have been aboard the station
since mid-December.

The full schedule of the pre-launch, launch and docking coverage
includes (all times Central):

March 31, Thursday
11 a.m. Video File of the ISS Expedition 27 Crew Activities in
Baikonur, Kazakhstan
April 1, Friday
11 a.m. Video File of the ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Rocket Mating
and Crew Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
April 2, Saturday
11 a.m. Video File of the ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Rocket
Rollout to the Launch Pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
April 3, Sunday
4 p.m. Video File of the ISS Expedition 27 Final Pre-Launch Crew News
Conference and Russian State Commission Meeting in Baikonur,
Kazakhstan
April 4, Monday
3:45 p.m. Video Feed of the ISS Expedition 27 Crew Pre-Launch
Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan
4:30 p.m. ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Launch Coverage (Launch
scheduled at 5:18 p.m. CDT)
8 p.m. Video File of ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Pre-Launch, Launch
and Post-Launch Interviews
April 6, Wednesday
5:45 p.m. ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Docking Coverage (Docking
scheduled at 6:18 p.m. CDT followed by the post-docking news
conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia)
8:45 p.m. ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Hatch Opening and Welcoming
Ceremony (Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony scheduled at
approximately 9:15 p.m. CDT)
April 7, Thursday
12 a.m. Video File of ISS Expedition 27/Soyuz TMA-21 Docking, Hatch
Opening and Welcoming Ceremony

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Source: NASA

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