Avi Blizovsky
German astronaut Thomas Reiter will soon become the first European to perform a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station, following his placement on the next Space Shuttle Discovery mission (STS-121) scheduled for May.
The mission, which will last six or seven months, will be a milestone for the European Space Agency, for the European astronauts, the scientific community on the continent and the space control center. Two days after his arrival Reiter will start serving as the second engineer officer in the 13th team. As the first full European member of the space station crew, Reiter will perform many missions. Among other things, he will test systems and processes for the station's navigation and control system, as well as for the environmental conditions control system and the life support system, the health and safety of the crew, and will also perform activities that will require a spacewalk. His experience in operating spacewalks will begin shortly after his arrival, that is, towards the end of May.
Reiter's arrival at the station will also mark the return from a situation of two team members to three. Since the Columbia disaster there have not been three permanent crew members on the station. The rest of the crew, station commander Pavel Vinogradov of Russia and flight engineer Jeffrey Williams of America will arrive at the station before Reiter on April 1 aboard the Soyuz spacecraft on flight 12S.
Returning to a three-person team will increase the time devoted to scientific research. For Reiter's mission, it will be the first time a European science program has been assembled and stitched together on a long mission.
Yadan International Space Station
For information on the European Space Agency website
https://www.hayadan.org.il/BuildaGate4/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~~~408680479~~~264&SiteName=hayadan
