Crowded at the space station: today crew members were launched in Soyuz and on Monday the shuttle Discovery

In addition, a malfunction in the water purification system at the station, which will only be solved with the help of the replacement purification device that will arrive in Discovery

This morning, the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with the three members of the station's 23rd crew, Tracy Caldwell, Alexander Skortsov and Mikhail Kornienko.

And meanwhile at the station, the crew members staying there, Kotov Kramer and Noguchi, continued preparations for the arrival of the crew and at the same time also for the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery on mission 131, which should be launched on April 5. The shuttle is scheduled to dock at the station on April 7, and in addition to having scientific facilities and ammonia tanks, two of the shuttle crew members are expected to perform three spacewalks to activate the station's ammonia contents.

In addition, a leak was discovered in the water treatment system during tests carried out by staff and experts from the control center this week. An alternative water treatment system, which will provide the station's final purification facility, will be brought up on the shuttle Discovery. The leaking component - a catalytic converter will be returned to Earth on Discovery. In the meantime, the team will use an alternative method to produce drinking water - a hose connected to a collapsible tank, and the water in the bags hanging on the purification plant. They will also resume the processing of urine and turning it into drinking water in the designated facility and will store the semi-purified water in tanks until it can be routed again to the alternative water facility for repair.