BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the launch of the Expedition 9 crew to live aboard the International Space Station and return to Earth of the Expedition 8 crew after a half-year in orbit. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S FAREWELL CEREMONY BEFORE UNDOCKING QT
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS BOARD SOYUZ AND CLOSE THE HATCH QT
VIDEO: SOYUZ CAPSULE UNDOCKS FROM THE SPACE STATION QT
VIDEO: CAPSULE FIRES THRUSTERS TO INCREASE SEPARATION SPEED QT
VIDEO: CREWMATES WELCOMED IN KUSTANAI, KAZAKHSTAN QT
VIDEO: THE CREW SPEAKS ABOUT THEIR RETURN TO EARTH QT
VIDEO: POST-LANDING INTERVIEW WITH CHIEF NASA ASTRONAUT QT
VIDEO: POST-LANDING INTERVIEW WITH EXPEDITION 10 COMMANDER QT

VIDEO: PREVIEW THE EXPEDITION 9 MISSION QT
VIDEO: MEET THE NEW STATION CREW IN THIS NARRATED MOVIE QT
SPACE STATION VIDEO COVERAGE
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0110 GMT (9:10 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

The Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three departing space station astronauts has landed in Kazakhstan, capping the 195-day mission by the Expedition 8 crew of Michael Foale and Alexander Kaleri and 11-day voyage by Dutch researcher Andre Kuipers. Read our full story.

0050 GMT (8:50 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Speaking on a satellite phone, Mike Foale just spoke with his wife and children at Star City near Moscow. The crew members will be reunited with their families in a few hours after flying from the remote landing site to Star City.

0028 GMT (8:28 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Kuipers has left the capsule, completing the crew egress. NASA spokesman Rob Navias at the landing site says the crew is in good health.

0025 GMT (8:25 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Kaleri and Foale have exited Soyuz. Kuipers is being helped out now. The capsule has landed up-right and on target.

0023 GMT (8:23 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

The crew members are being assisted out of their spacecraft.

0017 GMT (8:17 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

One of the lead helicopters that is part of the recovery forces has now landed next to the Soyuz capsule.

Here is the post-landing plan, according to NASA:

A recovery team, including a U.S. flight surgeon and astronaut support personnel, will be in the landing area in a convoy of Russian military helicopters awaiting the Soyuz landing. Once the capsule touches down, the helicopters will land nearby to begin the removal of the crew.

Within minutes of landing, a medical tent will be set up near the capsule in which the crew can change out of its launch and entry suits. Russian technicians will open the module's hatch and begin to remove the crew, one by one. They will be seated in special reclining chairs near the capsule for initial medical tests and to provide an opportunity to begin readapting to Earth's gravity.

Within two hours after landing, the crew will be assisted to the helicopters for a flight back to a recovery staging site in Kazakhstan. The crew will then board a Russian military transport plane to be flown back to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, where their families will meet them. In all, it will take about seven hours between landing and return to Star City.

Assisted by a team of flight surgeons, the crew will undergo more than two weeks of medical tests and physical rehabilitation before Foale and Kaleri return to the U.S. for additional debriefings and follow-up exams. Kuipers' acclimation to Earth's gravity will be quicker because his flight was relatively short.

0012 GMT (8:12 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Touchdown has been announced by Russian Mission Control!

Expedition 8 commander Michael Foale and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri are back on Earth after 195 days in orbit -- 193 of which were spent aboard the International Space Station. Dutch researcher Andre Kuipers has returned after spending 11 days aloft conducting science experiments. He launched with the replacement Expedition 9 crew and flew home with Expedition 8.

0011 GMT (8:11 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines will be fired to ease the capsule on the ground at a velocity of about 1.5 meters per second.

0007 GMT (8:07 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Now five minutes from the scheduled landing.

0005 GMT (8:05 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

Mission controllers are projecting a landing site of 50.42 degrees North, 67.5 degrees East, with a plus/minus radius of 20 nautical miles.

0004 GMT (8:04 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

At an altitude of five kilometers, the module's heat shield is scheduled to be jettisoned. This is followed by the termination of the aerodynamic spin cycle and the dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz. Computers also will arm the module's seat shock absorbers in preparation for landing.

With the jettisoning of the capsule's heat shield, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

0000 GMT (8:00 p.m. EDT Thurs.)

After the drogue chute is jettisoned, the main parachute will be deployed.

Connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses, the main parachute covers an area of about 1,000 meters. Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown. The deployment of the main parachute slows down the Descent Module to a velocity of about seven meters per second.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2004
2357 GMT (7:57 p.m. EDT)

Chute deployment begins now, about 15 minutes from touchdown.

At an altitude of about 10 kilometers, traveling at about 220 meters per second, the Soyuz' computers will begin a commanded sequence for the deployment of the capsule's parachutes. First, two "pilot" parachutes will be deployed, extracting a larger drogue parachute, which stretches out over an area of 24 square meters. Within 16 seconds, the Soyuz's descent will slow to about 80 meters per second.

2355 GMT (7:55 p.m. EDT)

The crew says everything is going normally in the re-entry. Indications show the capsule will be landing on target.

2355 GMT (7:55 p.m. EDT)

The period of maximum G-loading on the Soyuz is expected to occur at this point in the descent.

2354 GMT (7:54 p.m. EDT)

Communications have been re-established with the crew. They are reporting 3-G's.

Meanwhile, aircraft have a visual contact on the capsule.

2354 GMT (7:54 p.m. EDT)

The Soyuz capsule is now being tracked on radar by Russian air defenses.

2351 GMT (7:51 p.m. EDT)

The crew is currently out of voice communications with Russian flight controllers, something that is expected at this portion of the entry.

2350 GMT (7:50 p.m. EDT)

The entry guidance by the spacecraft's onboard software package is scheduled to start at this time.

2348 GMT (7:48 p.m. EDT)

Entry Interface. The Soyuz is now hitting the upper fringes of the atmosphere at an altitude of 400,000 feet. The Expedition 8 crew members are beginning to feel the first tugs of Earth's gravity after six months in space.

2346 GMT (7:46 p.m. EDT)

Separation of the Soyuz modules has been performed. The three segments of the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft have jettisoned apart, allowing the Descent Module with the crew strapped inside to safely ferry the three men back to Earth. The no-longer-needed Orbital Module and Instrumentation/Propulsion Module are designed to burn up in the atmosphere.

2342 GMT (7:42 p.m. EDT)

Time to touchdown is 30 minutes.

2330 GMT (7:30 p.m. EDT)

Soyuz is free-falling toward the atmosphere. The next event in the entry sequence will be separation of the spacecraft's three sections at 2345:36 GMT.

Just above the first traces of the Earth's atmosphere, computers will command the separation of the three modules of the Soyuz vehicle. With the crew strapped in to the Descent Module, the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and rendezvous antennas and the rear Instrumentation/Propulsion Module, which houses the engines and avionics, will pyrotechnically separate and burn up in the atmosphere.

The Descent Module's computers will orient the capsule with its ablative heat shield pointing forward to repel the buildup of heat as it plunges into the atmosphere. The crew will feel the first effects of gravity in six months at the point called Entry Interface, when the module is about 400,000 feet above the Earth, about three minutes after module separation.

2324 GMT (7:24 p.m. EDT)

BURN COMPLETE! The Soyuz capsule carrying Expedition 8 commander Michael Foale, flight engineer Alexander Kaleri and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers has performed its braking maneuver, committing the craft for the return to Earth. Touchdown in Central Asia is expected at 0012 GMT (8:12 p.m. EDT).

2320 GMT (7:20 p.m. EDT)

BURN IGNITION! The Russian Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft has commenced the four-minute, 23-second deorbit burn. Engines on the capsule's aft end are firing to brake from orbit for the plunge back to Earth.

2310 GMT (7:10 p.m. EDT)

The Soyuz is entering an orbital sunset as it cruises over the extreme South Pacific, approaching the southwestern tip of South America. Now 10 minutes till the deorbit burn. Landing is 62 minutes away.

2250 GMT (6:50 p.m. EDT)

Ignition of the Soyuz deorbit burn is now 30 minutes away. The four-minute, 23-second firing of the spacecraft's engines will slow the capsule's speed by 257.7 miles per hour, enough to brake from orbit for the plunge into the atmosphere. Landing in Central Asia is expected at 0012 GMT.

The weather forecast for the landing area calls for mostly clear skies, light winds and a temperature around 40 degrees F.

2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EDT)

Moving into orbital sunrise over China, a Soyuz spacecraft carrying three departing space station astronauts undocked today at 4:52 p.m. EDT (2052 GMT), the first step in a three-hour 20-minute flight back to Earth. There are no technical problems of any significance and landing in Kazakhstan remains on target for 8:12 p.m. EDT (0012 GMT). Read our undocking story.

2100 GMT (5:00 p.m. EDT)

The Soyuz continues to move away from the station following the successful undocking.

Looking ahead to the next three-and-a-quarter hours for the Soyuz crew, the capsule will fire its braking rockets at 2320:11 GMT, slowing the craft to drop from orbit for return to Earth. The deorbit burn is scheduled to last four minutes, 23 seconds.

The three sections of the Soyuz capsule are slated to separate apart at 2345:36 GMT. Atmospheric reentry will follow at 2348:29 GMT

The Soyuz descent module will make a parachute touchdown in Kazakhstan at about 0012:02 GMT.

2056 GMT (4:56 p.m. EDT)

The Soyuz spacecraft has fired its thrusters for approximately 15 seconds, providing a 1.2-mph change in velocity to increase the rate of separation between the capsule and station.

2052 GMT (4:52 p.m. EDT)

UNDOCKING! With a gentle push by springs, the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft has departed the International Space Station's Pirs docking module.

The Russian capsule is bringing the Expedition 8 crew -- commander Michael Foale and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri -- and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers back to Earth tonight. Expedition 8 spent six months living on the station, while Kuipers visited for just over a week.

Landing is scheduled for 0012 GMT (8:12 p.m. EDT) in Kazakhstan.

2049 GMT (4:49 p.m. EDT)

The undocking command has been issued. The hooks and latches are opening to release the Soyuz capsule from the space station.

2044 GMT (4:44 p.m. EDT)

In about five minutes, the order will be sent to begin opening the hooks and latches holding the Soyuz to the space station's Pirs module. A few minutes later, the capsule will be pushed away from the station by springs. A 15-second firing of the Soyuz's thrusters will follow to increase the rate of separation between the two spacecraft.

2020 GMT (4:20 p.m. EDT)

Mission Control reports preparations are progressing for today's homecoming of the Expedition 8 crew.

Since the hatches were closed between the Soyuz and station at 1747 GMT, the crew has performed a series of leak and pressure checks. At about 1915 GMT (3:15 p.m. EDT), the Pirs module's hooks to the Soyuz were opened.

With undocking about a half-hour away, the space station is being maneuvered to the proper attitude for the event. Also, the station's solar arrays are being repositioned to protect them from Soyuz thruster plumes during departure.

1747 GMT (1:47 p.m. EDT)

During a farewell ceremony held the Zvezda service module, the space station residents have formally handed command from outgoing Expedition 8 to the new Expedition 9 crew in preparation for the Soyuz undocking about three hours from now.

Michael Foale, Alexander Kaleri and Andre Kuipers then made their way to the Soyuz TMA-3 capsule, closing the hatch behind them at 1747 GMT (1:47 p.m. EDT).

0501 GMT (1:01 a.m. EDT)

There will be a changing of the guard aboard the International Space Station today as the Expedition 8 crew bids farewell to the orbiting complex and heads home after six months circling 250 miles above Earth. Meanwhile, the newly-arrived Expedition 9 crew takes control of the station for its half-year tour-of-duty.

Expedition 8 commander Michael Foale and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri, along with visiting European astronaut Andre Kuipers, will board Soyuz TMA-3 capsule docked to the Pirs module and close the hatchway behind them at 1735 GMT (1:35 p.m. EDT). Over the next two orbits, the three men will ready their spacecraft for the journey back to Earth.

Undocking of the Soyuz capsule is scheduled for 2052 GMT (4:52 p.m. EDT). The craft will fire its engines for four minutes, 23 seconds to brake from orbit starting at 2320:11 GMT (7:20:11 p.m. EDT).

Separation between the Soyuz spacecraft's orbital, descent and propulsion modules is expected at 2345:36 GMT (7:45:36 p.m. EDT), followed by atmospheric entry at 2348:29 GMT (7:48:29 p.m. EDT). The crew members, strapped into their seats within the descent module, will feel the maximum G-loads at 2355:07 GMT (7:55:07 p.m. EDT).

The capsule's parachutes will be commanded to start deploying in sequence at 2357:02 GMT (7:57:02 p.m. EDT) to slow the rate of descent. Touchdown in Kazakhstan is targeted for 0012:02 GMT (8:12:02 p.m. EDT), about eight minutes after sunrise at the landing site, to end the 195-day Expedition 8 flight and Kuipers's 11-day mission to the station.

Kuipers was launched to the station at 0319 GMT April 19 with Expedition 9 commander Gennady Padalka and NASA flight engineer Michael Fincke aboard the Soyuz TMA-4 capsule. They docked to the station two days later, kicking off Expedition 9's six-month mission to maintain the outpost's systems and carry out science research. Kuipers conducted a European science program during his brief stay.

TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004

The two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station -- Expedition 8 commander Michael Foale and Expedition 9 flight engineer Michael Fincke -- took a few minutes to talk with Spaceflight Now's Justin Ray on Tuesday. The live interview is presented here in its entirety.

PLAY [1MB QuickTime file]

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004

Here is the latest report from Mission Control:

New crewmembers aboard the International Space Station settled into a routine of handover briefings and scientific experiments after their arrival early Wednesday.

Expedition 9's Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke docked their ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft to the nadir port of the Zarya Control Module at 12:01 a.m. CDT Wednesday. They opened hatches and boarded the station about an hour later, beginning a six-month stay.

With them on the Soyuz was European Space Agency Astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, who will spend nine days aboard the Station conducting scientific investigations. Kuipers will return to Earth with Expedition 8's Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Foale and Kaleri arrived on the Station last October 20.

Their ISS Soyuz 7 capsule is scheduled to undock from the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment, where it has been during Expedition 8's stay on the Station, at 3:52 p.m. CDT April 29. The landing is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT the same day on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Early Thursday, during their Daily Planning Conference, crewmembers were told that one of the Station's three operating Control Moment Gyroscopes, CMG 2, had gone off line at about 3:20 p.m. CDT on Wednesday. The CMGs use power from the solar arrays to control the Station's orientation. Flight controllers traced the problem to a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM), a kind of remotely controlled circuit breaker, that had malfunctioned and cut off power to the gyroscope. The RPCM is mounted on the top of the Station's central truss segment, above the U.S. Laboratory Destiny.

Two CMGs continue to operate well and are sufficient for controlling the Station's orientiation until the RPCM can be replaced. Flight controllers have begun planning a spacewalk that will likely be conducted sometime in the next month to replace the RPCM with a spare unit and restore operation of CMG-2. A spare RPCM is aboard the Station.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004

NASA managers are discussing repair options for an eventual spacewalk to restart a space station gyroscope that shut down Wednesday when an electronic control module malfunctioned. The massive gyroscope itself is healthy, officials say, and spare control modules are available on board. But the remote power control module, or RPCM, in question is located on an exterior truss and a spacewalk will be needed to install a replacement. Read our full story.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004

After a two-day orbital chase, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked with the international space station early Wednesday, bringing a fresh crew to the outpost for a planned six-month stay. But U.S. and Russian managers are at loggerheads over how long the next crew, scheduled for launch in October, will be on board. Read our full story.

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SOYUZ CAPSULE DOCKS TO SPACE STATION QT
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS CONFERENCE (with translation) QT
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MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2004
0415 GMT (12:15 a.m. EDT)

A Soyuz rocket carrying the international space station's next crew roared to life and rocketed away from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late Sunday, kicking off the ninth expedition to the orbital outpost. Read our full story.

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES EXPEDITION 9 QT
VIDEO: CREWMEMBERS DON THEIR LAUNCH SPACESUITS QT
VIDEO: CHECKS ARE CONDUCTED ON THE SUITS QT
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SUITUP BUILDING FOR LAUNCH PAD QT
VIDEO: CROWD WELCOMES CREW AT LAUNCH PAD QT
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH COMMENTS BY NASA DEP. ADMINISTRATOR QT
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0334 GMT (11:34 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 15 minutes. NASA says the Soyuz has achieved an orbit of 143 by 118 miles. The craft will be performing a number of maneuvers over the next two days to reach the space station's orbit.

0328 GMT (11:28 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 9 minutes, 5 seconds. CAPSULE SEPARATION! The Soyuz spacecraft is flying free after separation from the spent third stage for the journey to the International Space Station. The crew can be seen shaking hands.

0327 GMT (11:27 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 8 minutes, 55 seconds. The third stage engine cutoff has occurred.

0327 GMT (11:27 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 8 minutes. About one minute left in the powered phase of the launch.

0326 GMT (11:26 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 7 minutes, 30 seconds. Speed is now 13,500 miles per hour. Crew reports everything is normal onboard.

0325 GMT (11:25 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. Third stage burn continues normally. Vehicle systems are operating as expected.

0324 GMT (11:24 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 5 minutes, 45 seconds. Gennady Padalka and Andre Kuipers are also waving at the onboard video camera. Mission control reports all is going smoothly in the climb to orbit.

0324 GMT (11:24 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 5 minutes, 5 seconds. The third stage has ignited to complete the job of injecting the Soyuz capsule into Earth orbit.

0323 GMT (11:23 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 4 minutes, 55 second. The second stage of the Soyuz rocket has shut down and separated.

0323 GMT (11:23 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 4 minutes, 15 seconds. Rookie astronaut Mike Fincke appears to be enjoying his first rocket launch, waving at the onboard video camera inside the Soyuz cockpit.

0322 GMT (11:22 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 3 minutes, 15 seconds. As the second stage engines continue to burn, speed is now 4,700 miles per hour.

0321 GMT (11:21 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 2 minutes, 50 seconds. The safety escape tower and launch shroud have been jettisoned from the atop the Soyuz capsule.

0321 GMT (11:21 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The rocket's velocity has climbed to 3,300 miles per hour.

0321 GMT (11:21 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 2 minutes, 10 seconds. The four strap-on boosters of the first stage have separated as planned. The second stage core stage continues to fire.

0320 GMT (11:20 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 60 seconds. Soyuz crew reports all is OK aboard the spacecraft.

0319 GMT (11:19 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T+plus 30 seconds. The launcher is maneuvering to the proper heading for its ascent to orbit, kicking off the two-day trek to the space station. The orbital laboratory complex is currently 230 miles above Earth, flying off the southeastern tip of South America.

0319 GMT (11:19 p.m. EDT Sun.)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to deliver the Expedition 9 crew to the International Space Station!

0318 GMT (11:18 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 45 seconds. The first umbilical arm has separated from Soyuz. The second will retract in the next few seconds.

0318 GMT (11:18 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 1 minute and counting. Launch sequence start.

0317 GMT (11:17 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. Rocket propellant tank pressurization is underway. The vehicle's onboard measurement system is activated. Oxidizer and fuel drain and safety valves of launch vehicle have been closed.

0316 GMT (11:16 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The nitrogen purge of the combustion chambers of side and central engine pods of the rocket has started.

0315 GMT (11:15 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 4 minutes and counting. The range at Baikonur is verified clear for launch. The launch key has been inserted in the bunker for liftoff.

0314 GMT (11:14 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. Systems of the Soyuz have switched to onboard control, the ground measurement system and Soyuz commander Gennady Padalka's controls are being activated. Also, the crew has switched to suit air by closing their helmets.

0313 GMT (11:13 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 6 minutes and counting. The automatic program for final launch operations is being activated.

0309 GMT (11:09 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The crew inside the Soyuz capsule are activating recorders to collect data during launch.

0305 GMT (11:05 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 14 minutes and counting. The Soyuz telemetry systems are being activated. They will relay real-time data back to Earth during today's launch.

0302 GMT (11:02 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 17 minutes and counting. Realignment of the Soyuz rocket's trajectory control system has been completed and checks of internal batteries have been performed. The Soyuz telemetry system will soon be activated and monitoring of Soyuz's thermal control system also will begin.

0255 GMT (10:55 p.m. EDT Sun.)

Launch of the Soyuz rocket remains slated to occur at 0319 GMT.

Within nine minutes of liftoff, the three-stage rocket will deploy the Soyuz TMA-4 capsule into a 143 by 118 mile orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to the equator, NASA says.

Over the next two days, the craft will perform a series of maneuvers to reach the International Space Station for docking early Monday.

0249 GMT (10:49 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 30 minutes and counting. The emergency escape system is being armed. The system would be employed if a major malfunction occurs, propelling the Soyuz capsule off the top of the rocket to safety.

0245 GMT (10:45 p.m. EDT Sun.)

It is currently 36 degrees F at Baikonur with overcast skies.

0240 GMT (10:40 p.m. EDT Sun.)

The two-piece service structure that has enclosed the Soyuz rocket at the launch pad during its stay will be retracted now. The towers are rotating to a horizontal position. Several other umbilical arms connecting the rocket to the ground will be retracted at various times later in the countdown.

Meanwhile, leak checks of the crew's launch and entry spacesuits are scheduled to be underway at this time.

0234 GMT (10:34 p.m. EDT Sun.)

T-minus 45 minutes and counting. Clocks continue to count down for launch of the Expedition 9 crew. The three-stage Russian Soyuz rocket is fueled for flight and activities are progressing on schedule for liftoff at 0319 GMT.

0145 GMT (9:45 p.m. EDT Sun.)

Dressed in their spacesuits, Gennady Padalka, Mike Fincke and Andre Kuipers have boarded their Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome as the countdown continues for tonight's launch to the International Space Station. Liftoff remains scheduled for 0319 GMT.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2004

Here is an overview the key events in the countdown, as provided by NASA:

• T- 6:00:00 Batteries are installed in the booster
  
  
• T- 5:30:00 State commission gives "go" to take launch vehicle
  
  
• T- 5:15:00 Crew arrives at site 254
  
  
• T- 5:00:00 Tanking begins
  
  
• T- 4:20:00 Spacesuit donning
  
  
• T- 4:00:00 Booster is loaded with liquid oxygen
  
  
• T- 3:40:00 Crew meets delegations
  
  
• T- 3:10:00 Reports to the State commission
  
  
• T- 3:05:00 Transfer to the launch pad
  
  
• T- 3:00:00 Vehicle first and second stage oxidizer fueling complete
  
  
• T- 2:35:00 Crew arrives at launch vehicle
  
  
• T- 2:30:00 Crew ingress through orbital module side hatch
  
  
• T- 2:00:00 Crew in re-entry vehicle
  
  
• T- 1:45:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware tested; suits are ventilated
  
  
• T- 1:30:00 Launch command monitoring and supply unit prepared;
  -- Orbital compartment hatch tested for sealing
  
  
• T- 1:00:00 Launch vehicle control system prepared for use; gyro instruments activated
  
  
• T - :45:00 Launch pad service structure halves are lowered
  
  
• T- :40:00 Re-entry vehicle hardware testing complete; leak checks performed on suits
  
  
• T- :30:00 Emergency escape system armed; launch command supply unit activated
  
  
• T- :25:00 Service towers withdrawn
  
  
• T- :15:00 Suit leak tests complete; crew engages personal escape hardware auto mode
  
  
• T- :10:00 Launch gyro instruments uncaged; crew activates on-board recorders
  
  
• T- 7:00 All prelaunch operations are complete
  
  
• T- 6:15 Key to launch command given at the launch site;
  -- Automatic program of final launch operations is activated
  
  
• T- 6:00 All launch complex and vehicle systems ready for launch
  
  
• T- 5:00 Onboard systems switched to onboard control;
  -- Ground measurement system activated by RUN 1 command;
  -- Commander's controls activated;
  -- Crew switches to suit air by closing helmets;
  -- Launch key inserted in launch bunker
  
  
• T- 3:15 Combustion chambers of side and central engine pods purged with nitrogen
  
  
• T- 2:30 Booster propellant tank pressurization starts;
  -- Onboard measurement system activated by RUN 2 command;
  -- Prelaunch pressurization of all tanks with nitrogen begins
  
  
• T- 2:15 Oxidizer and fuel drain and safety valves of launch vehicle are closed;
  -- Ground filling of oxidizer and nitrogen to the launch vehicle is terminated
  
  
• T- 1:00 Vehicle on internal power;
  -- Automatic sequencer on;
  -- First umbilical tower separates from booster
  
  
• T- :40 Ground power supply umbilical to third stage is disconnected
  
  
• T- :20 Launch command given at the launch position;
  -- Central and side pod engines are turned on
  
  
• T- :15 Second umbilical tower separates from booster
  
  
• T- :10 Engine turbopumps at flight speed
  
  
• T- :05 First stage engines at maximum thrust
  
  
• T- :00 Fueling tower separates;
  -- Lift off

1630 GMT (12:30 p.m. EDT)

Launch preparations continue at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for tonight's blastoff of the Expedition 9 crew aboard the Soyuz rocket. The State Commission has formally approved the crew and vehicle for flight.

"The Soyuz is a wonderful rocket, a very strong rocket. We have a very good ship and a good crew, so we'll have a great mission," rookie Mike Fincke said at a news conference early today.

"We are all leaving our families behind so that we can serve our countries and serve our planet. I'll be missing my family very much, but they will be in good hands and they will be waiting for me when I return."

A wintery storm moved through the Baikonur area earlier today, dumping about 7 inches of snow on the ground.

Despite the freezing conditions, the weather will be acceptable for launch with a low overcast and no precipitation expected at liftoff time, officials said.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2004

The Soyuz rocket has been rolled from its final assembly building to the launch pad, making the trek by rail. Once at the pad, the booster was erected upright and enclosed by servicing towers. Fueling will occur in the final hours of the countdown. Liftoff remains set for Sunday night.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2004

Expedition 9, the next crew to live aboard the International Space Station, will depart Earth Sunday night as they launch on a Russian Soyuz rocket for the two-day journey to reach the orbiting laboratory complex.

Liftoff is scheduled for 0319 GMT (11:19 p.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Docking of the Soyuz TMA-4 capsule to the nadir port of the station's Zarya module is expected around 0500 GMT (1 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday.

Russian commander Gennady Padalka and NASA science officer Mike Fincke make up Expedition 9. They will be joined aboard the Soyuz by European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands who will spend nine days aboard the station performing scientific experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Federal Space Agency of Russia.

Kuipers will return to Earth on April 29 with Expedition 8 commander Mike Foale and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri.

The Expedition 8 crew have been station residents since last October. They will ride the aging Soyuz TMA-3 craft, in which they launched, to a landing in Kazakhstan.

After Wednesday's docking, Padalka and Fincke will conduct more than a week of handover activities with Foale and Kaleri familiarizing themselves with Station systems and procedures. They will also receive proficiency training on the Canadarm2 robotic arm from Foale and will engage in safety briefings with the off-going Expedition 8 crew as well as payload and scientific equipment training.

Padalka and Fincke will assume formal control of the station at the time of hatch closure as Expedition 8 boards its Soyuz in the hours prior to undocking and landing.

Fincke is making his first flight into space after spending several years in training in Russia while helping to develop Station crew procedures.

Kuipers is also making his first flight into space.

American and Russian planners are developing plans for two spacewalks Padalka and Fincke would conduct during their mission to continue the external outfitting of the Zvezda service module and to install cameras, communications gear and navigational aids to Zvezda for next year's arrival of the European Space Agency's unpiloted Automated Transfer Vehicle, a cargo ship similar to the Russian Progress vehicle.

Padalka and Fincke will wear Russian Orlan spacesuits to conduct the spacewalks out of the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock.

Once the Expedition 8 crew has departed, the Expedition 9 crew will settle down to work. Station operations and maintenance will take up a considerable share of the time for the two-person crew. But science will continue, as will science-focused education activities and Earth observations.

Experiments make use of the microgravity environment in the Destiny Laboratory and the orientation of the Station to conduct investigations in a variety of disciplines. Those fields include life sciences, physics and chemistry, and their applications in materials and manufacturing processes. The Station is also used to study the Earth - its environment, climate, geology, oceanography and more. Indeed, Earth observations are expected to occupy a relatively large share of this crew's time for scientific activity. U.S., Russian and Partner experiments and hardware on board the ISS could use 300 hours of crew time, which will be prioritized and scheduled as time permits surrounding the spacewalks, Progress dockings, medical operations and system maintenance activities.

The science team at the Payload Operations Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will operate some experiments without crew input and other experiments are designed to function autonomously. In addition, some Expedition 8 science activities will be continued. Many of the Expedition 9 Russian science experiments were delivered on the ISS Progress 13P resupply vehicle, which docked to the International Space Station in late January.

During more than six months aloft, Padalka and Fincke will monitor the arrival of two Russian Progress resupply cargo ships filled with food, fuel, water and supplies. They will also upgrade the software in the on-board Station computers. Progress 14P is scheduled to reach the ISS in late May, and Progress 15P is earmarked to fly to the ISS at the end of July. The Progress craft will link up to the aft port of Zvezda.

Also on the crew's agenda is work with the Station's robotic arm, Canadarm2. Robotics work will focus on observations of the Station's exterior, maintaining operator proficiency, and completing the schedule of on-orbit checkout requirements that were developed to fully characterize the performance of the robotic system.