Soyuz Capsule Repositioned To Accommodate Arrival Of Promise

The crew of the ISS got to take a little spin in the Soyuz capsule Tuesday, but it wasn't exactly a joyride -- they had to move the capsule to another parking spot.

Later this month, when a Progress cargo ship arrives, it will need the spot the Soyuz vacated.

Mission controllers intend to launch the Progress vehicle on October 23rd for arrival at the ISS on the 26th. It will carry fuel, food and other supplies for the crew and station.

All three members of the ISS crew strapped into the Soyuz for the repositioning flight, with Soyuz Commander Mihkail Tyurin at the helm. Tyurin used the capsule's maneuvering thrusters to back away from the ISS before moving it to a docking station on the new Zarya module.

Tyurin told flight controllers, "It's a very interesting sound when the thrusters fire. It sounds like someone is taking a drumstick and banging on the hull a little bit."

They left the ISS unmanned during the 20-minute re-docking maneuver. The ISS is orbiting 220 miles above the earth.

Tyurin and Station Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will next move the capsule for their return flight to earth in the spring.

The station's third crewmember, German Thomas Reiter, will leave the station in December after his replacement arrives. He and Sunita Williams will swap places, with Reiter returning to earth aboard the shuttle.

FMI: www.nasa.gov