ANN REALTIME REPORTING 09.18.06 0020 EDT: Approximately 15 minutes ago, a Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, US astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, and 'space tourist' Anousheh Ansari onward to a Wednesday rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will replace Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, who are wrapping up a six-month stay on the station. European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter will remain on the station and join Expedition 14.

As Aero-News reported, Atlantis undocked from the ISS at 8:50 am Sunday. STS-115 is the first construction mission to visit the station since late 2002. STS-116 is the next construction mission, and it is scheduled to visit the station and Expedition 14 as early as December.

While preparing for the arrival of their replacement crew, the Expedition 13 crew is also preparing for the departure of the Progress 21 cargo ship, which is filled with trash and other unneeded items. The Progress will undock at 8:28 pm Monday, heading for a fiery re-entery into the  Earth’s atmosphere.

FMI: www.nasa.gov