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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Space station crew set to double | Space station crew set to double |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Three astronauts are set to blast off for the International Space Station where they will raise the outpost's crew to six for the first time. | |
| Belgian Frank De Winne, Canadian Robert Thirsk and Russian Roman Romanenko are due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 1134 BST. | |
| Rather than coming straight home, the current residents will stay aboard the ISS with the new arrivals. | Rather than coming straight home, the current residents will stay aboard the ISS with the new arrivals. |
| After four months, Mr De Winne will take over as commander of the ISS. | After four months, Mr De Winne will take over as commander of the ISS. |
| This will mark the first time a European has taken charge of a crew in orbit. | This will mark the first time a European has taken charge of a crew in orbit. |
| The astronauts will arrive at the space station two days after launch, joining the current crew - Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. | The astronauts will arrive at the space station two days after launch, joining the current crew - Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. |
| The Soyuz TMA-15 is set to dock with the space station at 1336 BST on Friday. | The Soyuz TMA-15 is set to dock with the space station at 1336 BST on Friday. |
| Mr Thirsk called the expansion from a three-person to a six-person crew a "milestone" and said one of the mission goals was "to prove the station can support six people for a long duration". | Mr Thirsk called the expansion from a three-person to a six-person crew a "milestone" and said one of the mission goals was "to prove the station can support six people for a long duration". |
| A primary objective will be to assess how well such a large number of people live together in the cramped confines of the space station. | A primary objective will be to assess how well such a large number of people live together in the cramped confines of the space station. |
| "What we'll do over the next months will be to prepare for future space exploration," Mr De Winne told the Associated Press news agency. | "What we'll do over the next months will be to prepare for future space exploration," Mr De Winne told the Associated Press news agency. |
| Severe winds at the launch site have raised last-minute concerns the flight could be cancelled. | Severe winds at the launch site have raised last-minute concerns the flight could be cancelled. |
| The voyage will mark the first time all five ISS partner agencies will be represented by crew members on the orbiting outpost. | The voyage will mark the first time all five ISS partner agencies will be represented by crew members on the orbiting outpost. |
| Mr De Winne, a European Space Agency (Esa) astronaut, will spend six months aboard the space station, initially as a flight engineer. | Mr De Winne, a European Space Agency (Esa) astronaut, will spend six months aboard the space station, initially as a flight engineer. |
| After a crew rotation due in October, he will take over as commander for Expedition 21 to the space station. | After a crew rotation due in October, he will take over as commander for Expedition 21 to the space station. |