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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
about return to Earth of
Expedition Six to ISS

May 4, 2003. Korolev, Moscow Region.

The crew of Expedition Six to the International Space Station (ISS) -
NASA astronauts Kenneth Bowersox (Commander), Donald Pettit (Flight
Engineer) and Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin (Flight Engineer,
test cosmonaut of RSC Energia) - returned to Earth in the Descent
Vehicle (DV) of Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft upon completion of a 162-day
mission plan. Soyuz TMA-1 undocked from the Docking
Compartment/Module Pirs of the ISS Russian Segment on May 4, 2003 at
2 hours 43 minutes Moscow Time on control commands from the Mission
Control Center near Moscow (MCC-M). As a result of a retro burn
performed by the spacecraft propulsion system which was started at 5
hours 12 minutes, the spacecraft return trajectory was established.
In accordance with the nominal descent profile, at 5 hours 40
minutes the DV separated from the orbital module and the
instrumentation/propulsion module of the spacecraft. At 5 hours 43
minutes the spacecraft entered the Earth atmosphere. During descent
in the atmosphere, the DV Descent Control System issued the command
to descend following a ballistic trajectory. The causes for the DV
switching to the ballistic descent mode are being analyzed by a
special commission set up by the Designer General of S.P.Korolev RSC
Energia, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.P.Semenov. The
commission is doing a comprehensive analysis of the spacecraft
systems operation, crew and MCC-M actions based on the results of the
telemetry data processing.

The descent vehicle of Soyuz TMA-1 landed at 6 hours 7 minutes (to be
updated) in an area located near the town of Turgai, Republic of
Kazakhstan. The coordinates of the landing site are 49ø37'48" North
and 61ø20'36" East. The DV parachuted and soft-landed in accordance
with the nominal operational profile of the landing system.

Initially, the major forces of the search and rescue team were
concentrated in the target landing area for the controlled descent
located more than 400 km away from the point where the DV landed in
ballistic descent mode. In connection with this, the search for the
DV took more time than was originally planned. Prompt redirection of
the search and rescue assets allowed to spot the descent vehicle at 8
hours 21 minute. Commander of Soyuz TMA-1 Nikolai Budarin opened the
DV hatch at 8 hours 35 minutes and at 9 hours 46 minutes the crew got
out of the DV, establishing radio communications with the search team
and MCC-M. At 10 hours 45 minutes two MI-8 helicopters landed near
the descent vehicle. Evacuation of the crew and the DV from the
landing site was carried out according to the nominal plan. At 18
hours 40 minutes the crew arrived at Chkalovsky airfield by an
airplane of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Present at MCC-M
during the operations of the final phase of the Soyuz TMA-1 mission
and at Chkalovsly airfield were: for the Russian side - Director
General of Rosaviakosmos Yu.N.Koptev, the Technical Manager of the
Russian manned programs, Designer General of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia,
a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.P.Semenov, members of
the State Commission (Co-chairmen: state secretary, first deputy
general director of Rosaviakosmos N.F.Moiseev, deputy director
general of TsNIIMash V.A.Grin), the head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center Colonel General P.I.Klimuk, representatives of
Rosaviakosmos, leading specialists of RSC Energia, and of Russian
companies and organizations participating in the ISS program; for the
US side - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Deputy Chief of Mission to
Russia John R. Beyrle, representatives from NASA management; as well
as representatives from the European Space Agency, family and
relatives of the crew of ISS-6.

The tasks of Expedition ISS-6 have been successfully accomplished.
The manned transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-1, which stayed docked
to the ISS for 186 days as the crew rescue vehicle, has been replaced
with Soyuz TMA-2, which delivered to the space station the crew of
Expedition Seven (ISS-7) consisting of a Russian cosmonaut Yuri
Malenchenko (Commander) and NASA astronaut Edward Lu (Flight
Engineer). 

The combined international crew of the space station during the joint
six-day mission replaced the seat liners in Soyuz TMA-1 and Soyuz
TMA-2, rehearsed the operations of emergency evacuation from the
space station and return to Earth, conducted scientific experiments
and research, stowed into Soyuz TMA-1 the total of 50 kilograms of
cargoes to be returned to Earth containing the results of research
under Russian, US and Japanese programs. The ISS-6 crew performed the
necessary medical studies and physical exercises needed to prepare
them for their descent from orbit. The spacecraft of the Soyuz TMA
series have been developed by the S.P.Korolev RSC Energia in
cooperation with subcontractors in the Russian rocket and space
industry. The spacecraft are a modification of the manned Soyuz-type
spacecraft designed for operation under the ISS program. Soyuz TMA-1
flight during its return to Earth was controlled by the Lead
Operations Control Team (LOCT) located in MCC-M (the Flight Director
is cosmonaut V.A.Soloviev) and working in cooperation with
specialists from the US Mission Control Center (Houston). 

The space station continues its flight in a near-Earth orbit with
orbital inclination of 51.65ø, maximum and minimal altitudes of 412.6
and 388.3 km, respectively, and orbital period of 92.3 minutes.

At present the space station with the mass of about 179.6 tons
operates in the configuration consisting of: the Functional Cargo
Module (FGB) Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, Docking Compartment/Module
Pirs, manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-2, logistics vehicle Progress M-47
(Russian segment), modules Unity, Destiny, Quest air-lock and a large
multi-sectional truss structure carrying solar panels (US segment).

The crew of Expedition ISS-7 continue to work in orbit according to
the mission plan. This crew is scheduled to be rotated in the course
of the Soyuz TMA-3 mission, which is slated for launch in the fall of
2003. 

Key data on Soyuz TMA spacecraft can be found on the internet on the
RSC Energia web site at:

www.energia.ru/english/energia/iss/soyuz-tma/soyuz-tma.html.

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