On February 3, 2016 at 12:56 UTC two Russian cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko and Sergey Volkov began their spacewalk. The cosmonauts collected residue samples from the Pirs hatch and a window on the Zvezda command module before removing an experiment package known as EXPOSE-R, which exposed various biological and biochemical materials to the space environment. Malenchenko and Volkov then moved up to the “Poisk” module where they swapped out another set of space exposure samples and reoriented a thruster plume impingement monitor. They also attached another space exposure experiment before moving to the “Zarya” module and installing two handrails. The final task of the spacewalk was testing an applicator similar in appearance to a packing tape dispenser. Using a test panel, the cosmonauts applied specially coated tape intended to test thin films that could prove useful reconditioning exterior pa ... Read more »

On January 15, 2016 American astronaut Timothy Kopra and British astronaut Timothy Peake performed the spacewalk. The astronauts began the spacewalk at 12:48 UTC. It was to be a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the first so far this year. Flight controllers ordered two astronauts to terminate a spacewalk outside the International Space Station after one of them reported a small amount of water leaking into his space helmet. The EVA lasted 4 hours and 43 minutes.

On December 23, 2015 at 10:27 UTC the Upgraded Russian “Progress MS-01” unmanned supply spacecraft docked to the International Space Station. The spacecraft was docked to the Russian “Pirs” module. The spacecraft carried 2436 kilograms of cargo for the six-member ISS crew.  The Progress MS series of cargo vehicles carry upgrades that will fly on Soyuz crew spacecraft will beginning in mid-2016.

On December 21, 2015 American astronauts Scott Kelly and Timothy Kopra performed the spacewalk. They freed up a stalled robot arm-carrying transporter so it could be moved to a nearby anchor point and locked down, clearing the way for a Russian Progress supply spacecraft to dock on December 23. The EVA lasted 3 hours and 16 minutes. This was the 191st spacewalk since station assembly began in 1998, the third for Kelly and the second for Kopra.

On December 21, 2015 at 08:44 UTC the “Progress MS-01” unmanned supply spacecraft was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station. The spacecraft was orbited by the “Soyuz-2.1a” rocket-carrier. The automated Progress MS spacecraft is the first Russian supply ship to test several upgrades that engineers plan to eventually fly on crewed Soyuz spacecraft.

On December 19, 2015 at 07:35 UTC the “Progress M-28M” unmanned supply spacecraft was undocked from the Russian “Pirs” (Pier) module of the International Space Station. Several hours later the “Progress M-28M” spacecraft was deorbited. Non-burnt fragments of the spacecraft sank in the South part of the Pacific at 11:28 UTC.

On December 15, 2015 at 17:33 UTC the "Soyuz TMA-19M” spacecraft docked with the Russian "Rassvet” (MIM-1) module of the International Space Station. Due to a malfunction in automatic docking mode, the docking was performed manually by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, Commander of the "Soyuz TMA-19M”. The spacecraft delivered three new members of Expedition 46 to the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, American astronaut Timothy Kopra and British astronaut Timothy Peake. The new comers joined current ISS expedition members – Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko as well as American astronaut Scott Kelly to form Expedition 46 crew of 6 members.

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On December 15, 2015 at 11:03 UTC the Russian “Soyuz TMA-19M” spacecraft was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The space vehicle was orbited by the Russian “Soyuz-FG” rocket-carrier. The spacecraft is piloted by 3 cosmonauts: Commander, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (center); flight-engineer-1, American astronaut Timothy Kopra (right); flight-engineer-2, British astronaut Timothy Peake (left).

Photo by Russian Cosmonaut training center.

The space vehicle is to dock with the International Space Station in several hours after lift off. Malenchenko, Kopra and Peake will join current ISS expedition members V ... Read more »

On December 11, 2015 at 13:18 UTC the Russian “Soyuz TMA-17M” landing capsule landed safely in a distance of 121 kilometers north-east from the city of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft delivered to Earth the 3 members of ISS’s Expedition 45 – Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui (油井 亀美也) and American astronaut Kjell Lindgren. They spent in space 142 days. Three other ISS crew members – Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko as well as American astronaut Scott Kelly remained in orbit aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 46 crew. The undocking of Soyuz TMA-17M marked the end of Expedition 45 and the start of Expedition 46. ... Read more »

On December 11, 2015 at 13:18 UTC the Russian “Soyuz TMA-17M” landing capsule landed safely in a distance of 121 kilometers north-east from the city of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The spacecraft delivered to Earth the 3 members of ISS’s Expedition 45 – Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui (油井 亀美也) and American astronaut Kjell Lindgren. They spent in space 142 days. Three other ISS crew members – Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko as well as American astronaut Scott Kelly remained in orbit aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 46 crew. The undocking of Soyuz TMA-17M marked the end of Expedition 45 and the start of Expedition 46.