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Russian Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft docked to the ISS.
19:49
On July 17, 2012 at 04:51 UTC the"Soyuz TMA-05M” spacecraft docked with the Russian "Rassvet” module of the International Space Station. The Soyuz TMA-05M delivered three new members of Expedition 32 to the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, American astronaut Sunita Williams, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. The new comers joined current ISS expedition members Russian cosmonauts Gennadiy Padalka and Sergey Revin as well as American astronaut Joseph Acaba to form Expedition 32 crew of 6 members. Padalka, Revin and Acaba have been aboard the station for 2 months since arriving in May 2012. The new crew members are expected to conduct over 30 scientific missions during their stay on board the ISS. For Malenchenko, this is his fifth long-duration spaceflight. Williams and Hoshide visited the ISS once each, traveling on board a U.S. space shuttle. It is their first flight experience with the Soyuz spacecraft. Russian Soyuz-family spacecraft remain the only means of transportation for crew members to and from the orbital station until at least 2015.
