spacetoday.net: ISS crew offers mixed opinions on extended mission

Posted: Wed, Mar 31, 2004, 8:11 PM ET (0111 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

The next long-term crew for the International Space Station made conflicting statements Wednesday about their willingness and ability to remain on the station for a full year instead of the planned six months. Russian officials officially confirmed Gennady Padalka and Michael Fincke as the Expedition 9 crew to the ISS during a ceremony Wednesday in Star City. The duo, along with Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, will launch to the station on a Soyuz on April 19; Kuipers will return at the end of the month along with the Expedition 9 crew of Michael Foale and Alexander Kaleri. Padalka told the RIA Novosti news agency that the crew would be willing to spend as much as one year in orbit, rather than the six months currently planned. However, Reuters reported that Fincke was less enthusiastic, expressing concerns about the medical effects of the extended stay as well as the additional time away from his family. Russia has reportedly asked NASA to consider extending the ISS missions so that Russia can free up space on Soyuz taxi flights to carry paying passengers. NASA has yet to formally comment on the proposal, which earlier reports had indicated were focused on the Expedition 10 crew scheduled for launch in the fall.