NASA stated that this is the first space flight for Williams, a physicist, and Mikayev, a military pilot. As for Kud-Sverchkov, this is his second trip to space and the International Space Station.
The crew will join NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Johnny Kim, and Japanese Space Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui, in addition to Russian astronauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Oleg Platonov. NASA announced that Williams will conduct scientific research and technological experiments at the station aiming to advance human space exploration and contribute to improving life on Earth.
Khaberni - A US-Russian crew consisting of three members began a mission at the International Space Station, after being launched there on a Russian spacecraft last Thursday. The Russian booster rocket "Soyuz" was launched at 2:27 PM from the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased by Russia in Kazakhstan, placing the "Soyuz MS-28" spacecraft into its orbit.
The spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Chris Williams, and his Russian colleagues, Sergey Mikayev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, landing at the International Space Station at 5:34 PM. The three astronauts are expected to spend about eight months on the orbital station.
