SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS012
ARLS012 Two-ham crew named for ISS Expedition 8 crew

ZCZC AS12  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 012  ARLS012
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  July 25, 2003
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS012
ARLS012 Two-ham crew named for ISS Expedition 8 crew

Another two-ham crew will take over the reins of the International
Space Station (ISS) this fall. Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Foale,
KB5UAC, and seasoned Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, U8MIR, have
been named as the ISS Expedition 8 crew. Former crew members aboard
the Russian Mir space station, Foale and Kaleri will kick off their
latest space station duty tours October 18. They'll head into space
aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with a third ham, Spain's Pedro
Duque, KC5RGG--representing the European Space Agency (ESA). They'll
dock two days later at the ISS.

The English-born Foale, 46, will serve as the Expedition 8 commander
and NASA ISS science officer. Kaleri will be the Soyuz commander and
ISS flight engineer. They'll replace Expedition 7 crew members
Commander Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, and Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, who have been
aboard the ISS since April. Duque will ride into space with Foale
and Kaleri on the outbound mission and return to Earth with the
Expedition 7 crew, Malenchenko and Lu, aboard the Soyuz now docked
at the ISS.

A native of Latvia, Kaleri, 47, was a member of the backup crew for
Expedition 5 and had been scheduled to be the third Expedition 7
crew member. With the NASA shuttle fleet still grounded at least
until early next year in the wake of the Columbia tragedy, however,
the Expedition 7 crew was trimmed to two people, and Kaleri was cut.

Two-person crews will be the rule at least until the space
shuttle--with its significantly larger cargo and crew
capacity--returns to flight. The Soyuz, which carries three
passengers, will remain the prime crew transport system. Foale and
Kaleri are scheduled to spend approximately six months aboard the
ISS.
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