Image: NASA / Roscosmos (public domain)
ISS Expedition 23/24
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2010-04-02 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-FG |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz TMA-18 |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2010-09-25 |
| Duration | 176 days 1 hour 19 minutes |
| Partners | NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, CSA |
Overview
Soyuz TMA-18 carried chemist-turned-astronaut Tracy C. Dyson on her second flight, joining first-time Russian cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko for a 176-day stay spanning Expeditions 23 and 24. The arrival of the trio briefly placed four women in space simultaneously for the first time in history. Dyson's tour turned dramatic when a cooling-loop ammonia pump failed in late July 2010, threatening half the station's power. She and Douglas Wheelock improvised a three-spacewalk repair campaign in August, wrestling out the 780-pound failed module and bolting in a spare under stubborn quick-disconnect leaks. The crew also welcomed shuttle missions STS-131 and STS-132, the latter delivering the Russian Rassvet module. A jammed docking-ring sensor delayed their homecoming roughly a day before a safe landing near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.
Crew
Aleksandr Skvortsov
Soyuz Commander; ISS Flight Engineer (Exp 23), Commander (Exp 24)
First spaceflight
Mikhail Kornienko
Soyuz / ISS Flight Engineer
First spaceflight
Tracy C. Dyson
ISS Flight Engineer (NASA)
Second spaceflight; conducted three EVAs to replace a failed cooling pump
Key Milestones
2010-04-02
Soyuz TMA-18 launches from Baikonur with Skvortsov, Kornienko and Tracy C. Dyson
2010-04-04
Soyuz docks with the ISS, completing the Expedition 23 crew of six
2010-05-14
STS-132 (Atlantis) launches to deliver the Russian Rassvet (MRM-1) module
2010-08-11
Dyson and Wheelock remove the failed Loop A cooling pump module during a contingency EVA
2010-09-25
Soyuz TMA-18 lands near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan after a ~24-hour delay from a docking-ring sensor glitch
Key Achievements
Briefly created the first instance of four women in space at the same time (with the docked STS-131 crew)
Tracy C. Dyson performed three contingency spacewalks to replace a failed ammonia cooling pump
Restored full station cooling and power after a critical Loop A pump failure
Hosted shuttle missions STS-131 and STS-132, the latter delivering the Rassvet module
