ISS Expedition 44/45

Mission Profile

Overview

Expedition 44/45 carried a true international trio and an American rookie who would soon make his mark outside the airlock. Russian commander Oleg Kononenko launched aboard Soyuz TMA-17M in July 2015 with JAXA's Kimiya Yui and NASA flight surgeon Kjell Lindgren, both on their first flights. They joined the station while Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko were mid-way through the ISS's first year-long mission. The increment's standout human moment came on 28 October 2015, when Lindgren and Kelly stepped outside for the first spacewalks of both their careers — a seven-hour-16-minute EVA to service the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and lubricate Canadarm2 — followed by a second EVA on 6 November. Kononenko, commanding the Soyuz, brought the trio safely home in a rare night landing on 11 December 2015 after 141 days in orbit.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 2015-07-22

   Soyuz TMA-17M launches with Kononenko, Yui and Lindgren

2. 2015-07-23

   Four-orbit fast docking with the ISS; crew joins Expedition 44

3. 2015-10-28

   Lindgren and Kelly make their first-ever spacewalk (7h 16m) to service the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

4. 2015-12-11

   Soyuz TMA-17M makes a rare night landing in Kazakhstan after 141 days

Key Achievements

• Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly conducted their first-ever spacewalks together (Oct 28, 2015)

• First spaceflights for both Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui

• Concluded with a rare ISS night landing of Soyuz TMA-17M

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Soyuz TMA-17M
2. Wikipedia — Expedition 44
3. NASA — Soyuz with Expedition 45 trio lands after 141 days