Published: March. 8, 2013 at 2:19 PM<\/p>\n
MOSCOW, March 8 (UPI) -- A new crew for the International Space Station will install equipment to monitor Earth's atmosphere and forecast natural disasters, a Russian cosmonaut says. <\/p>\n
The crew will lift off from the Baikonur space center March 28 abroad a Soyuz-TMA-08M carrier rocket, ISS-36 Crew Commander Pavel Vinogradov told RIA Novosti Thursday. <\/p>\n
The new equipment -- a complex system of sensors and antennas designed to study the plasma\/wave processes in the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere -- will be installed on the outer surface of the station's Russian segment during one of the four spacewalks, he said. <\/p>\n
It is intended to \"eventually benefit mankind by forecasting earthquakes and other natural disasters,\" Vinogradov said. <\/p>\n
A new Russian laboratory module will be docked with the ISS to expand the Russian segment this year, he said, and a research\/power module will be added next year. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original post:<\/p>\n
Space station to watch for Earth disasters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: March. 8, 2013 at 2:19 PM MOSCOW, March 8 (UPI) -- A new crew for the International Space Station will install equipment to monitor Earth's atmosphere and forecast natural disasters, a Russian cosmonaut says. The crew will lift off from the Baikonur space center March 28 abroad a Soyuz-TMA-08M carrier rocket, ISS-36 Crew Commander Pavel Vinogradov told RIA Novosti Thursday. Continue reading