Category Archives: Space Station

Three astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth today (March 14) after 141 days on board the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin's will board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft tonight at 5:15 EDT (2115 GMT) after a brief farewell ceremony, and are expected to land at 11:57 p.m. EDT (0357 GMT), touching down on the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

You canwatch the landing liveon SPACE.comcourtesy of NASA. The space agency will begin broadcasting the farewell ceremony at 4:45 p.m. EDT (2045 GMT) on its NASA TV channel and webcast. The Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft returning Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin home will undock from the space station at 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT).

On Wednesday, the departing station crew held a brief change of command ceremony with the three spaceflyers remaining behind the space station, marking the end of Expedition 34 mission and the official beginning the Expedition 35 increment. During the ceremony, Ford who commanded the Expedition 34 crew handed control of the space station to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield.

"It's not a competition," Ford said of the culture on theInternational Space Station. "It's about 15 of the most affluent countries on the planet coming together and doing something for the future."

The Expedition 34 mission is Ford's second career spaceflight and the first mission for both Tarelkin and Novitskiy. [See photos of the Expedition 34 space station mission]

"I tell you, they are like brothers to me. They say they consider me their 'papa,' and I'm not sure how to take that," Ford joked of Novitskiy and Tarelkin.

In honor of Hadfield's new rank as the first Canadian space station commander, Expedition 34 commander Ford played the Canadian national anthem during the command change ceremony.

"Chris brings his super, super special talents to the table," Ford said of the new commander. "He is a uniquely talented person on the planet and now a uniquely talented person off the planet."

Hadfield and his crewmates NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko won't be on their own for long. Three more spaceflyers will replace the Earth-bound Ford, Tarelkin and Novitskiy later this month, bringing the space station crew back up to its full six-person size.

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Space Station Astronauts Returning to Earth Tonight: How to Watch Online

If becoming the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station weren't exciting enough by itself, Chris Hadfield now has the best wishes of Queen Elizabeth II to go along with it.

The queen who reigns over the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada offered her congratulations to Hadfield, who took charge of the orbiting lab's new Expedition 35 today (March 13).

"I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday," Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians."

Hadfield assumed command of the orbiting lab from NASA astronaut Kevin Ford during a ceremony this afternoon.

"Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car," Hadfield said during the ceremony, which featured the playing of "O Canada" in his honor. "We're going to put some miles on it, but we'll bring it back in good shape."

Ford and Russian cosmonauts Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy will head home to Earth Friday (March 15) - one day later than planned due to bad weather at their landing site - marking the official end of the station's Expedition 34and the start of Expedition 35.

Hadfield, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko will have the station to themselves until March 28, when three new crewmembers will arrive aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Hadfield is the first citizen of a Commonwealth nation the group of 54 countries that have maintained ties after the British Empire came to an end to hold the space station's keys. He's just the second-ever commander who is neither a NASA astronaut nor a Russian cosmonaut. (Belgian spaceflyer Frank De Winne led Expedition 21 in 2009).

The guitar-strumming Hadfield had already made a mark on the space station before taking charge. Shortly after arriving in December, he played the first original song ever recorded on the space station. And in February, Hadfield performed a duet with Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson, a fellow Canadian, who did his part from Earth.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter@michaeldwall.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookorGoogle+. Originally published onSPACE.com.

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Queen Elizabeth II Congratulates 1st Canadian Space Station Commander

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Ring UFO Seen Near ISS (Space Station) On Live Cam March 9, 2013, 9:30 am Asia Time. - Video

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Chris Hadfield knows it's easy to be in charge when things are going well.

It's a lot tougher to be a leader when they are not.

But the astronaut who becomes the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station this afternoon has done everything he can for the past 20 years to be ready for what he sees as the pinnacle of his career.

"I think the hardest part is being ready all the time for things to go badly because when things are going well, it's easy to be in charge," the 53-year-old told students via videolink from the ISS to Chris Hadfield Public School in his hometown of Milton, Ont., earlier this year.

Maybe a meteorite might strike the $150-billion high-tech orbiting laboratory. Maybe a fire might break out. Maybe a crisis might hit a crewmember's family back on Earth and he can't get home right away. These are the kinds of eventualities a commander has to be prepared for.

Hadfield's two decades as an astronaut have been geared toward an assignment like this. But his preparation probably started even earlier.

"In truth, I started training to command the space station when I was 14," he told University of Waterloo students via videolink from the ISS last month.

"I was in the Air Cadets and I went to a junior leaders' course and they taught me the basic precepts of leadership at 14 years old as a young Canadian, and since then I've watched leaders, and you can learn something from every leader."

Even bad leaders can teach lessons to those below them, and Hadfield said he's learned from all kinds.

"I've also, through the military and then in my 20 years as an astronaut, been given increasing opportunities to manage and to lead people, and that all put me in a position where I could get assigned to command a spaceship," he told the students.

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Prepped 'for years,' Chris Hadfield takes over space station command

Peter Rakobowchuk, The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, Mar. 12, 2013 5:12PM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013 4:59AM EDT

MONTREAL -- For the first time in the history of the International Space Station, a Canadian will take charge of the giant orbiting space lab.

The transfer of command to space veteran Chris Hadfield will be marked Wednesday by the simple ringing of a ceremonial bell.

He is almost three months into his five-month space visit.

Since his arrival on Dec. 21, 2012, the Canadian space veteran has been taking spectacular photos of the world beneath him and posting them on Twitter. Hadfield's colourful, detailed images have received international attention and helped him gain over 500,000 Twitter followers.

Another recent photo showed an apple with Velcro on the bottom which, Hadfield explained, allowed him to set it down between bites.

But the 53-year-old spaceman may have to cut down on the amount of time he has devoted to his nascent photography career.

The transfer of command to Hadfield, and the start of what's officially designated "Expedition 35," will happen at 5:10 p.m. ET.

Hadfield takes over the top job in outer space from NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, the station's 34th commander.

Former Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk is confident his old colleague will do a good job. Thirsk spent six months on the station in 2009 -- a record stay for a Canadian. One of Canada's first six original astronauts, he retired in August 2012.

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Hadfield takes command of International Space Station tomorrow

Astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station this afternoon, when he officially took the reins of the orbiting laboratory.

Outgoing NASA Commander Kevin Ford, who has held the role since November 2012, passed responsibility for the Station to Hadfield during a transfer-of-command ceremony at 5:10 p.m. ET.

Expedition 34 will end tomorrow when Ford and his crewmates undock from the Station.

"[Hadfield] has a vision for [Expedition] 35. He knows what's going to happen," Ford said from the ISS. "He's really a people person. He's out there, he shares things with everybody. He's a uniquely talented person on the planet and he's now a uniquely talented person off the planet."

Hadfield arrived at the Station in December, where he has been conducting experiments and sharing his experiences on social media.

Ford played the Canadian national anthem before ceding control, pointing out that Hadfield would be the first Canadian commander of the ISS. He will also be the first commander who is neither from NASA nor the Russian Federal Space Agency.

"We're very proud of Chris. We're very proud of Canada as our partner in this International Space Station," Ford said. "Canada has made a great contribution, just like so many of the other [international] partners have."

Hadfield spoke briefly before officially accepting command. "It's a huge honour and a privilege for mebut also [for] all my co-workers at the Canadian Space Agency and my entire country."

Hadfield will run the Station along with five other crew members. He'll return to Earth in mid-May.

The Queen congratulated Hadfield earlier Wednesday. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians," she said in a statement.

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Chris Hadfield takes command of International Space Station

Peter Rakobowchuk, The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, Mar. 12, 2013 5:12PM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013 4:59AM EDT

MONTREAL -- For the first time in the history of the International Space Station, a Canadian will take charge of the giant orbiting space lab.

The transfer of command to space veteran Chris Hadfield will be marked Wednesday by the simple ringing of a ceremonial bell.

He is almost three months into his five-month space visit.

Since his arrival on Dec. 21, 2012, the Canadian space veteran has been taking spectacular photos of the world beneath him and posting them on Twitter. Hadfield's colourful, detailed images have received international attention and helped him gain over 500,000 Twitter followers.

Another recent photo showed an apple with Velcro on the bottom which, Hadfield explained, allowed him to set it down between bites.

But the 53-year-old spaceman may have to cut down on the amount of time he has devoted to his nascent photography career.

The transfer of command to Hadfield, and the start of what's officially designated "Expedition 35," will happen at 5:10 p.m. ET.

Hadfield takes over the top job in outer space from NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, the station's 34th commander.

Former Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk is confident his old colleague will do a good job. Thirsk spent six months on the station in 2009 -- a record stay for a Canadian. One of Canada's first six original astronauts, he retired in August 2012.

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Hadfield takes command of International Space Station Wednesday