15 aircraft to ensure ISS crew lands safely

Moscow, May 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Fifteen aircraft and six rescue vehicles will be deployed to ensure the safe recovery of the Soyuz TMA-07M landing capsule when it brings back to Earth three members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew early Tuesday, Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia said.

The spacecraft is expected to land in a designated area in Kazakhstan around 06.31 a.m. Moscow time (0231 GMT).

The aircraft include three planes and 12 Mi-8 helicopters, Rosaviatsia said in a statement.

The Soyuz TMA-07M will bring back to Earth ISS crew members Chris Hadfield of Canada, Roman Romanenko of Russia and Thomas Marshburn of the US.

The ISS orbit was raised by 2.6 km to 413.8 km May 8 to create the best conditions for the undocking of the Soyuz TMA-07M from the orbital station.

After the departure of Soyuz TMA-07M, the ISS will temporarily host a three-member crew: Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin, and NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy.

The Soyuz TMA-09M, to be launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan May 29, will take new crew members to the station: Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russia, Karen Nyberg of the US and Luca Parmitano of Italy.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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