The launch and docking of the Soyuz MS-04 will be aired on WKTV Government Channel 26 on April 20.
This will mark the transition for the International Space Station Expedition 51 to 52.
At 2 a.m., There will be a showing of the crew’s launch day pre-launch activities. The crew heading to the station includes Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and American astronaut Jack Fischer.
At 8 a.m., there will be video of the pre-launch, launch and post-launch interviews.
At 8:30 a.m., will be coverage of the docking of the ISS Expedition 51-52/Soyuz MS-04 to the International Space Station.
At 10:30 a.m., will be the hatch opening and the welcoming ceremony.
Expedition 51 is the 51st expedition to the International Space Station, which began upon the departure of Soyuz MS-02 on April 10 and is scheduled to conclude upon the departures of Soyuz MS-03 in June. Peggy Whitson is commander of the expedition and is the first woman to command two expeditions to the International Space Station, having previously commanded Expedition 16.
Along with Whitson, Yurchikhin, and Fischer, the crew includes Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and French aerospace engineer Thomas Pesquet.
Whitson will be extending her stay through the 52nd Expedition with Fischer and Yurchikhin, returning home in September rather than June. Novitsky and Pesquet will return in June.
The reason for this is Roscosmos’ temporary decision to reduce its number of cosmonauts to two which left a seat open on the return flight. Whitson’s extension will ensure a full complement of six astronauts — rounding out the crew will be U.S. astronaut Randy Bresnik, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli — on board the station and increase the amount of valuable astronaut time available for experiments.
“I love being up here,” Whitson said through a NASA press release. “Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for.”
On April 24, Whitson will break the standing record U.S. record of 534 cumulative days in space. She also holds the record for most spacewalks by a female. To follow Whitson’s space station journey, go to http://www.twitter.com/AstroPeggy.
For more on NASA and upcoming missions, visit nasa.gov.
