U.S. ASTRONAUT, CREWMATES ARRIVE AT SPACE STATION

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov docked to the Russian segment of the International Space Station at 3:32 p.m. EDT Sept. 11. The crew launched at 12:23 a.m. EDT Sept. 11 on a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Following docking, the trio opened the hatch and floated aboard the orbital outpost before providing welcoming remarks as their mission aboard the space station began. The three crew members will conduct a long-duration science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.