Soyuz-TMA 6M

Description

Succesful launch of crew to ISS, carrying Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky (Soyuz commander, flight engineer ISS-33/ISS-34) and Eugene Tarelkin (Soyuz flight engineer and ISS-33/ISS-34 flight engineer) and U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford (Soyuz flight engineer and commander of the ISS-33 and ISS-34 missions).

During the flight the spacecraft fulfills the following tasks: Delivery of a visiting crew consisting of up to three persons and small accompanying cargoes Constant availability of the spacecraft, attached to the station during its manned flight, in the standby mode to be ready for emergency descent of the main crew onto the ground in case of hazardous situation on the station, cosmonaut illness or injury, etc. (assured crew return vehicle function); Planned descent of the visiting crew onto the ground; Returning to the ground, together with the crew, payloads of relatively low mass and volume Disposal of wastes from the station in the living compartment to be burned down in the atmosphere during descent.