American and two Russians depart space station

Soyuz TMA-01M rests in northern Kazakhstan today. (NASA)

One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts completed their day stay aboard the International Space Station this morning, departing and landing on the snowy region in Kazakhstan.

Outgoing station commander and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly along with Russian's Alexander Kalery and Oleg Skripochka said their goodbyes to the new commander of the outpost Dmitry Kondratyev, and flight engineers Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli on Tuesday evening.

Kondratyev officially became commander of the station during a change of command ceremony on Monday.

"Have fun Scott, soft landings," American Coleman shouted over to her departing NASA crew mate minutes before Kondratyev closed the station's inner hatch.

"It's quite here now. It's hard to believe they're going back to earth," Coleman said to European astronaut Nespoli with the hatch fully sealed.

The hatches between the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft and the space station's Poisk module were officially closed at 9:25 p.m. EDT, on Tuesday. Leak checks followed to ensure proper air pressure inside the spacecraft.

During this time, an LED light indicated that the inner hatch was not sealed properly. Trouble shooting discovered that the light was faulty following a thirty minute leak check.

The new Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft is replacing the older outdated analog controlled spacecraft. Russia's space agency informs this reporter that the new craft carries "new in-flight measurement systems, new guidance, navigation and control equipment". New avionic computer systems on the craft saved 150 pounds of weight.

The Soyuz undocked on time at 12:27 a.m. today over western China with Kelly, Kalery and Skripochka having spent 157 days living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Just after undocking, the crew aboard Soyuz performed two tests and two separation burns to carry the craft out and away from the orbital outpost.

Five minutes following separation, Soyuz stopped and began a station-keeping mode beginning at 50 meters (164 feet) away to check several systems on the new craft, including the avionics system on it's Jupiter panel.

The Soyuz orbited the earth twice before firing it's engines for just over four minutes to slow the craft down and begin it's deorbit at 3:03 a.m.

Touchdown occurred on time at 3:53 a.m. today, upon the snowy desert region in northern Kazakhstan, and wrapping up 159 days in space.

Seconds after landing in an artic cold, windy region located 49 miles north of A, the craft tip on it's side as winds of 36 m.p.h. pushed the Soyuz parachutes caring the craft 24 yards across the deep snow.

Kelly stated a few weeks ago his hopes of returning to space one day soon. His twin brother is scheduled to arrive at the space station for a much shorter visit on April 21 aboard the shuttle Endeavour.

For Kalery, the landing marked a huge milestone for him and long duration space flight. He now is listed as second for the most time in space by a human 770 days during five separate flights.

The next crew to launch to the space station of one American and two Russians will join the new Expedition 27 crew during the second week of April.

Departure Images: Discovery leaves space station

A White Dove left her nest this morning and flew off into the sunset one last time.

These real time images of space shuttle Discovery's departure of the International Space Station were as dramatic and breathtaking as the orbiter left her port-of-call beginning at 7:00 a.m. EST today.

After performing a 360-degree fly around of the complex by pilot Eric Boe, Discovery fired her jets twice and set sail upon the ocean of space to begin her final two days ever in space.

Discovery, with her payload bay now empty and her robotic arm attached to the orbiter boom sensor in the form of a "7", shown brightly in the blackness of space this morning. All images are from NASA TV.

Discovery soars over the Atlantic 650-feet from space station.

Sunrise splashes across space station as it sails near Discovery.

Shuttle Discovery undocks from the space station

Discovery's view of space station 222 miles above earth. (NASA)

(UPDATED: 8:40 a.m. EST) -- The space shuttle Discovery departed the International Space Station today for the thirteenth and final time, after completing an extended stay aboard earth's outpost in space.

Undocking from orbiting complex occurred on time at 7:00 a.m. EST, as the two space crafts soared 220 miles high in the darkness of space, above an area northeast of Papua New Guinea in the southern Pacific Ocean.

Three minutes later, station commander Scott Kelly rang the traditional bell and announced, "Discovery, departing."

Discovery spent eight days, sixteen hours and forty-six minutes docked to the orbiting lab as the crew of six delivered tones of supplies, a storage module and performed two spacewalks in support of station maintenance.

As the latches holding the two craft together released, Discovery slowly pulled away at .29 fps in the direction of travel with the station, and with the shuttle's belly in the direction of travel.

Nine minutes after Discovery was 110 feet ahead of the space station as she moved out to a distance of four hundred feet.

"Discovery has been a great ship and has really supported ISS more than any other shuttle -- fair winds and following seas," Kelly typed out in a message on Twitter as the shuttle began her fly around of the complex.

Twenty-three minutes after undocking, Discovery pilot and Atlanta native Eric Boe took over and began flying the orbiter in a 360-degree orbital ballet in space.

Boe flew the shuttle to a distance of 650-feet away by 7:38 a.m., and was ninety-degrees of the circle around station.

As Boe flew the White Dove around station even mission control in Houston marveled about the excellent views of the shuttle and station as they passed over the northwest coast of Africa.

At 8:09 a.m. Discovery performed the first of two separation burns as she began her departure of the station.

We really enjoyed your company onboard, and I'm really proud of what we accomplished," Kelly radioed shuttle commander Steve Lindsey as Discovery sailed into the sunset of her storied career.

Ninety-seven minutes after undocking, Discovery's rear and nose jets were fired again in a second separation burn 8,300 feet away from the space station.

Earlier in their morning, Discovery's crew were awoken at 3:23 a.m. with the music from Star Trek, including these special words by actor William Shatner played over the famous music:

“Space, the final frontier," Shatner began. "These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission, to seek out new science; to build new outposts; to bring nations together on the final frontier... To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before.”

Today's departure concluded the final visit by Discovery to a space station as she sails into the sunset of her 27 year career.

Discovery first visited Russia's space station MIR in 1995 in an orbital fly around of the complex, and three years later made the only docking with MIR on STS-91.

That flight in 1998 also marked the final MIR docking by a space shuttle as NASA and Russia joined together to begin construction of the International Space Station. Discovery first visited the new station in May 1999 when it only consisted of two segments -- Russia's Zarya and America's Unity node.

Shuttle Discovery prepares for Monday's undocking

Crew's gather in the closing days of Discovery's flight to station. (NASA)

Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery are spending their final hours aboard the International Space Station today as they load final experiments prior to closing the hatches for Monday's undocking.

Today will see a farewell ceremony as the shuttle crew bids farewell to the space station following eight days docked to the orbiting outpost.

The two crews will begin a brief farewell ceremony at 3:33 p.m. EST, today followed by a final handshake between station commander Scott Kelly with shuttle commander Steve Lindsey.

The three hatches which connect Discovery with station will be closed and sealed as the crews prepare for tomorrow's departure at 7:00 a.m.

Discovery's crew of six have spent the weekend assisting the station's crew of six with the labor intensive chores of unpacking several tones of supplies and equipment which have arrived at the outpost over the past six weeks.

In fact, Discovery's crew were given two extra days in space just to help the station's crew get ahead of unstowing and then unboxing the science equipment, computers and fresh supplies carried up by Discovery in a bus sized module.

The module is known as the Permanent Multipurpose Module, a 21-foot long cylindrical segment which will be used for storage. It will begin to free up more space inside the station's working and living segments for the crew.

For NASA and the space community, Monday's undocking will conclude the final visit by Discovery to a space station as she sails into the twilight of her 27 year career.

Discovery first visited Russia's space station MIR in 1995 in an orbital fly around of the complex, and three years later made the only docking with MIR on STS-91.

That flight in 1998 also marked the final MIR docking by a space shuttle as NASA and Russia joined together to begin construction of the International Space Station. Discovery first visited the new station in May 1999 when it only consisted of two segments -- Russia's Zarya and America's Unity node.

As Discovery prepare to undock from her port-of-call, she completes her thirteenth and final docking to earth's outpost in space.

Discovery and station crews spend quieter day on orbit

Cady Coleman with the carbon dioxide removal system (NASA)

As the space shuttle Discovery remains docked today with the International Space Station, twelve humans continue to live and work 222 miles high above the earth.

On the heels of three days devoted to two spacewalks and the installation of a new 21-foot long pressurized storage module, the crews spent Thursday at a quieter pace as they increased the station's altitude and answered questions from news media.

Station commander Scott Kelly and flight engineer Cady Coleman spent their morning swapping out the front bed of the carbon dioxide removal facility in the Tranquility node.

There are two beds which work in tandem with one another in a black box machine. While one is cleaning the CO2 from the crews atmosphere, the other bed is recharging. There are several other CDRF's throughout the space station.

During the work, shuttle Discovery began firing her thrusters at 9:03 a.m. EST, to reboost the space station into an orbit nearly one mile higher.

Crew members began discussing by radio across the space station if they felt Discovery's thrusters firing and moving the complex, and one said "actually I can feel it".

The reboost of the station is designed to support a March 16 undocking by a Russian Soyuz TMA-01M, which Kelly and Russian flight engineers Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka docked to the complex on October 9.

Discovery's crew this afternoon received word that their flight would be extended yet another day. Discovery is now set to depart the space station on Monday at 7:03 a.m. and return home to the Kennedy Space Center for a landing on Wednesday at about noon EST.

NASA's mission control stated the additional day will give the space station crew more helpers "to unpack and outfit the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fill the (Japanese) H-II Transfer Vehicle with trash before its planned late-March undocking".

The two crews also received a phone call from the White House and President Obama prior to ending their day.

The president enjoyed a light hearted conversation with Discovery commander Steve Lindsey his seventh crew member "Robonaut 2".

Robonaut 2 is a gold humanized robot with hands much like a human including how it can grasp items. It will be placed outside the space station in a few months to perform chores which could be hazardous to a spacewalking astronaut.

Leonardo storage module docked to space station

A new storage module is docked to space station today. (NASA)

An Italian-built pressurized storage module was plucked from the space shuttle Discovery's bay and firmly docked to the International Space Station this morning to become a permanent storage facility on the orbiting complex.

The new pressurized module addition means extra storage for the crew of six living and working aboard the orbiting lab. The storage module is also the final American addition to the space station ending 13 years of space shuttle delivered construction.

The Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module was known as Leonardo on it's first seven visits to the space station beginning in 2001 and is owned by NASA. This will mark Leonardo's eighth and final trip to the space station as it will now stay as a permanent storage facility.

The space station's 58-foot robotic arm grappled the storage module at 8:26 a.m. EST, today and twenty minutes later slowly began to lift it from the aft section of Discovery's payload bay.

Working inside the 360-degree viewing room known as the Cupola, Discovery astronauts Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott used the robotics work station to guide the module attached to the arm from the shuttle and across to the Unity module for docking.

In the bask of sunlight, the module just centimeters from the common berthing mechanism, Stott radioed down to mission control, "We see four good rtl's". Station crew member Cady Coleman then replaced Stott on the arm, and she and Barratt were then go for docking the module to the common berthing mechanism which attaches Leonardo to station.

The 28,353-pound module was then docked to the earth facing port of the Unity module at 10:05 a.m., located adjacent to the Cupola node, as the station-shuttle complex flew 222 miles high over Western Sahara, Africa (above).

Minutes later, as the bolts were driven in to firmly secure the module, the space station flew over central Italy, and above where the module was constructed in the mid-1990's.

Once fully docked, Coleman then swung the station's arm from the module beginning at 10:30 a.m. and over to a holding position.

Measuring 21 feet by 15 feet in diameter, the PMPM is carrying 14 different racks inside filled with science, equipment and supplies.

Leonardo last flew to station in April 2010, following that flight the module was refurbished to support a longer duration is space.

New reinforced protective blankets were added on the outside of most of the module to help block micrometeorite hits as the station speeds through earth orbit at 17,300 m.p.h.

"Thank-you for the new storage module, Houston", station commander Scott Kelly radioed mission control in a dry-tone voice. "It's much needed."

Later today, crew members will open the hatches between station and the module as it begins active duty during the next decade in space.

Also, of interest Discovery was given a go last evening for an extra day in space docked to the station.

However, Russia this morning stood firm and turned down NASA's request to have a Soyuz TMA-M undock and fly out to take a last portrait of Discovery docked with her international partners.

Shuttle Discovery docks with Space Station

Shuttle Discovery at 600 feet from space station today. (NASA)

The International Space Station welcomed six astronauts and a new storage module today as shuttle Discovery docked to the outpost this afternoon.

Like a white dove soaring to her nest upon the black vastness of space, Discovery cruised up to and slowly backed in to dock one last time with a space station.

On this her final space flight, Discovery had docked with two different space stations beginning with Russia's MIR in 1998.

Discovery's commander Steve Lindsey steered the shuttle to the station's forward section and docked to the end of the Harmony node on time at 2:14 p.m. EST, after completing a 46 hour chase of the outpost.

Docking occurred during an orbital sunrise as the two spacecraft flew 225 miles above southern Australia.

One hour earlier, Discovery performed a rendezvous pitch maneuver in which the nose of the shuttle is pitched up and performs a 360-degree back flip so that the belly of the shuttle can be photographed from the space station.

As Discovery soared 219 miles high over the cloudy Amazonian jungles of central South America, station astronauts Cady Coleman and Paolo Angelo Nespoli in the Zvezda module began snapping several hundred detailed images of Discovery's heat shield during an 89 second period.

A post-Columbia standard, the space shuttle pitch maneuver has happened on each shuttle flight to station beginning in 2005.

In two hours, the station's crew of six will greet the shuttle's six astronauts as they begin nearly eight days of resupply work, spacewalks and the transfer of a new cargo module to the station.

The new arrivals will receive a station safety briefing and tour during the next hour.

The now 1.2 million pound space station-shuttle complex could see a Russian Soyuz TMA craft separate and perform a fly around maneuver later during Discovery's visit.

Shuttle Discovery closes in on space station

Station astronauts prepare today for Discovery's arrival. (NASA)

Shuttle Discovery's astronauts are fine tuning their orbit in preparation for today's docking to the International Space Station and one week of supply transfers, two spacewalks and the delivery of a new pressurized module.

Discovery's all veteran crew includes commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Alvin Drew, Steve Bowen, Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott. Barratt and Stott spent nearly six months aboard the station nearly two years ago.

Two trim burns by Discovery will increase and correct the shuttle's orbit followed by a critical burn at 11:33 a.m. by astronauts Lindsey and Boe. A fourth planned burn at 12:50 p.m. known as the NC-4 burn will place Discovery at the space station.

The post-Columbia standard space shuttle pitch maneuver is planned to begin at 1:16 p.m.

As Discovery's nose is pitched up and around 360-degrees, station crew members Cady Coleman and Paolo Angelo Nespoli will use 400 and 800-mm cameras to photograph the belly of Discovery as they look for any tile damage following Thursday's dramatic ride to orbit. Station commander Scott Kelly will be nearby to time the pitch maneuver.

Discovery's crew will only have fifteen minutes in which to perform the maneuver as the sun begins to set behind the earth.

At about forty-five minutes prior to docking, Discovery will transition to the front of station will flying in an orbital ballet with the outpost nearly 600-feet away.

Discovery is due to dock to earth's orbiting outpost in space at 2:16 p.m. EST, as the two crafts soar into an orbital sunrise.

Two hours later, the station's crew of six will greet the shuttle's six astronauts as they begin nearly eight days of docked operations.

Discovery's crew of six were awoken at 6:54 a.m. today, to the music from Disney's Toy Story, "Woody's Roundup", for mission specialist Alvin Drew, as the shuttle flew high over the southern Atlantic Ocean.

At the same time, Discovery was some 2,300 miles behind the space station, and closing at a rate of 500 miles per each 90 minute orbit of the earth.

Discovery will remove from it's payload bay the final American segment known as the Permanent Multipurpose Module, a bus sized cylindrical segment which will be used for storage. It will begin to free up more space inside the station's working and living segments.

Formally known as the Leonardo logistics module, the PMM has actually flown to the space station several times most recently two flights ago.

Inside the PMM will be 6500 pounds of cargo, spare parts, R2 - a robo-naut which will be used outside the outpost; and personal crew supplies to help resupply earth's orbiting outpost in space. Discovery's middeck will carry another 1500 pounds of supplies, too.

Robonaut 2 will remain in the PMM through Discovery's flight, and weeks later will later be moved so that it's two halves can be mated together and placed outside the station.

Bowen and Drew will perform two spacewalks during this 35th shuttle flight to earth's outpost in space, during flight days 5 and 7, Monday and Wednesday respectively.

The duo will install a alternative power cable between the Tranquility and Unity modules on the first spacewalk; relocate a failed ammonia pump module to another part of the station; and perform work on a camera and the railway system on the truss segment.

European cargo craft docks with space station

Europe's Kepler approaches the space station today. (ESA)

A European cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station today following a one week journey to deliver fresh supplies and fuel.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle Johannes Kepler docked to the space station's Zvezda service module's aft section at 10:59 a.m. EST, today

Kepler is Europe's second space station resupply flight by an ATV.

As the ATV approached the space station this morning, station astronaut Paolo Nespoli of Italy monitored the craft's approach via television monitors.

Earlier, at 9:10 am EST, the automated transfer vehicle flew at a distance of 2,205 meters or 10,515 feet away from the space station.

As the spacecraft drew closer, it's heads on approach gave it the look of an X-Wing fighter from the later Star Wars episodes.

Kepler will have it's first task at the station as it fires it's thrusters to perform a reboost of the space station into an orbit 1.1 statue miles higher on Friday at 5:33 a.m. The engine's will burn for just over three minutes.

The third and final budgeted ATV is scheduled for launch in Spring 2012; and Europe is working to have a fourth ATV funded and built for a late-2013 launch.

Kepler was launched a top an Ariane 5 rocket on Feb. 16 from the northeast coastline of South America following a one day delay.

Space station crew photographs Ariane 5 launch

Ariane 5 soars into space in this image from the space station.

Exclaiming "We actually saw the ATV launch!", International Space Station crew member Paolo Nespoli took one of several images on tonight's lift-off of an Ariane 5 rocket 222 miles high over South America.

"Tally Ho!," stated space station commander Scott Kelly upon witnessing the rocket soar following booster separation.

Several of the crew members, including flight engineer Cady Coleman, were huddled in the Cupola section of the station watching through windows 3, 4 and 7.

Using a Nikon D3S camera, Nespoli recorded over a dozen images of the liftoff as the space station sailed over northern Bolivia at 4:51 pm EST.

The views were shot from the Cupola looking northeast.

"Congratulations to Arianespace and ESA on ATV’s launch. E26 is looking forward to welcoming it on the ISS," Nespoli later wrote to the ground.

The Johannes Kepler automated transfer vehicle is in a 166 mile high orbit, lower than that of station to enable it to catch up with and dock next week.

Cosmonauts install experiments outside space station

Cosmonauts install the Radiometria experiment today. (NASA)

Two Russian cosmonauts left the International Space Station today to perform several housekeeping chores 222 miles above earth.

Station flight engineers Dmitry Kondratiev and Oleg Skripochka began their six hour orbital walk at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT), fifteen minutes behind their planned start.

It is the second spacewalk by the cosmonauts within the past month, and the twenty-eighth by Russia in support of the space station.

Twenty-seven minutes into the spacewalk, the duo had installed the Molniya-Gamma experiment on the right side of the Russian Zvezda module.

Molniya "will look at gamma splashes and optical radiation during terrestrial lightning and thunderstorm conditions using three sensors", the Russian Space Agency said on Tuesday.

The cosmonauts then went to work to hook up several electrical connectors between the experiment and the station.

Meanwhile, the station's commander Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri worked from the Russian Poisk segment during the spacewalk, while American Catherine Coleman and Italian Paolo Nespoli followed the spacewalk from the Rassevet module which is linked to the Zayra module.

Running ten minutes ahead of schedule, the pair began the installation of a second science experiment just over two hours into the spacewalk.

Installed on the left side of Zvezda, the Radiometria will "collect information useful in seismic forecasts and earthquake predictions," NASA's mission control stated.

The spacewalkers will remove and later bring inside the station "two Komplast panels from the exterior of the Zarya module", NASA's mission control explained today.

"The panels contain materials exposed to space, and are part of a series of international experiments looking for the best materials to use in building long duration spacecraft," the Johnson Space Agency said.

As the spacewalk moved into it's third hour, the launch of a European Space Agency cargo craft moved into it's final hours on earth.

The Johannes Kepler automated transfer vehicle is set to lift-off at 4:55:55 pm EST today, and will dock to the space station eight days later.

Station crew prepares for cargo craft, space shuttle

Japan's cargo craft docked to Station high above earth. (NASA)

The six member crew aboard the International Space Station remain busy unloading two recently arrived cargo crafts while preparing for the arrival of a third, a few upcoming spacewalks and the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery in two weeks.

On the heels of cargo craft launches by Japan and Russia in January, the European Space Agency is close to launching their unmanned craft loaded with tons of fresh supplies next week.

Europe's ATV-2 cargo craft Johannes Kepler is scheduled to launch to the space station this Tuesday from the Kourou Space Centre on Tuesday at 5:13 pm EST, to begin a eight day trip to the outpost.

Currently, docking of the Kepler ATV-2 is planned for the morning of February 23.

Russia's second spacewalk of the new year is planned as two cosmonauts venture outside the Zvezda service module for six hours.

Station flight engineers Dmitry Kondratiev and Oleg Skripochka will begin their spacewalk at 8:15 am EST on Wednesday.

The duo will release a small satellite known as Kedr -- the call sign of earth's first man in space Yuri Gagarin's used during his historic flight fifty years ago.

The satellite will operate at a amateur radio frequency of 145.95 MHz, and use the call sign RS1S, according to the Russian Space Agency.

Three days later, on February 19, the Russian Progress 39P unmanned cargo ship will undock from Zvezda, fully loaded with trash, and sent off toward a fiery reentry onto earth's atmosphere.

The much delayed flight of Discovery is scheduled to lift-off from the Kennedy Space Center on February 24, to begin an eleven day flight of which eight days will be spent docked to earth's orbiting outpost.

Launch time of the final flight of Discovery is targeted for 4:50:19 pm EST.

Based on an on time launch, Discovery will slowly move in from below the space station and dock two days later at 2:09 pm. The first of two spacewalks will begin two days later, and Discovery's prime payload full of supplies -- the Leonardo permanent multipurpose module -- will be attached to the station's Unity node.

Leonardo will provide an extra 2,472 cubic feet of storage space for the expanding station.

"This whole program is like one big science experiment," Commander Scott Kelly discussed today. He likened the operations centered around the space station as an experiment for one day leaving earth orbit for a six month trip to Mars.

Russia prepares supply craft for space station flight

The Soyuz U including the Progress 41P today. (Energia)

Russia will launch an unmanned supply craft to the International Space Station on Thursday evening loaded with fresh supplies and personal items for the crew of six in earth orbit.

Fuel, water, oxygen, science experiments and items we take for granted here on earth will be included aboard the Progress M-09M craft.

"Several books, magazines, sweets will be loaded into the Progress for Russians Alexander Kaleri, Dmitry Kondratiev and Oleg Skripocka," the Russian Space Agency stated Tuesday. "Books by famous Russian space exploration founder Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, sent by his grandson Sergey Samburov" will also be on board.

Even a secret birthday gift will fly into space which the Russian cosmonauts are scheduled to deliver to their station commander, Scott Kelly.

Kelly will celebrate his 47th birthday in February, and the package includes a note which reads “Not to open till Feb. 21”.

Launch of the Progress craft aboard a Soyuz U rocket is set for Thursday night at 8:31:39 pm EST (0131 GMT on Friday), from pad 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in western Kazakhstan.

Following an on time launch, the Progress will automatically fly up to and dock with the Russian Pirs module on Saturday evening at 9:39 pm (0239 GMT on Sunday).

This morning as the Sun began to rise over a cold, cloudless Baikonur, the Soyuz U made its way by way of rail car out to launch pad 1.

This weekend's Progress docking will mark the third major event for the station crew in eight days.

A five hour Russian spacewalk last Friday, and a Japanese cargo craft which will be captured by the station robotic arm and docked to the Harmony module twelve hours prior to Progress' launch.

Crew members Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli round out the Expedition 26 crew.

Spacewalk begins busy weekend on Space Station

Russian Kondratiev early into the spacewalk today. (NASA)

One of the busiest weekends aboard the International Space Station began this morning with the start of a Russian spacewalk.

As two cosmonauts prepared to step outside of the station's airlock, on the ground Japan rolled out to it's launch pad their rocket which will deliver several tons of supplies to earth's orbital outpost in space.

Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripohcka and Dmitry Kondratiev officially began their six hour orbital walk at 9:29 a.m. EST (1429 GMT) today as they opened the hatch of the Russian Pirs module.

The space station was 224 miles high over the central Pacific Ocean approaching Baja California as the walk began.

It is the twenty-seventh spacewalk by the Russians based from the space station.

"A space walk is a big and important event in an ISS space mission, that's why preparations for it receive special attention on Earth," Kondratyev stated on Thursday.

Kondratyev added, "Spacesuit systems provide a supply of oxygen and dispose of carbon monoxide, maintain a comfortable temperature for a cosmonaut and also provide a radio connection." He refered to his suit as "a small spaceship", the Russian Space Agency added.

The only issue of the spacewalk occurred as Kondratiev's medical harness in his Orlan spacesuit malfunctioned prior to airlock depressurization. He was approved to begin the spacewalk under the understanding he was to report how he was feeling over the six hours outside.

As the pair transitioned to the Zvezda service module a half-hour later, they activated an American helmet camera on Skripohcka blue-stripped suit.

The duo began several tasks including the removal of "the impulse plasma injector from Zvezda’s outer surface, and installation of Russia's high-speed data transmission equipment Photon-Gamma intended to study gamma-bursts and optical radiation during thunderstorms", the Russian space agency stated to this reporter.

By 10:10 am, the space walkers were twenty-two minutes ahead of schedule, having completed task number 8 of 30 planned.

Meanwhile on earth, Japan's HII-B rocket was moved out to it's launch pad during the night at 9 a.m. EST.

Japan's largest rocket the HII-B will carry their second supply ship, KOUNOTORI 2 loaded with supplies for the space station in both a pressurized and non-pressurized section.

Launch remains set for Saturday at 12:37 a.m. (2:37 p.m. JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The flight will mark the HII-B second flight.

On Sunday, the six member crew aboard the station will undock the Russian Progress 40P unmanned craft to make way for next Friday's launch of a fresh supply craft.

Japan's hopes ride on resupply trip to space station

Italy's Paolo Nespoli at the station's workstation. (NASA)

Japan will kick-off a very busy week on Saturday as they launch a resupply craft to the International Station Station along with the future of their space program.

The week promises to be one of the busiest periods aboard the space station in it's twelve year history.

Japan's largest rocket the HII-B will carry into earth orbit their second supply ship, KOUNOTORI 2 loaded with supplies located in both a pressurized and non-pressurized section.

The supply craft, also known as the HTV 2, is an improved version of the first supply craft launched in 2009 to allow for more cargo.

KOUNOTORI was selected as the name in a contest held by Japan's space agency JAXA, and means "White Stork" in the native language.

One of the partners of the space station, the pride of Japan and their space future will also be riding on this week's launch.

HTV Project manager Yoshihiko Torano expressed his thoughts on the flight, "I feel that expectations this time (for a successful flight) are probably 100 percent. If, by any chance, we fail this time, we will be criticized".

Japan became the fourth country in 2009 to have the ability to launch an unmanned craft to the station loaded with fresh supplies.

"Even under the pressure of budget restrictions", Torano added, "no failure or excuse is acceptable."

The HII-B rocket is scheduled to lift-off on January 22 at 12:37:05 a.m. EST (2:37 pm local time) from the Tanegashima Space Center. The flight will mark the HII-B second flight.

Clouds forecast for Thursday delayed the launch date by two days.

The HII-B is launched using a cryogenic fueled main stage rocket with a core engine and four strap on solid fueled boosters.

The rocket will head out over the central Pacific Ocean on a 51.65 degree inclination.

"I think we are more strained than the last (flight)," Torano states, "because I believe that the success of the second mission is often believed to be a matter of course."

Once the supply craft reaches orbit, controllers on the ground will spend the next week using it's thrusters to maneuver it higher as it catches up with it's port-of-call.

The KOUNOTORI 2 will arrive at the space station on January 27, and working from the robotics work station (below) in the American Destiny module, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and Italian Paolo Nespoli will use the station's robotic arm to reach out and grapple the craft.

The station's arm is scheduled to dock the supply ship to the earth facing side of the Harmony module at around 7:42 a.m. later that same day.

During the past two weeks, Coleman and Nespoli have been busy running through software practices at the workstation preparing for the capture and mating of the craft to Harmony.

Once the craft docks, sixteen bolts will be driven to secure the cylindrical module to the outpost.

Station commander and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian flight engineers Dmitry Kondratyev, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka round out the space station's crew of six.

Hours following the berthing of the Japanese supply craft, Russia will launch their own resupply craft, Progress M-09M, for a two day orbital trip to station.

One day after Progress' docking to the Russian Pirs module on Jan. 29, the KOUNOTORI 2 will be undocked and moved several meters away to the zenith port on Harmony.

The busy week will also include a Russian spacewalk by Kondratyev and Skripochka from the Pirs airlock on Jan. 21, beginning at 9:21 a.m.