Scott Kelly prepares for homecoming after year in space

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly reflected on his past year living aboard the International Space Station on Thursday as he and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko prepare to wrap up their historic space flight next week.

Kelly and Kornienko are packing up their Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft for their journey back to Earth on Tuesday (EST), and preparing their bodies and their minds for the adjustment back to gravity. No American before has spent one year in space, and Kelly's mission will offer NASA the answers for how humans will survive during a long duration mission to Mars.

During a final news conference from inside the orbiting laboratory 255 miles above, Kelly provided inside details of his experiences and insight into his health. Kelly, who will handover his command of the space station to American Tim Kopra on Monday, said on Thursday that flying in space is a privilege in a harsh environment.

"The space station here is a magical place it's a incredible science facility we have... I have been here nearly a year and you don't feel perfectly normal (here)," Kelly began as he spoke inside the Destiny Laboratory module. "It's not exactly uncomfortable but it's a harsh environment, for instance having no running water and then the fact that everything floats makes your daily life just difficult."

With that said, the Orange, N.J. native stated that "I could go another 100 days. I could go another year if he had to -- if it made sense -- however I look forward to getting home next week," Kelly said. He adds that he feels his flight is "another of many stepping stones to us landing on Mars sometime in our future."

Soyuz Undocking from Space Station Delayed

A Russian spacecraft with a crew of three failed to undock from the International Space Station on Thursday night due to mechanical issues which could not be fixed between the craft and it's docking port.

"The planned undocking was prevented when commands being sent to disengage the hooks and latches holding the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft failed", NASA Mission Control told this reporter this morning. "The spacecraft remains securely docked to the Poisk module."

The Russian Poisk module is home to the docking port in which the Soyuz craft is docked.

At this time, engineers both in Moscow and at the Johnson Space Center south of Houston, are working to uncover the issue.

Several I spoke with at the American space agency feel that the issue is electrical, however more time is needed to understand exactly where the problem lies.

On Thursday evening, as the hatch from the station to the Poisk was being closed, controlers did not receive the proper indication early on that the small switches latched to seal the compartment for undocking. They later received good confirmation following several leak checks.

The departing expedition 24 of commander Alexander Skvortsov, and flight engineersTracy Caldwell Dyson and Mikhail Kornienko returned from their Soyuz and reentered the space station at about 12:30 am following the undocking scrub.

The trio then spent time exercising and discussing the issue at hand with their fellow crew members Doug Wheelock, Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin for a meal and then began their sleep period at about 3 am.

Moscow has now rescheduled undocking for 10:02 pm EDT tonight (0202 GMT). The daytime landing would then occur two orbits later at 1:21 am Saturday morning on the desert floor of Kazakhstan near the town of Arkalyk (11:21 am local time).

Today marks the expedition 24 crew's 176th day in space since their launch on April 2; and their 174th day living aboard the space station.

Wheelock, Walker and Yurchikhin complete the current 25th expedition crew, and following the Soyuz undocking tonight, will be alone for two weeks until a new crew arrives.

Soyuz Crew Docks with Space Station

A Russian space taxi arrived at the International Space Station on Easter Sunday with three fresh crew members and expanding the crew compliment to six aboard earth's orbital outpost.

"We all are believers. Easter is a great holiday. Our launch (took) place on the Holy Friday, and we will dock to the station on the Easter Day. We are proud of it”, Soyuz TMA-18 commander Alexander Skvortsov addressed a few days ago prior to their launch..

A Soyuz TMA18 spacecraft inched it's way to the Russian Poisk docking module, and at 1:25 am EDT (0525 GMT) today successfully docked as the complex flew 222 miles high above northern Kazakhstan.

Soyuz crew members -- Russian cosmonauts Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko along with American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson -- will join the current Expedition 23 crew of Russian station commander Oleg Kotov and Flight Engineers T.J. Creamer of America and Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Space Agency.

Kotev, Creamer and Noguchi arrived aboard the outpost 102 days ago on December 23, and are scheduled to depart on June 2, fifteen days before a Soyuz TMA19 craft launches a new crew of three.

After nearly two hours of post docking hard mate checks and hatch presurization leak checks, the doors between the two crafts were opened at 3:19 am as the station flew 216 miles above an area west of New Guinea.

The newly expanded Expedition 23 crew will head to bed at 12:30 pm today to begin their eight hour sleep period.

Today's docking begins a beehive of activity aboard the space station as the new crew of six now focus on preparing for the arrival of space shuttle Discovery in four days.

Discovery is set to dock with station on Wednesday morning following her launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:21:22 am EDT on Monday.

Once Discovery's crew of seven berths to the complex, thirteen humans will work and live aboard station for nine days. It will mark the final time for many years that that many people will be aboard at any given time.

It will also mark the first time in space history that four women will fly in space at one time. Discovery's crew includes three women and they will join Caldwell Dyson as three American and one Japanese females to occupy the same spacecraft.

Russian Soyuz to Launch New Station Crew Friday

Soyuz FG rocket stands tall in Kazakhstan. (Energia)

Three new crew members will lift-off on Friday from the deserts of Kazakhstan to begin a six month excursion aboard the International Space Station.

Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko, and American Tracy Caldwell Dyson are scheduled to lift-off aboard a Soyuz FG from Pad 1 at the Baikonour Cosmodrome on April 2 at 8:04:34 am Moscow time, or 12:04 am EDT (0404 GMT).

The space trio will take their Soyuz TMA 18 spacecraft into a lower orbit than that of the space station as it works to catch up with the complex in a quick manner.

The space taxi will arrive in a slow approach to station early Sunday morning and dock. A few hours later, the hatches between the two crafts will open and the Soyuz crew will become the final half of the Expedition 23 crew.

Docking should take place on April 4 at 1:26 am EDT, with the hatch opening ceremony to follow two hours later.

Soyuz commander Alexander Skvortsov spoke of his job duties during a recent news conference, "The tasks are maintaining the station, receiving and transferring the cargo that is delivered on cargo vehicles, and I think one of the most important tasks that our crew members will have is promoting scientific research in space, a human spaceflight program, because I believe that humanity as a whole should strive to achieve loftier goals and try to expand the horizons."

Friday morning's launch of a Soyuz will begin a bee hive of activity around the orbital complex during the month of April.

Days after the Soyuz docking on Sunday, the space shuttle Discovery is set to dock with the station three days later. And, in the final days of the month a Russian Progress cargo ship is scheduled to dock with a wealth of supplies and food for the crew of six.

"There’s going to be a number of vehicles visiting us from as large as the shuttle to as small as the Progress", veteran shuttle astronaut Caldwell-Dyson discussed recently. "We’ll see another crew come up, we’ll see a crew leave, we’ll see a crew come up during the time frame that I’ll be (on station)".

As the new crew members settle aboard the orbital outpost, there will be alot to take in as they settle into their new home in space.

"We will try to understand the activities on the station as soon as possible in order for us to help Oleg and Soichi and T.J. This will be our primary task," rookie space flyer Kornienko discussed days ago. "Of course, it’s impossible to tell how we will feel in our first days on the station. It’s individual to every every human being, but I don’t think we’ll have any problems and we will start working with the station crew from the start and start helping them and working together with them".

Skvortsov, who will become the commander the Expedition 24 crew in May, spoke on the resposibility of the title station commander, "This is a huge responsibility when you realize that you’ve become the commander of something that was built before you got on board and it is your responsibility and your duty to preserve it for next crews -- it’s a added responsibility. As a professional I believe, as a cosmonaut who trained for spaceflight for such a long time together with his crew members, I can say that we’re all ready for this flight, but you always feel this responsibility. You try to do the best you can, and make sure that your best is not something that is bad".

The crew will perform a few spacewalks and receive unmanned cargo ships from Russia, America and Japan, in addition to a few space shuttle visits during the spring - summer months on earth.