The thirteenth full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Soyuz TMA-8. Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams take up residence on the ISS for 182 days; during their stay, the ISS crew expands to three with the arrival of Thomas Reiter aboard space shuttle Discovery, marking the remaining shuttle fleet’s temporary return to service. Arriving with them on the ISS for a nine-day stay is Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, who returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-7 with the Expedition 12 crew.
