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Author
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Topic: Portrait: Coleman, Kondratiyev, Kuipers
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SPACEFACTS
Member Posts: 301
From: Germany
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 03-14-2009 09:34 AM
   
I got a mysterious official crew portrait by NASA.It is showing Coleman, Kondratiyev and Kuipers in Sokol space suit. All of them are wearing the ISS-21 patch - but with no names. Which crew is this? In a press release dated on 21.11.2008 NASA wrote: Specific backup crew members will not be announced because of the streamlined training flow for six-person crews. If needed, backups can be selected from subsequent crews in training. Are there still unofficial backup crews? Has anyone a complete list? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-14-2009 09:40 AM
Coleman is assigned as Expedition 26 flight engineer but if you notice on her individual Sokol portrait, she's wearing an ISS 21 patch.Kondratiyev and Kuipers are TMA-15 back-up crew members for Romanenko and De Winne respectively. To my knowledge, Hadfield is still serving as back-up to Thirsk. Perhaps the photo was simply one of convenience, having a few future/potential Expedition members together and does not represent a crew (backup or otherwise). |
hoorenz
Member Posts: 1031
From: The Netherlands
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 03-14-2009 04:31 PM
There is also a portrait with Romanenko, De Winne and Stott in the NASA gallery - once the original crew to return with the Soyuz TMA-15 in November. This picture does not make much sense anymore, now that Stott will return on Shuttle and Thirsk on TMA-15. But... this series of official Sokol pictures was taken on February 12, while the official announcement of the Stott - Thirsk change came on March 3. With this in mind, the Kondratiev - Kuipers - Coleman is not all that strange: Kondratiev is back up for Romanenko, Kuipers is back up for De Winne and Coleman was trained as the back up for Stott. So, probably, this was supposed to be the back up variant of the Romanenko, De Winne and Stott picture - representing the Soyuz return crew in the unlikely event that both the entire Soyuz crew (doubtful in this specific case) and Stott had to be replaced. So: the answer to the question "Which crew is this?" will be: "The Soyuz TMA-15 back up return crew prior to March 3, 2009." Erik van der Hoorn |
heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 03-21-2009 11:01 AM
My friend Rolf asked Kuipers about this and he has confirmed that Erik is right...Ed |
Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 03-22-2009 08:49 AM
Is the crew picture posted somewhere? I saw the individual shot of Coleman. Thank you. |
SPACEFACTS
Member Posts: 301
From: Germany
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 03-22-2009 10:30 AM
It's here. |
BMckay
Member Posts: 3219
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 03-30-2009 07:52 PM
This was the back up crew photo. Coleman (back up Stott) will probably be flying along with Paolo Nespoli. Hadfield backing up Thirsk.FYI - Cady mentioned the other day it was the first time she has seen her Sokol photo. |
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