* Astronomy

Space tourist Anousheh Ansari and two other crewmembers of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft have entered the International Space Station (ISS).

Ms Ansari arrived at the platform with Michael Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin - the relief crew for the ISS.
During a radio link-up with the space tourist's relatives on Earth, Tyurin assured them: "We'll look after her".

The craft docked smoothly with the space station's Zvezda service module at 0121 EDT (05:21 GMT) on Wednesday. The hatch to the ISS was opened at about 0430 EDT (08:30 GMT).

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On 4 of September on the cosmodrome BAYKONUR there was the training of crews of the spaceship “SOYUZ -TMA - 9” The main crew were trying on spacesuits and testing its hermetic. Then the crew went to the stand where the spaceship “SOYUZ - TMA - 9” was placed. The crew tried flighting seats and the work of the thermo station system of spacesuits, comfort of the placing of the equipment into the apparatus. The training were extending till the evening. The crew will work with the laser distance meter and learn scientific experiments.

On 5 of September on the cosmodrome BAYKONUR nearly the hotel “KOSMONAUT” there was the ceremony of the hoisting flags of states which take part in expedition on the spaceship “SOYUZ - TMA - 9” The ceremony is the tradition and it denominate the official beginning of the completing the preparation of the start the spaceship.
The crew hoisted flags of the Russia, Kazakhstan and The United States. After there were greetings of the representatives of the cosmodrome BAYKONUR. At the end of the ceremony there was the photo session of the crew. The start of the spaceship “SOYUZ - TMA - 9” with the crew: Tyurin Michail, Michael Lopez-Alegria, Anousheh Ansari is planning on 18 September from the first cosmodrome BAUKONUR

Anousheh Ansari: My flight is a little bit urgent and some experiments which I planned to carry out on the station are not ready jet. But I agreed to carry out two experiments of the European Space Agency and the one experiment of the Russian Space Corporation “ENERGIA” Also I took the one piece of the “SPACESHIP 1” Like answer to the question about the future of the space tourism she told:” I plan to continue this program. I am going to attract into this area more private companies and make this area more affordable for people.

Michael Lopez-Alegria: The program of our flight is very interesting.
We will meet two shuttles, two cargo ships “PROGRESS” In plans is to make four ways out into the space (four time is in Russian spacesuits and three in American spacesuits). Scientific experiments will take much time. We will continue experiments which began astronauts of the previous expeditions or the new one . In the rest of the time before the start we have a lot of work. We must finish work with documents and prepare to medical biological experiments. In these one and half weeks we have very much work. There is special cyclogramma which connect with the preparing of the spaceship, the rocket and the crew. We will work every day.

Peggi Witson: I was on BAYKONUR two time but it was much time ago when I was preparing for the last flight. These time I started from Florida. BAYKONUR is very interesting for myself, it has very interesting traditions. I like it.

Yuri Malenchenko: It passed three years since my last flight. It is much time. We are flighting during half of the year. The work is very hard. After some time we became tired. We are boring about the earth. But the cosmonaut want go to the cosmos all time. After the half of the year since the flight we again want to the cosmos. After we must preparing to the flight. It takes about one year or one and half of the year.

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Space Adventures, Ltd., the world's leading space experiences company, announced today that Anousheh Ansari and her crew successfully launched aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan en route to the International Space Station. Mrs. Ansari joins the Expedition 14 crew which includes NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin for her 10-day mission.

"Exploring the cosmos has been a dream of mine that I have kept in my heart starting from a young age and I am very fortunate now to be able to actually experience it. I am very grateful to Space Adventures for providing me with this once in a lifetime opportunity. Without them, my dream would not be realised. Through this mission I want to bring awareness to the sciences and, specifically, space exploration. I also want to share the experience with as many as possible, so that people from all over the world will know how it feels to fly in the Earth’s orbit" - Anousheh Ansari, chairman and co-founder of Prodea Systems, Inc., a revolutionary digital home technology company.

"Today is an important milestone as Anousheh becomes the world's first private female space explorer to realise her dream of space travel. We, at Space Adventures, are proud to partner with such a courageous and determined individual. She is truly an inspiration to us all" - Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, the company which organised the spaceflights for the world's first and only private space explorers: Dennis Tito, 'First African in Space' Mark Shuttleworth and Gregory Olsen, Ph.D.

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