U.S.-Russian crew blasts to space station

By Peter Leonard, PressBAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — two Us Astronauts and a Russian Wigura issue, successfully Wednesday with the mission to the international space station, which will see the last ever swing visits with the orbiting Mir space laboratory.Astronauts U.S. Douglas Wheelock and Shannon Walker and Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin drawn in the Russian Soyuz rocket, its Pobudzacze incendiary Starry sky over Central Asia making steppe. Their Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft is set to reach stations Friday The trio will be on board the space station to see the final Shuttle — Endeavour — to depart from its last planned mission to the laboratory in November before the fleet is finally withdrew.Wheelock said he was saddened to see shuttle Go, but described his mission as an exciting new beginning. "Of course, is the change in our program ... but not always bad, is to change the "Wheelock, who takes over as Commander of the 25 Expedition as only the current crew returns to Earth in approximately three months, said the draft Conference news.From the airport szczekowych Venerable Soyuz will take over as the only means through which astronauts will be able to travel to the space station, which has raised some concerns about over-reliance on craft designed Soviet. Crowd astronauts relatives, space officials and others gasped in awe as they watched the rocket slowly dissapearing on distanceleaving ghostly white cloud. Broke into applause at the announcement of successful entry into orbit craft nine minutes after launch. "This was probably one of the more beautiful runs ever seen, "said NASA Spokesman Josh Byerly. shortly after the people at home Saw glittering dot space station quickly moving overhead in a rare coincidence.On Wednesday the rocket marked a landmark landmark, is the hundredth flight in the station.Wheelock said their mission will be the first to take full advantage of the capacity of the station as the orbiting Mir space lab. He said he was especially enthralled by your contribution to the engineering of new materials and its role in ensuring that the achievements in the field of medicine. "We are finally getting to the point when we use the international space station for its original purpose and that is that science and research, "Byerly said after the run.Wheelock, Colonel United States Army, returns to the space station for the first time since his club two weeks on the discovery at the end of 2007, when he and his colleagues, earned accolades for their work repairing facility energy generation.Walker is making her first trip to the space station, and thus the in the footsteps of her husband, Andrew Thomas, one of a handful of U.S. astronauts to live on board the Russian Mir station, the old in the 1990s.Like the other starts from the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased Russian in southern Kazakhstan, their mission had verified the routine.After installation of Poland for their pressure suits just passed to the North, the crew received the final message of encouragement from officials, including the head of the Russian space agency.In the final salute before mounting the bus to the console is to launching a group of well-wishers were welcomed by Walker with the letters spelling out "Go Shannon!"Before the bus engines, Yurchikhin by young daughter, Yelena, were held aloft and kissed her father through the glass.In the console the astronauts satellite, closely linked to their seats in the rocket some two hours before the start, when their families and colleagues waited anxiously on the platform to display a little more than one kilometre from the hotel.Against the background of the steppe, starkly dim light on the gantry up rocket Soyuz shimmered on the «known as Gagarin's Pad. Is the site from which the SOVIET UNION sent Yuri Gagarin in 1961, in addition to become the first man in space.Within one hour prior to the launch of regular updates on the final preparations crackled with speakers platform view.When it came time, rocket roared to life and not touching the ground before gradually lifted off to heaven wywracania, dramatically moving shadow sky white phosphorous.Three person crew include the Russian commander Alexander Skvortskov, a NASA flight engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Russian Mikhail Kornienko, who on the orbiting Mir space laboratory since April. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY Community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.