Expedition 7

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Expedition 7
Mission insignia
Expedition 7 insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name: Expedition 7
Call sign: Expedition 7
Number of crew: 2
Launch Date: April 26, 2003 03:53:52 UTC
Launch Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA-2
Landing Date: October 28, 2003 02:40:20 UTC
Landing Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA-2
Landing Site: near Arkalyk
Time Docked: 182 days 16:20:49
EVA Duration: 0 h 0 min
Mission Duration: 184 days 22:46:28
Number of orbits: 2,895
Distance traveled: ~123,133,253 km
Mass: 187,016 kg
Expedition 7 crew picture

Expedition 7 crew portrait
L-R: Yuri Malenchenko (Russia) and Ed Lu (U.S.A.)

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Expedition 7 was the seventh expedition to the International Space Station.

[edit] Crew

(1) number of spaceflights each crew member has completed, including this mission.

[edit] Mission parameters



Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft, docked to the functional cargo block (FGB) nadir port on the International Space Station. (NASA)
Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft, docked to the functional cargo block (FGB) nadir port on the International Space Station. (NASA)


[edit] Mission objectives

The seventh crew of the International Space Station lifted off in Soyuz TMA-2 from the Russian Space Agency's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 25, 2003, at 10:54 p.m. CDT. The Soyuz docked on April 28, 2003 and took over command of the ISS. The Expedition Seven crew -- along with European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque -- landed back on Earth on October 27, 2003 at Kazakhstan at 9:41 p.m. EST, after undocking from the International Space Station in their Soyuz spacecraft at 6:17 p.m. EST.

From Houston, ISS Spacecraft Communicator Mike Fossum informed Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Science Officer Edward Lu on Wednesday, October 15 of the successful launch of the Long March rocket carrying the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft and Chinese astronaut Yáng Lìwěi. "It's really some exciting news to share. The world's spacefaring nations have been joined by a new member tonight: China."

"First off, we want to congratulate them," Lu replied. "The more people that go into space, the better off we all are. This is a great achievement and good for everyone in the long run."

In Chinese, he later added, "Welcome to space. Have a safe journey."

"I would also like to say I love to have somebody else in space instead of me and Ed," said Malenchenko. "I also know this is great for thousands and thousands of people from China. I congratulate all of them."

Malenchenko and Lu were previously crewmates on the STS-106 shuttle mission and did a spacewalk together during that flight.