Tomorrow’s Soyuz launch will carry a crew of three into space and on their way to start a five month stay on the International Space Station. On board the Soyuz will be ESA astronaut André Kuipers, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and NASA astronaut Don Pettit.
André Kuipers
André Kuipers’ ambition to be an astronaut began early in life, but it wasn’t until he became a doctor that he saw a way to combine his professional career with his interest in space exploration. Inspired by the idea of helping mankind to travel further in space, his research into human adaptation to space led him to ESA. (read more on the PromISSe mission website)
Follow André on Twitter: @astro_andre
Read André’s logbook – in Dutch & English
Oleg Kononenko
Oleg Kononenko is the Expedition 30 crewmember with the most days logged in space: a total of 199. He is 47 years old, also the youngest onboard the Soyuz TMA-03M. (read more on the PromISSe mission website)
Don Pettit
Don Pettit was in the middle of doing a fumarole gas sampling on a scientific expedition in New Zealand when he got a phone call from NASA to become an astronaut. He has a doctorate in chemical engineering and was also involved in projects about fluid physics under reduced gravity conditions. (read more on the PromISSe mission website)
Follow Don Pettit on Twitter: @astro_pettit
Follow Don Pettit on Facebook: Astro.Pettit
Read his blogs on Fragile Oasis
Image credits: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center / ESA
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