Fig (1)
The Patch of Expedition 17
The patch celebrates current human achievements in space and symbolizes the future of space exploration. The Earth, represented at the bottom of the patch, is the base from which all space missions initiate. The International Space Station (ISS), shown in low Earth orbit, illustrates the current stage of space activities. The arrow and star point far away from the Earth, indicating the direction of future spaceflights. The flags represent the home countries of the crew members, Russia and the United States, and symbolize the scientific and technological cooperation between the two space powers.
Image Credit: NASA

On 8 April 2008, the 17th Expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) was launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  The crew consists of Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko and spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi, the first astronaut from South Korea.
The spacecraft reached orbit 10 minutes after launch, and is expected to arrive at the ISS on 10 April 2008. Cosmonauts Volkov and Kononenko will begin a six-month mission onboard the ISS. Ms Yi will return to Earth with the crew of Expedition 16, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko on 19 April 2008.

Whitson and Malenchenko flew to the ISS on 10 October 2007. Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman launched to the station on the Space Shuttle Endeavor mission, STS  123, on 11 March 2008. He joined Expedition 16 in advance, and will continue his mission through Expedition 17.

Whitson, Malenchenko and Reisman had a break from their duties to watch the launch of Expedition 17. They also reviewed the schedule of spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi, including experiments and Earth imaging she will carry out during her nine-day stay on the orbiting outpost.

Further Reading

NASA-Expedition 17
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition17/index.html
ISS
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist