The new International Space Station crew docked the Soyuz to the ISS and boarded. The crew will be known as Expedition 16 will replace the Expedition 15 crew.

Both crews got together for the group photo below. The Expedition 15 crew is in the back and the Expedition 16 crew is in the front. After about nine days the Russian contingent (Fydor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov) and the guest Sheikh Shukor will return in the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft.

Expedition member Clay Anderson is scheduled to return with STS-120, the shuttle Discovery which is slated for launch on October 23rd.
But will Discovery launch on time? Maybe not.

There could be a delay in the in the launch of Discovery pending the Flight Readiness Review of October 16. There has been some discussion on the shuttle wing’s reinforced carbon-carbon (yes it’s called RCC) leading edge panels. Apparently a small loss of the upper-level coating. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center has recommended replacing the 44 panels.

So far Discovery has flown twice with the panels in the current condition and the Space Shuttle Program the astronauts can safely carry out their missions with no replacements. Who is correct and do we tempt fate again? Some are practicing CYA and some are not. To find out more about the panel issue click here.

At any rate, welcome aboard to Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko and “participant” Sheikh Muszaphar.

Image and story credit: NASA