Expedition 20

Expedition 20
Mission	Expedition 20
Mission type	Long-duration expedition to the International Space Station
Crew size	3 (initial) → 6 (expanded)
Mission duration	164 days
Start date	2009-05-27
End date	2009-12-11
Spacecraft	Soyuz TMA-14, Soyuz TMA-15, STS-127, STS-119
Orbit	Low Earth orbit
Operator	Roscosmos, NASA

Expedition 20 Expedition 20 was the nineteenth long-duration crew rotation to the International Space Station that operated during 2009 and included the first six-person resident crew on the station, marking a milestone in Shenzhou-era cooperation and international human spaceflight. The crew conducted multidisciplinary research, vehicle operations, and assembly tasks while interacting with multiple visiting vehicles and shuttle missions.

Mission overview

Expedition 20 began with the undocking and landing events surrounding Soyuz TMA-14 and expanded to a six-person complement following arrivals tied to STS-119, STS-127, Soyuz TMA-15, and partnerships among NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, CSA and other international partners. The increment supported assembly flights including STS-127 and STS-119 that delivered components such as the S6 Truss and research hardware for programs like Human Research Program, Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity, and experiments associated with European Space Agency facilities.

Crew

The expedition's core crew comprised flight engineers and commanders drawn from Roscosmos and NASA. Key crewmembers included a mix of veteran cosmonauts and astronauts who had flown on vehicles like Soyuz TMA-15 and shuttle missions such as STS-119 and STS-127. The six-person resident complement enabled intensified research efforts involving payloads from ESA, JAXA, and university partners from nations including Japan, Canada, Russia, and the United States.

Launch and docking

Launches pivotal to the increment included Soyuz TMA-14 and Soyuz TMA-15 launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome and shuttle departures from Kennedy Space Center, with docking operations at the Pressurized Mating Adapter and Harmony node. Shuttle missions such as STS-119 and STS-127 executed rendezvous profiles assisted by navigation systems derived from programs like Global Positioning System, and docking utilized guidance from vehicles with heritage linked to Space Shuttle Columbia and Space Shuttle Discovery procedures.

On-orbit operations and experiments

On-orbit activities emphasized biomedical, materials science, and technology demonstrations including experiments under the auspices of NASA's Human Research Program, European Space Agency life-sciences investigations, and hardware testing from industrial partners like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Research platforms aboard the station like the Microgravity Science Glovebox and JEM modules supported studies relevant to Roscosmos's long-duration flight objectives and programs led by institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Colorado, and University of Tokyo. Payloads targeted areas including muscle atrophy, bone density, fluid shifts, combustion science, and plant growth systems similar to projects from NASA Ames Research Center and JAXA.

Spacewalks

Crew conducted extravehicular activities using Extravehicular Mobility Unit suits, procedures influenced by lessons from Mir operations and earlier International Space Station EVAs. Tasks included external maintenance on modules such as Kibo and replacement or installation of hardware related to the S6 Truss, cooling systems tied to development lines such as Integrated Truss Structure, and outfitting experiments from European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency payloads. EVAs required coordination among flight controllers from Mission Control Center (Moscow), Mission Control Center (Houston), and international control centers supporting NanoRacks-style commercial experiments.

Resupply and visiting vehicles

Resupply was achieved through a sequence of visiting spacecraft including Progress logistics ships, Space Shuttle missions STS-119 and STS-127, as well as cargo transfers involving international vehicles inspired by programs like HTV (H-II Transfer Vehicle) and Dragon development efforts. These operations delivered pressurized logistics, spare parts, science racks, and crew provisions procured via suppliers such as Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and international agencies like JAXA and ESA.

Mission timeline and highlights

Highlights encompassed the transition to a six-person station crew, critical assembly milestones linked to the installation of the S6 Truss and enhancements to the Mobile Transporter, and completion of key scientific campaigns addressing human health and materials processing. The increment coordinated with shuttle missions STS-119 and STS-127 to expand capabilities used later in programs like Commercial Crew Program and supported experiments whose results informed research at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, and Imperial College London. The mission concluded with undockings and landings that returned crewmembers to recovery operations aligned with practices developed by Roscosmos and NASA.

Category:International Space Station expeditions