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| Expedition 55 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Expedition 55 |
| Mission type | Long-duration expedition to the International Space Station |
| Operator | NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, CSA |
| Start date | 2018-12-20 |
| End date | 2019-03-08 |
| Crew members | Andrew Feustel; Oleg Artemyev; Richard R. Arnold; Aleksey Ovchinin; Serena Auñón-Chancellor; Alexander Gerst |
Expedition 55 was the 55th long-duration crew residency aboard the International Space Station (ISS), conducted during late 2018 and early 2019. The expedition integrated international expertise from NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA to maintain station operations, conduct microgravity research, and support visiting vehicles. Crewmembers executed spacewalks, scientific investigations, and vehicle berthings that continued decades-long partnerships among space agencies and commercial providers.
Expedition 55 followed a handover model established during prior ISS increments involving Expedition 54 and preceded Expedition 56, sustaining continuous human presence initiated by Expedition 1. The increment's objectives included station maintenance for modules such as Zvezda and Harmony, life-support management for systems like Environmental Control and Life Support System, and operation of research facilities including Kibo, Columbus, and Destiny. This period featured cooperation among international partners such as European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and coordination with commercial operators like SpaceX and Boeing for resupply and crew transport. Mission timeline activities were synchronized with launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kennedy Space Center, and returns to landing sites coordinated by Roscosmos and NASA.
The Expedition 55 crew comprised multinational astronauts and cosmonauts with prior flight experience on vehicles such as Soyuz MS and Space Shuttle orbiter missions. Command responsibilities rotated per ISS protocols, leveraging leadership experience similar to that of past commanders like Scott Kelly and Peggy Whitson. Crew members included veterans of long-duration missions, participants in complex extravehicular activities reminiscent of those undertaken by Sunita Williams and Chris Hadfield, and specialists trained in payload operations akin to researchers from European Space Agency astronaut corps. Training involved facilities at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Johnson Space Center, and analogs like NEEMO habitats, ensuring readiness for systems on modules such as Quest Joint Airlock.
The Expedition 55 insignia followed the ISS tradition of symbolic imagery reflecting mission goals and crew composition. Patches for previous and subsequent increments referenced visual motifs used by expeditions including Expedition 50 and Expedition 60, while echoing heraldic practices found on Apollo and Skylab mission patches. Design elements incorporated highlights of the station's orbital perspective over landmarks like Earth's limb and orbital tracks near regions including Baikonur Cosmodrome and Kennedy Space Center, and referenced international cooperation exemplified by collaborations such as Interkosmos and joint missions like Shenzhou dockings. Insignia production involved agencies' public-affairs offices and commercial vendors following protocols from NASA Public Affairs and Roscosmos Press Office.
The increment commenced following the undocking and landing of a Soyuz crew, in a sequence consistent with station expedition handovers dating back to Expedition 2. Major milestones included EVA operations akin to those during STS-120 and STS-135 for maintenance, the arrival and departure of resupply missions from providers like SpaceX CRS and Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital ATK), and coordination with crewed Soyuz launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Notable events mirrored international endeavors such as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer servicing discussions and experiments aligned with earlier work by teams from CERN collaborators. During the expedition, crew activities interacted with ground control centers including Mission Control Center (Houston) and TsUP Control Center, maintaining continuous telemetry, timeline updates, and contingency procedures informed by standards from International Docking System Standard protocols.
Scientific programs aboard included human physiology studies continuing lines of inquiry begun by International Physiological Reference Project and investigations into fluid physics and combustion that extend research from Flame Extinguishment Experiment and Capillary Channel Flow studies. Experiments utilized racks such as Biolab, Microgravity Science Glovebox, and European Drawer Rack to examine cellular biology, materials science, and plant growth systems with parallels to trials conducted by teams at MIT, University of Michigan, European Space Research and Technology Centre, and JAXA laboratories. Life-sciences payloads measured bone-density and muscle atrophy consistent with research trajectories initiated by long-duration crews including Valeri Polyakov. Technology demonstrations tested systems relevant to future exploration missions led by NASA Human Exploration and Operations and program offices like ESA Technology.
During the expedition, multiple visiting vehicles berthed to the station, reflecting a mixed fleet similar to historic traffic patterns including Progress cargo ships, HTV missions, and commercial resupply flights like SpaceX Dragon and Cygnus vehicles. Crew operations integrated docking procedures comparable to those used in Soyuz TMA missions and automated rendezvous techniques refined since ATV flights. Visiting vehicle logistics included coordination for cargo transfers, payload integration from providers such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and relocking of hatches consistent with protocols used during STS-era shuttle berthings.
Expedition 55 continued the ISS's role as a platform for multinational research and technology maturation supporting programs like Artemis and partnerships evident in agreements such as the Intergovernmental Agreement on Space Station Cooperation. Data and outcomes from the expedition fed into long-term biomedical databases curated by institutions including NASA GeneLab and European Life Sciences Research, informing countermeasures for deep-space missions influenced by studies from Gemini and Mercury era analogs. The expedition reinforced operational lessons drawn from international collaboration among agencies like NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA, sustaining frameworks that underpin future cooperative missions with commercial and governmental partners including SpaceX, Boeing, and emerging national programs.