ISS Crew Size Expanding to Six

The International Space Station partners have embarked upon the mission to double the permanent crew size to six for the first time this morning with the launch of the Soyuz TMA-15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, BBC launch video.

The Soyuz TMA-15 crew will dock with the space station on Friday. Expanding the space station crew to six will tax the space station systems along with challenging human endurance of living together for months in the cramped quarters. Ffor the first time, the five partners of the ISS –USA, Russia, Canada, Japan and ESA - are all represented in the crew of six. Having six people living together in space on the station will build much-needed human experience for long duration spaceflights to Mars in the decades to come.

The space shuttle Endeavour is set for launch Saturday, June 13 to resume construction of the orbiting lab and exchange one of the permanent space station crew members.