The Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft that will carry new Expedition 30 Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko, Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers into space rolled out to the launch pad Monday at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:16 a.m. EST, with NASA TV coverage beginning at 7:30 a.m. The Soyuz will dock to the International Space Station Friday morning.

› Watch NASA TV at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Aboard the International Space Station Monday, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank and Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov checked out the Crew Medical Restraint System (CMRS). The board-like CMRS can be secured to the station structure to provide a patient restraint surface for performing emergency medical procedures. This checkout serves as part of Crew Medical Officer proficiency training as well as maintenance on the CMRS.

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank worked with the Preliminary Advanced Colloids Experiment-2, or PACE-2, on Monday. Housed in the Fluids Integrated Rack, PACE-2 studies the effects of vibration on particles suspended in fluid in the space environment. This work aids in the development and optimization of crew procedures for the future Advanced Colloids Experiment, also known as ACE.

The International Space Station’s Expedition 30 crew – Commander Dan Burbank and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin – performed science experiments and participated in an emergency drill Tuesday.

Burbank, a NASA astronaut, began his workday almost immediately after the crew’s regular 1 a.m. EST wakeup time as he conducted the Reaction Self Test. This 5-minute test helps crew members objectively identify any impacts to their performance caused by sleep loss, fatigue and disruptions to circadian rhythms.

Monday is homecoming day for Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum and Flight Engineers Satoshi Furukawa and Sergei Volkov. The trio is slated to land in the steppe of Kazakhstan aboard their Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft at 9:25 p.m. EST (8:25 a.m. Tuesday Kazakhstan time) northeast of the remote town of Arkalyk.

Expedition 29 is set to undock from the International Space Station in the Soyuz vehicle at 6 p.m. Hatches closed between the Soyuz and the station at 2:41 p.m.

The Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin docked to the International Space Station’s Poisk mini-research module at 12:24 a.m. EST Wednesday. The trio launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:14 p.m. EST Sunday (10:14 a.m. Monday, Kazakhstan time).

› View docking video at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=120779381
› Read more about the launch at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition29/exp29...

Expedition 29 crew members Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Dan Burbank are on their way to the International Space Station. The Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft carrying the new trio launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 11:14 p.m. EST Sunday (10:14 a.m. Baikonur time Monday).

Aboard the International Space Station Monday, Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum worked with the Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix System (SpaceDRUMS), a suite of hardware that uses sound waves to allow experiment samples to be processed without ever touching a container wall. This allows materials to be produced in microgravity with an unparalleled quality of shape and composition. The goal is to develop advanced materials of a commercial quantity and quality, and help improve manufacturing processes on Earth.

The Expedition 29 crew aboard the International Space Station continued a variety of research, connected with a Japanese kid’s television show and sifted through the leftovers of previous crews to make sure nothing they need or want is thrown away when the Progress 42 cargo ship departs in late October.

Commander Mike Fossum conducted a test session with the ongoing SPHERES experiment in the Kibo laboratory. Consisting of micro-satellites the size of basketballs, the experiment tests formation flying and automated rendezvous techniques using control algorithms.

The three-member Expedition 29 crew conducted a training exercise Friday in the unlikely event the International Space Station experienced a cabin pressure leak. The crew would stop all activity, place systems in a safe posture, locate and isolate the point of depressurization and if necessary enter a docked Soyuz spacecraft and evacuate the station. The simulated emergency takes place every 2.5 months ensuring the crew is familiar with emergency equipment and procedures.

Meanwhile, ongoing international research and systems maintenance continue to dominate the crew’s daily schedule.