NASA mission managers have approved the launch of Expedition 13 to the International Space Station, the agency said Tuesday.
Russian commander Pavel Vinogradov and American flight engineer Jeff Williams now await their launch early Thursday morning, local time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Brazil's first astronaut, Marcos Pontes, also will join the crew for a brief visit to the station, before returning home with Expedition 12's commander Bill McArthur and flight engineer Valery Tokarev.
McArthur and Tokarev have readied the station for the expected March 31 arrival of the new crew and visitor. Their plan is to undock from the station and land in Kazakhstan on April 8.
