Space Station Visitor Crew Landing Scheduled For May 6

Russia's Flight Control Center officials told RIA Novosti Friday that the landing of the spaceship Soyuz TM-31 with ship's commander Talgat Musabayev, flight engineer Yuri Baturin, and the first space tourist, Dennis Tito, on board is scheduled for May 6, 9:41 Moscow time. The International Space Station visitor crew is to land in Kazakhstan. The crew is to conduct the operations necessary to prepare for de-orbiting on Sunday, according to Centre officials. Passage hatches between the ISS and Soyuz TM-31 where the crew is to take their seats will be closed at 03:12. After the undocking scheduled for 06:19 Moscow time the ship will head for its landing place. Search groups will be sent to the place on the evening of May 5. They are supposed to meet the space travellers and bring them to the launching site Baikonur, said Flight Control officials. According to the telemetric data and the crew's reports, the cosmonauts and the space tourist feel well, the latter having adapted to weightlessness.