Expedition 10

Mission objectives

Chiao and Sharipov docked at the Space Station on 16 October 2004 aboard Soyuz TMA-5, relieving Expedition 9 crewmates Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka. Both astronauts were researchers in the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity Project. Notable accomplishments included replacing critical hardware in the Quest Joint Airlock, repairing U.S. spacesuits, and submitting a scientific research paper on ultrasound use in space. Chiao became the first astronaut to vote in a U.S. Presidential election from space.

Notable events

The launch of Expedition 10 was rescheduled after an explosive bolt was accidentally activated during preflight testing of the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft. The damage was repaired, and the mission launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 14 October 2004.

Two Progress supply spacecraft docked during the mission: Progress 51 on 25 December 2004 and Progress 52 on 28 February 2005. European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy launched with the Expedition 11 crew, spent eight days performing scientific experiments, and returned to Earth with the Expedition 10 crew. The Soyuz TMA-5 re-entry was perfect, landing 53 miles northeast of Arkalyk after 192 days, 19 hours, and 2 minutes in space.

Did You Know?

• The Expedition 10 crew completed two spacewalks: the first on 26 January 2005 and the second on 28 March 2005.
• The spacewalks included experiment installation and tasks to prepare the Station for the arrival of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, which ultimately arrived in 2008 instead of 2006.