Russian Craft Sends New Crew Members to Space Station

A Russian capsule carrying three astronauts from Russia, the United States and Italy has blasted off for the International Space Station. The Soyuz capsule roared into the darkness just after 3 a.m. local time Monday (4 p.m. ET Sunday) from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Aboard the capsule are Russian Anton Shkaplerov, NASA's Terry Virts and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. The craft will dock with the space station about six hours after launch, where they will join three others already aboard. Those spacefliers include Elena Serova, the first Russian woman to live aboard the International Space Station.

Cristoforetti's arrival will mark the second time in the station's 16-year history that two women have been conducting long-term missions simultaneously. The first time came in 2010, when Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Shannon Walker were on the station for Expedition 24.

During a pre-launch news conference, Cristoforetti, a 37-year-old Italian Air Force pilot, deflected questions about her status as Italys first female astronaut. When asked by a reporter if she planned to wear cosmetics in space, Cristoforetti looked confused, then replied, Maybe you should ask Terry. Maybe he wants to take some makeup with him.

The new crew's six-month tour of duty is also expected to mark the first taste test of fresh-brewed espresso in space. The ISSpresso coffeemaker was designed to work in zero gravity by Italy's Lavazza coffee company and Argotec engineering firm. It's due to be sent up to the station next year on a cargo craft, and will be tested under the terms of a private-public partnership associated with Cristoforetti's mission.

First published November 23 2014, 1:43 PM

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Russian Craft Sends New Crew Members to Space Station