Posted: Fri, Feb 14, 2003, 9:43 PM ET (0243 GMT)
Russian officials said Friday that they have worked out an agreement with NASA to continue to support the International Space Station while the shuttle remains grounded. Under the plan, the Expedition Six crew currently on the station would return to Earth in May on the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft currently docked to the ISS. Shortly before their departure, a new Soyuz spacecraft, TMA-2, would dock with the station. It will carry a two-man crew: Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and a NASA astronaut yet to be identified. If the shuttle remains grounded in October, that crew will replaced with another two-man Russian-American crew that will fly to the station on Soyuz TMA-3. Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque, who was scheduled to fly on the late April taxi mission, would fly on the October one instead, regardless of the status of the shuttle; he would return on Soyuz TMA-2 with the returning two-person crew. Rosaviakosmos officials told RIA Novosti that the agreement was still unofficial and details were still being worked out. NASA has no comment about the report.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  AP article