BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Soyuz spacecraft with a human mission will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in March 2013 eight times faster than usual covering the distance in six instead of 48 hours, commander of the standby crew of Soyuz TNA-06M spacecraft Pavel Vinogradov said at a Monday press conference.
"A so-called rapid pattern of the Soyuz flight to ISS in four revolutions is planned for the March 28, 2013 takeoff," he said.
Vinogradov said that the rapid pattern "is not something new but well-forgotten old."
"Manned spacecraft have already flown according to this pattern," he said.
"But now both the spacecraft and launch vehicle are digital and they have to be tested in this pattern," he said.