KOROLYOV, Moscow Region. Nov 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao have completed the redocking of the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft and started entering the International Space Station (ISS), an Interfax-Military News Agency correspondent reported from the Russian Mission Control Center on Monday.
The cosmonauts docked Soyuz TMA-5 to the Zarya module at 12:52 p.m. Moscow time (0852 GMT). Having checked air tightness of the ship's sections and equaled the pressure between the ISS and the spacecraft, they opened the entrance hatches and started entering the station at 2:54 p.m. Moscow time (1054 GMT).
The cosmonauts have to mothball Soyuz TMA-5 and demothball the ISS before 5:45 p.m. Moscow time (1345 GMT). They will also position and dry their space suits.
It was necessary to redock the spacecraft from the Pirs air lock to Zarya to allow two space-walks in store for the astronauts on January 25 and some time in March 2005. The date for the second space-walk will be specified later.