E20: First 6-Person Crew To Arrive ISS Via Soyuz

On May 27, Russia Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Canada Astronaut Robert Thirsk and ESA astronaut Frank de Winne will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. When they arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) 2 days later, they will join Commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, Koichi Wakata of Japan and Mike Barratt of USA to form Expedition 20. The ISS was originally designed and constructed to house 6 astronauts, and E20 will mark the first time that the station realizes its full potential. This is also the first Expedition to have representatives of all of the 5 ISS partner agencies. Tim Kopra of NASA will replace Wakata when he arrives aboard Endeavour STS-127 in June. Kopra will remain on the ISS until he departs aboard Discovery STS-128 in August, leaving USA astronaut Nicole Stott to take his place. With the added members, the E20 crew will have more time than any crew before them to conduct scientific experiments in the unique environment of weightlessness. The knowledge gained from these experiments will enable humans to leave low Earth orbit once again to establish a permanent presence on the Moon and travel on to Mars and other destinations. Expedition 20 will conclude in September with the arrival of Soyuz TMA-16. (Credit: )

The Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) will be holding its annual meeting at the University of Toronto on May 26-29. This four day event will feature over 330 participants and cover topics such as Stars, Galaxies and Clusters, Cosmology and High Energy Astrophysics. Tuesday, May 26 will include a CASCA Graduate-Student workshop with a “Jamboree” session giving students the platform to promote their research. On Wednesday, May 27, participants can discuss challenges and opportunities in Canada Astronomy with keynote panelists Director Greg Fahlman, Vicki Kaspi, and past President of CASCA, Peter Martin (CR). Of special interest, the Isabel Bader Theatre will show a film by CFHT Astronomer Jean Charles Cuillandre entitled 'Hawaiian Starlight: Exploring the Universe from Mauna Kea,' which took 7 years to make and showcases the spectacular connection between the sacred mountain and the cosmos. The meeting concludes with themes on Planets, Brown Dwarfs, Compact Objects, ISM and Star Formation with the RM Petrie Medal Lecture focusing on Scott Tremaine from the Institute of Advanced Study discussing Stellar Dynamics at the Centers of Galaxies. The knowledge shared at this meeting will continue the global effort of the International Year of Astronomy to enhance public awareness and involvement in astronomy. (Credit: CASCA, IAU, University of Toronto, RASC)