Long-duration mission to the International Space Station
Expedition 66 is scheduled to be the 66th long duration Expedition to the International Space Station. The mission will begin a day the launch of Soyuz MS-19, currently scheduled for 5 October 2021.[2][further explanation needed] The mission will be commanded by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will become the fourth European astronaut to command the ISS, and the first French astronaut to command the orbital laboratory.[4]
Pesquet launched on SpaceX Crew-2 in April 2021, joined by NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, as well as JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.[5] The Crew-2 crew will transfer over from Expedition 65,[6] as well as Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who both launched on Soyuz MS-18 and will land on Soyuz MS-19 following an extended mission. Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov will launch on Soyuz MS-19, along with participants in the joint project between Roscosmos and Channel One, The Challenge film, that is, film director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild, who will fly with him, have also been included in this ISS expedition 66 as a prime crew. SpaceX Crew-3, carrying NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron, as well as ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will launch to the station to join no earlier than 23 October 2021.[7] Shkaplerov, Dubrov, Vande Hei, Chari, Marshburn, Barron and Maurer will transfer to Expedition 67 at the end of the expedition in late 2021.
Movie project
On May 14, 2021, the Interagency Committee approved the composition of the ISS main and alternate crews for the period 2021-2023.[8] Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (commander) and the crew of the film "The Challenge": actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko, will go to the ISS on the Soyuz MS-19. The drama is a joint project of Roscosmos, Channel One and the Yellow, Black and White studio.[9][10] The alternates chosen after passing the medical committee are: New Drama Theater actress Alyona Mordovina, director Alexei Dudin[11] and the commander Oleg Artemyev.[12] Since May 24 the crew members have been training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.[13] On July 23, the prime crew participated in a four-hour simulation inside a Soyuz replica while wearing the Sokol suit[14] and on July 30, the spacecraft had its pre-launch preparation started.[15]
It is planned that the director and actress will return to Earth on October 17, 2021 on Soyuz MS-18, with Commander Oleg Novitskiy. Cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who arrived at the ISS on Soyuz MS-18, will join Shkaplerov on the landing of Soyuz MS-19.[16][17] Soyuz MS-19 is scheduled to land on March 28, 2022.[18]
Reactions
The film, which according to Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, is an "experiment to see if Roscosmos can prepare two ordinary people to fly in about 3 or 4 months" has received opposition from the scientific and aerospace communities, as to the fact that they remove trained cosmonauts from their flights, a misuse of public money,[19] or even that using the station's resources for non-scientific purposes would be illegal.[20] Sergei Krikalev, director of crewed programs at Roscosmos, reportedly lost his position by speaking out against the project,[21] but was reinstalled after a few days following protests from cosmonauts on and off active duty.[13]
Movie portion to be shot on ISS
Klim Shipenko will have to shoot about 35-40 minutes of film on the ISS, as well as taking on the position of director, operator, art director, and makeup artist. Oleg Novitsky and Peter Dubrov will appear in the film,[22] with Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei assisting in the production.[23]
