NASA Television coverage, originating from the launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will broadcast on the giant outdoor screen beginning at 10:15 p.m. and continue with post-launch coverage until 11:45 p.m.
"The space station serves as a unique laboratory for researchers around the world, home to astronauts from multiple countries, and was built with international cooperation, so it's fitting to show the launch of the next crew in the most cosmopolitan city in the United States," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations.
NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Soyuz commander Mikhail Tyurin and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata will launch in a Soyuz spacecraft. They will join six crew members already on the space station, including NASA astronauts Karen Nyberg and Mike Hopkins, the European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano, and Roscosmos' Fyodor Yurchikin, Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy.
This will be the first time since October 2009 that nine people have served together aboard the space station without a space shuttle being docked to the orbiting laboratory. The crew will return to its normal complement of six on Nov. 10, when Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano return to Earth.
Currently, the only transportation services to and from the space station is aboard Soyuz spacecraft. NASA is working with U.S. companies to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight systems that could ultimately lead to the availability of commercial services for both commercial and government customers from the United States.
Prominently positioned below the world-famous New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square, the Toshiba Vision dual LED screens will allow viewers to see the action from the launch pad as the Soyuz soars into the sky.
For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:
