Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Soyuz TMA-9 launched 2006

Soyuz TMA-9 crew (L-R): Michael Lopez-Alegria, Anousheh Ansari, Mikhail Tyurin

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-9, launched September 18, 2006, transported a tourist to the International Space Station and another back to Earth.  Its crew consisted of Commander Mikhail Tyurin (Roscosmos) and Michael Lopez-Alegria (NASA).  Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American engineer, was the first self-funded woman in space, the fourth overall self-funded space tourist, and the first Iranian in space.

Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria were part of Expedition 14.  They returned to Earth in April 2007 with space tourist Charles Simonyi, the second Hungarian in space.  Ansari stayed only 9 days aboard the ISS.



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