Expedition 20

    Expedition 20 launched to the International Space Station on May 27, 2009. For the latest news and information on their mission, visit the main station page.

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    ISS020-S-002 -- Expedition 20 crew portrait From the left (front row) are European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer and Expedition 21 commander; cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Expedition 19/20 commander; and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer. From the left (back row) are Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer; NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer; Nicole Stott, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer; Tim Kopra, Expedition 20 flight engineer; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, 18/19/20 flight engineer. Image credit: NASA

Crew Profiles

  • Commander Gennady Padalka

    Commander Gennady I. Padalka

    Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, a colonel in the Russian Air Force, will command the Expedition 19 and 20 missions and also serve as Soyuz commander. He previously served as commander of Expedition 9 in 2004. During Padalka's first stay at the International Space Station, he performed four spacewalks.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Flight Engineer Michael Barratt

    Flight Engineer Michael R. Barratt

    Astronaut Michael Barratt will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19 and 20. He served as lead crew surgeon for the first Expedition crew to the station from July 1998 until he was selected as an astronaut candidate.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
    › Journals
  • Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata

    Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata

    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata flew to the station on STS-119 and served as flight engineer for Expeditions 18, 19 and 20. Wakata was the first resident station crew member from JAXA. He returned to Earth on STS-127.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Flight Engineer Timothy Kopra

    Flight Engineer Timothy L. Kopra

    Astronaut Tim Kopra will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 20. He served as a backup crew member for Expeditions 16 and 17. This will be his first spaceflight.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Roman Romanenko

    Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko

    Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21. He was selected as a test-cosmonaut candidate of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Office in December 1997. In November 1999, he was qualified as a test cosmonaut.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Frank De Winne

    Flight Engineer Frank De Winne

    European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 20 and commander for Expedition 21. De Winne spent nine days aboard the station in 2002 as a member of the Odissea mission.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Robert Thirsk

    Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk

    Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21. In 1996, Dr. Thirsk flew as a payload specialist astronaut aboard space shuttle mission STS-78, the Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission.

    › Biography  →
    › Interview
  • Nicole Stott

    Flight Engineer Nicole P. Stott

    Astronaut Nicole Stott will serve as a flight engineer for Expeditions 20 and 21 after launching on STS-128. In April 2006 she was a crew member on the NEEMO 9 mission where she lived and worked with a 6-person crew for 18 days on the Aquarius undersea research habitat.

    › Biography  →
    › Blog  →
    › Interview

Overview

Expedition 20 Multimedia

ISS Partner Pages

  • Robert Thirsk insignia

    Robert Thirsk's CSA Mission Page

    Robert Thirsk's expedition to the International Space Station represents a milestone for the Canadian Space Agency since it will be the first time a Canadian takes part in a long duration mission.

    › View mission page  →
  • Frank De Winne insignia

    Frank De Winne's ESA Mission Page

    De Winne’s OasISS mission to the International Space Station will see him become Europe's first station commander in October 2009.

    › View mission page  →
  • Koichi Wakata insignia

    JAXA ISS Page

    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata is serving aboard the International Space Station as the first Expedition crew member from Japan.

    › View site  →
  • Roscosmos

    Roscosmos

    The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, is a key International Space Station partner.

    › View site  →