Frank De Winne's mission to the ISS
ESA astronaut Frank De Winne was flight engineer on a Soyuz "taxi flight" to the International Space Station, an 11-day mission from 30 October to 10 November 2002. The mission, named Odissea, was funded by the Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (OSTC).
There were three main goals of the Odissea mission,
- to replace the Russian Soyuz vehicle, which serves as the emergency rescue craft for the Station's crew, with a modernised version (Soyuz TMA)
- to carry out a substantial scientific experiment programme
- to promote valuable international cooperation