Space station crew to conduct Mars studies

HOUSTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The next International Space Station crew said Thursday their mission will include experiments to support President Bush's goal of going to Mars.

The international Expedition 9 crew - composed of Russian Genaddy Padalka, American Mike Fincke and Dutchman Andre Kuipers - leaves on April 18 for a six-month duty on the ISS. A Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will take the crew to the ISS.

The crew will perform scientific experiments to gain a better understanding of the effect on humans of living in space for long periods of time. This will help support President Bush's goal of retruning to the Moon and sending a manned-flight to Mars, they said.

The crew will also install hardware that will enable Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle to dock with the space station next Fall.

Kuipers will spend about a week aboard the space station performing experiments for the European Space Agency before returning to Earth in a Soyuz capsule with the current occupants of the station.