Space agencies assign ISS crews

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S., Japanese, Russian and European space agencies say they've assigned five new International Space Station crew members and modified other assignments.

Among the newly announced ISS crews are the assignments of NASA astronauts Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Dan Burbank and Don Pettit; European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers; and Satoshi Furukawa, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, officials said

"Changes were made to previously announced station crews that include multiple alterations to Russian cosmonaut assignments: Alexander Skvortsov replaces Alexander Kaleri as the Soyuz 21 commander and Expedition 24 commander, Feodor Yurchikhin replaces Skvortsov as the Soyuz 23 commander and Expedition 24/25 flight engineer, Kaleri replaces Dmitri Kondratiev as the Soyuz 24 commander and Expedition 25/26 flight engineer and Kondratiev replaces Andrew Borisienko as the Soyuz 25 commander and joins Expedition 26 as a flight engineer," NASA announced.

Three additional crew members for Expedition 31 have yet to be assigned.