Shuttleworth Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male. Born in Welkom, South Africa.

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: Space Tourist Group - 2001. Inactive Entered space service: 5 December 2001. Left space service: 5 May 2002. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 9.89 days.

Mark Shuttleworth was an African entrepreneur with a deep interest in technology. He was born in the gold-mining town of Welkom, South Africa, but grew up in Cape Town. He considered careers in particle physics, software engineering and biotechnology. While studying towards a Business Science (Finance) degree at the University of Cape Town he founded Thawte Consulting, a one-man Internet consulting business. After narrowing the focus of the company to Internet security for electronic commerce he sold it, reaping profits in the millions. He was then able to indulge his desire to become the second paying tourist in outer space.

• 25 April 2002 Flight: ISS EP-3. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-34. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-33. Flight Time: 9.89 days.

18 April 2002 - STS-110 Mission Status Report #21. Atlantis' astronauts tested out their ship's systems today and packed their gear, aiming for an early afternoon landing at the Kennedy Space Center Friday to wrap up a 4 ½ million mile mission to deliver a huge backbone truss structure to the International Space Station.

Commander Mike Bloomfield, Pilot Steve Frick and Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa activated one of three hydraulic power units on Atlantis and tested all of the shuttle's aerosurfaces to ensure that Atlantis will have full controllability during its high-speed return to Earth Friday. Bloomfield and Frick then test-fired Atlantis' steering jets, which were declared ready to support entry and landing.

Bloomfield, Frick and Ochoa joined crewmates Rex Walheim, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith to stow all of the equipment they have used over the past 10 days and parked the shuttle's KU-band dish antenna in preparation for the closing of Atlantis' cargo bay doors early Friday morning.

Atlantis has two landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday. The first begins with the firing of Atlantis' braking rockets at 10:20 a.m. Central time, enabling the shuttle to drop out of orbit for its hour-long descent back to Earth and a touchdown on the 3-mile long Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC at 11:26 a.m. Central time. In the unlikely event weather prevents a landing on the first opportunity, a second opportunity is available for a Florida landing, beginning with the deorbit burn of the orbital maneuvering system engines on Atlantis at 11:59 a.m. Central time, resulting in a landing at KSC at 1:03 p.m. Central time.

The weather forecast calls for very favorable conditions for landing at the Florida spaceport Friday, with only scattered clouds and light winds expected. As a result, the backup landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base was not called up for support Friday. Atlantis has enough consumables to stay in orbit, if necessary, until Monday.

Meanwhile, on board the ISS, Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch spent a relatively quiet day in the wake of a week of joint operations with Atlantis' crew to install and activate the S-Zero (S0) truss and the Mobile Transporter railcar on the complex. Both of the new components continue to be checked out and are said to be in excellent shape.

Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch will spend part of the day Friday deactivating some of the ISS systems as they prepare to board their Soyuz return vehicle early Saturday for a brief flyover from its current docking location at the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs Docking compartment. The relocation of the Soyuz, which is expected to take about 35 minutes, will begin with undocking Saturday at 4:02 a.m. Central time (902 GMT). Coverage of the operation on NASA Television begins at 3 a.m. Central time (800 GMT).

The movement of the Soyuz 3 vehicle from Zarya to Pirs opens the Zarya port for the arrival of a new Soyuz 4 craft on April 27 by a three-man "taxi" crew comprised of Commander Yuri Gidzenko, formerly of the Expedition One crew, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African spaceflight participant Mark Shuttleworth. They will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 25 and will spend about a week in joint operations with the Expedition Four crew before departing from Pirs in the Soyuz 3 craft on the night of May 4.

The crew of Atlantis was scheduled to begin a scheduled eight-hour sleep period at 6:14 p.m. today, and will be awakened just after 2 a.m. Friday to prepare for entry and landing. All shuttle and ISS systems are operating normally.

If Atlantis lands on Friday, the STS-110 astronauts will return home to Ellington Field in Houston near the Johnson Space Center at around 1 p.m. Central time Saturday.

Atlantis has two landing opportunities at KSC today. The first begins with the firing of Atlantis' braking rockets at 10:20 a.m. and a landing at 11:26 a.m. CDT. A second opportunity for a Florida landing would see the deorbit burn at 11:59 a.m. and a landing at KSC at 1:03 p.m. CDT. Forecasts call for favorable weather for landing in Florida Friday, with only scattered clouds expected. The backup-landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base was not called up today. Atlantis has enough consumables to stay in orbit until Monday.

The crew of Atlantis - Commander Mike Bloomfield, Pilot Steve Frick, and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Rex Walheim, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith - was awakened at 2:21 a.m. by the song "Message in a Bottle," performed by The Police.

Meanwhile, aboard the ISS, Expedition 4 Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch monitored station systems this morning during another reboost of the orbiting laboratory. The Progress cargo ship's jets were fired to raise the station's altitude a little more than half a mile. During the STS-110 mission, Atlantis did three station reboosts, totaling about six miles.

The station crew also will deactivate some ISS systems today to prepare to board the Soyuz return vehicle early Saturday for its 35-minute move from the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs Docking compartment. The relocation of the Soyuz will begin with undocking Saturday at 4:02 a.m. Coverage on NASA Television begins at 3 a.m.

The move frees the Zarya port for the arrival of a new Soyuz 4 craft on April 27 with a three-man "taxi" crew comprised of Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African spaceflight participant Mark Shuttleworth. They will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 25 and will spend about a week aboard the station before departing in the Soyuz 3 craft May 4.

Commander Mike Bloomfield eased Atlantis to a textbook landing on runway 3-3 at the Florida spaceport at 11:27 a.m. Central time under clear skies and light winds. Bloomfield, Pilot Steve Frick and Mission Specialists Rex Walheim, Ellen Ochoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith completed an 11-day flight in which four spacewalks were conducted to deliver and activate the new S-Zero (S0) girder to the ISS, which will serve as the centerpiece for a truss that will eventually span the length of a football field. Solar arrays will be mounted on the truss as well as new station modules. The S-Zero component will also serve as a switching station for electricity from the station's solar arrays to ISS elements. In addition, the truss is a base for the first rail system in space through the use of its Mobile Transporter and the upcoming Mobile Base System to be delivered to the ISS in June on which the station's robotic arm will be affixed to move up and down the length of the outpost.

The shuttle crewmembers were scheduled to depart Atlantis about an hour after landing to be driven back to the crew quarters at KSC for medical tests and reunions with their families.

The STS-110 astronauts will return home to Hangar 990 at Ellington Field in Houston near the Johnson Space Center at around 1 p.m. Central time Saturday for a welcome home ceremony. The public is invited to attend.

Meanwhile, aboard the ISS, Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch spent the day configuring station systems for the temporary closure of the complex early Saturday in advance of a short departure in their Soyuz return vehicle and a relocation of the craft to another docking port.

Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch will board their Soyuz return vehicle early Saturday for a brief flyover from its current docking location at the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs Docking compartment. The relocation of the Soyuz, which is expected to take about 35 minutes, will begin with undocking Saturday at 4:02 a.m. Central time (902 GMT). Coverage of the operation on NASA Television begins at 3 a.m. Central time (800 GMT).

The movement of the Soyuz 3 vehicle from Zarya to Pirs opens the Zarya port for the arrival of a new Soyuz 4 craft on April 27 by a three-man "taxi" crew comprised of Commander Yuri Gidzenko, who served on the first resident crew of the ISS, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African spaceflight participant Mark Shuttleworth. They will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 25 and will spend about a week in joint operations with the Expedition Four crew before departing from Pirs in the Soyuz 3 craft on the night of May 4.

Major systems aboard the ISS continue to function well as the station orbits at an average altitude of about 247 statute miles.

Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch undocked the Soyuz 3 capsule from the nadir docking port of the Zarya module of the ISS at 4:16 a.m. Central time (916 GMT) and flew a short distance down the station for a redocking to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 4:37 a.m. Central time (937 GMT) over Central Asia. The station's key systems had been deactivated for the brief flight in the unlikely event Onufrienko could not redock the vehicle.

The Zarya docking port is now free for the arrival of the new Soyuz 4 capsule next Saturday, and a three-man "taxi" crew, Commander Yuri Gidzenko, who was a member of the first resident crew of the ISS, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African space flight participant Mark Shuttleworth. They are scheduled to be launched Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:26 a.m. Central time (626 GMT) and will link up to the ISS on April 27 at around 3 a.m. Central time (800 GMT).

The "taxi" crew will spend almost eight days aboard the ISS conducting experiments. A fresh Soyuz is delivered to the station every six months as an assured means of bringing the resident crewmembers home if an emergency forces them to leave the complex.

The Soyuz relocation comes one day after the shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up an 11-day flight which featured four spacewalks to install and activate the 13-ton S-Zero (S0) truss to the ISS. The truss, which is the major backbone for future station construction, is functioning perfectly.

Atlantis' seven astronauts will return from the Kennedy Space Center to Hangar 990 at Ellington Field in Houston near the Johnson Space Center this afternoon for a welcome home ceremony at around 1 p.m. Central time. The public is invited to attend.

All systems aboard the ISS continue to function well as the station orbits at an average altitude of about 245 statute miles.

Russian Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth rocketed away from the Central Asian launch site at 1:26:38 a.m. Central time (626:38 GMT) in their Soyuz TM-34 craft. Less than nine minutes later, with the Soyuz solar arrays and navigational antennas successfully deployed, they had reached orbit to begin a two-day chase to reach the ISS early Saturday. At the time of launch, the ISS was flying over Iraq at an altitude of 244 statute miles. The Expedition Four crew on board the station had just awakened at the time the Soyuz began its journey.

Gidzenko, who is making his third flight into space, is the first former resident of the ISS to return to the complex, having been a member of the Expedition One crew, the first crew to live aboard the station. Gidzenko first arrived at the ISS in November 2000. Vittori, who is a professional astronaut, is making his first spaceflight, traveling to the ISS under a contract between the Italian Space Agency and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Shuttleworth is a South African Internet entrepreneur flying under contract with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency as well on his first mission.

The three crewmembers will dock to the Zarya module of the ISS on Saturday at 2:57 a.m. Central time (757 GMT). That docking port was freed up last Saturday when Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch relocated the Soyuz vehicle currently at the ISS from Zarya to the Pirs Docking Compartment.

Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth will spend almost eight days on the station, conducting experiments and educational activities. They will depart the ISS on the evening of May 4, U.S. time, in the Soyuz currently docked to the station, and will land a few hours later on the Kazakh steppes.

All systems aboard the ISS continue to function well as the station orbits at an average altitude of about 245 statute miles.

Two days after their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth docked their Soyuz TM-34 craft to the nadir docking port of the Zarya module of the ISS at 2:56 a.m. Central time (756 GMT) as the two vehicles flew over Central Asia.

On board the ISS, Expedition Four Flight Engineer Dan Bursch, a Navy Captain, maintained a tradition by ringing the ship's bell in the Unity module to mark the arrival of new visitors. ISS Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Carl Walz monitored the docking along side Bursch.

Parked nearby at the Pirs Docking Compartment was the Soyuz TM-33 craft, which was brought to the ISS by another crew last fall. Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth will ride home to a landing on the Kazakh steppes in that older Soyuz capsule on May 4, U.S. time (early May 5, Kazakhstan time).

Gidzenko, who is making his third flight into space, is the first former resident of the ISS to return to the complex, having been a member of the Expedition One crew, the first crew to live aboard the station. Gidzenko first arrived at the ISS in November 2000. Vittori, who is a professional astronaut, is making his first spaceflight, traveling to the ISS under a contract between the Italian Space Agency and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Shuttleworth is a South African Internet entrepreneur flying under contract with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency as well on his first mission.

Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth will spend their visit on the station conducting experiments and educational activities

About an hour and a half after docking, and after leak checks were performed to insure a tight seal between the Soyuz and the ISS, hatches swung open at 4:25 a.m. Central time (925 GMT) and the six crewmembers greeted one another. Congratulations were offered to the two crews from Russian, Italian, European Space Agency and South African officials who watched the linkup from the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow.

All systems aboard the ISS continue to function well as the station orbits at an average altitude of about 245 statute miles.

Russian Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Flight Engineer Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency and South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth undocked their Soyuz TM-33 craft from the Pirs Docking Compartment of the ISS at 7:31 p.m. Central time (00:31 GMT May 5) over China after eight days of joint activities with Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch.

Left behind on the nadir docking port of the Zarya module of the ISS is a new Soyuz TM-34 return craft, in which Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth were launched on April 25 and which they guided to a docking to the ISS last Saturday. The older Soyuz arrived at the station last October. Fresh Soyuz spacecraft are brought to the station every six months to serve as an emergency return vehicle in the event a problem forces station residents to leave the complex prematurely.

After backing the older Soyuz away from the Pirs docking port, Gidzenko fired the Soyuz' thrusters to begin a separation maneuver away from the station. Later this evening, Gidzenko will conduct a four-minute deorbit burn of the Soyuz engines to begin the capsule's descent back to Earth.

Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth are scheduled to land on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 10:52 p.m. Central time (352 GMT May 5) to wrap up their mission.

Gidzenko, who is completing his third flight into space, was the first former resident of the ISS to return to the complex, having been a member of the Expedition One crew, the first crew to live aboard the station.

Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth spent most of their time on the station conducting experiments and educational activities.

All systems aboard the ISS continue to function well as the station orbits at an average altitude of about 245 statute miles.