Expedition 59

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Virtual Reality (VR) is revolutionizing industries by enabling immersive, interactive simulations that greatly improve the work of professionals in these industries. VR is changing how experts approach problems and come up with creative solutions in a variety of fields, including architecture and urban planning, where it helps visualize intricate structures and simulate entire cities, and healthcare and surgery, where it enhances accuracy and patient safety. As evidenced by successful collaborative operations using VR platforms, advancements in VR enable surgeons to train in risk-free environments and sketch out treatments customized for particular patients.

Christina Koch (/kʊk/ COOK; née Hammock; born January 29, 1979) is an American engineer and NASA astronaut of the class of 2013. She received Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a Master of Science in electrical engineering at North Carolina State University. She also did advanced study while working at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Just before becoming an astronaut, she served at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as station chief for American Samoa.

On March 14, 2019, Koch launched to the International Space Station as a flight engineer on Expedition 59, 60, and 61. On October 18, 2019, she and Jessica Meir were the first women to participate in an all-female spacewalk to replace a down power control unit located outside of the International Space Station. On December 28, 2019, Koch broke the record for longest continuous time in space by a woman. She returned from space on February 6, 2020.

Soyuz MS-12 was a Soyuz spaceflight that launched on 14 March 2019, carrying three members of the Expedition 59 crew to the International Space Station. The mission ended on 3 October 2019 when Soyuz-MS-12 successfully landed.

Tyler Nicklaus "Nick" Hague (born 24 September 1975) is a United States Space Force brigadier general and retired NASA astronaut, selected as part of the 2013 astronaut class. Hague's first spaceflight was aboard Soyuz MS-10 on 11 October 2018, which was aborted shortly after launch. His second mission, Soyuz MS-12, successfully launched on 14 March 2019, where he joined Expedition 59/60 aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer. Hague later commanded SpaceX Crew-9, transporting the crew of Expedition 72 to the ISS. The mission returned astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, both of whom had previously participated in the Boeing Crew Flight Test, to Earth on 18 March 2025.

Oleg Dmitriyevich Kononenko (Russian: Олег Дмитриевич Кононенко; Turkmen: Oleg Dmitriýewiç Kononenko; born 21 June 1964) is a Russian cosmonaut. He has flown to the International Space Station five times as a flight engineer on Expedition 17 aboard Soyuz TMA-12, as a flight engineer on Expedition 30 and commander of Expedition 31 aboard Soyuz TMA-03M, as a flight engineer on Expedition 44 and Expedition 45 aboard Soyuz TMA-17M, as a flight engineer on Expedition 57 and commander of Expedition 58 and Expedition 59 aboard Soyuz MS-11, and as a flight engineer on Expedition 69 and Expedition 70 and commander of Expedition 71 aboard Soyuz MS-24/Soyuz MS-25.

Kononenko has accumulated 1,111 days in space over the course of five long-duration missions on the ISS. On 4 February 2024, at 07:30:08 UTC, he broke the record for the most time spent in space previously held by Gennady Padalka at 878 days.

David Saint-Jacques OC OQ FRCGS (Quebec French: [davɪd sẽɪ̯̃nʒã(ŋ)k̚], French pronunciation: [david sɛ̃ʒak]; born 6 January 1970) is a Canadian astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He is also an astrophysicist, engineer, and a physician.

In December 2018, he launched to the International Space Station, as flight engineer on Expeditions 57, 58 and 59; he returned to Earth on 25 June 2019.

Anne Charlotte McClain (born June 7, 1979) is a colonel in the United States Army, engineer, and a NASA astronaut. Her call sign, "Annimal", dates back to her rugby career; she also uses the call sign in her Twitter handle, AstroAnnimal. She was a flight engineer for Expedition 58/59 and Expedition 72/73 to the International Space Station.

Expedition 58 was the 58th expedition to the International Space Station, which began on December 20, 2018, with the departure of the Expedition 57 crew. It was commanded by cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, with astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques as flight engineers; the trio launched on board Soyuz MS-11 on December 3, 2018, marking the 100th orbital launch of the year.

Kononenko, McClain and Saint-Jacques subsequently transferred to Expedition 59 on March 15 2019, when Aleksey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and Christina Koch arrived on board Soyuz MS-12.

Expedition 60 was the 60th Expedition to the International Space Station, which began on 24 June 2019 with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft. The expedition was commanded by Aleksey Ovchinin, who transferred from Expedition 59 together with American flight engineers Nick Hague and Christina Koch. They were joined by Aleksandr Skvortsov, Luca Parmitano and Andrew Morgan, who arrived on Soyuz MS-13 on 20 July 2019. The expedition ended on 3 October 2019, when Soyuz MS-12 (carrying Ovchinin, Hague, and spaceflight participant Hazza Al Mansouri) undocked from the station and Koch, Skvortsov, Parmitano and Morgan transferred to Expedition 61.

During this expedition's final days, the station residents totaled 9 individuals temporarily upon the arrival of Soyuz MS-15, where for the first time since the departure of Soyuz TMA-16M in September 2015, the ISS crew exceeded the standard six.