Tag Archives: trainen

Adrenaline rush when ATV docks

Trainen voor ATV The six of us use a lot of gear on the ISS. Food and drinks, but also spare parts for repairs, fuel for the ISS and scientific experiments. All these things arrive by different supply ships. The European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) was launched from Kourou in French Guiana on the 23rd of March. Tonight it will arrive here and we will receive more supplies.  Colleagues on Earth always put in something tasty for the crew such as fresh fruit. As most of our food has a shelf life of two years, you can imagine that fresh fruit is a real luxury here in space…

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Notes for the Van Gogh museum

Kosmonautenhotel In between tests at the launch site we stay at the cosmonaut hotel. We have a daily programme of work and free time. It is very cold in Kazachstan, around -20 degrees Celsius. So having a jog along the river, as I did last May, when I was here as backup crew for Frank is out of the question. Luckily a well equipped gym is available for us to use. To stay sharp when flying the Sojuz on manual control we practice all types of conditions and dockings every other day in the Sojuz simulator. In reality the chances of me actually having to perform these manoeuvres are very small. Read on...