Tag Archives: Soyuz

Sequence of events: hatch closure to landing

The sequence of events below are as expected on 1 July for the return of the Soyuz TMA-03M with ESA astronaut André Kuipers, NASA's Don Pettit and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko. Departure starts with the undocking command at 06:50 CEST (04:50 UT) and ends with landing in Kazakhstan at 10:15 CEST (08:15 UT).

03:32 CEST (01:32 UT) - Hatch closure

06:44 CEST (04:44 UT) - Undocking command to open hooks and latches

06:47 CEST (04:47 UT) - Hooks opened / physical Separation of Soyuz TMA-03M from the Rassvet/MRM1 module at 0.12 m/s

Physical separation from Rassvet on this occasion (not Pirs) (Credit: NASA)

06:56 CEST (04:56 UT) - Separation burn from ISS (15 second burn of the Soyuz engines, 0.55 m/s; Soyuz distance from the ISS is ~15-20 metres)

09:19 CEST (07:19 UT) - Deorbit Burn (4 min 15 sec in duration, 115.2 m/sec; Soyuz distance from the ISS is ~12 km)

Deorbit burn (Credit: NASA)

09:48 CEST (07:48 UT) - Separation of modules (~23 mins after deorbit Burn; 140 km altitude; undocking command + ~2 hours, 57 mins.)

Separation of modules (Credit: NASA)

09:51 CEST (07:51 UT) - Entry interface (101.8 km altitude)

Reentry in Earth's atmosphere (Credit: NASA)

10:00 CEST (08:00 UT) - Command to open chutes (10.7 km altitude)

Two Pilot Parachutes are first deployed, the second of which extracts the Drogue
Chute. The Drogue Chute is then released, measuring 24 square meters, slowing the Soyuz down from a descent rate of 230 m/s to 80 m/s.

The main parachute is then released, covering an area of 1000 square metres; it slows the Soyuz to a descent rate of 7.2 m/s; its harnesses first allows the Soyuz to descend at an angle of 30 degrees to expel heat, then shifts the Soyuz to a straight vertical descent.

Main parachute deployed (Credit: NASA)

Appx. 2 seconds before landing - Soft Landing Engine Firing (6 engines fire to slow the Soyuz descent rate to 1.5 m/s just 0.8 meter above the ground)

Soft Landing Engine Firing (Credit: ESA)

10:15:02 CEST (08:15:02 UT/14:15:02 Kazakhstan time) - Landing (Descent take about 3 hours 24 mins) 217 km SE of Dzhezkazgan; 7 hours 1 minute before sunset at the landing site in Kazakhstan.

Landing, deploy antenna (Credit: NASA)

Crew departure to Houston. Landing +5.5 hours; duration of flight: 16.5 hours

NASA images

The way back to Earth

André in Sokol suit (credit: ESA/NASA)

Having lived and worked on the International Space Station for 191 days, spanning both Expeditions 30 and 31, ESA astronaut André Kuipers and his crewmates Oleg Kononenko and Don Pettit are preparing to return Earth on Sunday morning.

After entering the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft and closing the hatches at 03:40 CEST, the Soyuz is set to undock from the Station at 06:53 CEST on Sunday morning. A couple of hours later at 09:19 CEST, a 4 minute 25 second deorbit burn will start the Soyuz on it's journey towards Earth's atmosphere.

Soyuz TMA-03M (Credit: ESA/NASA)

Shortly before entering the atmosphere, at 09:48 CEST, the Soyuz spacecraft separates into its three parts. The orbital and service modules burn up on reentry in the denser layers of Earth’s atmosphere.

The descent module rotates, placing the strongest parts of the heatshield towards the reentry direction, so that it can absorb most of the heat caused by friction. Reentry occurs at an altitude of 101.8 kilometres. The speed is reduced dramatically and the crew is pushed back into their seats by a force of 4–5 g. This is equivalent to four to five times their own body weight.

Oleg, Don and André in their Russian Sokol suits (Credit: NASA)

The parachutes are deployed and the Soyuz’s shock-absorbing seats soften the landing, together with retro-rockets firing just 2 seconds before touchdown at 10:15:02 CEST. The descent module touches down on Earth at a speed of less than 2 m/s, or around 5km/h.

After landing, the crew will deploy a communication antenna, so that the rescue teams can pinpoint their precise location. The landing site is located 217 km SE of the Kazakh city of Dzhezkazgan. Once rescued André and Don will be taken directly back to Houston from Baikonur, for rehabilitation and post-flight body data collection. Oleg will return to Star City in Moscow.

Unlike the 2 days between launch and docking with the ISS, reentry and landing on the Steppes of Kazakhstan is a relatively quick procedure, taking no longer than three and a half hours from undocking to touchdown.

New Expedition 31 crew arrives at ISS

The Soyuz TMA-04 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 06:36 CEST (04:36 UT) this morning. On board the Soyuz are new Expedition 31 crewmembers Gennady Padalka, Sergei Revin and Joe Acaba.

The hatches between the Soyuz and the ISS were opened once leak and pressure checks are completed and the new crewmembers entered the Station at 09:10 CEST (07:10 UT).

Replay of the docking:

Replay of the hatch opening and ingress:

New Expedition 31 crewmembers set for arrival at ISS

Three new Expedition 31 crewmembers are set for arrival at the International Space Station early on Thursday morning. Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba and Sergei Revin launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday morning and have since been closing in on the ISS with their Soyuz TMA-04 spacecraft.

You can track the Soyuz TMA-04 as it approaches the ISS using http://www.n2yo.com.

The resident ISS crew, André Kuipers, Don Pettit and Oleg Kononenko, has had a shorter workday today in preparation for an early start tomorrow morning when they will welcome the new arrivals on board.

Docking is scheduled for 06:39 CEST (04:39 UT). Watch the docking live on NASA TV from 06:00 CEST (04:00 UT). Ingress of the new crewmembers occurs some 90 minutes later and will also be shown live on NASA TV from 09:45 CEST (07:45 UT).

Live video by Ustream

New blog from André: ‘I still fit in the Soyuz seat’

Moving tasks are the most time-consuming (Credit: ESA/NASA)

In his latest update from André Kuipers on the International Space Station, he tells us about the pros and cons of a three-man crew and how, with just one and a half months left of his PromISSe mission, planning has already started for the return to Earth.

André writes: "It has been busy again these last few days. Until the next crew arrives there are only three of us here. We have a normal workload so we are very busy. Working with just the three of us does have some positive side-effects. I have more room to move and I can plan my exercise and free time more easily."

Read more in André's latest blog entry: I still fit in the Soyuz seat

Expedition 31 crewmembers set for launch

Expedition 31 crewmembers ready for launch on 15 May (Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

New Expedition 31 crewmembers Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba and Sergei Revin are set for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) early tomorrow morning. Their Soyuz TMA-04 is scheduled for launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 05:01 CEST (03:01 UT) on 15 May.

After two days chasing the ISS, the Soyuz TMA-04 will dock with the orbital outpost on Thursday 17 May. Padalka, Acaba and Revin will then be welcomed onboard by current ISS residents, Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers André Kuipers and Don Pettit.

Follow the launch coverage live with NASA TV from 04:00 CEST (02:00 UT):

Free desktop streaming application by Ustream

Pre-launch traditions in Baikonur ahead of Soyuz TMA-04 launch

Preparations continue at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, for the launch of the Soyuz TMA-04 spacecraft that will bring three new Expedition 31 crewmembers to the International Space Station. Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba and Sergei Revin participated in a variety of traditional pre-launch activities, such as the flag raising ceremony, fit-checks and tree planting. The Soyuz TMA-04 is scheduled for launch on 15 May.

They are scheduled to arrive at the ISS on 17 May, where they will be welcomed on board by current ISS residents Oleg Kononenko, André Kuipers and Don Pettit. Whilst Oleg, André and Don are scheduled to return to Earth on 1 July, Gennady, Joe and Sergei will remain on board the ISS until mid-September.

Highlights are available in this video from NASA TV:

Photos of the preparations for their spaceflight are available in the Nasa2Explore Flickr photoset.

Suited fit-check for ISS crew

André in Sokol suit (credit: ESA/NASA)

The three International Space Station crewmembers, André Kuipers, Oleg Kononenko and Don Pettit, donned their Russian Sokol spacesuits yesterday afternoon and performed a so-called 'fit-check' of their personalised body-contoured seats inside their TMA-03M/29S spacecraft.

Dressed in their Sokol suits they sat in their tailormade shock-absorbing seats and used a ruler to measure the gap between the top of the head and the top edge of the seat. The Kazbek-U seats are designed to withstand g-loads during launch and orbital insertion as well as during reentry and brake-rocket-assisted landing.

Each seat has two positions: cocked (armed) and non-cocked. In the cocked position, they are raised to allow the shock absorbers to function during touchdown. The fit check is needed because their bodies will have gained in height during their long stay in zero-G, and they need to check that they will still be adequately protected by the seat liners for their touchdown in Kazakhstan. Their return to Earth is scheduled for 1 July.

New Expedition 31 crewmembers arrive in Baikonur

Expedition 31 crewmembers Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba and Sergei Revin have arrived in Baikonur a couple of days ago ahead of their 15 May launch to the International Space Station.

Expedition 31 crewmembers are welcomed to Baikonur (Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

One of the most experience cosmonauts, with over 585 days in space and two previous long duration stays on the ISS, Gennady Padalka will command their Soyuz TMA-04 spacecraft.

Scheduled to arrive at the ISS on 17 May, they will be welcomed on board by current ISS residents Oleg Kononenko, André Kuipers and Don Pettit. Whilst Oleg, André and Don are scheduled to return to Earth on 1 July, Gennady, Joe and Sergei will remain on board the ISS until mid-September.

More photos of the preparations for their spaceflight are available in the Nasa2Explore Flickr photoset. Video of their departure from Star City in Moscow is available on the NASAtelevision YouTube channel.

More about the new Expedition 31 crewmembers on the PromISSe mission website.

New blog from André: ‘Bye bye Dan, Anton and Anatoli. See you on Earth’

Farewells as the departing crew enter their Soyuz spacecraft to return to Earth

André Kuipers sent a new blog entry reflecting on the undocking of the Soyuz TMA-22 last Friday. On board the departing spacecraft were NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin, who safely landed in the Kazakh Steppe some three and a half hours after the undocking. He writes:

"Yesterday Dan, Anton and Anatoli left. We worked all night. I drew blood from Don and myself and collected saliva samples to be sent back on the the Soyuz to the scientists on Earth. Around six o’clock in the morning Western European time we said our goodbyes. At ten to seven we closed the hatch to their Soyuz. At exactly 10:18:30 they detached from the ISS to travel back to Earth. I heard the latches release and felt a small shock when springs pushed the Soyuz away. A little later I saw the Soyuz descend on its way to to a safe landing in the Kazakh Steppe, a little before two o’clock in the afternoon."