Andreas waving goodbye before getting into spacecraft. Credits: ESA
With both orbit burns complete the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft with Andreas Mogensen, Aidyn Aimbetov and commander Sergei Vokov is well on its way towards the International Space Station.
Now they are in space, the two-day flight is relatively calm for the astronauts with most operations running automatically. In addition contact with Earth is limited to when their spacecraft is flying over Russia and in direct line of sight with ground stations there. This means that they can only speak to mission controllers once every hour or so. The Soyuz spacecraft does not have internet, email or even a laptop.
The trio woke up at 01:20 local time in Baikonur, Kazakhstan so already have had a long day behind them. After 18 hours awake, a launch into space and even a scientific experiment the crew are going for a well-deserved rest.
The next event will be the third orbit burn 3 September at 05:39 GMT.
Discussion: one comment
In the past they have put a spin on the capsule for comfort while resting . Are they doing this now or was the spinning just an experiment ?