Soyuz TMA 20's crew photo

I looked at this photo:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...p26_400267.jpg
...and here's what I thought:

1.) The Italian astronaut knows he's going to nail our female astronaut.
2.) Our female astronaut knows the Italian astronaut is going to nail her.
3.) The Russian cosmonaut knows he's not going any at all on this trip.
;-)

Pat

Make an interest video short. The Russian carefully packs 16 CDs of
Patriotic Songs by the Russian Air Force Marching Band in his personnal
preference kit. Then he arrives and the launch site and sneaks a peak and
what the other two packed. The look on his face as reality sinks in would be
priceless.

On 12/16/2010 10:36 AM, Val Kraut wrote:

Make an interest video short. The Russian carefully packs 16 CDs of
Patriotic Songs by the Russian Air Force Marching Band in his personnal
preference kit. Then he arrives and the launch site and sneaks a peak and
what the other two packed. The look on his face as reality sinks in would be
priceless.

They did get some good video of the ascent from inside the Soyuz; I'm
still trying to figure out why the main and reserve parachute containers
up by the crew's heads have those straps all over them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aezwEnLhSt4
Also, what exactly is the red-orange thing with white straps on it
visible at the bottom of the Soyuz TMA-19's main parachute housing in
these landing photos?:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/10.jpg
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/12.jpg
It almost looks like another parachute bag, but the reserve chute is
under the hatch to its side. The only thing I can think of is a
inflatable life raft that deploys if the capsule lands in water.
Here, the people of Kazakhstan have apparently elevated the returning
crew to the status of divinity:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/24.jpg

Pat

Pat Flannery wrote:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/10.jpg
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/12.jpg

For some reason I wasn't expecting it to be so blackened.

rick jones
--
It is not a question of half full or empty - the glass has a leak.
The real question is "Can it be patched?"
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

" Here, the people of Kazakhstan have apparently elevated the returning
crew to the status of divinity:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/24.jpg

The only thing missing is Ming in his Purple bathrobe. Photoshop
opportunity.

On 12/16/2010 2:36 PM, Rick Jones wrote:
Pat wrote:
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/10.jpg
http://spaceflightnow.com/station/ex...gallery/12.jpg

For some reason I wasn't expecting it to be so blackened.

Yeah, I noticed that also. It's covered with an insulation blanket when
in orbit, maybe the black is soot from that burning off. It's also
supposed to have some sort of sprayed-on ablative coating over the metal
of the spacecraft proper, that could be another explanation.
Dragon sure looked in good shape after its splashdown:
http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

Pat