Jacques van Oene
April 18th 05, 10:24 PM
Progress Report of 17 April
After lift-off from Baikonur on 15 April, at 02:46 hours Central European
Time (CET), the 3-person crew onboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft had a
rather smooth and uneventful flight towards the International Space Station
(ISS).
Eight minutes and 45 seconds after lift-off, the Soyuz TMA-6 separated from
the third stage of the Soyuz FG rocket that had carried them above the
Earth's atmosphere. It took 34 orbits around the Earth, each of
approximately 90 minutes, to raise and circularise the trajectory of Soyuz
TMA-6 so that it coincided with that of the ISS. For this purpose the
engines of the spacecraft were fired nine times during the two days of
transfer flight which increased its speed and approached its other orbital
parameters (altitude, inclination towards the equator, elliptical shape of
the orbit) to the orbital parameters of the Station.
Most of the manoeuvres during the flight of the Soyuz TMA-6 were initiated
automatically or remotely controlled from the ground. The crew monitored all
activities and reported back to the ground control centre in Moscow.
Immediately after the separation from the Soyuz FG rocket, during the first
orbit, the solar panels, antennas and the docking probe of the Soyuz TMA-6
were deployed. During the second orbit, all systems were checked out, in
particular the systems needed for the rendezvous and docking manoeuvres. The
crew could take off their Sokol space suits that they had to wear for
security reasons during the first phase of the flight.
The Soyuz TMA-6 was then oriented with its solar panels pointing towards the
Sun and put into 2 degrees per second rotation about its yaw axis. This
"barbecue mode" makes the flight of the spacecraft more stable, but it also
increases the risk for the crew to become spacesick, especially when looking
out of the window. The rotational mode needed to be halted each time the
spacecraft had to fire its engines to change its orbital parameters. During
the engine firings, the spacecraft flew in a mode called "Local
Vertical/Local Horizontal" (LVLH) in which its flight axis and orientation
coincides with the Earth surface, very much in the way like an aircraft is
flying.
During the fifth orbit, at 10:00 hours CET, the crew went to sleep and was
waken up about nine and a half hours later on the 11th orbit. The crew then
continued to prepare their spacecraft for the rendezvous and docking phase
and monitored the execution of the orbital change manoeuvres. Their second
"night" for sleep began in orbit no. 22 and they woke up in orbit no. 28,
which is about 42 hours after lift-off from Baikonur.
During orbit no. 31 they put on again their Sokol pressure suits and closed
the hatch between the descent module and the orbital compartment. Their
spacecraft then started in orbit 32 the automatic rendezvous sequence which
led during orbit 34 to the final approach and docking phase. The Soyuz TMA-6
successfully docked with the Pirs docking module of the ISS over East Asia
at 04:20 hours Central European Time. After checking out the air tightness
of the connection between the Soyuz and the ISS, the pressures inside the
two spacecraft were equalised and at 06:44 hours Central European Time,
while the Station was flying over Guiana, the hatches between the orbital
compartment and the Pirs docking port were opened and the three newly
arrived astronauts floated into the ISS where they were welcomed by the
Expedition Crew 10 in the traditional Russian manner with bread and salt.
The first technology experiment on Roberto Vittori's mission agenda was
already started during his flight in the Soyuz TMA-6: the Italian Eneide
experiment. This experiment measures the GPS (Global Positioning System) and
EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) data. Vittori
activated the Eneide experiment successfully and the experiment was working
well. He also filled in the questionnaire for the Motion Perception
experiment which studies the effects of weightlessness on motion and on an
astronaut's susceptibility to space sickness.
During their first day on the ISS, Roberto Vittori was mainly busy with
unloading his experiment equipment from the Soyuz TMA-6 and installing them
in the Russian Zvezda module.
After their first dinner on the ISS upon their arrival, the newcoming crew
went to an early sleep on Sunday, 17 April, at 18:30 hours CET. They shall
wake up again on Monday, 18 April, at 08:00 hours CET. This is 06:00 hours
Universal Time (UT = GMT) which is the time on which the daily schedule of
the astronauts onboard the ISS is based.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
After lift-off from Baikonur on 15 April, at 02:46 hours Central European
Time (CET), the 3-person crew onboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft had a
rather smooth and uneventful flight towards the International Space Station
(ISS).
Eight minutes and 45 seconds after lift-off, the Soyuz TMA-6 separated from
the third stage of the Soyuz FG rocket that had carried them above the
Earth's atmosphere. It took 34 orbits around the Earth, each of
approximately 90 minutes, to raise and circularise the trajectory of Soyuz
TMA-6 so that it coincided with that of the ISS. For this purpose the
engines of the spacecraft were fired nine times during the two days of
transfer flight which increased its speed and approached its other orbital
parameters (altitude, inclination towards the equator, elliptical shape of
the orbit) to the orbital parameters of the Station.
Most of the manoeuvres during the flight of the Soyuz TMA-6 were initiated
automatically or remotely controlled from the ground. The crew monitored all
activities and reported back to the ground control centre in Moscow.
Immediately after the separation from the Soyuz FG rocket, during the first
orbit, the solar panels, antennas and the docking probe of the Soyuz TMA-6
were deployed. During the second orbit, all systems were checked out, in
particular the systems needed for the rendezvous and docking manoeuvres. The
crew could take off their Sokol space suits that they had to wear for
security reasons during the first phase of the flight.
The Soyuz TMA-6 was then oriented with its solar panels pointing towards the
Sun and put into 2 degrees per second rotation about its yaw axis. This
"barbecue mode" makes the flight of the spacecraft more stable, but it also
increases the risk for the crew to become spacesick, especially when looking
out of the window. The rotational mode needed to be halted each time the
spacecraft had to fire its engines to change its orbital parameters. During
the engine firings, the spacecraft flew in a mode called "Local
Vertical/Local Horizontal" (LVLH) in which its flight axis and orientation
coincides with the Earth surface, very much in the way like an aircraft is
flying.
During the fifth orbit, at 10:00 hours CET, the crew went to sleep and was
waken up about nine and a half hours later on the 11th orbit. The crew then
continued to prepare their spacecraft for the rendezvous and docking phase
and monitored the execution of the orbital change manoeuvres. Their second
"night" for sleep began in orbit no. 22 and they woke up in orbit no. 28,
which is about 42 hours after lift-off from Baikonur.
During orbit no. 31 they put on again their Sokol pressure suits and closed
the hatch between the descent module and the orbital compartment. Their
spacecraft then started in orbit 32 the automatic rendezvous sequence which
led during orbit 34 to the final approach and docking phase. The Soyuz TMA-6
successfully docked with the Pirs docking module of the ISS over East Asia
at 04:20 hours Central European Time. After checking out the air tightness
of the connection between the Soyuz and the ISS, the pressures inside the
two spacecraft were equalised and at 06:44 hours Central European Time,
while the Station was flying over Guiana, the hatches between the orbital
compartment and the Pirs docking port were opened and the three newly
arrived astronauts floated into the ISS where they were welcomed by the
Expedition Crew 10 in the traditional Russian manner with bread and salt.
The first technology experiment on Roberto Vittori's mission agenda was
already started during his flight in the Soyuz TMA-6: the Italian Eneide
experiment. This experiment measures the GPS (Global Positioning System) and
EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) data. Vittori
activated the Eneide experiment successfully and the experiment was working
well. He also filled in the questionnaire for the Motion Perception
experiment which studies the effects of weightlessness on motion and on an
astronaut's susceptibility to space sickness.
During their first day on the ISS, Roberto Vittori was mainly busy with
unloading his experiment equipment from the Soyuz TMA-6 and installing them
in the Russian Zvezda module.
After their first dinner on the ISS upon their arrival, the newcoming crew
went to an early sleep on Sunday, 17 April, at 18:30 hours CET. They shall
wake up again on Monday, 18 April, at 08:00 hours CET. This is 06:00 hours
Universal Time (UT = GMT) which is the time on which the daily schedule of
the astronauts onboard the ISS is based.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info