.
12.11.2015
Launch of Soyuz MS-03 space vehicle to ISS postponed till Nov 17
The Soyuz MS-3 was to take to the ISS Russia’s Oleg Novitsky, European astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA’s Peggy Wilson on November 15
The launch of the Soyuz MS-03 space vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed till November 17, the website of the spacecraft’s manufacturer, corporation Energia has said.
"A meeting of chief designers approved the proposals for returning a crew of three on board the Soyuz-MS vehicle on October 30, 2016, for future works to get the Soyuz MS-03 space vehicle ready for launch on November 17, 2016 and for the delivery of the main mission’s crew of three to the ISS," the report says.
The Soyuz MS-3 will take to the ISS Russia’s Oleg Novitsky, European astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA’s Peggy Wilson. Originally, the launch was scheduled for November 16.
A source in the space rocket industry told TASS on Thursday that the launch might take place at 23:20 Moscow time on November 17 and the docking with the ISS, at about 01:00 on November 20.
Earlier, the Russian space corporation Roscosmos told TASS the government commission would make a decision on the date of the Soyuz MS-03 launch on October 28.
The Soyuz MS vehicle will bring back Russia’s Anatoly Ivanishin, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and US astronaut Kathleen Rubins.
Quelle: TASS
---
Iowa native Peggy Whitson keeps piling up firsts in her long career as an astronaut.
In two weeks, she will rocket into space again on her third mission to the International Space Station. She was its first female commander in 2007 and will become the first woman to ever command the space station twice. Combined with her 2002 mission, has logged the most days in space of any female in NASA history — 377.
She chuckled about another distinction Thursday during an interview with The Des Moines Register and other Iowa media broadcast on NASA TV: She will be the oldest female astronaut in the world to fly into space Nov. 14.
RELATED: Famous Iowans
At age 56, she has endured 19 months of training and medical testing to ensure she is fit for the mission.
“I think it gets easier as you get older,” she said. “You know what to worry about and what not to worry about. You prioritize your effort. It's the 'work smarter, not harder' that with experience is much easier to do.”
Astronaut and Iowa native Dr. Peggy Whitson at the Science Center of Iowa
She often credits her upbringing near tiny Beaconsfield (population 15) in southern Iowa, where parents Keith and Beth Whitson worked on the farm from sunup to sundown, for her work ethic and her independence.
“I learned to not be afraid to fix things that break,” she said from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
Also, “Drive and desire was something I was raised with. It became a very important part of how I've become. I like to say I'm determined; some people would call it stubborn. It depends on your perspective.”
Whitson will launch to the space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Expedition 50 crewmates Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency.
During the six-month mission, they will perform 250 research investigations and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth, such as an investigation on the impact of a new solid-state, light-emitting diode (LED) stem on the crew’s circadian rhythms, sleep and cognitive performance.
Whitson also said during the interview that because of her ties to molecular biology she is looking forward to working on stem cells and plant research at the station and hopes to go on a spacewalk.
She has already gone on six spacewalks, which marks yet another first.
It’s the most by any female astronaut.
Peggy Whitson
EDUCATION: Mount Ayr Community High School, 1978. Bachelor's degree in biology/chemistry, Iowa Wesleyan College, 1981. Doctorate in biochemistry, Rice University, 1985.
NASA CAREER: Began studies at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. Held positions such as research biochemist, project scientist of the Shuttle-Mir Program, deputy division chief of the Medical Sciences Division and co-chair of the U.S.-Russian Mission Science Working Group. Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996. Has held numerous leadership positions, including deputy chief of the Astronaut Office and chief of the Astronaut Corps.
SPACEFLIGHTS: Her first flight was part of the Expedition 5 crew, which launched on June 5, 2002, docking with the International Space Station on June 7. Returned to Earth on Dec. 7. Was named the first NASA science officer during her stay, and conducted 21 investigations in human life sciences, microgravity sciences and commercial payloads. Performed a four-hour and 25-minute spacewalk. Logged 184 days, 22 hours and 14 minutes in space. On her second flight, which launched Oct. 10, 2007, and returned to Earth on April 19, 2008, she commanded the Expedition 16 crew and oversaw the first expansion of the International Space Station's living and working space in more than six years. Performed five spacewalks to conduct assembly and maintenance tasks. Logged 192 days in space. With the two missions, has accumulated 377 days in space, the most for any woman.
Quelle: The Des Moines Register
---
NEXT STOP BAIKONUR FOR ESA ASTRONAUT THOMAS PESQUET
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Roscosmos commander Oleg Novitsky this week passed their final exams on the Soyuz spacecraft that will fly them to the International Space Station in November.
The trio enacted a launch and docking to the Space Station as well as a return to Earth in a full-size Soyuz mockup. Dressed in the Sokol pressure suits they will wear for launch, the final exam took the whole day.
Instructors tested the astronauts by programming serious malfunctions for them to handle. Before docking, the radio and control system stopped working – forcing commander Oleg and co-pilot Thomas to perform a manual docking.
Later in the day they ‘returned to Earth’ and suffered a leak in the backup oxygen tank and an engine malfunction when firing the thrusters, followed by a malfunction of the spacecraft computer.
The trio handled all these surprises to the satisfaction of the instructors and were declared ready to fly the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft.
Thomas says, “We knew to expect some malfunctions and although the launch next month should be a lot smoother it is reassuring to know we work great as a team.”
Traditions
The next day, Oleg, Peggy and Thomas held a press conference at Star City, near Moscow, Russia, before heading to Moscow’s Red Square. All Soyuz astronauts traditionally pay their respects to fallen cosmonauts by laying flowers at a memorial.
Thomas and his colleagues will leave for the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 1 November for launch two weeks later. During their time in Baikonur they will be in quarantine to avoid taking bacteria and viruses to the crew already on the Space Station.
A final check of their spacecraft is planned for 11 November when it is atop of the Soyuz rocket that will launch them into space.
Follow Thomas via thomaspesquet.esa.int and check out the mission blog for updates. ESA will broadcast the launch live – more details to follow.
FINAL EXAMS
Gallery of images with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow, Russia, October 2016.
Thomas is training for his Proxima mission to the International Space Station, set for launch in November 2016. He will spend six months living and working on the Station as part of Expeditions 49 and 50.
Thomas will be launched into space together with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson.
Thomas is keen on sharing his experience in the run up to launch and his adventure in space – follow him and the mission via thomaspesquet.esa.int.
Quelle: ESA
-
Update: 6.11.2016
.
Rückblick auf Thomas Pesquet Vorbereitung zum Flug zur ISS
Quelle: CNES
-
Update: 11.11.2016
.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will launch Thursday, Nov. 17, for a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Prelaunch activities will air through Nov. 16, and live launch coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. EST Nov. 17, on NASA Television and the agency’s website. The crew of Expedition 50/51 will launch at 3:20 p.m. (2:20 a.m. Nov. 18, Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
After launching, the crew members will travel for two days before docking to the space station’s Rassvet module at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. NASA TV coverage of the docking will begin at 4:15 p.m. Hatches between the Soyuz and station will open at approximately 7:35 p.m., and the arriving crew will be welcomed by Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, who have been aboard the complex since October. NASA TV coverage of hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will begin at 6:45 p.m.
During their stay aboard the orbital complex, Whitson will become the first woman to command the space station twice. Her first tenure as commander was in 2007, when she became the first woman to hold this post. Whitson has an advanced degree in biochemistry, and prior to her selection as an astronaut candidate in 1996, she served in prominent medical science research and supervisory positions at NASA.
The soon-to-be six crew members of Expedition 50 will contribute to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard humanity’s only microgravity laboratory. The crew is scheduled to return to Earth next spring.
Quelle: NASA
-
Update: 14.11.2016
.
