LIVE: Soyuz-FG launch with Soyuz TMA-03M And Docking - Dec 21/23, 2011

[AJA]

Where are we on digitising the procedure books, and space-certifying tablets to hold those files? There may be stubby-suit-finger issues, but the tablet doesn't have to be pretty or have a touch-screen interface. Isn't there some non-negligible money to be saved in mass-to-orbit?

Watching Oleg wrestle that manual stoked me to ask.

[tehwkd]

[woods170]

Where are we on digitising the procedure books, and space-certifying tablets to hold those files? There may be stubby-suit-finger issues, but the tablet doesn't have to be pretty or have a touch-screen interface. Isn't there some non-negligible money to be saved in mass-to-orbit?

Watching Oleg wrestle that manual stoked me to ask.

Paper manuals don't break if they incidentally fall during ascent. And don't run out of battery power too.

[Rocket Science]

Congrats to the launch team, have a safe flight!
I’ve got to get one of those “pens on a string” 

[robertross]

Commentator seemed to always say "holidays" and never said "Christmas".

It's a 'North American' thing.

Corrected that. Just as bad here in Canada with 'political correctness'

Great coverage everyone, thanks!

[John44]

Expedition 30/31 Soyuz TMA-03M Launch Replays
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7246

[woods170]

Expedition 30/31 Soyuz TMA-03M Launch Replays
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7246

Thank you! John is another great guy from the Netherlands doing wonderful things for us space junkies.

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 11-425

TRIO HEADS FOR HOLIDAY REUNION WITH SPACE STATION RESIDENTS



HOUSTON -- NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit, Russian Soyuz Commander
Oleg Kononenko and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre
Kuipers of the Netherlands launched to the International Space
Station aboard their Soyuz TMA-03M craft at 7:16 a.m. CST Wednesday,
Dec. 21 (7:16 p.m. local time), from Kazakhstan.

Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers are scheduled to dock to the Rassvet
module of the station at 9:22 a.m. Friday, Dec. 23. They will receive
a holiday welcome from station Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and
Russian Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, who
have been aboard the orbital laboratory since mid-November.

NASA Television will provide live docking coverage beginning at 8:45
a.m. Friday. Hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will occur about
three hours later.

Upon arrival, Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers will become members of
Expedition 30, restoring the station's crew complement to six. They
will continue scientific research and christen a new era of
commercial resupply services from the United States, greeting the
first SpaceX Dragon spaceship in mid-February. A Russian spacewalk to
continue external assembly and maintenance of the station also is
planned during Expedition 30.

Burbank, Shkaplerov and Ivanishin are scheduled to return to Earth in
March, and Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers will return home in May.
For more information about the International Space Station and its
crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

To follow Twitter updates from Expedition 30 commander Burbank and
flight engineer Pettit, visit:

http://twitter.com/AstroCoastie

and


http://twitter.com/AstroPettit

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

[jacqmans]

ESA astronaut André Kuipers on his way to the International Space Station

After their launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 13:16 GMT (14:16 CET) today, ESA astronaut André Kuipers and crewmates Oleg Kononenko and Don Pettit are circling Earth every 90 minutes aboard the Soyuz TMA-3M spacecraft as they make their way to the International Space Station.

During the next two days, the spacecraft will circle the globe 35 times, performing three major engine burns as its orbit is adjusted for docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, 23 December at 13:43 GMT (14:43 CET).

With their arrival, the Space Station will resume full operations – the occupancy has been reduced to three for about three months as a result of the Progress cargo vessel launch mishap in August.

During his PromISSe mission – Programme for Research in Orbit Maximising the Inspiration from the Space Station for Europe – André will be part of Expeditions 30 and 31.

As a flight engineer, he will be the prime crewmember responsible for the rendezvous and docking operations of ESA’s third Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV-3. ATV is the largest servicing vehicle for the Station in operation today.

ATV Edoardo Amaldi will deliver essential cargo, perform regular orbit reboosts and enable the Station to avoid space debris.

André will also be closely involved in berthing the new Dragon (SpaceX) and Cygnus (Orbital Sciences) visiting vehicles, part of NASA’s commercial resupply programme.

More than 25 European experiments will be carried out during André’s mission, covering a range of disciplines: human research, fluid physics, materials science, radiation research, biology and technology.

In addition, André will conduct about 20 experiments for NASA and JAXA, the US and Japanese space agencies.

During his mission, André will have his eyes on our planet, sharing some of the unique views of Earth from the Station’s Cupola window module. He will invite children to become involved in a wide range of educational activities about life, biodiversity and the effects of climate change on Earth.

Science demonstrations will be beamed from orbit to classrooms across Europe, with experiments on convection and creating foams in weightlessness.

André will also be an advocate for health and human wellbeing by encouraging children to stay fit by following the second international education initiative of ‘Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut’.

The ESA astronaut will remain in space for about five months as part of the Station’s permanent, international six-astronaut crew. He will land back on Earth after 148 days next May.

For more about the PromISSe mission online: www.esa.int/promisse

Follow André Kuipers on Twitter: @astro_andre
For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Office
Communication Department
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99
Fax: +33 1 53 69 76 90
Email: [email protected]

[shuttlefan]

Commentator seemed to always say "holidays" and never said "Christmas".

It's an American thing.

Although I'm in Canada, we DO say 'Christmas' on this side of the pond!

[jacqmans]

Launch of the Soyuz TMA-03M on 21 December 2011

Launch of the Soyuz TMA-03M with ESA astronaut André Kuipers and crewmates Oleg Kononenko and Don Pettit. After their liftoff from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 21 December 2011 at 14:16 CET they are circling Earth every 90 minutes aboard their spacecraft as they make their way to the International Space Station. During the next two days, the spacecraft will circle the globe 35 times, performing three major engine burns as its orbit is adjusted for docking with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, 23 December at 13:43 GMT (14:43 CET).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/esa_events/sets/72157628481321095/with/6548915311/

[jacqmans]

http://www.energia.ru/ru/iss/iss30/photo_12-21.html

[Prober]

Commentator seemed to always say "holidays" and never said "Christmas".

It's an American thing.

Also called being “politically correct”

[kch]

Commentator seemed to always say "holidays" and never said "Christmas".

It's an American thing.

Also called being “politically correct”

One of my favorite oxymorons! 

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Well, that was a great launch. Duthch TV enthusiastically placed a countdown clock on screen which ran ±74 seconds ahead of time. A bit embarrassing when they stated the engines were started when there wasn't anything to see.

I have one question involving Don Pettit: I thought he was walking quite crooked in his Sokol suit. I know they're not the most comfortable clothing to wear but even André Kuipers walked a lot more straight up than Don did. Why was that? Straps too tight or adjusted to be comfy in the seating position  - but not so much when walking?

Also very funny to see: Don signed his name and date on the hotel door in mirror writing! Was that just a joke of his? Is that something he does often? I can write like that myself too, but it's nice to see other people doing it, too.

[Space Pete]

I have one question involving Don Pettit: I thought he was walking quite crooked in his Sokol suit. I know they're not the most comfortable clothing to wear but even André Kuipers walked a lot more straight up than Don did. Why was that? Straps too tight or adjusted to be comfy in the seating position  - but not so much when walking?

The Sokol suits are actually designed for the knees-bent position inside the Soyuz descent module, therefore they force the cosmonauts into a crooked position when walking. As for how bent over you are in them, I don't know whether it depends on the specific fit of the individual suits, or just how strong you are.

Also very funny to see: Don signed his name and date on the hotel door in mirror writing! Was that just a joke of his? Is that something he does often? I can write like that myself too, but it's nice to see other people doing it, too.

That's just typical Don Pettit - unconventional, but fun!

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Yeah.. Looking at them they really see a fun crew together. I of course know some more about André Kuipers, me being Dutch, but Don seemed to me like a very amiable and fun person to work with. Oleg might have some normal  "Russian reserve" but I think I saw some fun twinkling in his eyes, too.

Did anyone have a better look at their mascot in the capsule? what is it? I couldn't really discern what it was.

[Space Pete]

Did anyone have a better look at their mascot in the capsule? what is it? I couldn't really discern what it was.

Ah, thanks for reminding me about this:

Unusually, this mission didn't have a mascot. Oleg apparently thought that there were other perfectly adequate ways to determine when the craft had reached zero-G.

Myself, I'd have had a Santa.

[Jester]

Oleg used his pen to demonstrate, keeping it simple

[Jester]

Lighthouse in Noordwijk, in honor of Andre's launch
(notice the soyuz projected on it)