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#20 by anik on 29 Sep, 2008 17:11
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http://www.kt.kz/index.php?lang=rus&uin=1138536794&chapter=1153462312
Both crews have arrived to Baikonur cosmodrome aboard aircrafts today at 10:55 and 11:20 UTC respectively.
Images are from http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4306
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#21 by jacqmans on 30 Sep, 2008 09:11
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September 29, 2008, Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia
http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss18/photo_09-29.html
Primary (Yury Lonchakov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Michael Fincke (NASA, USA), Richard Garriott (USA)) and backup (Gennady Padalka (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Reed Barratt (NASA, USA), Nik Halik (Australia)) crews of the Soyuz TMA-13 transportation spacecraft arrived to the Baikonur launch site. At the airport they were met by the first vice president, first deputy designer general of RSC Energia Nikolai Ivanovich Zelenshchikov and other managers of the Corporation.
Commanders of the crews reported on their readiness for pre-flight training and Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft acceptance.
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#22 by anik on 30 Sep, 2008 17:04
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http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4315
Prime and backup crews have performed the training with fitcheck of seats and spacesuits inside Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft today.
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#23 by jacqmans on 01 Oct, 2008 09:26
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September 30, 2008. Baikonur launch site, S.P.Korolev RSC Energia branch office
Photos: http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss18/photo_09-30.html
The primary and backup crews of the ISS Expedition 18 and Taxi Mission 15 have entered into their final training phase in the processing facility. Yury Lonchakov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Michael Fincke (NASA, USA), Richard Garriott (USA) have inspected the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, tried on Sokol-KV spacesuits and customized contoured couches, went through the on-board documentation and the launch manifest, checked their radio communications equipment, as well as conducted a training session for scientific experiments.
The Technical Management meeting took place, which made a decision to fuel Soyuz TMA-13 vehicle with propellant components and compressed gases.
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#24 by anik on 01 Oct, 2008 15:30
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http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4321
The preparation of both crews to the launch has officially begun today.
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#25 by jacqmans on 01 Oct, 2008 19:36
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-189
NASA TV COVERAGE SET FOR SPACE STATION CREW EXCHANGE
WASHINGTON -- NASA Television will broadcast the launch of the next
International Space Station crew Oct. 12 and the landing of the
current crew Oct. 23.
NASA's Expedition 18 Commander and Science Officer Mike Fincke, Soyuz
Commander and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov and spaceflight
participant Richard Garriott, a U.S. citizen, are scheduled to launch
Sunday, Oct. 12, at 3:01 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz TMA-13 craft will dock to the station on
Thursday, Oct. 14. Garriot will fly to the station under an agreement
with the Russian Federal Space Agency.
NASA Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who has been on the station since
June, will remain with Fincke and Lonchakov until the arrival of
space shuttle Endeavour on its STS-126 mission, targeted to launch in
November. NASA astronaut Sandy Magnus will arrive on that flight to
replace Chamitoff, who will come home on Endeavour.
Expedition 17 and Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight Engineer Oleg
Kononenko and Garriott will return to Earth Thursday, Oct. 23, at
about 11:46 p.m. in their Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft now docked to the
station. Volkov and Kononenko have been aboard the complex since
April.
From Oct. 8-11, NASA TV will broadcast video b-roll of crew rotation
activities, including training, pre-launch events in Baikonur, the
Oct. 10 rollout of the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft to the launch pad, and
the final pre-launch news conference Oct. 11 at noon.
A joint crew news conference with all six crewmembers is scheduled
Monday, Oct. 20 with a multi-center question and answer capability
for media at NASA centers. A time for the news conference will be set
in the near future. A change of command ceremony for the two crews
will be broadcast on NASA TV. The time for that event also will be
set soon.
The events to be broadcast on NASA TV's public and media channels
include (all times approximate, EDT):
Oct. 12, Sunday
1:15 a.m. - Expedition 18 / spaceflight participant video b-roll of
prelaunch activities
2:00 a.m. - Expedition 18 / spaceflight participant live launch
coverage (launch scheduled at 3:01 a.m.)
6 a.m. - Expedition 18 / spaceflight participant postlaunch video file
October 14, Tuesday
4 a.m. - Expedition 18 / spaceflight participant Soyuz docking to
station and post-docking news conference live coverage (docking
scheduled for 4:38 a.m.)
5:30 a.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant hatch opening to
station live coverage (hatch opening scheduled for 6 a.m.)
9 a.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant docking & hatch
opening video file feed
October 23, Thursday
4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant
farewell & Soyuz hatch closure live coverage (hatch closure scheduled
for 5:15 p.m.)
8 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant Soyuz
undocking from the station live coverage (undocking scheduled for
8:20 p.m.)
10:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant Soyuz
deorbit burn and landing in Kazakhstan live coverage (deorbit burn
scheduled for 10:56 p.m.; landing scheduled for 11:46 p.m.)
October 24, Friday
3 a.m. - Expedition 17 / spaceflight participant Soyuz post-landing
video file feed
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information on the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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#26 by jacqmans on 02 Oct, 2008 15:10
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First Second Generation Astronaut, Richard Garriott,
to Perform Research while in Space in Cooperation with NASA
Space Adventures’ orbital spaceflight client
will participate in scientific research developed by NASA investigators
Vienna, Va. – October 2, 2008 -- Space Adventures, Ltd., the only company that provides human space missions to the world marketplace, announced today that their orbital spaceflight client, Richard Garriott, will participate in a suite of experiments in cooperation with NASA during his 10-day mission.
Mr. Garriott is scheduled to launch on October 12 onboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan en route to the International Space Station (ISS). He will be joining the Expedition 18 crew which includes NASA astronaut Michael Fincke and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov.
“I am enthusiastic to participate in these experiments. As my father was a NASA astronaut, it seems fitting that I, as a private astronaut, also assist in their research as a continuation of my family’s contribution to the space agency,” said Richard Garriott.
“Space exploration is of critical importance to our future as a species,” said Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures. “Through Richard’s gracious participation in these NASA experiments, he will be making an important contribution to the future of human permanence in space.”
Mr. Garriott will participate in three NASA experiments. The first experiment will study the current microgravity environment encountered by astronauts and how their eyes react to low and high pressure as well as variations in oxygen concentrations. Mr. Garriott will be the first space explorer to have had Photorefractive Keratectomy eye surgery, referred to as PRK. NASA has recently approved this procedures for their astronauts, but to date, none have been flown or have been selected who have had the procedure. NASA will examine his visual acuity, accommodation and refraction before, during and after spaceflight. There is reason to believe visual acuity might change on orbit, as inner eye pressure goes up by as much as 50 percent during spaceflights. This information will determine if an eye which has undergone a PRK procedure remains stable during a 10-day exposure to microgravity.
The second experiment will study the effects of spaceflight on the human immune system and validate monitoring tests for immune function in astronauts. The study will assess immunity during spaceflight by testing white blood cells for changes in function or response to stimulation as a consequence of spaceflight. This information may determine astronauts’ clinical risk during spaceflight. Previous data collected suggests that there is indeed a suppression of the immune system associated with spaceflight. Mr. Garriott will be contributing to this data pool, and since his mission will come mid-mission for some other astronauts; he will be able to return fresh blood samples from long-duration crew members, which has rarely been able to be sampled.
The third study will document sleep/wake patterns and sleep characteristics of astronauts. Normal sleep patterns and body chemistry are notably changed during spaceflight. The data collected may assist in determining the efficacy of ongoing countermeasures for space-related sleep disturbances and may also assist in developing additional countermeasures which could potentially impact the health, productivity and safety of astronauts during spaceflight.
About Richard Garriott:
Richard Garriott is best known as a key figure in the computer gaming field. He was one of the earliest and most successful game developers. Mr. Garriott developed the Ultima series which remains the longest running computer game franchise, and with his brother, Robert, he founded Origin Systems, one of the most respected PC game developers and publishers. Richard also created Ultima Online, which ushered in the new massively multi-player online (MMO) genre, the fastest growing segment in computer gaming today. More recently, he co-founded the North American arm of NCsoft, the world’s largest online game developer and publisher. Last year, his latest game, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, launched in North America and in the European Union. For more information on Tabula Rasa, please visit www.rgtr.com. For more information on his spaceflight, please visit www.RichardinSpace.com.
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#27 by anik on 02 Oct, 2008 15:26
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http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4338
The fuelling of tanks of Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft by propellants and compressed gases has begun today at site 31.
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#28 by Jeff Bingham on 03 Oct, 2008 03:35
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I am leaving next week to attend this launch...hope to have some pictures to share, and some observations to pass along!
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#29 by jacqmans on 03 Oct, 2008 09:14
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I am leaving next week to attend this launch...hope to have some pictures to share, and some observations to pass along!
I'm looking forward to your photos and story's of this launch
Have fun !!
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#30 by jacqmans on 03 Oct, 2008 09:17
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October 3, 2008, Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia
Soyuz TMA-13 transport manned vehicle fuelled with propellant components and compressed gases was delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility for final processing operations.
Photos:
http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss18/photo_10-03.html
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#31 by Adama on 03 Oct, 2008 13:21
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First Second Generation Astronaut, Richard Garriott,
No matter how I look at that, it remains incorrect.
As everybody (on this forum, at least) knows, there is a Russian second generation spaceflyer on ISS. So if "astronaut" refers to spaceflyers in general, he would be the second second generation astronaut (that repetition sounds stupid...
).
If "astronaut" refers to career astronauts, it's incorrect, because unlike his father, he's a tourist.
If "astronaut" refers to launch vehicles or points of departure, as is often the case, that's incorrect, as he would then be the second second generation "cosmonaut".
The only halfway logical answer would be that "astronaut" refers to his country, so that every American who enters space automatically becomes an astronaut, while every Russian automatically becomes a cosmonaut, regardless of training (or lack of) or launch vehicle/point of departure. That makes some sense now, but when commercial spaceflights begin, like Virgin Galactic, it would be highly illogical to follow this.. uhhmm... "logic", as there might be "astronauts", "cosmonauts", "taikonauts" and who knows whatever naughts randomly mixed...
Of course press releases are meant for wider audiences who don't know or care about details, but still it would be better to write, for instance, "first second generation American (or US citizen) to fly in space", which would be entirely correct. -
#32 by anik on 05 Oct, 2008 05:45
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Video of arrival of Soyuz TMA-13 crews to Baikonur, their training in spacecraft and donning of spacesuits.
mms://video.rfn.ru/rtr-vesti/154104.asf -
#33 by Nicolas PILLET on 06 Oct, 2008 09:20
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http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4338
Is this picture took in the 11G12 fueling station ?
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#34 by jacqmans on 06 Oct, 2008 13:50
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Baikonur branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia - Baikonur launch site.
At Baikonur launch site the preparations continue for the launch of Soyuz TMA-13 transport manned spacecraft under the International Space Station program.
Designers inspection of the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft was completed.
Payload shroud roll on to the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft was performed.
Photo-report:
http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss18/photo_10-05.html
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#35 by jacqmans on 06 Oct, 2008 13:52
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06-10-2008 Baikonur Space Port: Preparation for SoyuzTMA-13 Launch Continues in Line with the Schedule
On Oct. 5, Sunday, fairing incapsulation of Soyuz TMA-13 was performed at Baikonurs`s site 254 in accordance with the schedule of prelaunch processing for the next crew expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). The operation was conducted by expert groups from RSC-Energia, TsSKB- Progress space R&D center, and other Roscosmos entities. The launch of Soyuz FG space rocket with Soyuz TMA-13 crew space vehicle aboard is scheduled for Oct. 12.
http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4370
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#36 by anik on 06 Oct, 2008 13:59
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Is this picture took in the 11G12 fueling station?
Yes. -
#37 by Nicolas PILLET on 06 Oct, 2008 17:28
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Is this picture took in the 11G12 fueling station?
Yes.
It is surprising me, because I have a friend who visited 11G12. He sent me pictures of the building. It looks like this one, but it is obviously not the same place.
Is there several rooms in the 11G12 building ? -
#38 by Olaf on 07 Oct, 2008 07:10
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I think, that´s interesting,
Here http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=4376 you can find, what the "100" in the patch of Soyuz TMA 13 flight http://www.spacepatches.nl/ could mean. -
#39 by jacqmans on 07 Oct, 2008 13:44
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October 7, 2008. Baikonur branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia - Baikonur launch site.
In the assembly/test building primary (Yury Lonchakov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Michael Fincke (NASA, USA), Richard Garriott (USA)) and backup (Gennady Padalka (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Michael Barratt (NASA, USA), Nik Halik (Australia)) crews of the Soyuz TMA-13 transportation spacecraft made a check inspection of the spacecraft in the launch configuration and got acquainted with equipment to be delivered and returned to the ground.
Photo-report:
http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss18/photo_10-07.html
).