LIVE: Soyuz TMA-15M EOM Events (Undock, Entry, Landing) - June 11, 2015

[jacqmans]

NSF Article:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/06/station-trio-soyuz-tma-15m/

June 05, 2015
MEDIA ADVISORY M15-088

NASA Television to Air Return of Three Space Station Crew Members

NASA astronaut Terry Virts with crewmates Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
 
After more than six months of performing scientific research and technology demonstrations in space, three International Space Station crew members are scheduled to depart the orbiting laboratory Thursday, June 11. NASA Television will provide coverage of their station departure and return to Earth.

Coverage begins at 10:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 10, when Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA hands over command of the space station to cosmonaut Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).

At 6:20 a.m. the following day, Virts and Flight Engineers Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos will undock their Soyuz spacecraft from the space station and land in Kazakhstan at 9:43 a.m. (7:43 p.m. Kazakh time).

Their return wraps up 199 days in space, during which they traveled more than 84 million miles since their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 24. Their return date was delayed four weeks to allow Roscosmos to investigate the cause of the loss of the unpiloted Progress 59 cargo ship in late April.

NASA Television will broadcast departure and landing activities at the following times:

Wednesday, June 10
•10:40 a.m. - Change of command ceremony in which Virts hands over station command to Padalka

Thursday, June 11
•2:30 a.m. - Farewell and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure scheduled for 2:55 a.m.)
•6 a.m. - Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled at 6:20 a.m.)
•8:30 a.m. - Deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn scheduled at 8:51 a.m., with landing at 9:43 a.m.)
•noon. - Video File of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities
•10 p.m. - Video File of landing and post-landing activities and post-landing interviews with Virts and Cristoforetti in Kazakhstan

When the Virts, Shkaplerov and Cristoforetti land in Kazakhstan Thursday, Virts will have logged 212 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on space shuttle mission STS-130 in 2010. Shkaplerov will have spent 364 days in space on two flights, the first of which was on Expedition 29/30 in 2011. This was Cristoforetti’s first flight into space.

Expedition 44 formally begins aboard the station, under the command of Padalka, when the Soyuz undocks. He and crewmates Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos will operate the station until the arrival of NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, who are scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan in July.

Kelly and Kornienko are spending one year in space, twice the typical mission duration, to provide researchers the opportunity to learn more about the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges faced by astronauts during long duration spaceflight.

For the NASA TV schedule and coordinate information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

[jacqmans]

Our Soyuz, time to wake her up

Here she is, our Soyuz. It's been sleeping for over 6 months, it's time to wake her up. On Monday: thrusters test.

Credit: ESA/NASA

[asmi]

Our Soyuz, time to wake her up

Here she is, our Soyuz. It's been sleeping for over 6 months, it's time to wake her up. On Monday: thrusters test.

Not to nitpick, but in Russian the Soyuz (and Progress) is he, not she

[guckyfan]

There has been some hitch while waking him up.

http://translate.google.de/translate?hl=de&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.federalspace.ru%2F21530%2F

http://www.federalspace.ru/21530/

While testing the vehicle for departure an unintended burn of the Soyuz engine occured. There was a minor change of the ISS position. The situation is under control and an investigation of the reasons is under way.

[Star One]

That's been picked up by at least one national newspaper over here in the UK so far. Not the kind of publicity the station could do with.

But probably closer to things here's RT's piece.

http://rt.com/news/266146-soyuz-iss-thrusters-misfire/

[jacqmans]

In the Soyuz, getting ready for landing
 
Yesterday Terry, Anton and I spent some quality time in the Soyuz getting ready for landing!

[Chris Bergin]

Moved for live coverage.

Please note the thruster fun is covered in the ISS update section.

[Targeteer]

The crew checked in for a "very" early DPC in their words so they are starting the process for departure.  No issues impacting departure were mentioned.

[Targeteer]

Soyuz cargo loading complete with no issues

[sdsds]

NASA PAO talking about Soyuz re-entry with Barry Wilmore (who returned March 2015 on TMA-14M). A reference to Mr Toad's Wild Ride. Not sure if he meant Wind in the Willows, or Disneyland.

Didn't catch the coverage schedule on screen, but based on the website:

2:30 a.m., Thursday, June 11 - ISS Expedition 43 Farewells and Hatch Closure Coverage (hatch closure scheduled at appx. 2:55 a.m. ET) (all channels)
6 a.m., Thursday, June 11 - ISS Expedition 43/Soyuz TMA-15M Undocking Coverage (undocking scheduled at 6:20 a.m. ET) (all channels)
8:30 a.m., Thursday, June 11 - ISS Expedition 43/Soyuz TMA-15M Deorbit Burn and Landing Coverage (Landing scheduled at 9:43 a.m. ET) (all channels)

Hatch closure in less than an hour from now?

[Artyom.]

Expedition 43 Hands Over the Space Station to Expedition 44


The reins of the International Space Station were passed from NASA’s Terry Virts to Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) during a ceremony on the orbital outpost on June 10. Virts will return to Earth on June 11 in the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft with Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) to wrap up more than six months in orbit. Padalka, who became the first four-time commander of the station, remains on board with Scott Kelly of NASA, and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos, who are in the midst of a year-long mission on the complex.

[Artyom.]

Soyuz TMA-15M crew farewell and hatch closure. NASA TV coverage starting.

[Artyom.]

MCC-Korolyov

[Artyom.]

[Artyom.]

[Artyom.]

Landing Events

[Artyom.]

Landing site

[Artyom.]

ISS live view.

[Artyom.]

Selfie  !

[Artyom.]

Soyuz TMA-15M