Soyuz-2.1a - Soyuz MS-27 - 8 April 2025 (05:47 UTC)

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=6961
GT:
Inventory of forest areas: cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky is preparing for the Dubrava experiment
| Crews
December 25, 2024

The cosmonaut worked on methods for monitoring forests and determining the impact of natural and man-made factors on forest cover from aboard the ISS using visual instrument observations (VIO).

The Dubrava space experiment (SE) is a series of sessions of observing and recording conditions and situations, for example, fires associated with the forest resources of the planet in the vicinity of the trajectory of the International Space Station.

One of the main types of practical training for conducting the Earth’s VPN is training at the “VIN Simulator” stand. They are carried out at all stages of cosmonaut training.

“At the stage of general space training, cosmonaut candidates study the physical and geographical features of the observation region.  In group classes, the orbit around the Earth is taken as a basis, and the astronauts study objects located along the route of the orbit. And in the crews they are already preparing for the tasks of the spacecraft for a specific expedition,” Sergei Maksimov, leading cosmonaut training specialist, told the details.

During the lesson, Alexey Zubritsky worked on a radiogram that was carried out on board the ISS during one of the expeditions. The astronaut received information about which objects needed to be photographed on a tablet. For example, this time Alexey had to record forest areas on the Crimean peninsula.

The radiogram indicates not only the names of objects and the coordinates of forest areas, but also the time when the station will fly over them, and the location on the geographical map is shown. The simulator allows you to take photos with a simulated focal length of 1200 millimeters, similar to the photographs that the crew takes on board. The navigation system helps you find the desired object, but visual orientation is still necessary.

In this work, Alexey Zubritsky used the skills that the cosmonaut acquired while studying navigation and during his flight service.

“I have experience in terrain orientation: how to move from large objects to smaller ones, to linear ones: roads, rivers, and then use them to get to those objects that you need. There is a radiogram here, pictures of the Earth of various scales. You need to select some large object, for example, a lake, coastline, sea, river, mountain, and proceed to search relative to it. First, the object to be found and photographed is identified visually, and then through the camera lens.

The trainer is very convenient. Because you control both the long lens and the camera, and you can change the focal length.  This is displayed on the monitor or lens viewfinder and instills a useful skill that will help in the future to carry out these experiments at the station,” the cosmonaut explained.

Let us remind you that Alexey Zubritsky is now preparing for a space flight as part of the long-term expedition ISS-73.

Here is a link to a video: 
Cosmonaut Alexey Zubritsky is preparing for the Dubrava experiment
https://rutube.ru/video/1299fbac604c72e89c1311a1988aaf3a/?t=0&r=plemwd

[ddspaceman]

Jonny Kim
@JonnyKimUSA
T+31 (9.27.23): Besides being amateur plumbers, we're also the cleaners! Taking care of our home in space means dedicated cleaning from the crew at least once a week. On this day, we reviewed the various cleaning tasks we can expect. As you can imagine, dust becomes a major issue in a closed atmospheric environment like the @Space_Station.

We also reviewed the different electrical and mechanical tools on board that can aid us in repairing things on the station. Some of these tools may already be in your garage.

T+32 (9.28.23): To prep for mission success, we try to train for our missions with as much fidelity as possible. One relatively new tool is AR (augmented reality). This upcoming mission is slated for 2025 and is part of a series of spacewalks to upgrade the alpha magnetic spectrometer (AMS). NASA engineers constructed a wood platform to replicate much of the surrounding structure of AMS, and we use AR to "overlay" the more intricate details of AMS. Think of it as adding additional virtual layers of detail over existing real but plain structures (e.g. wood) when you put the glasses on. We got to use our friend, @AstroDrewMorgan to play around with different body positions for the best angles.

https://twitter.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1873791794636370166

[ddspaceman]

Katya Pavlushchenko
@katlinegrey
Roscosmos presented the emblem of #SoyuzMS27 which is set for launch to the ISS on April 8 with Sergey Ryzhikov, Anatoly Zubritskiy and Jonny Kim.
The crew names are written with the font in Old Russian style, in the middle you can see silhouettes of homes and threes… ⤵️

… “as a symbol of the hearth and the foundations of family well-being” (don’t look at me that way, this is a quote from the official description). In the middle is a daisy, a symbol of the not long ago invented “Day of love, family and fidelity” (remind me to tell you… ⤵️

… this story once, it is amazing). The letter "F" on one of the rays is for “Favor”, the crew's call sign. This is the Russian pronouncement for the Mount Tabor and Sergey Ryzhikov’s permanent choice of a call sign. He’s a very religious person. ⤵️

On the top you can see a Roscosmos emblem, Russian and American flags and the ship’s name written on the background of a Georgian ribbon, which became in the latest years a most popular patriotic symbol in Russia, and a symbol of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. ⤵️

On the bottom are the names of the crew and a miniature emblems of the 60th anniversary of the first human spacewalk and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz joint flight.

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1879144149062140363

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1879144155580121180

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1879144161863176308

[Satori]

According to Roscosmos, pre-flight tests have started on January 13.

On this day, Roscosmos specialists inspected the ship and checked the onboard systems, performed operations to prepare the products and ground testing equipment for the upcoming electrical checks of the equipment.

[ddspaceman]

Katya Pavlushchenko
@katlinegrey
The first and second stages of Soyuz 2.1a rocket to launch the #SoyuzMS27 crewed spacecraft with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the ISS has been assembled on Baikonur. The launch is scheduled for April 8.

If you look at the picture closely, you'll see another "package" of the first two Soyuz stages. The second one is for #ProgressMS30 which is scheduled for flight on February 28.

https://twitter.com/katlinegrey/status/1885428809089860095

[zubenelgenubi]

SFN Launch Schedule, updated February 5:
8 April 8:47 a.m. MSK = 05:47 UTC

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7004
GT:
Accuracy is the key to success: the crew of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft received an excellent rating for manually approaching the spacecraft with the station
| Crews
February 10, 2025

Cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky are in the midst of an examination session. Last week, the crew of the Soyuz MS-27 successfully passed the examination training on manual mooring and redocking of the Soyuz manned transport spacecraft (TPV) on the Don-Soyuz 2 simulator. Today, February 10, 2025, on the same simulator, the cosmonauts had an examination training on manual rendezvous of the TPK with the International Space Station.

In a real flight, the approach of a manned transport ship to the station occurs automatically. But in the event of an emergency, the astronauts control the spacecraft manually.

The ship's commander, Sergei Ryzhikov, chose exam ticket number 3. The ticket included 4 modes, each of which started in automatic mode, after which emergency situations were introduced: failure of the on-board computer system (BVS) or failure of the Kurs radio system.

When switching to manual control mode, the cosmonauts must, first of all, report to Earth about the occurrence of this emergency situation, recognize it and proceed to parry actions.

The operation of manually approaching the ship is carried out by two crew members. Commander Sergei Ryzhikov, while in the descent module, directly controlled the movement of the TPK. In this he was helped by flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky, whose workplace is in the service compartment, where the necessary equipment is installed to determine parameters regarding the movement of the ship. This is an LDI - a pulse laser rangefinder designed to determine the range of the TPK to the ISS, and a coordinate calculation unit to determine the speed of movement. The commander used the data received from the flight engineer to control the Soyuz.

During the manual rendezvous modes of the TPK with the station, the commander regulates the speed in the longitudinal channel and dampens the lateral speed, and also maintains the orientation of the spacecraft relative to the ISS. After the end of the rendezvous, the TPK flies to the docking station specified in the examination ticket. The flight takes place at a distance ranging from 250 to 160 meters. Next, a roll turn is performed and a hover opposite the docking station is performed.

When performing a manual approach, the crew performs actions in accordance with the onboard instructions and the requirements of the manual control procedure.

The work of the crew and the quality of manual control of the ship is assessed by fuel consumption and time spent, and the hovering accuracy in range, speed in the longitudinal channel and angular speed of the line of sight are also taken into account. They are specified in the regulations.

The level of crew preparedness was assessed by an examination committee consisting of specialists from the Cosmonaut Training Center and RSC Energia.

Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky acted according to the onboard instructions, the examination committee had no comments on their work, and the cosmonauts received an excellent rating.

Following the main crew of ISS-73, examination training for the rendezvous of a manned transport spacecraft with the International Space Station took place with their backups, cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. This crew also showed the examination committee excellent skills in performing actions in manual control mode during the rendezvous of the TPK with the ISS.

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7011
GT:
Progress MS docked to the ISS: cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky successfully completed examination training on the Teleoperator simulator
| Crews
February 14, 2025

Today, February 14, 2025, at the Yu.A. Gagarin cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, members of the main crew of ISS-73, performed examination training on manual control of the Progress MS transport cargo ship (TCV) in the teleoperator control mode (TORU). Their work was evaluated by a commission consisting of representatives of the Cosmonaut Training Center and RSC Energia.

The astronauts selected exam papers and, according to tradition, signed the envelopes. Then the crew took their seats on the Teleoperator simulator and began preparing for the training by opening on-board documentation on tablets.

During the training, each crew member performed 4 docking modes to different nodes on the ISS. These are MRM1 (small research module “Rassvet”), MRM2 (small research module “Poisk”), hub module “Prichal” and service module “Zvezda”. Two dockings were made in the light, and in two modes - in the shade. The examination commission, chaired by V. G. Korzun, observed the actions of the astronauts and evaluated the actions of the astronauts.

According to the flight program, transport cargo ships moor and dock with the ISS in automatic mode, but in the event of an emergency, the crew switches to manual control in TORU mode. The astronauts, while on board the ISS, remotely control the spacecraft in order to moor and dock at a given node. During this process, various emergency situations may arise that need to be countered.

For example, while performing one of the modes during the examination training, Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky lost their television image, that is, visual control over the approach of objects was lost. To ensure safety, the cosmonauts moved the “truck” away from the station. In another mode, the manual controls failed, and the crew switched to backup power, restoring their functionality.

It is important to remember that manual control in TORU mode is the last reserve for berthing and docking of the TGC with the ISS. If the crew is unable to perform manual control, the ship will be lost.

Each of the cosmonauts was able to identify an emergency situation and cope with the task, earning an excellent rating from specialists.

[Alter Sachse]

"Testing of the Soyuz MS-27 manned spacecraft in an anechoic chamber was completed today in the assembly and test building of pad 254 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The anechoic chamber is a specialized room covered with radio-absorbing material and designed to test the functioning of radio-technical systems of Progress MS and Soyuz MS spacecraft.

During the tests, specialists from the Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia and the Yuzhny Space Center of the Ground Space Infrastructure Operation Center (part of Roscosmos State Corporation) tested the equipment of the Kurs-NA radio-technical system that will ensure the approach and docking of Soyuz MS-27 with the International Space Station. After that, the spacecraft was transported to the workplace to prepare for complex tests.

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle with the Soyuz MS-27 manned spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is scheduled for April 2025. It will carry the crew of the 73rd long-duration expedition consisting of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky and NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim to the ISS."

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7022
GT:
Exact exit to the designated point: cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky passed the manual controlled descent exam
| Crews
February 24, 2025

The main crew of the ISS-73 expedition, consisting of Soyuz MS-27 commander Sergei Ryzhikov and flight engineer Alexei Zubritsky, completed examination training in manual controlled descent (RMD) on the TsF-7 centrifuge. This simulator helps to reproduce the overloads that occur during the launch of a spacecraft and the return of the descent vehicle (DV) of the manned Soyuz spacecraft to Earth.

According to the space flight program, the process of returning the crew to Earth occurs automatically, but in the event of an emergency, the crew must switch to a manual controlled descent in the atmospheric section. Every cosmonaut must possess such control skills, honing them in training under the guidance of instructors.

At the beginning of the RUS exam, commander Sergei Ryzhikov pulled out a ticket, which indicated the implementation of four modes: two static and two dynamic. Dynamic mode simulates the overloads that astronauts experience when returning to Earth. Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky took turns performing the indicated regimes.

The SA is controlled using a special handle, which is called the trigger control handle. The main task that needs to be successfully solved is to land the descent vehicle as close as possible to the design point with minimal overloads. And achieving such a result depends on the actions of the astronaut.

“The astronauts performed the regimes very well. During the passage of the fourth mode, Sergei Ryzhikov made a mistake of only 800 meters when opening the main parachute system (OSP). Alexey Zubritsky finished the regime with an error of 100 meters. A member of the examination committee, cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, noted that he had not seen such precise exits to the designated landing point for a long time. There are no comments on the work of the crew,” said leading cosmonaut training specialist Igor Karyukin.

The cosmonauts received an excellent assessment for their work for actions that ensured a minimum miss at the end of the regime and did not allow the permissible overload limits to be exceeded. The amount of overload for each mode depends on the miss and is measured in units. So, in the event of a near miss, the overload value should not exceed 4 units. This will ensure normal control of the aircraft and landing at a given point. If an astronaut goes beyond the limit of 4 units during training, then for every tenth unit of overload the score is reduced by 0.3 points. For example, the crew scored 4.2 units of overload instead of 4 units, then the score will decrease by 0.6 points.

A similar rating system also applies to flight errors. Severe overloads should be avoided, as they are difficult for the human body to tolerate, which can affect the health of astronauts.

The stand-ins for the ISS-73 prime crew, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, also showed very good results at the RUS examination training. They earned grades of 5.0 and 4.98 points from the examination committee, respectively.

Video like here: https://rutube.ru/video/5226082e881ea90b41d0e3fc18514eab/?r=plemwd
Cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky passed the manual controlled descent exam

[ddspaceman]

A few more images from the above source:

[Alter Sachse]

Roscosmos:
" Today in the assembly and test building of the 254th site of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, leak tests of the Soyuz MS-27 manned spacecraft began in preparation for launch to the International Space Station.

Specialists of S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia and other enterprises of Roscosmos State Corporation performed transportation and loading of the spacecraft on the vacuum chamber beds.

The cycle of pneumovacuum tests using helium-air medium in the tested volumes is designed for qualitative control of the tightness of the spacecraft and its onboard systems in ground conditions.

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle with the Soyuz MS-27 manned spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is scheduled for April 2025. It will carry the crew of the 73rd long-duration expedition consisting of Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky and NASA astronaut Jonathan Kim to the ISS."

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[ddspaceman]

Anatoly Zak
@RussianSpaceWeb
Soyuz MS-27 completes vacuum tests in preparation for launching a fresh crew to ISS on April 8: https://www.russianspaceweb.com/2025.html#soyuz_ms27

https://twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb/status/1896962892005835235

[ddspaceman]

https://www.gctc.ru/main.php?id=7029
GT:
Cosmonauts from the ISS-73 crew are recognized as fit for space flight
| Crews
04 March 2025

Today, March 4, 2025, a meeting of the Chief Medical Commission (CMC) was held at the CPC. It included representatives of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, the Institute of Medical-Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as well as specialists from the medical department of the Center for Clinical Practice.

MMC analyzed data from medical examinations of cosmonauts of the main and backup crews of the 73rd long-term expedition to the ISS during the pre-flight preparation period.

Based on the results of the meeting, a conclusion was made on the suitability of cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov, Alexei Zubritsky, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev for space flight.

The launch of the Soyuz MS-27 manned transport spacecraft with ISS-73 crew members from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is scheduled for April 8, 2025.

[ddspaceman]

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Training Resource Reel

[ddspaceman]

Jonny Kim
@JonnyKimUSA
Back in Star City, for the final time. I'm here at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) with my Soyuz crew mates, Alexei and Sergei, completing our final training and qualification sims before entering quarantine for our upcoming launch on April 8th.

It will be 9 months before I’m back home in Houston. It was hard to say goodbye to my family, and even harder to communicate to my kids why I have to be gone for so long. But I think it’s important to show kids that working towards something you believe in is important and sometimes requires sacrifices. The last time I was on a long deployment I didn't have kids, so this entire experience makes me appreciate the men and women of our service branches, and the public servants that sacrifice so much on behalf of others.

I will miss my wife and kids, and a lot of things in no particular order … gaming with the family, morning PT with the boys, being a girl dad, cooking the kid’s favorites: tacos and SoCal inspired burgers (iykyk), answering hundreds of “Appa, who would win in a fight …” questions, and Peppa, our beloved rescue (see shameless dog pic). My family says there is a >0% chance there will be a “George” when I return.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family. And I also wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for my E73 crew mates (Sergei, Alexei, Anne, Tak, Nichole, Kirill), our amazing instructors, engineers, mentors, flight controllers, international partners, and numerous other people I can’t fit in these margins to get us ready for the expedition. I’ll do my best to share some of these training stories that led us here in the coming weeks.

But as challenging as the next 9 months will be, my wife will have it at least 2x harder. Thanks hun, I can’t do this without you.

https://twitter.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1898098572857315832

[ddspaceman]

Jonny Kim
@JonnyKimUSA
T+50 (10.16.23): Study/plan, brief, execute, debrief. We iterate this cycle for many operations at NASA, especially for spacewalks.

One of the more enjoyable things about our jobs is training for spacewalks because of how quickly we get to put into practice the things we learn in the classroom. It's also a great chance to work together, and this week I got to work with Japanese astronaut Kimiya-san. One of the things that is hard to appreciate is how much hard work and service is done behind the scenes - engineers, divers, instructors, techs, so many people work together so that Kimiya and I can have an awesome opportunity to hone our craft. Teamwork!

T+51 (10.17.23): Fire is a very real concern for astronauts in space, which is why NASA focuses our fire response on protecting ourselves, detecting and isolating the source, and eliminating it. The instructors help us rehearse and debrief our communication and teamwork. Did you know that CO2 is one of the ways we extinguish fires? CO2 displaces oxygen which is one of the required elements for a fire. That's what is in the orange pressurized tanks.

https://twitter.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1898107865627336891

[ddspaceman]

Jonny Kim
@JonnyKimUSA
T+58 (10.24.23): This man here is Regan Cheney, one of the coolest and absolutely the most knowledgeable instructors and engineers I have ever met regarding EVA systems. He's one of two EVA systems instructors (shoutout to Christian Vu) I have and is responsible for ensuring I understand how a spacesuit works to keep astronauts alive during a spacewalk.

Officially, the "Extravehicular Mobility Unit" or EMU for short. The design is decades old, but the design remains robust. In summary, it can support a 7 hour spacewalk assuming an average metabolic rate of 1,000 Btu/hr. To understand how a spacesuit keeps an astronaut alive during a spacewalk, let's step back and state the normal things a human needs. Oxygen, a way to remove CO2, thermal control, and an atmosphere are the big ones. The EMU takes care of all of these plus more (provides comms, radiation protection and other stuff). For my closed-circuit rebreather divers reading this, the following will sound familiar because a spacesuit is basically a closed-circuit rebreather with some more bells and whistles. Pure oxygen is provided by a highly pressurized tank. This same oxygen provides the atmosphere, or specifically, 4.3 psi which is about 1/3 the pressure on Earth. Astronauts breathe the 100% oxygen and breathe out a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the CO2 being a byproduct of metabolism. This air now has a mixture of O2 and CO2 and goes through a canister where a chemical reaction takes place that sequesters the CO2, leaving only pure O2 coming through the canister. The pure O2 recirculates and now gets breathed up by the astronaut again. The cooling and water pressure loops are a bit more complex, but basically the astronaut is the only thing generating heat (if you want to be super technical, some heat is generated by the exothermic chemical reaction of CO2 removal and the electrical components but that is negligible), and the EMU cooling system is water-based. Astronaut generates heat, which transfers to the water loops, which then offload the heat to a heat exchanger/sublimator. Sublimation is the conversion of a substance from a solid (in this case ice) to its gaseous state (water vapor) without becoming a liquid (how does that happen? see water phase diagram for more info). At a high level, water forms an ice layer on the sublimator and then becomes a gas due to the reduced pressure of space. This reaction removes heat from the EMU. Cool 🧊, right?

T+64 (10.30.23): Sometimes things break and sometimes things need regular maintenance. This day was dedicated to various troubleshooting and maintenance tasks inside the ISS airlock. We also reviewed closing hatches. We don't close hatches too often but astronauts need to be able to close them quickly in an emergency.

https://twitter.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1898405421792346572

[ddspaceman]

Jonny Kim
@JonnyKimUSA
T+71 (11.6.23): Water! It's very valuable in space, so we do everything to reclaim it. In addition to sometimes transferring large tanks of water, we also have to maintain our brine processor assembly.

What is the brine processor? You may already know, but the urine astronauts create is processed back into potable water. But not 100% of the urine can be reclaimed, a small amount of it remains as brine, basically super concentrated urine. This brine still has some water left in it, so the brine processor bakes/distills the brine to reclaim the water vapor, eeking just a little bit more water out of the brine, helping achieve 98% water recovery.

T+72 (11.7.23): We trained with hardware we may see during a spacewalk. But I was most interested in the computer running the solar array simulator. It looked like Windows 95 and it even had a 3.5" floppy drive! You know you're a nerd when you get excited by a floppy drive 🤣

https://twitter.com/JonnyKimUSA/status/1898447790432260576

[Steven Pietrobon]

The design is decades old, but the design remains robust. In summary, it can support a 7 hour spacewalk assuming an average metabolic rate of 1,000 Btu/hr.

With units from the steam age! 1,000 Btu/hr is 293 watts.