Новости МКС

Автор ДмитрийК, 22.12.2005 10:58:03

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tnt22

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/09/13/new-trio-begins-five-month-mission-station-crew-expands-to-six/
ЦитироватьNew Trio Begins Five-Month Mission, Station Crew Expands to Six
Posted on September 13, 2017 at 1:23 am by Mark Garcia.


The space station's Expedition 53 crew members are (from left) Joe Acaba, Alexander Misurkin, Mark Vande Hei, Sergey Ryazanskiy, Commander Randy Bresnik and Paolo Nespoli. Credit: NASA

Three new crew members have arrived to the International Space Station. The hatches on the space station and Soyuz MS-06 opened at 1:08 a.m. EDT, marking the arrival to the orbiting laboratory for Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos.
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Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of the ESA (European Space Agency) welcomed the new crew members aboard their orbital home.

Momentarily, the crew will speak to their family and friends from Baikonur in a welcoming ceremony that will air live on NASA TV.

The crew will support more than 250 experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science — research that impacts life on Earth.

Bresnik, Ryazanskiy and Nespoli are scheduled to remain aboard the station until December and Vande Hei, Acaba and Misurkin are scheduled to return in February 2018.

You can follow the crew's activities and experiences in space on social media:

Follow space station activities via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and research via @ISS_Research.

Follow Mark Vande Hei on Twitter via @astro_sabot.

Follow Joe Acaba on Twitter via @astroacaba.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik is posting to Twitter via @astrokomrade, Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow Paolo Nespoli of ESA on Twitter and Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos is on Twitter and Facebook.

This entry was posted in Expedition 53 and tagged European Space Agency, International Space Station, NASA, Roscosmos, science on September 13, 2017 by Mark Garcia.
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tnt22

ЦитироватьSoyuz MS-06 hatch opening

SciNews

Опубликовано: 12 сент. 2017 г.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJJzpUjNlNUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJJzpUjNlNU (2:16)

tnt22

ЦитироватьInt'l Space Station Expedition 53-54/Soyuz MS-06 Hatch Opening & Welcoming Ceremony

RT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYi8QjwyJQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYi8QjwyJQ (28:00)

tnt22

ЦитироватьExpedition 53-54 Crew Docks to the Space Station

NASA

Опубликовано: 12 сент. 2017 г.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_s3amuO8ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_s3amuO8o (8:15)

tnt22

https://www.energia.ru/ru/iss/iss53/photo_09-13.html
ЦитироватьКосмический корабль «Союз МС-06» стартовал с Байконура
13.09.2017

Сегодня, 13 сентября, в соответствии с программой полёта Международной космической станции (МКС) в 00:17:02 московского времени (мск) с космодрома Байконур осуществлен запуск транспортного пилотируемого корабля (ТПК) «Союз МС-06» с экипажем МКС-53/54 на борту.

В составе экипажа — Александр МИСУРКИН (командир корабля, РОСКОСМОС), астронавты Марк ВАНДЕ ХАЙ и Джозеф АКАБА (бортинженеры, НАСА).

Корабль отделился от третьей ступени ракеты-носителя штатно в расчетное время.

Позже, в 06:08 мск, ТПК «Союз МС-06» с экипажем успешно причалил к малому исследовательскому модулю «Поиск» (МИМ2) Международной космической станции.
Спойлер
Сближение и стыковка прошли согласно программе полёта корабля по 4-витковой схеме сближения после выведения на орбиту. Стыковка проведена полностью в автоматическом режиме.

После выполнения ряда подготовительных операций (снятие и сушка скафандров, контроль герметичности отсеков и стыка, выравнивание давления и др.) между кораблем и МКС были открыты переходные люки и члены вновь прибывшего экипажа перешли на борт станции. Там их встретили командир интернационального экипажа МКС-53 американский астронавт Рэндольф БРЕЗНИК и бортинженеры — российcкий космонавт Сергей РЯЗАНСКИЙ и итальянский астронавт Паоло НЕСПОЛИ.

С этого момента космонавты и астронавты приступили к работе на борту МКС в полном составе экипажа экспедиции МКС-53.

ТПК «Союз МС-06» доставил на МКС различные грузы, включая средства жизнеобеспечения и поддержки экипажа, комплекты бортовой документации, элементы комплекса целевых нагрузок, комплектующие для фото- и видеоаппаратуры, оборудование и носители информации для проведения научных экспериментов, личные вещи космонавтов.

Российским космонавтам в период МКС-53/54 предстоит провести 62 эксперимента по различным направлениям - биология, биотехнология, геофизика, техника и медицина. 60 из них начаты в предыдущих экспедициях, два эксперимента из направления «Физико-химические процессы и материалы в условиях космоса» - «Диффузионное пламя» и «Электрическое пламя» - являются новыми. В результате проведения этих экспериментов планируется получить новые данные по физике горения в условиях невесомости, что имеет прикладное значение как для разработки новых ракетных двигателей, так и мер безопасности, которые необходимо предпринимать на борту космических объектов. Полученные результаты могут найти применение и в других сферах, например, для летательных аппаратов различных типов, когда режим их полёта близок к невесомости.

В задачи экспедиции входят: работа с российскими и американскими грузовыми кораблями, поддержание работоспособности станции, проведение бортовых фото- и видеосъёмок хроники полёта Российского сегмента МКС, работа по программе символической деятельности.

Кроме того, запланированы работы по внекорабельной деятельности экипажа.

Планируемая продолжительность полета – 177 суток.
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tnt22

http://www.mcc.rsa.ru/extra5.htm
Цитировать
ЦУП. ЭКИПАЖ ТРАНСПОРТНОГО КОРАБЛЯ «СОЮЗ МС-06» ПЕРЕШЕЛ НА БОРТ МКС


13.09.17 / г. Королёв – Члены экипажа транспортного пилотируемого корабля «Союз МС-06» 13 сентября 2017 года в 08 час. 08 мин. мск перешли на борт Международной космической станции (МКС).
Спойлер
Экипаж экспедиции МКС-53 в составе Сергея РЯЗАНСКОГО (РОСКОСМОС), Александра МИСУРКИНА (РОСКОСМОС), Рэндолфа БРЕЗНИКА (NASA), Марка ВАНДЕ ХАЙ (NASA), Джозефа АКАБА (NASA) и Паоло НЕСПОЛИ (ESA) приступили к работе на борту станции. Командир экспедиции – Рэндолф БРЕЗНИК.

В программе экспедиции МКС-53 – научно-прикладные исследования и эксперименты, проведение регламентных работ, связанных с поддержанием работоспособности станции, и дооснащение её оборудованием, доставляемым грузовыми кораблями, выполнение работ по внекорабельной деятельности.

Ракета-носитель «Союз-ФГ» с транспортным пилотируемым кораблём «Союз МС-06», доставившим российско-американский экипаж на МКС, стартовала с космодрома Байконур 13 сентября 2017 в 00 час. 17 мин. 02 сек. мск. Стыковка в автоматическом режиме была произведена в 05 час. 55 мин. мск. после сближения корабля со станцией по короткой 4-х витковой схеме.
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tnt22

http://spaceflight101.com/soyuz-ms-06/soyuz-ms-06-launched-toward-international-space-station/
ЦитироватьThree Crewmen Arrive at International Space Station after Express Soyuz Rendezvous
September 12, 2017

Carrying a crew of three, a Russian Soyuz FG rocket lit up the skies over the Baikonur Cosmodrome Tuesday night as it embarked on a nine-minute climb to orbit in pursuit of the International Space Station to send the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft on a fast-track rendezvous with the orbiting laboratory with the second half of the Expedition 53 crew.
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Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Soyuz Commander Aleksandr Misurkin and NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba took their seats atop 274 metric tons of explosive rocket propellants after nightfall on Tuesday in anticipation of an early morning liftoff fr om Baikonur's historic Site 1/5 that supported the launch of Sputnik 60 years ago and Yuri Gagarin's milestone mission in 1961. The 49.5-meter tall rocket took flight at 21:17:02 UTC, firing off under the power of its four liquid-fueled boosters and large core stage to begin a chase of the Space Station that passed directly over the launch pad two minutes before blastoff.


Soyuz MS-06 passes the MS-05 vehicle during its arrival at ISS – Photo: NASA TV

Thundering uphill with a thrust of 422 metric-ton-force, Soyuz turned to the north-east headed toward the Russian-Kazakh border to deploy the 7,200-Kilogram spacecraft into the orbital plane of ISS. The four boosters dropped away two minutes into the flight and Soyuz shed its protective payload shroud two and a half minutes after launch when crossing the boundary of space. The core stage handed off to the Block I third stage just shy of five minutes into the flight for the final push into orbit with Soyuz MS-06 sailing off eight minutes and 48 seconds after launch.

As Soyuz FG checked off its 61st successful mission, Soyuz MS-06 and its U.S.-Russian crew trio did not get much of a break as they entered the four-orbit, six-hour rendezvous procedure designed to bring crews to their destination in space much faster than the conventional two-day flight profile. Following a series of orbit-raising maneuvers completed on its first two laps around Earth, Soyuz switched to its automatic navigation system to reach the vicinity of ISS for a flyaround maneuver and straight-in approach for docking at 2:55 UTC on Wednesday – marking the fastest Soyuz rendezvous in ISS history.


Expedition 53 Crew – Photo: NASA

Aboard the International Space Station, the Soyuz MS-06 crew is eagerly awaited by the first half of the Expedition 53 crew led by Commander Randy Bresnik who celebrated his 50th birthday on Monday and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy and Paolo Nespoli.

As a combined crew of six, Expedition 53 is looking forward to five visiting vehicle moves on the Russian and U.S. side as well as up to three planned spacewalks in October & November for maintenance on the Space Station's robotic servicing arm.

The crew of Soyuz MS-05 will depart on December 14 followed by the launch of Soyuz MS-07 just three days later as ISS transitions to Expedition 54 which will see three new vehicles arrive at ISS and a Russian spacewalk before the Soyuz MS-06 crew departs the Station to close out a 167-day space flight on February 27, 2018.

The majority of the crew's time onboard ISS will be dedicated to scientific experiments with over 250 studies in progress during their tenure.


Soyuz MS-06 (#734) during Processing – Photo: RSC Energia

The addition of a fourth crew member on the U.S. Segment – enabled by the reduction of Russia's ISS crew to two members – will nearly double the time dedicated to science on the U.S. Segment as maintenance requirements do not increase by much with four crew on the USOS which allows the fourth pair of hands to be almost entirely dedicated to science.

Tuesday's launch comes in a busy time with the most recent crewed Soyuz leaving the pad on July 28, the landing of Soyuz MS-04 on September 3rd and the launch of a Proton rocket fr om Baikonur just 26 hours before the Soyuz MS-06 liftoff. However, human spaceflight operations have become a well-oiled machine at the world's oldest space port after over five decades of launching crews into orbit aboard R7-derived launch vehicles.


The Soyuz MS-06 Crew aboard their Spacecraft during a rehearsal – Photo: RSC Energia

Soyuz MS-06 – flying under the call sign Altair – is commanded by Aleksandr Misurkin, a second-time space flier and first-time Soyuz commander with 166 days logged off the planet on one previous long-duration flight to ISS. Misurkin served in the Russian Air Force as a pilot instructor before being sel ected as Cosmonaut in 2006, flying for the first time in 2013 aboard Soyuz TMA-08M and spending over five months on ISS as part of Expedition 35/36. During his mission, he completed three EVAs for a total of 20 hours.

The Soyuz 'left seater' – considered the co-pilot position – is NASA's Mark Vande Hei, embarking on his first space flight. Vande Hei served in the U.S. Army's Space Battalion, providing operational support in combat operations in Iraq, before transitioning to NASA's Johnson Space Center where he worked as a Capcom for the Shuttle and ISS Programs. He was sel ected as Astronaut in 2009 and was initially assigned to Expedition 51/52 before crews were shuffled late last year due to Russia's decision to reduce its permanent ISS crew.


Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Joe Acaba was added to the crew on short notice as NASA takes advantage of the empty Soyuz seats that would have been occupied by Russian Cosmonauts. He only had half a year of training for his mission, dipping into plenty of experience gathered on his first mission to ISS as part of Expedition 31/32 to get ready for another long-duration flight in record time. A trained hydro geologist, Acaba first flew into Space in 2009 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on a 12-day mission and again in 2012, spending a total of 137 days off the planet.

The crew's long launch day / flight day #1 started around 7 p.m. local time when they were awoken from a mid-day nap ahead of a day of nearly 24 hours, starting with a shower at the Cosmonaut Hotel and ending with them in their sleep stations aboard ISS. After the usual routine of all-body disinfection/sampling and dinner at the hotel, the crew received the traditional pre-flight blessing before heading to the Cosmodrome at L-6 hours. At Baikonur's Site 254, the crew put on their Sokol Launch and Entry Suits and had a final face-to-face conversation with their families and friends before departing for Site 1/5 at T-3 hours.

At the launch pad, the trusted Soyuz FG rocket entered countdown operations at T-8 hours with power-up and a series of checkouts and fueling preparations.

The go-ahead for the propellant loading operation was given by the Russian State Commission after their final pre-launch meeting. Beginning at T-5 hours, the Soyuz launcher received 274,140 Kilograms of Kerosene and -183°C Liquid Oxygen propellants plus Nitrogen to act as pressurization gas in flight; engineers loaded the boosters & core stage with Hydrogen Peroxide at T-3 hours and 30 minutes to drive the engine turbopumps.

>> Soyuz FG Overview


Photo: NASA TV

Arriving at the pad two and a half hours before the opening of the ten-second launch window, the three crew members looked at their venting Soyuz rocket that stood fully fueled at that point. The trio waved good bye from the Service Structure before riding the elevator up to the Spacecraft to enter their seats inside the confined space of the Entry Module with Misurkin in the center, flanked to the left by Vande Hei and Acaba to the right. With all hatches closed, Soyuz entered a period of pressure checks while the crew spent around an hour with the pre-launch checklist – setting up the flight control system for flight and making a final leak check on their Sokol suits.

Standing under clear skies, Soyuz was revealed 40 minutes ahead of liftoff when the Service Structure halves opened up and retracted to their launch position, clearing the way for the 305-metric ton rocket. Soyuz MS-06 went on internal power and the final roll call by all launch support stations gave a GO for the Automated Countdown Sequence, picking up six minutes ahead of liftoff. As relic of the ICBM heritage of Soyuz, the launch key was ins erted to authorize the firing of the rocket after completing its final setup steps, notably the pressurization of tanks, the transition to onboard control and the purge of the engines to ensure a clean ignition.


Photo: NASA TV

Soyuz switched to battery power and assumed control of the countdown at T-1 minute as the upper stage umbilical mast retracted from the launch vehicle. The launch command at T-20 seconds initiated the spin-up of turbopumps and igniters fired to allow the RD-107A booster engines and the RD-108A on the core to ramp up to liftoff thrust.

Flames erupted from the business end of the rocket as the engines soared up to a thrust of 4,146 Kilonewtons, overcoming counterweights to lift off the ground.

Soyuz FG lifted off at precisely 21:17:02.407 UTC, balancing in a vertical posture for the first twenty seconds of flight, rising into a chilly night over the storied Baikonur Cosmodrome.

With over 1,800 missions under its belt, Soyuz is unmatched for its flight heritage and reliability – having played a major role in human spaceflight since the dawn of the space age. Based on the R7 design by Sergei Korolev, Soyuz has supported crewed missions, cargo flights and satellite deliveries over a remarkable career of five decades.


Photo: NASA TV

Quickly climbing away from Baikonur, Soyuz pitched over to attain a north-easterly heading toward the Russian border, the standard departure route for crews headed to the International Space Station. Burning 1,600 Kilograms of propellant every second of powered flight, Soyuz passed the speed of sound and encountered Maximum Dynamic Pressure just over one minute after liftoff. By T+95 seconds, Soyuz had shed half its liftoff weight.

The Launch Escape Tower was jettisoned at T+1 minute and 54 seconds followed four seconds later by the separation of the four strap-on boosters that had helped accelerate Soyuz to a speed of 1.5 Kilometers per second. Being pushed outward from the still-firing core stage 50 Kilometers in altitude, the 19.6-meter long boosters put on an impressive display of the Korolev Cross – only visible for a split second in a clear night when the empty boosters rotate away from the central core.


Booster Separation – Photo: NASA TV

With the boosters headed toward impact 350 Kilometers from the launch pad, Soyuz continued pushing toward space solely powered by the Core Stage, generating 102 metric-ton-force of thrust when flying through the rarefied upper atmosphere. Two minutes and 36 seconds into the flight, Soyuz dropped the launch shroud as it crossed 85 Kilometers in altitude wh ere aerodynamic forces could no longer harm the spacecraft.

In-cabin cameras showed the familiar jolt at T+4 minutes and 45 seconds when the Block A core stage shut down its engines, catapulting the crew forward. Two seconds later, the RD-0110-powered Block I stage was commanded to ignite and separation pyros fired to jettison the 27.8-meter long core that burned 91 tonnes of propellants to lift Soyuz to an altitude of 160 Kilometers, accelerating it to a speed of 3.7 Kilometers per second.

Soaring to a thrust of 30,400-Kilogram-force, the third stage dropped its aft section covers and fired for three minutes and 58 seconds to provide the final push into orbit – aiming for the standard 200 by 242-Kilometer insertion orbit, inclined 51.66 degrees and trailing the Space Station by some 3,500 Kilometers.


Photo: NASA TV

The force of raw rocket power transitioned to the sensation of Zero-Gravity in an instant as the RD-0110 engine was shut down – the crew's arrival in orbit was signaled by a scale replica of Sputnik that served as the Zero-G indicator for this mission, made from materials used on the Soviet Buran space shuttle.

Soyuz sailed off eight minutes and 48 seconds after launch, deploying both of its solar arrays and all KURS navigation antennas to begin its fast rendezvous, also pressurizing its Unified Propulsion System. Per the four-orbit rendezvous design, Soyuz MS-06 executed a pair of pre-programmed orbit-raising maneuvers, firing its 300-Kilogram-force SKD propulsion system to raise its orbit by around 80 Kilometers to begin the climb up toward ISS. Another two burns, completed on Orbit #2, moved Soyuz ever closer to the Station's 401 by 407-Kilometer orbit and positioned it correctly for the Automated Rendezvous Sequence.

>> Soyuz Flight Profile


Soyuz arrives in the vicinity of ISS – Photo: NASA TV

The Automated Rendezvous, programmed to start around 1:07 UTC, began with DV-5 – a final ground-targeted burn that moved Soyuz into the 200-Kilometer communications zone around ISS wh ere the spacecraft powered up its KURS-NA radio navigation system in unison with the Station's KURS system to begin the relative navigation phase of the rendezvous.

A series of rendezvous impulses maneuvered Soyuz into the direct vicinity of the Space Station, completing a verification of the KURS system along the way before making three braking burns to se t up for the flyaround.

At a distance of 400 meters, Soyuz entered a short lap around the orbiting complex to line up with the Poisk module that was vacated not two weeks ago by the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft. Lined up with Poisk at a distance of 180 meters, Soyuz was commanded to head into a straight-in approach at gentle speed, using its DPO thrusters to keep its cross hairs perfectly aligned with the docking target.


Photo: NASA TV


Photo: NASA TV

Contact and Capture was confirmed at 2:55:15 UTC when Soyuz made c ontact with the docking cone on Poisk and pushed in with its translational thrusters to ensure capture latches engaged to establish a soft mate. Within ten minutes of docking, the Docking Probe was fully retracted and hooks closed to form a hard mate for the craft's five-and-a-half month stay at ISS.

The successful docking capped a five-hour, 38-minute and 13-second transit fr om the Kazakh steppe to the crew's orbital destination – marking the fastest Soyuz rendezvous in ISS history with Soyuz TMA-09M a close second with five hours and 39 minutes. After the hard mate was established, the crew pressed into the standard hour-long leak check to verify the integrity of hatches while getting a chance to change into more comfortable clothing fr om their Sokol launch and entry suits.

Hatch opening at 5:08 UTC on Wednesday united the Expedition 53 crew in orbit for three months of joint operations. The six crew members moved into the Zvezda Service Module for the traditional family conference immediately after hatch opening before pressing into the usual steps of deactivating their Soyuz and going through safety briefings before a long day will wind down for the crew.
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tnt22

ЦитироватьExpedition 53-54 Crew Safely Onboard the Space Station

NASA

Опубликовано: 13 сент. 2017 г.

After docking their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft to the Poisk module on the Russian segment of the International Space Station, Expedition 53-54 Soyuz Commander Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA were greeted by station Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA and flight engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency, as the hatches between the spacecraft were opened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7F1GIyAru4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7F1GIyAru4 (12:07)

tnt22

Цитировать Paolo Nespoli‏Подлинная учетная запись @astro_paolo 5 ч. назад

Sasha, Joe, Mark – Welcome aboard! // Sasha, Joe, Mark – Benvenuti a bordo! #VITAmission #Expedition53

tnt22

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/09/13/soyuz-docks-with-space-station-adding-three-to-labs-crew/
ЦитироватьSoyuz docks with space station, adding three to lab's crew
September 13, 2017 William Harwood

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION

Lighting up the pre-dawn sky, a Soyuz rocket roared to life and streaked into orbit Tuesday carrying a Russian cosmonaut and two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, boosting the lab's crew back to six and the U.S. complement to four NASA-sponsored astronauts.
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Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The expanded U.S. crew takes advantage or near-term Russian downsizing, allowing more time for on-board research in the station's American-led segment.

Strapped into the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft, commander Alexander Misurkin, NASA flight engineer Mark Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba blasted off fr om the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:17:02 p.m. EDT (GMT-4; 3:17 a.m. Wednesday local time), kicking off a six-hour, four-orbit rendezvous with the space station.

The workhorse Soyuz booster put on a spectacular show, riding a brilliant jet of exhaust into a clear sky. Live video from inside the crew compartment showed Misurkin and his crewmates calmly monitoring cockpit displays as the booster accelerated toward orbit.

Eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff, the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft was released from the booster's upper stage, antennas deployed and two solar wings unfolded and locked in place as the crew set off after the space station.
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Misurkin, making his second trip to the lab complex, rookie Vande Hei and station veteran Acaba executed a smooth six-hour rendezvous, docking at the space station's upper Poisk module at 10:55 p.m. four orbits after launch.
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"Contact! We have mechanical contact," Misurkin, speaking through a translator, radioed Russian flight controllers as the nose of the Soyuz was captured by the Poisk docking port. "And we have docking mechanism engaged."

"Great!" a controller replied. "Copy."

Standing by to welcome Misurkin and his crewmates aboard, after lengthy checks to verify a structurally sound, airtight seal, were Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

 
With the arrival of Misurkin, Vande Hei and Acaba, the space station's crew is back at a full complement of six. Credit: NASA

Launched to the station July 28 aboard the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft, Ryazanskiy, Bresnik and Nespoli have had the lab to themselves since Sept. 2 when Soyuz MS-04 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson — NASA's most experienced astronaut — returned to Earth.

With the arrival of Misurkin, Vande Hei and Acaba, the station once again is fully staffed, with four crew members dedicated to carrying out research in the U.S. segment of the lab.

The space station's crew normally is evenly split between the Russians and the U.S. segment, with three cosmonauts responsible for the lab's Russian modules and three astronauts, representing NASA, ESA, Japan and Canada, operating systems and carrying out research in modules supplied by NASA, ESA and Japan.

NASA is responsible for arranging transportation for the station's non-Russian crew members, known collectively as U.S. Operating Segment — USOS — astronauts.

The Russians decided late last year to downsize their crews in the near term to save money, eliminating one or more Progress supply ships, a decision that freed up seats aboard upcoming Soyuz spacecraft.
At roughly the same time, Boeing and the Russian aerospace company Energia reached a settlement in a $320 million dispute involving the Sea Launch commercial rocket company. As part of the settlement, Boeing obtained two Soyuz seats in 2017 and 2018 with options for three more.

According to Space.com, NASA eventually agreed to buy all five seats for an average cost of $74.7 million each, modifying an existing contract with the Russians.

The two near-term seats will allow NASA to expand the USOS segment of the station crew from three to four and the other seats will serve as insurance in case commercial ferry ships being built by Boeing and SpaceX are delayed, requiring additional Soyuz flights for USOS crew members.

Once the commercial crew ships begin regular flights to the station, the USOS crew again will consist of four astronauts.

Acaba, a former high school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer with master's degrees in geology and education, won the additional seat on the upcoming mission, joining Vande Hei and Misurkin. While station astronauts typically spend 18 months to two years training for a long-duration stay, Acaba had to get up to speed in just six months.

"Luckily, I'm flying with experienced and very capable crew members," Acaba told reporters earlier this year. "Before I started (training), NASA and all the international partners got together, they put together a really nice plan on what's required for me to be safe and also to execute the mission. It's (been) busy, but fun."

As for the value of an additional USOS crew member, "I think it's going to make a huge difference," he said.

"Right now, having four USOS crew members on board, it gives you a lot more opportunities, not only to maintain the space station but then do the science we're up there for. I think the number I heard is somewh ere around 800 more hours of utilization. That's a big chunk of science we're going to be able to do by adding an extra crew member. So it's pretty cool."

NASA got a taste of expanded crew operations earlier this summer, taking advantage of an empty seat aboard the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft that carried Yurchikhin and Fischer into orbit last April. At that time, Whitson was scheduled to come home in early June, but NASA and the Russians agreed to extend her mission by three months, allowing her to join Yurchikhin and Fischer for return to Earth earlier this month.
As a result, four USOS astronauts were aboard the outpost after Ryazanskiy, Bresnik and Nespoli arrived July 28. The Soyuz MS-06 crew will boost the USOS crew back up to four. Another Soyuz scheduled for launch in December will carry two more USOS astronauts to the station, NASA's Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanai, representing the Japanese space agency.

Misurkin, Vande Hei and Acaba are scheduled to remain aboard the station until Feb. 26. During their stay in space they will welcome one Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship, two SpaceX Dragon freighters, two Progress supply ships and will carry out up to three spacewalks to service the station's robot arm and to carry out routine maintenance.

Along with a full slate of scientific research.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to work," Vande Hei said. "I'm really excited to live with these gentlemen and the crew that's going to be on the station when we arrive and the crew that we're going to receive later in our mission. Frankly, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the view is like."
And experiencing weightlessness.

"Flying around is the coolest thing ever, you never get tired of that microgravity environment," Acaba said. "Every morning, I would wake up and float out of my crew quarters and it was just this weird feeling, just to push yourself across the lab. So that's a whole lot of fun, very relaxing.

"Looking out the window, you have a view you can't get anywhere else on Earth, so I don't think we ever get tired of that. But we also have the usual, we watch movies, you have a telephone, you can call your family and friends, just living up there every day is pretty fun."
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"От порога до порога..."
ЦитироватьSoyuz MS-06 - Launch into Space

Spaceflight101

Опубликовано: 13 сент. 2017 г.

Soyuz MS-06 Launch & Docking Events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRCK-5vm08https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRCK-5vm08 (53:36)

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Цитировать Randy Bresnik‏Подлинная учетная запись @AstroKomrade 4 ч. назад

The arrival of this beautiful Soyuz means @Space_Station Expedition 53 is full strength. Welcome Sasha, Joe & Mark, we've got work to do!
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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/09/13/expanded-crew-looks-ahead-to-sunday-dragon-release/
ЦитироватьExpanded Crew Looks Ahead to Sunday Dragon Release
Posted on September 13, 2017 at 8:01 pm by Mark Garcia.


The SpaceX Dragon will be detached from the Harmony module on Sunday and released for a splashdown into the Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA
 
Expedition 53 is fully staffed after two NASA astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut completed a near six hour flight to the International Space Station overnight. Now the station residents will begin focusing their attention on the release of the SpaceX Dragon early Sunday.
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Astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei and their Soyuz Commander Alexander Misurkin began a five-month mission aboard the station when their spacecraft hatch opened early Wednesday morning. The new trio joins Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency.

The SpaceX Dragon is being packed with science experiments and station gear for analysis back on Earth. Dragon will be robotically detached from the Harmony module and released for a splashdown and retrieval in the Pacific Ocean Sunday morning. NASA TV will cover the release activities beginning Sunday at 4:30 a.m. EDT.

This entry was posted in Expedition 53 and tagged dragon, European Space Agency, International Space Station, NASA, Roscosmos, spacex on September 13, 2017 by Mark Garcia.
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Цитировать Paolo Nespoli‏Подлинная учетная запись @astro_paolo 9 ч. назад

Recording food & water intake with the EveryWear app: in space you need to know if you are getting the right fuel for your body!#VITAmission

tnt22

Цитировать Human Spaceflight‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaspaceflight 4 ч. назад

One month of @ISS_Research for @astro_paolo on the International Space Station. #VITAMission #blog http://blogs.esa.int/VITAmission/2017/09/14/paolos-first-month-in-space-a-look-at-the-science/ ...
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http://blogs.esa.int/VITAmission/2017/09/14/paolos-first-month-in-space-a-look-at-the-science/
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Posted on Thursday September 14th, 2017 by chiara

Paolo's first month in space – a look at the science

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli has been busy during the first month in space on his third mission berthing the Dragon cargo spacecraft and assisting in a Russian spacewalk. Let's have a look at the scientific experiments he has run or taken part in since launch.
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The science started as soon as Paolo arrived by filling out ESA's Space Headaches questionnaire, an experiment that is charting headaches many astronauts report having. Paolo reports on how he feels on a weekly basis to understand when and how headaches affect him. Before heading to his new bed Paolo also did a session of the FineMotor experiment that tests dexterity by assessing speed, response time and accuracy of touching symbols on a tablet.

After a weekend of rest – and cleaning the International Space Station – Paolo started Monday with the Canadian Marrow experiment. He gave blood and breath samples to see how his red and white blood cells are affected by spaceflight. His blood was frozen in the Station's freezer to return to Earth at a later date.


Paolo working on the Marrow experiment. Credits: ESA/NASA

Paolo then tackled the Sarcolab experiment with NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik using the Mares machine to see how muscles react to spaceflight. As a side note, no coffee for Paolo on the days of Sarcolab runs, the caffeine would interfere with the results. The Sarcolab experiment involved setting up Mares and running tests as well as an ultrasound of Paolo's muscles. This experiment is intricate and time-consuming, taking up the better half of Paolo's first week.

The second week saw Paolo take more samples for Marrow and he started collecting data for the Circadian Rhythms experiment. Paolo wears an armband and thermometer to record his temperature for 36 hours at a time. The goal is to understand how astronauts and people on Earth react to living with irregular sunlight – such as on the Space Station or when working night shifts.

Paolo did the breathing sample session of the Marrow experiment and took blood samples for general use. He also did an ultrasound of his eyes together with NASA astronaut Jack Fischer before practicing for the Berthing of the Dragon spacecraft.


Paolo working out on the bike for VO2 Max. Credits: ESA/NASA

The next day Paolo went all out on the exercise bike to register his VO2-max, the maximum amount of oxygen his body can process. A staple indication of fitness for professional athletes, the data from Paolo will be used in a NASA experiment to understand how astronauts react to living in space. More exercise sessions are done before and after his flight. After cooling down and having lunch Paolo setup ESA's MobiPV experiment that is aiming to give hands-free help for astronauts when working on complex tasks – mission control can look over their shoulder with a head-mounted camera and the astronaut can follow written instructions that are overlaid on a screen without using a laptop computer, in addition a smartphone or tablet is strapped to the wrist.

Paolo started the Canadian  Culture, Values, and Environmental Adaptation in Space (At Home In Space)  experiment that involves filling in questionnaires to see how astronauts change their values over the course of a mission. Understanding the psychology of space flight is important to design even longer missions beyond Earth orbit to make them more comfortable. Paolo also tested a new lighting system that aims to help with the circadian rhythm of Space Station astronauts, using a light meter and trying different light settings.


Kubik set up complete! Credits: ESA/NASA

Paolo setup and ran the Kubik incubator for two Italian experiments in biological cells, mentioned previously in this blog post in the week that Dragon arrived. For two days Paolo also wrote down all his meals so ESA can assess his nutritional intake.

On 21 August Paolo entered the Space Station's inflatable module and took samples of areas to see if and how bacteria are growing on the new surfaces. In the afternoon he did a session with Aquapad to test the Station's drinking water and more eye exams, as well as taking a faecal sample for the Japanese ProBiotics experiment investigating how bacteria in astronauts' gut change during spaceflight – all in a day's work!

More eye exams, saliva samples, sleep logging and working on Kubik kept Paolo busy on Friday before he operated the Justin robot from space in the evening – testing human-robot interaction from orbit.

The last week in this overview saw Paolo work on the Japanese Electro-Static Furnace that melts and solidifies metals in space to understand their properties. He also took more urine samples, did Fine Motor skills sessions, Circadian Rhythms and the usual maintenance and exercise sessions.
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Цитировать Human Spaceflight‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaspaceflight 3 ч. назад

Every bite you take... Diet tracking in space for @ISS_Research – EveryWear logs meals for researchers on Earth: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Diet_tracker_in_space ...
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http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Diet_tracker_in_space
ЦитироватьDiet tracker in space

14 September 2017
Whether you are on a diet or just want to be healthier, you might be one of those millions of people around the planet who use a mobile app to track everything you eat. The trend has arrived in space: European astronauts are now logging their meals on a tablet to make sure they are getting the right amount of nutrients.
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Astronaut food

An optimal diet, paired with constant exercise, is essential to counteract the effects of spaceflight on the human body. Bone loss, muscle atrophy and depleted nutrient stores such as protein, fat and vitamin D are among the negatives of space travel.

Research shows that energy intake in orbit is usually lower than on Earth – some even call it 'spaceflight anorexia'. From tubes to cans and rehydratable packages, space food has evolved to meet nutritional requirements and boost crew morale.

"Food in space tastes different – it is like eating with a cold and a reduced appetite follows," explains ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Since gaining weight is very unusual for astronauts, flight surgeons have always consulted astronauts when building their menus. Doctors want to ensure the crew are fuelling themselves with a balanced diet, suitable for space demands and the return to Earth. 

Every meal on EveryWear


EveryWear app

EveryWear is an iPad-based application that collects physiology and medical data from astronauts on the International Space Station. It is connected to wearable biomedical sensors that record exercise, heart rate and sleep quality.

Its main use is as a food diary. The astronaut simply scans the barcode of the food with the built-in tablet camera, classify it as breakfast, lunch dinner or snack, and add how water was consumed.

"We wanted to move away from the old-fashioned questionnaires and snapping photos in orbit. It is cumbersome both for astronauts and the scientists on Earth," says Brigitte Godard, ESA's flight surgeon in charge of astronaut nutrition.

The crew can also add food by tapping on a specific product. The app comes loaded with a database containing all the food on the Space Station, both in English and in Russian. If something is not listed yet, there is an option to take a picture.

Nutritional advice


Paolo with EveryWear

An added value of the tool is that it connects the astronaut with nutrition experts on Earth, some 400 km below. Ground teams receive the information and can suggest the best combination of meals for a healthy stay in orbit.

In addition to the weekly expert advice, the app delivers automated nutrition reports for astronauts to monitor their daily intake and check the recommended dose. The focus is on calories, protein, water, carbohydrates, fat, sodium, calcium, iron and potassium.

Thomas was the first to use EveryWear in orbit. Even though he was asked to use the app only for a week, he enthusiastically logged in more than 1200 food and drinks throughout his six-month mission.

"The app helped me be more conscious about what I was eating and improved my diet without taking up more time," he says.

The science behind it

Brigitte highlights the advantages of this approach for science purposes: "It produces very reliable data because the number of food items is limited, the menu cycle is repetitive, and portion sizes and nutrient content are exact."


Dinner in space

EveryWear was conceived in conjunction with France's CNES space agency and the MEDES Institute for Space Physiology and Medicine for Thomas' mission, but ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, currently in space, is also giving it a go.

NASA has shown interest in using it to complement their results from standard blood and urine tests on the Space Station. The data will also help to optimise the amount of food needed for missions into deep space.

Do you want to know more about the food eaten by astronauts in space? Check what's on the space menu in our astronaut nutrition brochure.
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Цитировать Paolo Nespoli‏Подлинная учетная запись @astro_paolo 1 ч. назад

From here we observe #Earth in all its beauty but also, sometimes, in all its power. #Vitamission

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Цитировать Сергей Рязанский‏Подлинная учетная запись @SergeyISS 1 ч. назад

Огромный «морской конек» в Тихом океане – это #Исабела – самый крупный из Галапагосских островов // The seahorse-shaped Isabela Island.

tnt22

ЦитироватьSpace to Ground: Full Strength: 09/15/2017

NASA Johnson

Опубликовано: 15 сент. 2017 г.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra4-PFQ2Hnwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra4-PFQ2Hnw (2:32)