The problem was fixed after docking
Participants and organizers of the next expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) breathed a sigh of relief - the Soyuz TMA-14M manned transport vehicle with an unexpanded solar battery, launched from Baikonur six hours ago, docked to the ISS automatically, a representative of the Roscosmos agency said.
Participants and organizers of the next expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) breathed a sigh of relief - the manned transport vehicle Soyuz TMA-14M, which launched from Baikonur six hours ago, docked to the ISS automatically, a representative of the Roscosmos agency said.
The cosmonauts who arrived at the ISS opened the transfer hatches and “floated” to the station, a representative of the Mission Control Center (MCC) later said. “The arrivals were warmly greeted by the crew on the ISS. At the moment, the new arrivals are following the so-called emergency route. It is customary that the new owners of the ISS must first carefully study the so-called emergency exit route,” the MCC said.
Earlier, a representative of the control center told reporters that for some reason one of the solar panels did not open.
“Fortunately, there was no need for the cosmonauts’ intervention in the operation of the Kurs rendezvous and docking system. The ship “moored” to the Russian segment of the ISS in automatic mode,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
As it became known later, the jammed solar battery on the manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M, which delivered a new crew to the ISS, opened after successful docking to the station. “Two minutes ago, at 6.50, the battery opened,” Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko told reporters.
The manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M with an unexpanded solar battery, launched from Baikonur six hours ago, docked with the International Space Station (ISS) in automatic mode. Earlier, a representative of the Mission Control Center told RIA Novosti that one of the solar panels did not open for some reason.
Let us remind you that it is flying into orbit for the first time after a seventeen-year break. Elena Serova is accompanied in the Soyuz capsule by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev, as well as NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore.
For the first time after a seventeen-year break, Russian female cosmonaut Elena Serova flew into space. The crew of Soyuz TMA-14, which in addition to Elena Serova included Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev and American astronaut Barry Wilmore, set off for the ISS on the night of September 26.
A few hours ago, a manned transport vehicle with an unexpanded solar battery docked to the ISS in automatic mode, a representative of the Roscosmos agency said.
The cosmonauts who arrived at the ISS opened the transfer hatches and “floated” to the station, a representative of the Mission Control Center (MCC) later said. “The arrivals were warmly greeted by the crew on the ISS. At the moment, the new arrivals are following the so-called emergency route. It is customary that the new owners of the ISS must first carefully study the so-called emergency exit route,” the MCC said.
Earlier, a representative of the control center told reporters that for some reason one of the solar panels did not open.
Fortunately, there was no need for cosmonaut intervention in the operation of the Kurs rendezvous and docking system. The ship "moored" to the Russian segment of the ISS in automatic mode.
As it became known later, the jammed solar battery on the manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M, which delivered a new crew to the ISS, opened after successful docking to the station.
A new clothing line has been developed for Russian female cosmonaut Elena Serova. As Alexander Yarov, the general director of the Centaur-Science company, which has been the main developer of space clothing for 40 years, said, “cosmonaut Elena Serova will be able to “walk” around the International Space Station (ISS) in outfits of 15 colors and personalized socks.”
For sports on the ISS, Serova ordered two pairs of sneakers - one for exercising on an exercise bike, the other for running on a treadmill. And after this, Elena will take a bath without embarrassing the male part of the crew in a two-piece swimsuit, chosen by her from several options. Although, as you know, there is no shower at the station, and therefore, for hygienic purposes, the astronauts wipe themselves with wet wipes.
Elena Serova was born on April 22, 1976 in the village of Vozdvizhenka, Ussuri District, Primorsky Territory. In March 2001, she graduated from the Aerospace Faculty of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) with a degree in test engineer. In 2003, she graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Instrument Engineering and Information with a degree in economics. Before joining the cosmonaut corps, she worked as an engineer at RSC Energia, at the Mission Control Center. On October 11, 2006, she was recommended for enrollment as a candidate cosmonaut in the RSC Energia detachment. In February 2007, she began completing a two-year training course. On June 9, 2009, she was awarded the qualification of “test cosmonaut” by RSC Energia. Since 2011, Serova has been a test cosmonaut of the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps.
In total, three Russian (Soviet) female cosmonauts were in orbit: Valentina Tereshkova - in 1963, Svetlana Savitskaya - in 1982 and 1984 (the world's first female cosmonaut to go into outer space), Elena Kondakova - in 1994 (in Russian the Soyuz spacecraft) and in 1997 (on the American shuttle Atlantis).
Elena Serova, a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute (national research university), became the first Russian woman to visit the ISS. At a meeting with space fans as part of the Starcon festival, she told how astronauts cope with everyday activities.
Elena Serova became the second Russian woman to travel into space after the collapse of the USSR. As an on-board engineer of the manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-14M, she completed an expedition in 2014. No woman from Russia has ever been on board the ISS before.
As part of the Starcon festival in St. Petersburg, she spoke about the difficulties of training astronauts and about the structure of life on board the International Space Station: how to cook, shower and clean when you are floating in zero gravity.
Road to sky
Elena Serova: - Once upon a time, people dreamed that they would ride cars, not horses. Once upon a time, those who talked about flying to the moon were called dreamers. And today we launch satellites and explore other planets - all thanks to dreamers.
I dreamed of becoming an astronaut back in school, and for this I entered the Aerospace Faculty of the Moscow Aviation Institute with a degree in engineering. There I met my future husband, and together we went to work at RSC Energia. When the opportunity arose to enroll in the cosmonaut corps, I decided to take a risk. One of the most difficult stages was the medical one. Our doctors joke that there are no healthy people, but only underexamined ones. Indeed, the more technology develops, the more difficult it is to get tested.
Then I had to pass three exams, after which I became a candidate cosmonaut and underwent training for about two years: from working out normal and emergency situations on board to survival courses in the desert and winter forest. For example, in three days of survival training in the desert with a temperature of +50, we lost 5 kilograms of weight.
Only after that I became a test cosmonaut for Roscosmos. Now I am a flight engineer for expedition to ISS No. 41-42. The expedition lasted about six months: we started on September 26 and returned on March 12. On the ISS we carried out on-board maintenance, replaced various systems, and simply lived and worked.
Shower
At the MIR station there was a complex installation, something like a cocoon, from which water was then pumped out with a special device.
We joked that after cleaning this shower we needed to wash again. On the ISS everything works differently.
We have special wet wipes and hygiene products that help you get yourself in order.
There is, for example, a leave-in hair product with the cosmic name “Aelita” - it contains vitamins and extracts of more than 10 Russian herbs.
Dream
Astronauts sleep in a sleeping bag, which contains a replaceable liner instead of bedding. According to the regulations, it should be changed once every 20 days, but you can do this more often or less often. It operates on the principle of the “Caucasian Captive”, only it has slots for hands. He is tied to the wall with ropes so as not to “float away” in his sleep. It feels like a very soft feather bed.
There are no problems with sleep, because during the flight we work a lot and get very tired. The windows have to be closed during this time, because in space day and night change 16 times per day - the sun can interfere with sleep.
Personal items
The astronaut is allowed to take on board no more than a kilogram of personal belongings. My set contained mostly gifts for our team and American colleagues for the New Year.
Food
The daily diet of an astronaut on board the ISS includes 3000 kcal, mostly sublimates like dry mashed potatoes. We breed them in a heated water dispenser, which we call “our teapot.” This kind of food is well known to hikers. Meat dishes, omelettes, stewed cabbage with meat are stored in tin cans - all this can be heated in the stove on board the station. Among the delicacies are jars of pressed caviar.
Everyone’s tastes are different, so before the flight we are allowed to try the food that will be delivered to the ISS and mark in the questionnaires what we liked best.
Free time
The ISS has a large film library, a library, and a lot of music. You can devote some time to a hobby. Some people prefer to do extra physical exercise. For example, I like taking photographs.
On weekends we wake up, have breakfast, have a morning conference and start cleaning the station. Afterwards there is a private conference with the family, which according to the regulations should last 15 minutes, but usually lasts up to an hour. Then a private conference with the doctor, 2 hours of physical education, dinner, sleep. In fact, time flies unnoticed - both work and free time.
Hygiene
Astronauts are already accustomed to the fact that the most popular question is: “How do you go to the toilet in zero gravity?” In order not to go into details, I will only say that the space toilet operates on the principle of a vacuum cleaner adapted to the characteristics of the human body. The waste there is divided into fractions and disposed of separately.
There is a device on board that collects all the moisture from the air and all the liquids on board and distills it all into clean drinking water. The Americans have the same attitude in their segment.
Cleaning
In zero gravity, convection, that is, mixing of air media, does not occur.
Therefore, fans endlessly circulate air throughout the station.
If this is not done, a person may suffocate from his own carbon dioxide, which accumulates around him.
Dust still appears on board, so every weekend we carry out cleaning: we wipe the surfaces with wet wipes, and, where possible, use a vacuum cleaner.
Everything is like home.
How to get used to the ground
An astronaut's daily schedule aboard the ISS includes at least two hours of physical education. If you ignore sports, your muscles will atrophy - after all, in zero gravity you don’t need to make any effort to move. Calcium is washed out of the bones, the cardiovascular system suffers, and so on. Therefore, the station has a small gym.
Having landed after the expedition, we almost immediately began to walk. This suggests that we managed to maintain good physical shape. There are also rehabilitation means - for example, adaptation suits. When you return to Earth, the blood is redistributed and it flows back to your legs. Special pants create additional pressure and help the body gradually get used to gravity.
What you see at night
The earth at night is a fascinating sight. Especially in cloudless weather. Large cities are visible very well through the porthole. It’s difficult to describe: it looks like a cluster of stars that form circles and webs. It is easy to distinguish Moscow, you can even see the highway that leads to St. Petersburg. And St. Petersburg itself also noticeably shimmers with lights.
Another look from space allows us to understand that our planet is not so small. When I hear talk about overpopulation, lack of water and other resources, I don’t believe it.
We have enough of everything, and the conditions will be suitable for a comfortable life for a very long time - this can be seen even from a simple glance from the outside.
On the night of September 26, 2014, a significant event occurred in the history of Russian cosmonautics. After a 17-year break, a representative of Russia went into space.
38-year-old Russian woman Elena Serova, the fourth representative of our country in space after, and, was appointed flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-14M crew in 2011.
Over the past three years, Serova has attracted close attention from journalists. Elena herself did not regard her flight as some kind of extraordinary event, emphasizing that there is no such profession as a female astronaut, and she works on an equal basis with men.
Nevertheless, without a doubt, the Russian woman’s participation in the new expedition to the ISS is attracting special interest.
Ship commander Alexander Samokutyaev, flight engineers Barry Wilmore and Elena Serova. Photo: Reuters
Launch of the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft with a crew of ship commander Alexander Samokutyaev, and flight engineers Elena Serova And Barry Wilmore(USA, NASA) was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 00:25 Moscow time on September 26.
According to Roscosmos, after 528 seconds of flight, the Soyuz TMA-14M regularly separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle in orbit of an artificial Earth satellite.
On my word of honor and “on one wing”
However, the path of Elena Serova and her comrades to the International Space Station was not smooth. As a representative of the Mission Control Center told reporters, after entering orbit the ship.
The emergency situation brought back bad memories. The solar battery did not open during the very first flight of the Soyuz series spacecraft in 1967 - on Soyuz-1, which was piloted by Vladimir Komarov. That flight ended in disaster and the death of the astronaut upon returning to Earth.
I also remembered the belief that a woman’s presence on a ship does not bode well.
However, experts hastened to quell the panic. Despite the emergency situation, the ship's crew continued to work on a six-hour approach and docking scheme with the ISS. All systems of the Soyuz TMA-14M, with the exception of the ill-fated battery, worked normally.
As a representative of the Mission Control Center said, within the next few hours it will become clear whether the cosmonauts will be able to reach the ISS using a shortened six-hour schedule or will switch to a two-day schedule.
A NASA representative also did not express serious concerns, saying that the Soyuz batteries had enough energy for rendezvous and docking with the ISS.
"Soyuz TMA-14M". Photo: Reuters
The best girl on the ISS
All worries were dispelled when Roscosmos reported: to the small research module “Poisk” of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. There was no need to switch to a two-day mode; the Soyuz arrived at its destination in accordance with the original plan.
The most interesting thing happened after docking. As he told reporters head of Roscosmos Oleg Ostapenko, the jammed solar battery, which caused so much unrest, finally opened after successful docking to the ISS.
Probably, the capricious system became uncomfortable in front of the lady.
Elena Serova, having just started her flight, has already made several achievements. She became the first Russian woman to work on the International Space Station. In addition, Serova became the oldest Russian woman to make her first flight: Valentina Tereshkova started at 26 years old, Svetlana Savitskaya at 34 years old, Elena Kondakova at 37 years old. And, of course, Serova is the first Russian woman to reach the orbital station “on one wing.”
The flight of Elena Serova and her crewmates, according to plan, will last about 170 days.
On Thursday, August 30, an emergency occurred on one of the modules of the International Space Station (ISS), which led to serious disagreements between members of Expedition 56. An air leak was detected at the station.
The press service of Roscosmos reported: “The station crew examined all modules and identified a microcrack in the living compartment of the manned transport spacecraft Soyuz MS-09 and is using a repair kit to repair the problem.”
Soyuz MS-09 docked to the ISS. Three members of the expedition must return to Earth on it. Of course, depressurization of a ship is a serious problem.
There are currently six people in orbit: expedition commander Andrew Fustel (USA), his compatriots Richard Arnold and Serena Auñon, Russians Oleg Artemyev and Sergei Prokopyev, and German cosmonaut Alexander Gerst.
Reports of an air leak on the ISS began appearing around 12.30 Kyiv time. At first, the crew members decided that depressurization had occurred in one of the ISS modules. It turned out that the sensors detected a leak around 02.00, but the flight controllers on Earth did not attach any importance to this, since the air pressure was decreasing at an insignificant rate.
Around 14.00 new Head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin officially confirmed: “Tonight we had an emergency situation on the ISS, an air leak, a drop in pressure. Measures have been taken to determine where the leak is coming from. It turns out that all this is on the Russian segment, and not on the American one, and not even on the segment, but on the Soyuz MS spacecraft.
Rogozin, citing the opinion of Russian experts, put forward a version according to which the leak was caused by a crack as a result of a micrometeorite hitting the ship. He noted that a special commission will be created to investigate the incident.
The head of Roscosmos assured that nothing threatens the life and health of the ISS crew, and the Soyuz spacecraft "will likely be saved by using a repair kit to contain this leak."
NASA also made an official statement in which the Americans confirmed that the air leak does not pose a danger to the crew of the orbital station.
At approximately 16.00, Artemyev and Prokopyev, during negotiations with the Mission Control Center (MCC), received an order to go to the Soyuz with a video endoscope to determine the parameters of the microcrack. After some time, they sent photo and video materials taken on board the ship to Earth. The control center allowed them "go for a snack".
Interfax, citing its source in Roscosmos, claims that Russian cosmonauts discovered two holes, each 2 mm in size, in the Soyuz's living compartment and sealed them with Kapton tape. They received the appropriate instructions from the control center on duty. At the same time, he asked to do the work “without fanaticism and very carefully.” Less than an hour later, NASA said that the decrease in air pressure at the station had resumed.
And again Interfax, but with reference to its source at NASA, reported: “Adhesive tape is not enough to completely plug microcracks. The pressure began to decrease again at a rate of 0.6 mmHg per hour. The cosmonauts compensate for the loss of pressure by pressurizing air by 10 mm Hg from the tanks of the Progress cargo ship docked to the ISS.
The renewed leak has led to controversy between NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts. The source said: “Expedition commander Andrew Fustel insists that the repair scheme proposed by the Russian side by installing patches requires more detailed consideration. He suggests waiting 24 hours to explore all possible repair options.”
During discussions between Mission Control in Houston and Fustel, he confirmed that the equipment continued to detect an air leak. Andrew also said that Artemyev and Prokopyev insist on the same repair scheme - using adhesive tape.
The expedition commander refused to participate in such repairs and forbade Arnold and Auñon to do so. Fustel insisted on waiting until Roscosmos and NASA agreed on a unified action plan. Nevertheless, “The Russian cosmonauts decided to obey orders from the Mission Control Center in Korolev and install the patches themselves.” Interfax reported this.
On the evening of August 30, the Russian Mission Control Center decided to suspend repair work and continue it the next day, RIA Novosti reports.
“Sergey, leave everything as it is, and tomorrow we will give further recommendations”, - said the MCC employee to Prokopyev. They decided to close the hatch between the Soyuz and the ISS for the night.
An Interfax source said that Russian cosmonauts injected a sealant into the crack, which will harden for 10-12 hours. “The leak has stopped, the pressure has stopped falling. However, the sealant bubbles. This phenomenon does not cause concern and is within the normal range,” the source said.
The BBC Russian service asked for comments Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev. He believes that the formation of a microcrack on a ship is an extraordinary event.
“I don’t know how serious everything is there, how much the pressure is falling or not falling. But again, there is a complete toolkit, and this is taught on the ground, how to detect this crack, how to repair it, there are specially designed adhesives, instructions, special equipment. That is, nothing criminal, but this is a rare case,”- said Suraev.
In his opinion, the bad thing about this story is that “percentage of nitrogen is lost”. According to Maxim, oxygen can be replenished without any problems from supplies that are regularly delivered to the ISS by cargo ships. In addition, the station has a special installation that decomposes water into hydrogen and oxygen. But nitrogen will need to be delivered into orbit if necessary.