SOYUZ\ISS MISSION UPDATES

[SiberianTiger]

But sadly it will kind of been ruined by a huge explosion and a huge rocket shooting off into the sky.

Hopefully, there won't be a huge explosion... :blink:

 

[Notebook]

I rekon Australia should start doing a space program start with the small stuff and work up and up and up. I knew John Howard wouldnt care but now Kevin Rudd is in office we have a small chance of having a space program.

Australia looks pretty busy in aerospace at the moment:-http://www.aerospaceguide.net/worldspace/australia_in_space.html

Maybe not as busy as during the 60's when Woomera was handling Blue Streak, Black Arrow, and the Europa project, but still a good amount of work.
Just waiting for the new launch site at Cape York

N.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Today the planned works continued at Baikonur Cosmodrome in preparation for the future the Souyz-FG rocket's launch to put in orbit the manned space ship Souyz TMA-12.

Since the early morning the crewmembers of the 17th long term and 14th visiting ISS expeditions commence training in the live TMA-12's capsule, undertaking the seat fitting tests and get acquainted with the real ship's controls. Later this evening, the space ship will be transported to the fueling station in Area 31. Fueling of the ship's propellant tanks will take place tomorrow.

At the same time, in the Cosmodrome's Area 112 specialists of Samara Space Centre continue preparation of the Soyuz-FG vehicle for the launch. The booster package of the first stage is being assembled. The tests of the rocket's guidance system, flight parameters tracking, pneumatic and hydraulic channels are about to begin.

Some pics are here:

This little pic helps to understand why the seat fitting tests are important even for a Soyuz TMA's capsule, which is really an enlagred version of the older Soyuz TM design allowing accomodation of the tallest and the most broad-shouldered NASA and ESA astronauts:

 

[tblaxland]

Australia looks pretty busy in aerospace at the moment:-http://www.aerospaceguide.net/worldspace/australia_in_space.html

Maybe not as busy as during the 60's when Woomera was handling Blue Streak, Black Arrow, and the Europa project, but still a good amount of work.
Just waiting for the new launch site at Cape York

N.

Thanks Notebook. It is not as impressive as it looks, there is a lot of links but if you follow them there has not been a lot of real action. We still have no government funded space program here. From the Australian Government Dept of Innovation:

The Government’s space engagement is user- and market-driven, with a key objective being to obtain secure and economic access to the benefits of using space...
The Australian Government encourages commercially viable and sustainable endeavours in the space sector.

You can go further into it, but what it boils down to is that the government will be provide a regulatory framework and also may purchase services from a private space operator (if it suits them). Pretty weak. There is no direct funding for a space program.

The highest rocket ever launched by Australia was Ausroc2 which was designed to have an apogee of 10km (yes, TEN!). Its only successful launch failed to reach even that height.

I'm not getting down on the researchers that have done great work - they have been severely hamstrung by lack of funding.

 

[Notebook]

Agreed, it did look promising, then I followed the links, and... Same old story, no money.

The Kistler looks promising, though?

N.

 

[MJR]

Let me get this straight. Is the Soyuz missions where they launch the craft to the ISS and it's like a little section of the station.

 

[Chipstone306]

A NEW STICKY
This sticky will be used to update the current soyuz missions to crew the ISS Daily launch updates (if possible) information as well as possible webcast links to launches
ENJOY

 

[SiberianTiger]

March 29's TMA-12 works at Baikonur

Soyuz TMA-12 transport manned vehicle fuelled with propellant components and compressed gases was delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility for final processing operations.

 

[Chipstone306]

I never realised how small the capsule really is THANKS !

 

[SiberianTiger]

March 30's TMA-12 works at Baikonur

Soyuz TMA-12 transport manned vehicle was docked with the transfer compartment in the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility.

 

[SiberianTiger]

A little more pictures from March 27's crew on-site tests

 

[MajorTom]

Ryan,

The steppes are vast...and Soyuz's launch flames are well contained...it all would look beautiful, for sure.

Tiger,

Awesome pics, thanks!!

MT

 

[SiberianTiger]

Payload shroud roll on to the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft was performed. Here are the pictures:

 

[SiberianTiger]

The cosmonauts of the primary and backu-up crews followed the Csmodrome's custom and planted young trees at the Cosmonaut alley. The backup crew member also had an excursion around the town and visited the local museum of space flight.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Meanwhile, the orbital module of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle, containing the Soyuz TMA-12 manned spacecraft was transported from the spacecraft processing facility for the general integration with LV.

 

[SiberianTiger]

TSUP sets events times

The Misssion Control Centre in Korolev (TSUP-M) continues preparatory works for the flight of the Soyuz TMA-12.

The official launch time for the TMA-12 is:
08.04.2008, 15:16:35 MSD
April 8, 2008, 11:16:35 GMT
April 8, 2008, 7:16:35 A.M. EDT

The planned time for the TMA-12's docking to the ISS is:
10.04.2008, 17:00 MSD
April 10, 2008, 13:00 GMT
April 10, 2008, 9:00 A.M. EDT

Also, the flight of the Transport Space Ship Progress M-63 is nearing its final stage. At April 7, at 12:49 Moscow Daylight savings time it is to undock from the ISS. Same day later, the space cargo carrier will perform a deorbit burn which will send it to the descent trajectory, ending up its existence over a designated area in an ocean. The estimated time of the remaining debris fall is 16:38 MSD.

Quoted by Roscosmos and TSUP media release.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Integration of the Soyuz TMA-12 space ship with the Soyuz-FG launcher was under way today in the vehicle assembly building of Area 112 of Baikonur. The crew escape tower was attached to the orbital module first. After that, the orbital module was mated to the third stage of the rocket. Finally, all the parts were built into a single stack together with the first and second stages of the LV.

Upon the decision of the State Commitee allowing to begin launch operations, the rocket will be transported to the launch pad tomorrow,
April 6, 2008. The transporter train will depart for the Area 1 LC at 5:00 A.M. Moscow time, 7:00 local.

 

[ryan]

I hate these waits for a luanch.

 

[ryan]

Is there any place i can watch the countdown? is the RKA tv or something.

 

[MJR]

I searched and I could not find anything. It might be avaliable the day of the launch though.