Launch News Soyuz TMA-05M, Soyuz-FG, July 15, 2012 (launch and mission updates)

[Cosmic Penguin]

On this Sunday an international crew will fly to the ISS to join as part of the expedition 32/33. The crew consists of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (who is on his fifth spaceflight and on his third ISS expedition), NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (who spent six months on the ISS in early 2007) and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide (who flew on the STS-124 mission that delivered the Japanese Lab Module to the ISS).
This is the 114th manned Soyuz mission to fly, and the fifth of the Soyuz-TMA-M series.

Launch location:

Baikonur Launch pad no. 1/5 45°55'12.85"N, 63°20'32.27"E

Launch dates and times:

{colsp=6}Launch times

Time Zone |

Australia - Sydney/AEST (UTC+11) ​

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Baikonur / UTC+6 ​

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Moscow / MSKS (UTC+4) ​

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Universal / UTC ​

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Washington / EDT (UTC-4) ​

Launch time (Primary): ​

|

13:40:03​

|

08:40:03​

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06:40:03​

|

02:40:03​

|

22:40:03​

on: ​

|

Jul. 15, 2012​

|

Jul. 15, 2012​

|

Jul. 15, 2012​

|

Jul. 15, 2012​

|

Jul. 14, 2012​

Launch time (Backup): ​

|

13:17:30​

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08:17:30​

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06:17:30​

|

02:17:30​

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22:17:30​

on: ​

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Jul. 16, 2012​

|

Jul. 16, 2012​

|

Jul. 16, 2012​

|

Jul. 16, 2012​

|

Jul. 15, 2012​

{colsp=6}

[highlight][eventTimer]2012-07-15 02:40:03?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Soyuz TMA-05M Launch[/highlight]​

{colsp=6}Docking times

Time Zone |

Australia - Sydney/AEST (UTC+11) ​

|

Moscow / MSKS (UTC+4)/ ​

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Universal / UTC ​

|

Washington / EST (UTC-5) ​

Docking time (Primary): ​

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15:52:28 +-3 min​

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08:52:28 +-3 min​

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04:52:28 +-3 min​

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00:52:28 +-3 min​

on: ​

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Jul. 17, 2012​

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Jul. 17, 2012​

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Jul. 17, 2012​

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Jul. 17, 2012​

Docking time (Backup): ​

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15:00 +-3 min​

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08:00 +-3 min​

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04:00 +-3 min​

|

00:00 +-3 min​

on: ​

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Jul. 18, 2012​

|

Jul. 18, 2012​

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Jul. 18, 2012​

|

Jul. 18, 2012​

{colsp=6}

[highlight][eventTimer]2012-07-17 04:52:28?before|after;%dd% Days %hh% Hours %mm% Minutes %ss% Seconds %c%[/eventTimer] Soyuz TMA-05M docking to ISS[/highlight]​

Live Coverage Of The Launch:

• NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html (coverage starts 8:30 p.m. EDT / 00:30 UTC)
• TSENKI Video Streams: http://www.tsenki.com/broadcast/broadcast/ - coverage starts at 03:40 MSKS (23:40 UTC)
• Vesti (short stand-up right before launch): http://www.vesti.ru/videos?vid=onair

Soyuz TMA-05M (industry id 11F747 #706, NASA id Soyuz 31S) manned spaceship

The crew:

|

|

Commander Yuri Malenchenko, Roscosmos (previous flight experience: Soyuz TM-19 / Mir Exp. 16, STS-106, Soyuz TMA-2 / ISS Exp. 7, Soyuz TMA-11 / ISS Exp. 16)​

|

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, NASA (previous flight experience: STS-116 / ISS Exp. 14/15 / STS-117)​

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Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide, JAXA (previous flight experience: STS-124)​

The mission patch:

Mission Profile

Ascent Chart:

1. Approach and Docking Chart:

The times below are Moscow Time (UTC+4), commas separate fractional part of numbers:

The expected spacecraft separation time: 06h 48m 51.26s

2. Orbital Parameters of Soyuz TMA-05M and the ISS

Parameter|Designation|Soyuz TMA-05M at 17/07|ISS at 17/07
Orbital Period|T, min|88.64 +-0.367|92.47
Inclination|i, degrees|51.67 +-0.058|51.66
Min altitude|h, km|200 +7 -22|332.4
Max altitude|H, km|242 +-42|394.3

Phase angle between the space ship and the ISS is about 207 degrees.
Projected duration of the space ship at the nominal orbit is no less than 20 orbits (~30 hrs)

3. Transfer maneuvers
(two days long approach scheme applied)

* Nominal two-burn maneuver and two-burn orbit phasing correction

Date|Burn at|Orbit #|Delta V, m/s|Burn duration, s|post-burn T,min|post-burn i,deg|post-burn h,km|post-burn H,km
15.07.12|10:14:42|3|41.45|102.4|90.06|51.65|218.7|344.6
15.07.12|11:01:56|4|23.94|59.0|90.90|51.65|294.3|356.1

* The 2nd day's one-burn correction

Date|Burn at|Orbit #|Delta V, m/s|Burn duration, s|post-burn T,min|post-burn i,deg|post-burn h,km|post-burn H,km
16.07.12|08:05:43|17|2.00|28.8|90.96|51.66|301.0|355.9

Autonomous approach program is initiated at 06:31:52.

4. Approach at the Close range

Fly-around, station keeping and docking are to be performed from July 17th, 2012 at 08 hrs 31 min 56 sec before making contact

5. Docking

Contact and capture are to be performed on July 17th, 2012 at 08 hrs 52 min 28 sec +-3 min.

Docking is performed to MIM-1 Rassvet -Y docking node

Launch Vehicle:

{colsp=2}Characteristics

|

{colsp=2}

Soyuz-U​

Prime contractor:​

|

• Samara Space Sentre (Energia Holding enterprise)
  

GRAU Index:​

|

• 11A511U-FG

Height:​

| 51.1 m

Diameter:​

| max 10.3 m

Liftoff mass:​

| 313 metric tonnes

Payload mass:​

| 6.95 tonnes at ISS orbit from Baikonur

1st stage (boosters B, V, G, D):​

|

• 4 X RD-107A engines
• Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
• Thrust/ISP in vacuum - / 316 s
• Thrust/ISP at sea level 79.4 tonnes / 253 s
• Total 1st stage's thrust at sea level: 411.1 tonnes

2nd stage (core A):​

|

• 1 X RD-108A engine
• Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
• Thrust/ISP in vacuum 102 tonnes / 314 s
• Thrust/ISP at sea level 83.5 tonnes / 257 s

3rd stage (block I):​

|

• 1 X RD-0110 engine
• Propellants (T-1 Kerosene and LOX)
• Thrust/ISP in vacuum 30.38 tonnes / 359 s

The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2012.html#rate:

================================================================ 
Vehicle     Successes/Tries Realzd Pred  Consc. Last     Dates    
                             Rate  Rate* Succes Fail    
================================================================
Soyuz-FG         29    29   1.00  .97     29    None     2001-

Weather forecast for Baikonur, Kazakhstan on July 15, 2012 (9 a.m.)

Partly cloudy. High of 37C. Breezy. Winds from the ENE at 20 to 25 km/h.


References
http://www.mcc.rsa.ru/sojuztma_05m/start.htm
http://www.federalspace.ru
http://tvroscosmos.ru
http://www.tsenki.com
http://www.samspace.ru
http://www.npoenergomash.ru/engines/
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com
http://english.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=44.84999847,65.50000000

 

[N_Molson]

I didn't knew you were allowed to have such a long hair in a spacesuit. Funny.

She's going to have to find a way to attach those in 0G

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Crew training photos

Previous crew training:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Final exams!

The crew got a full 5.0 mark during their two day exams a month ago at Star City.....which is pretty good!

The back-up crew (Roman Romanenko of Roscosmos, Thomas Marshburn of NASA and Chris Hadfield of CSA) also got full marks:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Departure from Star City....and arrival in Baikonur

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Launch processing

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wYPrSXm-I&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wYPrSXm-I&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49w-8DwbHFk&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49w-8DwbHFk&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Launch processing part II

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1brY-haf3y8&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1brY-haf3y8&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

[N_Molson]

A little less than 6 hours to go... And it is around 23:00 here, I'm not going to sleep early

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

T - 7 minutes....

You might want to know that today (July 15) marks the 37th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (both the Soyuz and the Apollo)!

 

[N_Molson]

Liftoff !

---------- Post added at 02:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 AM ----------

The R7 made a nice hole through the cloud layer !

---------- Post added at 02:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 AM ----------

First stages (boosters) separation.

 

[Codz]

Booster separation.

---------- Post added at 02:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:43 AM ----------

LES separation.

 

[N_Molson]

Everything is nominal on board.

 

[Codz]

Second stage separation.

 

[N_Molson]

Successful separation !

---------- Post added at 02:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:49 AM ----------

SoyuzTMA-05M in orbit ! :thumbup:

 

[Codz]

Congratulations to Roscosmos on another successful launch.

 

[N_Molson]

Panels and antennas deployed.

Y. Malenchenko, S. Williams and A. Hoshide are now beginning a two-days ride to the ISS.

Spaceflight Now :

0252 GMT (10:52 p.m. EDT Sat.)
NASA's Suni Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have arrived in orbit following launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Activities upcoming over the next few hours include opening the hatchway into the capsule's living compartment where the crew can remove their spacesuits, pressurization of the Soyuz propellant tanks and two orbit adjustment maneuvers. The trio of crewmates should begin their sleep period around 6 a.m. EDT.

That pair of maneuvers overnight will be followed by another one early Monday to put Soyuz on the proper trajectory for Monday's late-night rendezvous and docking with the space station.

 

[orb]

There's calendar event for docking.


Launch replay from NASA:

NASA: Expedition 32 Crew Launches to Station

NASASpaceflight: Soyuz TMA-05M launches trio to the International Space Station

CBS News Space: Soyuz with all-veteran crew sets off after space station

NASA News Release: RELEASE : 12-230 - Latest Crew Blasts Off For International Space Station

JAXA Press Release: Launch of the Soyuz Spacecraft (31S/TMA-05M) with Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide aboard / Comment from the President of JAXA Launch of the Soyuz Spacecraft (31S/TMA-05M) with Astronaut Hoshide aboard

collectSPACE: International crew lifts off for space station on anniversary of 1st international mission

Universe Today: Expedition 32 Crew Lifts Off

Spaceflight Now: Soyuz TMA-05M launches crew for the space station

SPACE.com:

• New Space Station Crew Launches Into Orbit on Russian Spacecraft
  
  
• Liftoff! Launch Photos for Space Station's Expedition 32 Crew

Aviation Week: U.S., Russian, Japanese Soyuz Crew Heads for ISS, Demanding Schedule

Florida Today: Astronaut, 2 others off to ISS on Soyuz

Discovery News: Multinational Soyuz Docks with Space Station

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Launch photos

 

[Codz]

Docking coverage is about to start.

---------- Post added at 04:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 AM ----------

Docking completed!

 

[orb]

Docking video

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7TSC6NAJzI"][ISS] Entire Approach & Docking of Soyuz TMA-05M to ISS - YouTube[/ame]

CBS News Space: Soyuz docks with space station, boosts lab crew back to six

SPACE.com: Soyuz Capsule Docks at Space Station with International Space Crew

RIA Novosti: Russian Soyuz Docks with Space Station