– An American astronaut and two Russian cosmologists have already launched for the International Space Station to extend the human presence in the Earth’s bit rabbit for 20 consecutive years.
Together with NASA’s Kate Rubins, Roskosmos’ Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Swarchkov, Russia’s Soyuz MS-17 took off from Kazakhstan’s Beknur Cosmodrome on Wednesday (October 14th). They launched at 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 GMT; 10:45 a.m. local Kazakh time) on a Soyuz-2.1A rocket.
The three crucifixes will dock their Soyuz at the station’s Resvet Mode at 4:52 a.m. EDT (0852 GMT) after a combination of two modifications. The mission marks the first mass use of an “ultrafast” flight plan that will see the Soyuz arrive at the space station within three hours of launch, rather than an early six-hour journey or a two-day journey.
“This two-bit rabbit range has been modeled for a long time now. It has been tested with progress [cargo] The vehicle, “Rizikov said at a pre-launch press conference on Tuesday. We arrived at Beknur on our way out of Moscow and soon after we arrived at the station. “
Rubinz, Ryzykov, and Kud-Sverchkov began their 20-year anniversary of the first space station crew to take up residence in the B-Ribital complex two weeks ago. An American and two Russians – William Shepard, Yuri Lonchekov and Sergei Krikalev – launched their mission on November 2, 2000.
“The 20th anniversary of the continuous human presence in space is going to be a very significant event and I think all three of us expect to be there at that time,” Rubinz said. “I think the International Space Station is one of the greatest engineering achievements in human history and certainly the highest achievement in space flight. How amazing to see such a huge machine that was completely man-made and flew off the surface. Even after 20 years, Earth’s space is still intact. “
Awaiting Rubinz, Ryzikov and Kud-Sverchkov on board the space station since April are NASA mission 63 commanders Chris Cassidy and Roscoms flight engineers Anatoly Ivnishin and Evan Wagner. The six crew members, Cassidy, Evanshin and Wagner Soyuz, will serve together on the MS-16 for seven days before returning to Earth, leaving Rubin, Ryzhikov and Kud-Severchkov to launch Expedition 64.
Expedition 64, under Ryzikov’s command, will be complemented by three people until SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission begins with four astronauts. Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and NASA’s Shannon Walker and Japan Airspace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Sochi Noguchi were targeted for landing on a Dragon astronaut by mid-November, with an engine issue pending resolution. Had to finish. Launch on October 2.
During their six-month mission, Rubinz, Ryzykov and Kud-Sverchkov will perform hundreds of science experiments and technologies in various fields, including biology, biotechnology, physics and geology.
“We plan to try some really interesting things like bio-printing tissues and cells growing in space, and, of course, continue our work on sorting DNA,” Rubinz said. In 2016, he became the first astronaut to sequence DNA in space.
Residents of the three stations will also monitor the arrival of a number of modified spacecraft, including Progress vehicles, SpaceX’s second-generation Dragon Cargo Capsule and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft. The three could also be at the station for the first docking for an unblemished or rabital flight test by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which is targeted for early 2021.
Ryzykov and Kud-Sverchkov will have to install a spacewalk to prepare for the addition of Russia’s Peers docking box’s Jutisson and the boat’s “science” multipurpose laboratory mod. The Pierce Module module was first added to the space station in 2001.
For Rubinz, a microbiologist who lived on the space station for 115 days in 2016, early Wednesday marked a personal milestone: his 42nd birthday.
“I think it’s going to be a birthday I’ll never be able to beat. It’s so funny going to space on your birthday,” Rubins said in an interview with CollectorSpec. He is now the fifth American astronaut to celebrate the birthdays of STS-2 and Richard Troley in 1981, STS-51A and Dale Gardner in 1984, STS-85 and Kent Rominger in 1997 and Soyuz TMA-6 and John Phillips in 2005. Was. .
Raishikov, a 46-year-old Russian Air Force pilot, is also on his second space flight, having previously served with Rubin on Expedition 49 in 2016. Kud-Sverchkov, a 37-year-old aerospace engineer, is on his first mission.
The Soyuz MS-17 is Russia’s 63rd Soyuz spacecraft to fly to the International Space Station since 2000 and the 146th to fly since the first Soyuz mission in 1967. This is the 100th spacecraft to launch a crew to the space station, including the Soyuz MS-10. In-flight abortion in 2018.
