Soyuz TMA-15 (Soyuz 19) Launch at May 27

[Zipi]

Two days and we will see yet another space launch... This time the vehicle is Soyuz, but still it should be intresting enough to follow.

This launch will deliver three persons to the station and at first time ISS will have permanent six person crew. Russian space news (in english) can be found from: http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?Lang=ENG

Very stub Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TMA-15

Really good thread about the launch with lots of pictures and article style writing layout: http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=8422

Energia's web page in english: http://www.energia.ru/english/index.html

Photos from ESA's page: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/OasISS_Miss ... WUF_0.html

Official Russian designation for the mission is Soyuz TMA-15, but NASA calls it Soyuz 19.

The launch time is:
16:34:52 Baikonur 27.05.2009
14:34:52 Moscow Local 27.05.2009
10:34:52 UTC May 27, 2009
6:34:52 a.m. EDT May 27, 2009

The expected docking time is:
16:36±3 min Moscow Local 29.05.2009
12:36±3 min UTC May 29, 2009
8:36 a.m. ±3 min EDT May 29, 2009

 

[Zipi]

NasaTV coverage:

4:45 a.m. - Expedition 20 Prelaunch Video File Feed via Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
5:45 a.m. - Expedition 20 Launch Coverage – (launch scheduled at 6:34 a.m.) - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
12 p.m. - Expedition 20 Launch Day Highlights Video B-Roll Feed - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Times are in EDT time zone. +4 hours for UTC and +7 hours for EET (nordic countries).

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

This is great news. I just popped to post this, beaten again lol.

 

[Zipi]

Soyuz TMA-15 commander a couple of years earlier with his dad: (Romanenko Sr & Jr)


[edit]Based on new information seems that the boy in the picture is not Roman, but his little brother Artyom.[/edit]

The expected docking time is:
16:36±3 min Moscow Local 29.05.2009
12:36±3 min UTC May 29, 2009
8:36 a.m. ±3 min EDT May 29, 2009
15:36 ±3 min EET May 29, 2009

Hatch opening is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. EDT

Expedition 20 crew image & mission patch:

 

[MeteorWayne]

Thanx for the docking times Zipi. I was just going to look it up. I'll turn on NASA TV as soon as I get up tomorrow to watch the beginning of a 6 man crew on the ISS!

 

[MeteorWayne]

The beginning of the first permanent 6 man crew at the ISS:


Three new crew members arrived at the International Space Station at 8:34 a.m. EDT Friday. After launching from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, flight engineers Roman Romanenko, Robert Thirsk and Frank De Winne spent two days in space aboard the Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft before docking to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya module.

Awaiting the newest arrivals were the Expedition 19 crew members Commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineers Koichi Wakata and Mike Barratt. Hatch opening between the Soyuz and Zarya occurred at 10:14 a.m. signifying the beginning of Expedition 20 and six-person crew operations. A welcome ceremony and a safety briefing for the new arrivals followed.

Expedition 20 marks the first time that all five of the international partner agencies – NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency – will be represented on orbit. The two cosmonauts Padalka and Romanenko are from Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency; Barratt is from NASA; Thirsk is from the Canadian Space Agency; De Winne is from the European Space Agency; and Wakata is from the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency.

 

[TariqJMalik]

Hi MW and everyone,

Just a note to remind you that the International Space Station's first full 6-person crew will talk about their flight with reporters on Earth on Monday, June 1 on NASA TV beginning at about 10:25 am EDT. It should be fun stuff.

Cheers,
Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Senior Editor

 

[Testing]

Keep something else in mind. With the next Shuttle launch in a few weeks, there willl be 13 souls in orbit at the same time. And for part of it, they will be essentially on one structure in orbit. Historic events in our lifetime. Growing up I never would have dreamed I would be part of it. I may just hop in the car at O-dark thirty Sunday to see if I can catch Atlantis on departure from Edwards. Have to check the winds early to find out which runway but they have flown over Plant 42 in the past. Tariq, let me know when you come to California. Miss having Shuttle Guy out here for barley therapy.

Testing

 

[newsartist]

Soyuz TMA-15 commander a couple of years earlier with his dad: (Romanenko Sr & Jr)

Wow. Nice looking model of Salyut!

 

[Zipi]

Soyuz TMA-15 commander a couple of years earlier with his dad: (Romanenko Sr & Jr)

Wow. Nice looking model of Salyut!

I think it is MIR main node and Kristal lab attached to it....

 

[newsartist]

I think it is MIR main node and Kristal lab attached to it....

I think you have a better eye for space stations than I do!

 

[Zipi]

I think you have a better eye for space stations than I do!

I did a little research about MIR and I would like to change my earlier guess... Now I'm pretty sure it is MIR core module and Kvant-1 module attached to it. At the end of Kvant-1 there is progress cargo ship and top of the MIR core module there is Soyuz spacecraft.

MIR with Kvant-1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mir-kvant.gif

More about MIR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir

But enough of this offtopic for this thread.