Soyuz TMA-20, December 15

[MeteorWayne]

Russian spacecraft damaged during transportation

http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx/scienc ... e?pageid=1

Russia's space agency chief says that a spacecraft that is used to ferry crew to the international space station in December has been damaged during transportation by rail.

Anatoly Perminov said Thursday that experts found a shift between two components in the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft caused by a violation of transportation safety requirements...

Perminov said that the launch could be delayed by a few days if experts rule that the craft needs to be sent back to the manufacturing plant for repairs.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

en.rian.ru : Soyuz TMA-20 launch may be put off until 2011

10:37 08/10/2010

The launch of the Soyuz TMA-20 manned spacecraft may be postponed until 2011 due to a transportation accident, a source said on Friday.

The spacecraft's descent vehicle was damaged while being transported to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. It will be replaced with a new one, the source said.

The Soyuz TMA-20 was to deliver Dmitry Kondratyev, Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur in December.

BAIKONUR SPACE CENTER (KAZAKHSTAN), October 8 (RIA Novosti)

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

http://www.esa.int : Counting down for ESA’s MagISStra mission to Space Station

8 October 2010

In Latin magistra means 'female teacher', and now Europe’s third long-duration astronaut mission to the International Space Station will carry almost the same name: MagISStra.

When ESA’s Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli shares a ride to space with Russia’s Dmitri Kondratyev and NASA’s Catherine Coleman in December aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft, he will be looking forward to six months full of experiments and hard work.

During his MagISStra mission, Paolo will live and work on the International Space Station (ISS) with Kondratyev and Coleman as members of Expeditions 26 and 27.

During their stay, they will welcome the last planned Space Shuttle mission and unmanned cargo ferries from Europe and Japan, before returning to Earth in May 2011.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W50afLXbyo[/youtube]

ESA | October 08, 2010

ESA's Director of Human Spaceflight Simonetta Di Pippo together with ESA's astronaut Paolo Nespoli introduce the MagISStra mission which is going to be launched in December 2010 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. This is the third six-month duration mission a European astronaut takes part to.

www.trainlikeanastronaut.org : Mission X

Welcome to Mission X, a 6-week international fitness challenge. We're focusing on fitness and nutrition as we help students to "train like an astronaut."

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

www.federalspace.ru : About Delivery of Soyuz TMA-20 Descent Capsule to Baikonur

:: 13.10.2010

Descent capsule for the Soyuz TMA-20 vehicle has arrived today at Baikonur’s RSC-Energia subsidiary. The capsule is intended as a replacement for the one of the Soyuz, for which the anomalies had been found during incoming inspection at the space port.
The decision to make the replacement was made following the conclusion by the accident commission set up by RSC-Energia president Vitaly Lopota.
Currently, Soyuz TMA-20 habitable, instrumentation and descent compartments are demated. The experts also prepare for further assembly and tests in line with the schedule, with three-shift work of personnel, together with Energia experts who followed the descent capsule during the shipment.

Roscosmos PAO

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

http://www.energia.ru : Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia

October 13, 2010.

Soyuz TMA-20 assembly and processing activities are in good progress as scheduled in the space vehicle assembly and testing facility (SV ATF) of Baikonur Branch Office including a replacement of its descent module (DM).

At present after separating Soyuz TMA into compartments, RSC Enegia specialists installed a newly delivered DM on the instrumentation and propulsion compartment of the vehicle.

Further vehicle assembly and processing operations are performed according to the approved schedule.

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http://www.federalspace.ru : Soyuz TMA-20 Prelaunch Processing Continues at Baikonur

:: 16.10.2010

Soyuz TMA-20 assembly and processing activities are in good progress as scheduled in the space vehicle assembly and testing facility (SV ATF) of Baikonur Branch Office including a replacement of its descent module (DM).
At present after separating Soyuz TMA into compartments, RSC Enegia specialists installed a newly delivered DM on the instrumentation and propulsion compartment of the vehicle.
Further vehicle assembly and processing operations are performed according to the approved schedule.

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RSC-Energia PAO

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

http://www.federalspace.ru : Workers Race to Replace Damaged Soyuz Crew Capsule

:: 21.10.2010

Responding to unexplained damage to a piece of the next Soyuz spacecraft, the Russian builder of the capsule has shipped a replacement descent module to Kazakhstan for preparations to launch the next three-person crew to the International Space Station in December.

Russian officials ordered the unusual swapout after technicians discovered a problem with the descent module of the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft when it was unloaded after a train trip from its factory to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, according to Energia, the capsule's contractor.
A Russian cosmonaut and U.S. and Italian astronauts were supposed to strap into the Soyuz capsule Dec. 13 for a two-day ride to the space station. The descent module is the only part of the spacecraft that returns to Earth with space crews.
Engineers believe the module was damaged during the rail journey from Russia to Kazakhstan.
Energia dispatched another crew compartment to the remote Kazakhstan space base last week, this time aboard a Russian cargo plane.
For now, launch is still scheduled for Dec. 13 at 1956 GMT (2:56 p.m. EST). The Soyuz will carry Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, U.S. astronaut Catherine Coleman and Italian space flier Paolo Nespoli for five months on the space station.
The three-person crew will dock to the complex Dec. 15, assuming liftoff remains set for Dec. 13.
According to Energia, about 30 Soyuz spacecraft are in different phases of production.
Technicians are working in three shifts to assemble and test the spacecraft for the next mission at Baikonur, the Soyuz contractor said in an Oct. 12 statement, Spaceflight Now reports.

RSC-Energia yesterday informed about initiation of the Soyuz TMA-20 leak check scheduled to last through Oct. 22.

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[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

http://www.federalspace.ru : Soyuz TMA-20 Prelaunch Processing Continues at Baikonur

:: 24.10.2010

Soyuz TMA-20 assembly and processing activities are in good progress as scheduled in the space vehicle assembly and testing facility.
Vacuum tests of the vehicle have been completed successfully, with no Soyuz leak detected.
Further vehicle assembly and processing operations are performed according to the approved schedule.
Experts prepare Soyuz TMA-20 for electrical tests of its systems, which are to begin on Oct. 27.

Roscosmos PAO

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Photo credit: RSC-Energia

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Soyuz TMA-20, December

en.rian.ru : Soyuz launch with next ISS crew to be postponed for 2 days

22:32 22/10/2010

The launch of the manned spaceship Soyuz TMA-20 with the next International Space Station (ISS) crew will be postponed from December 13 to December 15, the head of the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said on Friday.

The launch date was postponed because the Soyuz TMA-20 descent vehicle was damaged while being transported to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. Specialists from the state-controlled company RKK Energia managed to replace the damaged capsule in two days.

"We have done practically all the main [repair]; we had to return part of the spacecraft to RKK Energia and bring the backup copy of the descent vehicle to Baikonur," Anatoly Perminov said.

The Soyuz TMA-20 will deliver Dmitry Kondratyev, Catherine Coleman and Paolo Nespoli to the ISS from Baikonur.

The Russian Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft with three crew members on board successfully landed in Kazakhstan in late September.

KOROLYOV, October 22 (RIA Novosti)

 

[EarthlingX]

www.federalspace.ru : Baikonur: The Second Stage of Soyuz-FG under Assembly

:: 29.10.2010

Soyuz-FG prelaunch processing continues at Baikonur.
TSKB-Progress and TSENKI subsidiary- Yuzhny Space Center commenced operations with Soyuz-FG which is scheduled to orbit Soyuz TMA-20 on Dec. 15, 2010.
The second stage of the rocket is assembled today. Once assembly and tests of the first and second stages are over, the rocket will be put in storage until next stage of testing in December.
The vehicle undergoes processing at the integration and test facility, site 254. Today, Kurs tests are carried out.

Roscosmos PAO

 

[EarthlingX]

www.federalspace.ru : Soyuz TMA-20 Prelaunch Processing Goes on at Baikonur

:: 04.11.2010

Soyuz-FG/Soyuz TMA-20 assembly and processing activities are in good progress at Baikonur.
TsSKB-Progress and Yuzhny Space Center perform integration of the Soyuz-FG package.
Soyuz TMA-20 undergoes standalone system testing.
The launch is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Roscosmos PAO

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.esa.int : A greenhouse in space

9 November 2010


MagISStra greenhouse
Credits: ESA

It’s small, but it’s a greenhouse for space voyagers – and for you. Paolo Nespoli will take a special greenhouse with him to the International Space Station and he’s inviting young science enthusiasts to conduct an experiment with him.

Growing plants in space will be crucial for the astronauts of the future. When flying to Mars or even further, it will be necessary to produce fresh food onboard and become partially self-sufficient. Setting up greenhouses on the Moon, Mars or other planetary bodies will also be an important part of future exploration missions.

Greenhouses also provide oxygen and bring some life to the bleakness of space. Caring for plants is a good way to maintain memories of Earth and an enjoyable way to pass time during the long and possibly boring interplanetary cruise.

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli during the STS-120 mission. Nespoli holds a scale model of Node 2, also known as Harmony. The Italian-built Node 2 module was added to the International Space Station during the mission's second spacewalk.
Credits: NASA

There is no danger of boredom during Paolo’s MagISStra mission, as it will be packed with activity and science. The ‘Greenhouse in space’ project, proposed and conceived by ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight, is not only a scientific experiment but also an educational opportunity for schoolchildren aged between 12 and 14.

Paolo will use a specially-developed greenhouse in space to grow plants and make observations of the life cycle of a flowering plant. The schoolchildren will be able to follow this with their own experiment on the ground, using a similar greenhouse and the same species of plant.

Closeup of the MagISStra greenhouse
Credits: ESA

The experiment starts with watering of some thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) set up in the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory. The children will start their own ground experiments at the same time.

Paolo will take still images of the growth cycle and video recordings of key steps in the germination of the plants and post them on the MagISStra website. The participating children will be able to compare the space experiment with their ground experiment.

The young scientists on the ground and Paolo in orbit will follow the growth cycle of their flowering plants for about 10 weeks. The children will be encouraged to exchange their observations with each other over this period, creating a Europe-wide network that enables one experiment to link young scientists together in a special way.

Drawing of the MagISStra greenhouse
Credits: ESA

Schools who wish to participate in this experiment can order their mini greenhouse ground kits from the ESA's Human Spaceflight education website, where there are limited numbers available.

The instructions can be downloaded in 13 languages from ESA's Human Spaceflight education website as from January 2011.

The children will be invited to send their end results and observations to the ESA Human Space Flight education team, who will create a final lesson online for download by other schools and teachers.

The experiment will be launched in mid February 2011 with a live event linking together nearly 750 children in four locations in Europe: the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany; ESRIN in Frascati, Italy; Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse, France; and Ciência Viva – Agência Nacional para a Cultura Científica e Tecnológica in Lisbon, Portugal.

Paolo will of course particpate in the event from the Space station which will have its own minature greenhouse.

 

[EarthlingX]

www.federalspace.ru : Soyuz TMA-20 Standalone Tests Successfully Completed at Baikonur

:: 13.11.2010

Soyuz-FG/Soyuz TMA-20 assembly and processing activities are in good progress at Baikonur.
RSC-Energia and Yuzhny Space Center had successfully completed standalone tests of the vehicle’s systems and initiated integrated tests.
The launch is scheduled for Dec. 15, at 10.06 MSK. Soyuz TMA-20 is to deliver 3 crew to the International Space Station.

Roscosmos PAO