Soyuz TMA-6 is away!

[SpaceKiwi]

Cheers photon! I set the alarm for 3am this morning, then lay in bed and watched the coverage of activities on NASA TV through until about 11am. (I might have dozed off once or twice! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />)<br /><br />I'm sorry to report that I am now at work (ANZAC is a half-day holiday for those of us in the retail trade), and that it feels about as cold here now as it was outside Arkalyk. It's raining steadily, and the thermometer is just nudging 11 degrees celsius. <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> I think I will be avoiding the barbeque in favour of a rousing fire in the hearth when I get home.<br /><br />Anyway, I also extend best wishes to my Aussie and Kiwi compatriots, particularly those who have lost loved ones in action on this Australasian rememberance day.<br /><br /><br /><br />Lest We Forget<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[flynn]

<b>TMA-5 Safely Home</b><br /><br />Soyuz TMA-5 landing with ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori marks completion of European Eneide Mission<br /><br /> <br />25 April 2005<br />ESA PR 22-2005. The Eneide Mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has come to a successful end with the landing of ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori, accompanied by the ISS Expedition 10 crew. The command module of the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft touched down near the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan at 04:07 local time (00:07 Central European Summer Time) on Monday 25 April.<br /> <br />All the major objectives of the mission, which lasted ten days, including eight days on the ISS, were achieved. The experiment programme was successfully completed, and the ISS Expedition crew was exchanged along with the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft, which has been stationed at the ISS for the past six months, serving as the crew lifeboat. <br /> <br />The hatches between the returning Soyuz TMA-5 and the ISS were closed at 17:34 CEST on Sunday 24 April, and the crew then carried out standard procedures and checks prior to undocking. At 20:44 CEST Soyuz TMA-5 undocked from the ISS, with Vittori, as Flight Engineer, taking an active role in the re-entry, descent and landing operations, alongside Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, the Soyuz Commander. Sharipov and the Soyuz 2nd Flight Engineer Leroy Chiao (NASA) were the returning Expedition 10 crew, having been stationed on the ISS since 16 October 2004. <br />All stages of the re-entry went according to plan. Soyuz TMA-5 went through module separation, prior to re-entry, with the spacecraft’s utility and instrument-assembly modules being uncoupled from the command module and burnt up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The command module containing the crew took a different flight profile to the other modules, entering the Earth’s atmosphere three hours after undocking at 23:44 CEST. The main parachute of the command module opened at 23:53 CEST with the landing taking place in the dark b <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[star_sirius]

Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft touched down near the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan at 04:07 local time. Right now is 18:07, Mon, 25 Apr 2005 DST 06:55 20:47, in Kazakhstan, that's about 14 hours ago, I was still sleeping. *sigh* <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="0" color="#10bdee"><strong>A dazzling bluish luminosity from A distant south pacific.</strong></font><p><br /><img id="cb51e87e-8221-424c-8ff2-78c95122196c" src="http://sitelife.livescience.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/11/15/cb51e87e-8221-424c-8ff2-78c95122196c.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[davp99]

I was watching Sunday at 6:08 PM EDST and with Fingers crossed that NASA TV would have some real time video of the landing, Alas, it wasn't to be, as the Landing was happening, NASA TV was playing some Audio from a Russian Tech, apologizing for this & that...It seemed Very Confused...but Finally NASA TV pulled that plug and Announced Exp 10 landed and everyone was safe...Alls Well that Ends Well, i guess ~! <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[najab]

The problem with realtime video of the landing is that the landing elipse is fairly large.

 

[davp99]

..And i also knew that the Landing was happening very late or very early in the Morning Russia time...So in other words, Very Dark anyways... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[north_star_rising]

I am glad NASA covered the Russian angle as much as they did.<br /><br />That has been a long standing complaint and grudge by the Russians, and ESA, is that U.S. Media Coverage of their launches and efforts, and efforts of ISS Members, in regards to the International Space Station has been nearly not covered or presented at all, even to a large degree by NASA.<br /><br />Not really NASA's fault, as they are only following orders and directives from above, mostly on the DOD side of the house.<br /><br />I wish a totally separate and joint web site and media communications hub, would be established, instead of having to go to each national space agency web site to get info on ISS. The NASA site has a clear NASA bent and focus, and as does all the others!<br /><br /><br />Maybe an www.iss.gov or something?<br /><br />This way coverage and information would not be covered by and from a purely national objective and outlook, but from a purely ISS "international" objective and out look.<br /><br />I do not know, just an idea!?