The following is part one of
NASA astronaut Jeffrey William's two-part journal of his first month in Earth
orbit.
The Soyuz Flight to ISS...
Here
we are on board the International
Space Station finishing up our 1st month on orbit. Before the details fade
any further, let me try to recount the Soyuz experience getting here...
The Expedition 13 astronauts wave before their March 2006 launch. Credit: AP Photo/Misha Japaridze. Click to enlarge.
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Pre-launch activities...
After spending the entire quarantine in Kazakhstan on a normal day's schedule,
the day before launch we were scheduled with a sleep period starting at 1600
(4:00 pm) with a wakeup at 2230 (10:00 pm). That did not work so well for
obvious reasons. I spent the first couple of hours completing last minute
details and then laid awake for the rest of the time.
After "wakeup," we underwent final medical checks, took our final shower and
went to breakfast. Since the launch was still about 8 hours away I actually ate
a substantial amount. Normally, I wouldn't eat much so as to not have much in
the stomach when arriving in weightlessness--the conservative approach.
The "door signing ceremony" came after breakfast. Back at our rooms we gathered
with several of the leadership, the flight surgeons, and our families for the
traditional event that included a few words and "toasts" from everybody. Then
it was down the stairs and out the door to the bus. The sidewalk was lined with
launch guests, trainers, staff, and photographers. With the bright light of the
cameras it was difficult to see everybody. As soon as we were on the buses, it
was off to the Cosmodrome.
At the launch pad...
Arriving at the pad [image]
gives one the same feeling as the shuttle
experience. The hissing and venting of the rocket makes it obvious that
it's fueled and ready to go.
The
big difference is the presence of many people just a few yards away from the
base of the rocket--managers, technicians, media and others calling us by name
and wishing us a good flight [image].
The Expedition 13 walks out to the launch pad. Credit: RSC Energia. Click to enlarge.
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We
got off the crew bus and reported to the head of the Russian Space Agency
(Roscosmos) along with other Russian senior leadership and were walked to the
pad elevator with somebody holding each of our arms as we navigated our way in
the awkward "Sokol" suits carrying the ventilation fans. We climbed a few steps
of stairs, turned around to give the traditional wave and then crowded into a
very small elevator for the ride to the top and the ingress hatch.
Ingress was pretty much as expected, made slightly more difficult because of
the stowage in both the habitation module and the descent module where we sit,
as well as the reality that the spacecraft was the real thing. To get into the
left seat, you have to lower yourself down into the center seat, lay down and
partially close the hatch, slide carefully over to the left seat and then get
into what can be described as the fetal position.
For the next two hours or so, the communication system was checked out, we
pressure checked the space suits and the rocket systems were systematically
prepared for launch.
Liftoff and ascent...
The Expedition 13 launch spaceward. Credit: AP Photo/Misha Japaridze. Click to enlarge.
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The dynamics of liftoff
actually began several seconds before as the engines went through the start-up
sequence, with obvious associated vibrations. Liftoff is an obvious kick
accompanied by a moderate shake. The "g" level is relatively low at first and
gradually builds up to about 4 g's at the 2-minute point.
At
that point a couple of significant events occurred which can be rather
surprising if you're not prepared for them. The first was the jettisoning of
the launch abort system mounted on the nose of the rocket, which occurred with
a moderate bang. A few seconds later, the first staging occurred which resulted
in an immediate drop in g-load from 4 to about 1 g.
The
shaking and vibration continued at a reduced magnitude as we then continued on
the second stage. At a little over 2 ½ minutes into the flight, the shroud
around the spacecraft was jettisoned with a large "explosion" of pyrotechnics
and sudden brightness in the cockpit from sunlight through the newly exposed
windows.
Then
a little over 2 minutes later at just shy of 5 minutes into the flight, the
next staging occurred when we went from about 2 ½ g's, momentarily to zero and
then back to about 1 g with the starting of the 3rd stage engine. Going back to
1 g provided the opportunity to cover the window with a shade so that the
displays were readable. The ascent continued for a total of just under 9
minutes when the engines shut down and we were weightless.
On orbit checkout and maneuvers...
The view from orbit was terrific, of course, but there wouldn't be much time to
enjoy it, at least for a few hours. As soon as we arrived, pressure checks of
the spacecraft were required to make sure we didn't have a leak. Additionally
the flight control system was tested to make sure that we could perform the
orbit maneuvers, rendezvous and dock with the ISS. Everything checked out
perfectly so we continued with the flight plan.
As we conducted the procedures on orbit, the ground control tracked our orbit
to determine the exact maneuvers required for rendezvous and adjusted our
flight plan accordingly by radio calls every time we flew over the area of
Russia. Perhaps the most challenging part of the whole flight was keeping up
with all of the numbers called up during those communication passes. Since the
passes were short in duration and a lot of critical information was required to
be communicated--and all in Russian--it took a lot of concentration to understand
and write down the data.
It wasn't until several hours after launch that we were able to take the time
to get out of our seats and enter the "habitation module." Then, after another
orbital maneuver, we finally were able to take a several hour break and get a
little sleep.
"Living" on Soyuz...
Although small [image],
the spacecraft has all of the essentials for living "comfortably." Once
established on orbit, we were able to get out of our Sokol suits and into
regular clothing...as least until the final rendezvous. There was water and
plenty of food on board although it had to be eaten at ambient temperatures
because there was no way to heat it. We even discovered some fresh apples and
oranges, which was a special surprise.
Brazil's first astronaut Marcos Pontes launches into space with his Expedition 13 crewmates on March 29, 2006. Credit: collectSPACE.com. Click to enlarge.
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Everybody had a sleeping bag although I only used mine on a couple of brief
occasions, and then only when getting a little chilly.
We have three windows in the Soyuz that were used a lot during the free times.
The window time gave me a great tan in the face from the reflected light off
the earth. When we weren't flying the vehicle we put it in a solar-oriented
inertial spin; that is, spinning at about 3 degrees/second with the solar
arrays pointed at the Sun.
That
meant that the out-the-window view was a sweep of the earth every 2 minutes or
so. It also produced some unique motion sensations. You could actually "lie
down" on the upper hatch of the habitation module and be held there by the
slight centrifugal force of the spin. It also meant that everything untethered
would tend to float toward the top. I used this unique situation to sleep by
tying a loop around my index finger and "hanging" upside down, actually
sleeping while hanging from my finger. It was a very stable position and I
rested well.
Rendezvous and docking...
The Expedition 12 crew welcomes their orbital replacements aboard. Credit: AP Photo/NASA. Click to enlarge.
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The final phase of the flight started several hours before docking.
We got back in our Sokol suits [image]
as a precaution in the event that the docking caused a leak in our Soyuz.
Several maneuvers were performed to set us on a path that would intersect the
ISS's orbit. The entire time we had a reading of the range from the station and
the closure rate, both steadily decreasing.
Although we trained a great deal for rendezvous failures and manual flying, the
automatic system performed perfectly. We approached the station, flew around to
align with our docking port (timed to coincide with orbital sun rise),
commanded the approach, and smoothly docked to what would be our orbital home
for six months.
After a series of pressure integrity checks and getting out of our suits, we
were given the "go" to open the hatches. The crew on
board was very happy to see us [image],
probably because they wanted the company but also because we were the relief
that would allow them to go
home to be reunited with their families.
Upon entering the space station [image],
we spent some time visiting our "hosts," conducted a brief live appearance with
Mission Control and then began the process of settling
in for the expedition [image].
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