Category Manned Spaceflight Log II—2006-2012

2011-067A November 14, 2011

Pad 1, Site 5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of

Kazakhstan

April 27, 2012

Approximately 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the town of Arkalyk, Republic of Kazakhstan Soyuz-FG (R-7) (serial number И15000-038),

Soyuz TMA (serial number 232)

165 da 7h 31 min 34 s Astra

ISS resident crew transport craft ISS 29/30 (28S)

Flight crew

BURBANK, Daniel Christopher, 50, U. S. Coast Guard (Retd.), NASA Soyuz TMA/ISS-29 flight engineer, ISS-30 commander, third mission Previous missions’. STS-106 (2000), STS-115 (2006)

SHKAPLEROV, Anton Nikolaevich, 39, Russian Federation Air Force, RSA Soyuz TMA commander, ISS-29/30 flight engineer

IVANISHIN, Anatoly Alekseevich, 42, Russian Federation Air Force, RSA Soyuz TMA and ISS-29/30 flight engineer

Flight log

The delayed launch of TMA-22 finally took place on November 14 through a raging snowstorm, but reached orbit without too much difficulty. When NASA tried to launch Apollo 12 through a thunderstorm exactly 42 years earlier, on November 14, 1969, things were very different. That vehicle was hit by lightning and almost suffered a major systems failure seconds after launch. It was a tense few minutes that convinced the American agency never to launch in the rain again. The Russians do not seem to share the same concerns, so the Soyuz was launched exactly on time for its rendezvous with the Poisk module of ISS, with which it docked on November 16.

Following the leak checks, the hatches were opened to begin a very full four and a half days of briefings and handover operations before the outgoing resident crew came home. In those four days, Burbank took over command of the station from Fossum, who returned to Earth with his TMA-02M colleagues on November 22, ending the ISS-29 expedition and starting the ISS-30 phase. The delays caused by the loss of the Progress in August had shortened the overlap of the two crews.

The first month for the new team was spent settling in to their new home and continuing the science program. The two Russians on this crew were planned to conduct just 28 hours of work in support of the abbreviated ISS-29 phase of science, but 204 hours under the ISS-30 science program in the Russian segment. This amounted to 356 sessions over 46 experiments, including two new investiga­tions. Most of the U. S. segment work in the Destiny, Columbus, and Kibo laboratories was continuations of earlier investigations.

Apart from the science, work continued on Robonaut 2 (or R2). During December 15 and 16 things did not go well, with fault messages regularly appear­ing in the android’s systems. Further work was delayed until January. For night passes over two days from December 22, Burbank observed and photographed the Comet Lovejoy, which he described as the “most amazing thing he had witnessed,” echoing the sentiments of the Skylab 4 astronauts when they observed Comet Kohoutek 38 years earlier.

The next resident crew arrived in the middle of these observations on December 23, docking at the Rassvet module on the nadir side of Zarya. The hatches opened and the day was spent in briefings, ceremonies, and bringing the newcomers up to speed before the З-day Christmas holiday. The New Year celebrations in orbit actually extended for 24 hours, as the station ventured over the International Date Line 16 times each Earth day. The celebrations were soon followed by Ivanishin’s 43rd birthday on January 15.

The mission progressed with more science, a new arrival in the form of Progress M-14M, more work with R2, and preparations for a planned February EVA from the Russian segment. On January 27 it was announced that the six – person presence on the station would be extended for a while. The next launch of a crew had been delayed until mid-May, as the planned Soyuz vehicle had to be exchanged with the next one in the sequence. This meant that the Burbank crew would not return home until late April and the Kononenko crew would also have to stay a little longer than planned, as their replacements were delayed from May to mid-July.

On February 15, Burbank’s hard work with R2 finally paid off, as the human astronaut shook hands with the robotic one for the first time inside the Destiny module, while NASA proudly announced: “Man meets machine aboard the ISS.” Further tests were planned over the next few weeks, but it was a great start for a machine that was hoped would assist in delicate operations on future spacecraft. The R2 device later used sign language to say: “Hello, world.”

The Russian EVA took place from Pirs on February 16. Kononenko and Shkaplerov relocated the Strela-1 (“Arrow-1”) crane from Pirs to Poisk in prep­aration for the replacement of the Pirs module with the new Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module Nauka (“Science”) component. This was planned for later in 2012 but subsequently delayed once again. The two cosmonauts also installed a material science experiment on Poisk, collected organic test samples from Zvezda, and installed five debris shields on the Service Module. The EVA ended after 6 hours 15 minutes.

More celebrations occurred on February 20. Not only was it Shkaplerov’s 40th birthday, it was also the 50th anniversary of the first American orbital flight of John Glenn aboard Friendship-7. Burbank, Pettit, and Kuipers spoke to Glenn from orbit as part of the celebrations of his flight. On March 7, the highly anticipated Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) began, with several days of exter­nal operations using Dextre and Canadarm2 coordinated by the Canadian Space Agency and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This was a demonstration of the potential for robotic complexes to refuel satellites and included opening and closing valves, cutting through wires with millimeters of clearance, removal of insulation, and fuel transfer. The hardware had been delivered to a pallet during STS-135. Canadarm2 and Dextre returned to the Mobile Base System on March 12 at the end of the RRM exercise after about 43 hours of activity. Early results were deemed a success, which bodes well for future developments in this field.

After a 2-week delay in launch due to incorrectly stowed cargo bags, the third Automated Transfer Vehicle (named “Edoardo Amaldi”) was launched on March 23 by Ariane 5 from the Kourou Launch Center in French Guiana, South America. The docking occurred on March 28, with the ATV delivering 7.2 tons of supplies to the station. In the closing phase of the ISS-30 residency, most of the activities focused upon unpacking both the ATV and Progress M-14M. The latter was undocked from the Pirs module on April 19 and was replaced by Progress M-15M three days later.

As their science program wound down, Burbank formally handed over command of the station to Kononenko on April 25. Two days later they undocked from the Poisk module in the final Soyuz TMA spacecraft, followed just over three hours later by what was reported as a “bulls-eye landing”. It was a good way to end an impressive record of TMA missions begun a decade earlier with TMA-1.

Statistically, this expedition was a little unbalanced, although the overall mission logged as much as many others. The delays in launching the mission, caused by the loss of the Progress in August and qualification of the R-7/Soyuz-U and FG vehicles, meant that this crew spent only 6 days as formal members of the ISS-29 expedition, but 155 days as prime ISS-30 crew. In their 165-day flight, 163 days were spent aboard the station.

Milestones

285th manned space ffight 117th Russian manned space flight 110th manned Soyuz 28th ISS Soyuz mission (28S)

22nd and final Soyuz TMA flight 29/30th ISS resident crew First post-Shuttle era ISS mission

Shortest ISS expedition residency (6 days on the ISS-29 phase by this trio) Ivanishin celebrates his 43rd birthday (January 15)

Shkaplerov celebrates his 40th birthday (February 20)

Should we go back to the Moon first or go straight to Mars? That question has been debated for years and continues to be discussed when trying to determine where we go next away from low Earth orbit. We have been to the Moon before, so it is to an extent familiar territory, but the last Apollo landed 40 years ago. So much has changed since we first stepped on to the lunar surface that returning will be almost like starting over again. A return to the Moon had been debated even before the final journeys of Apollo were completed, and many more times since we stopped going there in 1972.

Clearly NASA would love to return to the Moon, and soon. Russia never made it in the 1960s so to do so in the near future would give mixed emotions to those still alive who participated in the program to beat the Americans to the surface 50 years ago. It would hurt that they could not have done it sooner, but equally would give them pride that they had finally made it. And then there are the Chinese, who clearly have the Moon in their sights. But why go back?

Proving that it can be done again is one argument, but in this current global climate more is needed than national pride and technological achievement. It did not sustain a long-term program last time, so why would it do so now? Other reasons, such as a scientific research base, mining potential, a remote simulation facility for other extraterrestrial explorations deeper into space, an extensive Earth

observation platform, a medical isolation facility for those returning from distant targets, or a launching site for interplanetary probes have all been suggested and all have their merits and disadvantages.

No one really thought it would be so long before we considered going back but the argument remains the same: Why should we return, where on the surface – should we aim our seventh landing crew, and for what purpose? Would it be to support other programs or for definite objectives of its own?

What is clear though is that, being the closest celestial neighbor, the Moon will surely not be ignored in our expansion beyond low Earth orbit? Even if we initially fly past it on the way to somewhere else, we will return. The overriding questions of a sustained human return to the Moon are the same as they were in 1972—those of when, where, how, and most importantly why. The added question today is also who?

2011-078A December 21, 2011

Pad 1, Site 5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of

Kazakhstan

July 1, 2012

Near the town of Dzhezkazgan, Republic of Kazakhstan.

Soyuz-FG (R7) (serial number Л15000-39),

Soyuz TMA-03M (serial number 703)

192 da 18 h 58 min 21s Antares

ISS resident crew (ISS-30/31) transport 29S

Flight crew

KONONENKO, Oleg Dmitryevich, 47, civilian, RSA, TMA commander, ISS-30 flight engineer, ISS-31 commander, second flight Previous mission: Soyuz TMA-12/ISS-17 (2008)

PETTIT, Donald Roy, 56, civilian, NASA Soyuz TMA flight engineer, ISS-30/31 flight engineer, third flight

Previous missions: STS-113/ISS-6/TMA-1 (2002/3), STS-126 (2008) KUIPERS, Andre, 53, civilian (The Netherlands), ESA Soyuz TMA flight engineer, ISS-30/31 flight engineer, second flight Previous mission: Soyuz TMA-4/ISS-YC6/TMA-3 (2004)

Flight log

This was the third flight test of the new Soyuz TMA-M and the only qualification test flight of the vehicle. Following this mission, the TMA-M would be confirmed in its operational roles as both the primary crew transport to and from the ISS and as the Crew Rescue Vehicle for resident crew expeditions.

The three-man crew docked their spacecraft with the Rassvet module on December 23. The upcoming three-day Christmas break allowed the crew time to adjust to the station’s environment and to catch up with the work being conducted by the prime ISS-30 crew. The assignment of experienced NASA and ESA astro­nauts to the crew would help increase the science in the U. S. segment (and in particular the European Columbus lab) once again. Dr. Pettit, a chemical engineer, had spent over 158 days on the station as a member of the ISS-6 crew almost a decade before and, while much had changed on the station since then, his experience soon began to show in his regular, informative blogs from space as he delved into the expanding American segment science program with Burbank.

Kuipers was also working on the station for a second time, but this time as a resident not a visitor. He also blogged his experiences to followers on Earth. Kuipers’ science program was called PromISSe, a name that was a reflection of the efforts and expectations placed on human space missions. It also continued the trend of the four previous European missions of including the acronym “ISS” as part of the science program name. This package included 30 investigations covering a range of disciplines in human research, fluid physics, materials science, radiation and solar research, and biology and technology demonstrations. In addition, Kuipers participated in over 20 experiments for NASA and JAXA using over 30 facilities spread across the station.

In the Russian segment, work continued on the experiments that were running during ISS-29, with Kononenko planned to assist for 56 hours 25 minutes in science operations during the ISS-30 phase. ISS-31 Russian segment science plans totaled 146 hours 20 minutes of science for Kononenko, Padalka, and Revin. The latter pair would arrive on Soyuz TMA-04M in May.

Following the Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations it was down to work for the TMA-03M crew as flight engineers for ISS-30. Kononenko assisted Shkaplerov on the 6h 15 min EVA from Pirs on February 16. As well as the science, maintenance, and housekeeping programs, the crew practiced required safety drills and supported the now familiar exchange of Progress resupply craft, as well as the arrival of the third ATV vehicle in March. Burbank passed command to Kononenko on April 25, effectively ending the ISS-30 expedition and starting the ISS-31 phase. Formal closure of ISS-30 occurred when the last Soyuz TMA (No. 22) was undocked two days later on April 27. The Kononenko crew had spent 122 days as flight engineers for ISS-30 and now took the prime role for ISS-31 for three weeks, until they were joined by the TMA-04 crew on May 17, returning the station to six-person operation.

On May 25, a new milestone was reached in ISS history with the arrival of the first “commercial” mission (though still largely funded by the U. S. government). The Dragon unmanned resupply vehicle was grabbed by Canadarm2 and attached to the nadir port on the Harmony Node. This vehicle was the first step on the road to replacing the Shuttle as a U. S. resupply vehicle. Operated by SpaceX from their Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, the vehicle had been launched on the Falcon 9 rocket from LC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, three days before. A trial rendezvous with the station was com­pleted on May 24. The crew “entered the Dragon” as the media put it, on May 26 to begin the unloading process.

The spacecraft delivered 1,1041b (500.77 kg) of cargo and was subsequently loaded with 1,367 lbs. 620.07 kg) of hardware for the return to Earth. This was an important difference with Dragon. Unlike Progress, ATV, and HTV, this new vehicle could reenter the atmosphere and be recovered, greatly increasing the cargo return capacity over Soyuz (22.671b or 50 kg) and to a small degree com­pensating for the loss of the Shuttle’s significantly larger cargo return capability. The Dragon was grappled by Canadarm2 on May 31 and then released to begin its journey back to Earth, completing a successful splashdown under three parachutes in the Pacific Ocean some 563 miles (905.86 km) west of Baja, California, in the Pacific Ocean. The successful flight had logged 9 days 7 hours 57 minutes and was the first operational splashdown associated with a returning American spacecraft (admittedly unmanned) since Apollo 18 returned at the end of the Apollo Soyuz Test Project on July 24, 1975.

Aboard the ISS, the science work continued, along with preparations for the return of the TMA-03M crew at the end of their residence. On June 16, the inter­national crew was joined in orbit (but not on board) by three Chinese Shenzhou 9 crew on a mission to the Tiangong-1 space laboratory, that nation’s first space station mission. Meanwhile, on board the ISS station on June 25 Pettit logged his 365th cumulative day in space across his three missions, and in so doing became the 28th person and only the fourth American to achieve this feat.

On June 29, Kononenko handed command of the station over to Padalka, who became the first person to command three separate expeditions to the ISS. For his final hours on the station, Kononenko became flight engineer 4. The prime ISS-31 expedition had been in command for 65 days which, added to their ISS-30 phase, meant that the trio had logged 187 days across the two expeditions. The formal end of the ISS-31 residency was achieved two days later, with TMA – 03M making a safe and nominal return to Earth.

Milestones

286th manned space flight 118th Russian manned space flight 111th manned Soyuz

3rd Soyuz TMA-M flight; completed the TMA-M test program 30/31st ISS resident crew

First commercial flight of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Kononenko celebrates his 48th birthday in space (June 21)

The mysterious Red Planet, a land of imagination, dreams, and hopes, is one still to explore and is well within our reach. Again, the question is not so much whether we will go there, but more one of how do we get there, when would this be, and why would we send humans when robots still have difficulties operating that far from home. Out of all the probes sent to Mars, the failure rate is still higher than the success rate, though the odds are improving. No one ever said exploring space was easy or straightforward. Far from it, as the automated exploration of Mars has demonstrated time and time again since the early 1960s.

Again there are countless reasons for exploring the planet. Not least of these is the familiar desire to find evidence of fife as we know it or, more precisely, the chemical evidence of the potential for such life in ancient times. But there are other reasons to go to Mars, including mineral mining, a whole range of scientific studies of a different planet and its environment, and as a staging post for mis­sions farther into the outer reaches of the solar system.

Whatever the next decade or two brings in human space endeavor, it is clear Mars will feature highly in long-range objectives. It is hoped that the “long range” will be shortened somewhat to be achievable in our lifetime.

2012-022A May 15, 2012

Pad, 1 Site 5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of

Kazakhstan

September 17, 2012

85 km north of Arkalyk, Republic of Kazakhstan Soyuz-FG (serial number Л15000-041),

Soyuz TMA-04M (serial number 705) 30S

124 da 23 h 51 min 30 s

Altair

ISS resident crew transport (ISS-31/32)

Flight crew

PADALKA, Gennady Ivanovich, 54, Russian Federation Air Force (Retd.), RSA Soyuz TMA-M commander, ISS-31 flight engineer, ISS-32 commander, fourth flight

Previous missions: Soyuz TM-28 (1998), Soyuz TMA-4 (2008), Soyuz TMA-14 (2009)

REVIN, Sergey Nikolayevich, 46, civilian, RSA Soyuz TMA-M flight engineer, ISS-31/32 flight engineer

ACABA, Joseph Michael, 45, civilian, NASA Soyuz TMA-M flight engineer, ISS-31/32 flight engineer, second flight Previous mission-. STS-119 (2009)

Flight log

Arriving at the station on May 17, which also happened to be Acaba’s 45th birthday, the Soyuz TMA-04M brought three new residents to supplement the three-member ISS-31 crew already on board the complex. Less than four hours after docking, the six astronauts and cosmonauts of the ISS-31 phase were together inside the station, progressing through the welcoming routines and ceremonies. They soon began concentrating on the more formal work schedule, which included receiving the first SpaceX Dragon unmanned supply vehicle on May 25.

By the time this mission flew, the Shuttle had been retired for about a year and media coverage of major launches and events had become sparse at best, coupled with the shift in emphasis of the program away from the “drama” of assembly to the more “mundane” scientific operations and resupply. True, there remained some further Russian components to be delivered to the station, but science and research now moved to the forefront. Even the promotional science

material for the mission emphasized a “beehive of activity” for the crew, with delivery of new research facilities and testing for a new microsatellite deployment system.

There were over 240 experiments planned (over 80 of which were brand new), supported by over 400 investigators across the globe. In the Russian segment, there were to be 303 sessions covering 38 experiments, with cosmonauts planned to work on the experiment packages for over 350 hours across the ISS-31 and 32 phases. The experiments included human research, biological and physical sciences, technology development, Earth observation, and education. The NASA press packs included explanations of overlapping science studies beyond ISS-32 into the ISS-33 and 34 expeditions. For ISS-31/32, there were 201 separate investi­gations planned, of which 123 were brand new and 82 were NASA led. A further 118 were internationally supported research investigations.

On May 31, after 9 days 23 minutes docked with the station, the Dragon spacecraft was unberthed using Canadarm2 to begin its return to Earth. While the new spacecraft was docked with the station, the crew had unloaded over 1,1001b (499 kg) of fresh supplies and then refilled the vessel with over 1,3001b (590 kg) of hardware. This time, however, it would be returned to Earth rather than burned up in the atmosphere as with the other types of resupply craft.

On June 21, there was a double birthday celebration on board the ISS, as Padalka celebrated his 55th birthday in space and Kononenko his 48th. For

Padalka this was a very special celebration, as it was the third time he had marked his birthday in space (previously celebrated in 2004 and 2009). It was also the second such occasion for Kononenko, having previously celebrated his birthday in space in 2008.

During the final two weeks of June 2012, the ISS crew was accompanied in space, if in different orbits, by the first Chinese space station crew aboard Tiangong-1. This milestone was noted in the press, though there would be no direct communications between the two crews.

Padalka took over formal command of the station from Kononenko during June 29. A couple of days later, during the early hours of July 1, Soyuz TMA-03 undocked from the station, at which point Expedition 32 officially began. Follow­ing a light-duty weekend, the remaining station crew of three resumed their schedule, although there were further light-duty shifts for the July 4 U. S. Independence Day and the weekend of July 7/8.

On July 17, Soyuz TMA-05M docked with the Rassvet module bringing the three Expedition 33 crew members. For the first two months of their mission, they would serve as Expedition 32 flight engineers under the command of Padalka. With the crew readjusting to six-person operations again, the Japanese HTV-3 was launched on July 20, carrying almost 4 tons of supplies for the station. The latest cargo craft was grappled on July 27 by Canadarm2 and attached to the nadir port of Harmony.

While the crew brought the Japanese resupply craft in to the station successfully, they experienced difficulties in redocking the Progress M-15M space­craft on July 24. M-15M had been undocked two days before and placed in a parking orbit and was due to attempt a redocking to test the new Kurs-NA system. The system failed at 9.3 miles from the station, so the unmanned resupply craft was “parked” a safe distance below the station while the failure was investi­gated. A second attempt was completed successfully, docking with the station in the early hours of July 29. The cause of the original failure was determined to be a fail-safe test which aborted the docking. Once the vehicle had been reattached to the station, Padalka dismantled the Kurs-NA avionics box and then stowed it aboard the Zarya module for later return to Earth for analysis. The Progress was undocked for a final time on July 30.

A new Progress, M-16M, docked with the Pirs module on August 2, delivering over 5,8001b (2600 kg) of cargo and propellant to the station. This was the 48th docking of a Progress to the station since August 2000. The difference with this flight was that the Progress took only four orbits (6 hours) to reach the station instead of the normal two days. This involved four very precise rendezvous man­euvers in the first 2 hours 40 minutes of flight, completed as a test for a proposed shortening of the journey to the ISS by Soyuz TMA-M flights in the hope of reducing the discomfort for the crew of two days in the cramped capsule. This new profile was not expected to be operational on manned flights for over a year.

For most of the month of August, the ISS crew kept busy with their science and preparations for the expedition’s first EVA. Performed by Padalka and Malenchenko, this took place on August 20 (for 5h 51 min) and featured the relocation of the Strela-2 cargo crane from the Pirs to the Zarya module. This was in readiness for the eventual undocking of Pirs to make room for the new Russian Nauka Multi-Purpose Laboratory. The cosmonauts also deployed a small TEKh-44 Sfera (“Sphere”) satellite by hand, which would be used for ground tracking tests over a two-to-five-month period to evaluate orbital debris and decay. The two cosmonauts also installed five micrometeoroid shields outside Zvezda, retrieved an exposure package, and installed support struts on the Pirs EVA ladder ready for relocation across to the Nauka module when it arrived. A second exposure experiment could not be retrieved, as the cosmonauts were unable to close the package enough for it to fit through the Pirs airlock hatch. It was left for a later crew to retrieve.

The Expedition 32 phase drew to a close in September, so while the three Soyuz TMA-04M crew members wound up their research and increased their con­ditioning routine for the return home, the other half of the crew prepared to take over prime command. They conducted two EVAs from the Quest airlock and supported the unberthing of Kounotori-3 from the station on September 12. The unmanned Japanese resupply craft, filled with 16.5 tons of unwanted material, performed a destructive reentry on September 14.

Five days after HTV-3 departed it was time to bid farewell to the TMA-04M crew, who undocked in the early hours of September 17 (Moscow time). They landed less than four hours later, after a 125-day mission. They had resided in the station for 123 days, of which they spent 43 days as part of the Expedition 31 crew and 78 days as the prime Expedition 32 crew. Formal handover of station command occurred on September 15 between Padalka and Sunita Williams.

By the end of the flight, Padalka had accumulated over 710 days in space, on three missions to the ISS and his visit to Mir in 1998/1999. This made him the fourth most experienced space explorer; he also had nine EVAs to his credit. During the post-landing press conference, Padalka (who is unlikely to fly a fifth mission) reportedly spoke openly about the condition of the Russian segment. He described the living conditions as sparse, noisy, cold, and overcrowded, with only one-seventh of the room afforded to the U. S. astronauts. It would not, he felt, be suitable for the proposed 1 yr missions that were being discussed for future expeditions. Some of these differences between the American and Russian seg­ments, especially the noise levels, have been clearly revealed in recent video tours of the station. The noise levels differ noticeably as the guided tour passes from the American to the Russian segment and back again.

Clearly there remains much to do in creating a universal comfortable environ­ment for a crew on long international expeditions. This needs to be addressed before we attempt to venture into deep space.

Milestones

287th manned space flight 119th Russian manned space flight 112th manned Soyuz 30th ISS Soyuz mission (30S)

26th ISS Soyuz visiting mission 4th Soyuz TMA-M flight 31/32nd ISS resident crew

Acaba celebrated his 45th birthday (May 17—the day Soyuz TMA-4M docked with the ISS)

Padalka celebrates his 55th birthday (June 21)

Kononenko celebrates his 48th birthday (also June 21)

Padalka first three-time ISS commander

There have also been studies into sending humans to the asteroids over the decades. More recently, serious thought has been given to making such journeys, possibly using Orion-class spacecraft. NASA has commenced a series of pioneer­ing simulations and evaluations for such a mission, which could be mounted towards the end of the 2020s. This work would be valuable for obvious scientific reasons: to gather a better understanding of these strange small worlds and to help plan both robotic and manned missions to Mars. If flown before manned flights to the Red Planet, these asteroid missions would be the farthest humans have ventured into space, with a proposed 1 yr round trip mission some 3 million miles

from Earth and a stay of up to 30 days at the chosen asteroid. Studies into working on the surface of these objects would prove invaluable if one is discov­ered to be on a colhsion course with Earth. Other reasons for visiting asteroids are similar to those for Mars, such as the potential for mining minerals or to use them as staging posts for expeditions to the outer reaches of the solar system.

Flight crew

JING Haipeng, 45, Chinese PLA Air Force, commander, second flight Previous mission: Shenzhou 7 (2008)

LIU Wang, 43, Chinese PLA Air Force, flight engineer LIU Yang, 34, Chinese PLA Air Force, flight engineer

Flight log

This mission came three years after Shenzhou 7 and provided China with a number of space “firsts” and a significant leap in manned space flight experience and operations. The primary objective was to place the first crew on board the inaugural space laboratory. There was also a female taikonaut in the crew, who became the first Chinese female in space. Launch of Shenzhou 9 occurred on the 49th anniversary of the launch of Valentina Tereshkova’s Vostok 6, the first to carry a female cosmonaut into space. Liu Yang’s entry into the record books also came two days before the 29th anniversary of Sally Ride becoming the first American woman in space, aboard STS-7. Liu Yang had been selected as a member of the second (2010) group of taikonauts.

Forecasts of the flight had been circulated for some time before the hardware was brought together to fly the mission. The Chinese had indicated as early as 2003 their desire to create a space laboratory, supplied by Shenzhou spacecraft. In the West, this seemed very reminiscent of the Soviet Soyuz-Salyut missions of 1971-1985. The Shenzhou 9 mission was part of a four-spacecraft program designed to provide the Chinese with experience in space station operations. First, the pre-fitted space laboratory, called Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”), would be launched unmanned into Earth orbit. This would be followed by Shenzhou 8, also unmanned, which would test the docking system and docking port. Shenzhou 9

would then take the first crew to occupy Tiangong and, if successful, a second manned mission, Shenzhou 10, would complete the program.

The launch of Tiangong-1 (2011-053A) by the upgraded Long March 2F (Tl) occurred on September 29, 2011. Over the following month, the systems of the station were activated, evaluated, and tested prior to the launch of Shenzhou 8 (2011-063A), also by a Long March 2F (G), on October 31. The Shenzhou performed an automated docking on November 3 and remained docked with the station for structural integrity tests between the two docked vehicles over the next two weeks.

On November 14, Shenzhou 8 undocked, backed away, re-rendezvoused, and docked a second time with the station as a further test of the automated systems. Shenzhou 8 was undocked a second time on November 16 to complete a short solo flight and landing the next day after a flight of 18 days. These successful steps paved the way for the manned attempt at docking with Tiangong but, as the months slipped into 2012, little information was forthcoming other than that the crew may include a female. The delays caused some in the West to suggest that there were problems either with Shenzhou 8, the station, or in the preparations for Shenzhou 9. But this overlooked the cautious nature of the Chinese program and the absence of the “race” situation that was a prominent part of the early Soviet and American years.

Behind the scenes, preparations for Shenzhou 9 were well under way. The crew assignments were made in March 2012 but remained unannounced until just prior to launch, although many Western space sleuths were able to deduce the likely candidates ahead of the official announcements. The spacecraft assigned to the flight arrived at the Jinquan launch center for processing on April 9, and then the launch vehicle was delivered to the launch site a month later on May 9.

With typical Chinese efficiency, the combined spacecraft and launcher was rolled 1.5 km to the launchpad on June 9, in an operation that took one hour to complete. The sequence of previous missions suggested that a launch could occur sometime between June 14 and 16. The Chinese authorities confirmed this and indicated a planned mission of about 13 days, including an automated docking with Tiangong-1 and 10 days of joint operations, during which the three-person crew (still unidentified officially) would work inside the station. Towards the end of the mission, it was stated, the crew would conduct a manual docking test before final separation and a short solo flight, with reentry and landing the following day.

The three-day countdown began on June 13 and the names of the crew were formally announced in the days prior to launch, making headlines around the world. The launch on June 16 went flawlessly and it took only 9 minutes 45 seconds to place Shenzhou 9 in orbit to begin its 2-day chase towards Tiangong-1. On June 18, the spacecraft made its final approach to the station 140 minutes prior to the planned docking time. There had been five maneuvering bums to adjust the spacecraft’s orbit prior to start of the automated rendezvous. The approach and docking was fully automated, although Liu Wang was ready to take over manual control if necessary. The automated system worked perfectly, however, with preplanned holds at 5 km, 140 m, and 30 m. The docking system was very similar to the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System with two rings first used on Apollo-Soyuz in 1975. The docking between Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong-1 occurred on the second day after launch and was followed a short time later by the crew transferring across to the space laboratory.

During their stay on board the station, the trio rotated their sleeping cycle so that at least one crew member was awake at all times to monitor onboard systems. Most of their time was taken up with evaluations and tests of the new space station, including several small maneuvering engine burns. The science program of 10 experiments included five medical studies of the taikonauts’ own physical con­dition during China’s first extended duration space flight. A series of air samples were taken to evaluate the status and condition of the station and the crew also completed a series of questionnaires on their health and operational tasks. They were also able to communicate with the ground via email. Much was made of the Chinese food available, of their enjoying weightlessness, and of Liu Yang perform­ing tai chi for the cameras. At one point, Liu Wang played a harmonica and all three seemed to be adapting well to their new environment.

The medical experiments focused upon physical exercise, physiology, cell biology, and sleep studies. The air purification system and other onboard systems were also tested and evaluated. Tiangong-1 is the first of a scheduled three stations in the series, leading up to the launch of a larger station (about the size of the U. S. Skylab) due in 2020. These studies in Tiangong-1 will go a long way towards determining which procedures or equipment will be best suited for inclusion on those larger, longer duration stations.

Several celebrations were marked during the mission. On June 26, the crew held a conversation with President Hu Jintao. They also celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival and talked with the oceanauts on the Jiaolong submersible (named after a mythological sea dragon) 7,020 meters beneath the sea in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, part of China’s Deep Dive program. The three taikonauts also had regular contact with family members, who visited Mission Control.

On June 24, the crew mothballed the station and reentered the Shenzhou to undock after 5 days 21 hours and 1 minute. They backed the Shenzhou away some 400 meters before bringing the vehicle back in under manual control. They halted again at 140 m and then 30 m before completing the first Chinese manual docking. The two craft were separate for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Once the docking connections and seals had been checked for integrity, the hatches were opened and the crew reentered the space lab for a few more days of work before returning to Earth. The Shenzhou was undocked a second time on June 28 after 4 days 21 hours 13 minutes, giving a total docked time across the two periods of approximately 10 days 8 hours 14 minutes.

Shenzhou 9 completed its expected short solo flight following the undocking, allowing the crew time to prepare for entry and landing the next day. The recovery of the spacecraft was completed on June 29, with the spacecraft landing safely but heavily and apparently bouncing and rolling before coming to a halt.

Subsequent reports indicated that the Descent Module had actually missed its intended landing target by 9.94 miles (16 km), though this was still within the planned 22.37 miles (36 km) by 22.37 miles (36 km) landing footprint. The DM landed near a small river, hitting a slope on one of the riverbanks before coming to a rest. Rescue crews were soon on the scene and the three occupants seemed none the worse for their ordeal. They departed the landing zone a few hours after landing and then completed a 2-week postffight recuperation and debriefing period. The mission was a huge success for the program and for China on the world stage, with talk of the next stage—Shenzhou 10 visiting the station—being likely as early as 2013, reflecting a renewed confidence in the Chinese program.

As a new pioneer was feted, another was mourned. Less than a month after the landing of Shenzhou 9 and the flight of the first Chinese woman in space, the American lady with that honor, Sally Ride (STS-7, STS-41G), sadly died on July 23, 2012 after a long battle against pancreatic cancer. She was just 61.

Milestones

288th manned space flight 4th Chinese manned space flight 4th manned Shenzhou mission

1st manned Chinese automated docking mission (June 18)

1 st Chinese manual docking (June 24)

1st resident crew on Tiangong-1

1 st Chinese taikonaut to make two missions (Jing Haipeng) 1st Chinese female in space (Liu Yang)

Despite no clear commitment to return to the Moon or venture to Mars, there are a number of committed individuals and groups who have produced countless plans and studies for deep-space exploration, hoping for the day when these plans turn into reality. Aside from a return to the Moon, human exploration of Mars and visits to far-flung asteroids, another target for future human exploration often features in these plans—the so-called “gravity parking sites” in space. Called Lagrange (or Lagrangian) points, these are great expanses of space at which the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Earth are equalized, so any spacecraft placed there could remain in place with little effort. Within the Earth-Moon system there are five such points. They are far enough away from the Sun or planetary bodies that they make ideal places to situate observation platforms,

such as ultra-cold telescopes that measure temperature fluctuations in space. Lagrange points are found around other planets and could be used to site remote operations centers intended to control robotic vehicles to explore the less hospitable places in the solar system more easily.

The L2 point is about 1 million kilometers from Earth and is the target location for the James Webb (infrared) Space Telescope, the replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope. Placing the spacecraft at this point makes servicing from Earth extremely difficult, and until the appearance of Orion or a similar spacecraft it will be impossible for several years to come. Once we have the capability to send crews to these points, they will be able to service and repair the range of telescopes currently being planned to be located there, extending their useful life and expand­ing their science program as in the case of Hubble. It may also be possible to perform construction tasks with large space structures or spacecraft at these points before sending them to the distant reaches of the solar system.

These locations could provide useful preparation points for trips to Mars and for controlling automated spacecraft on the Moon—a sort of Mission Control in space. With the development of more artificial intelligence spacecraft, operating a control room from deeper into space where communications would be much quicker would clearly be more advantageous than waiting for signals sent between

Earth and Mars that would need a 40 min round trip. As Gemini was a step for Apollo to the Moon, perhaps Lagrange points will be a stepping stone to deep-space human exploration missions.

2012-037A July 15, 2012

Pad 1, Site 5, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of

Kazakhstan

November 19, 2012

Northern Kazakhstan landing zone (near to the town of Arkalyk)

Soyuz-FG (R-7) (serial number Л15000-042),

Soyuz TMA-05M (serial number 706)

126 da 23 h 13 min 27 s Agat

ISS resident crew transport (ISS-32/33), Soyuz 31S

Flight crew

MALENCHENKO, Yuri Ivanovich, 50, Russian Federation Air Force, RSA ISS-32/33 flight engineer, Soyuz TMA-M commander; fifth mission Previous missions-. Soyuz TM-19 (1994), STS-101 (2000), Soyuz TMA-2 (2003), Soyuz TMA-11 (2007)

WILLIAMS, Sunita Lyn, 46, NASA, U. S.A., ISS-32 flight engineer, ISS-33 commander, Soyuz TMA-M flight engineer, second mission Previous mission-. STS-116/ISS/STS-117 (2006/2007)

HOSHIDE, Akihiko, 43, JAXA, (Japanese) ISS-32/33 flight engineer, Soyuz TMA-M flight engineer, second mission Previous mission-. STS-124 (2008)

Flight log

In the Expedition 33 preflight Mission Summary, the flight was described as “action-packed”, including the arrival of the first commercial resupply mission and research across a variety of experiments including muscle atrophy. Expedition 33 would continue to expand the research program, looking into the radiation levels aboard the outpost and the effects of microgravity on the human spinal cord. The Agricultural Camera would investigate dynamic processes on Earth (such as melting glaciers), seasonal changes, and how the ecosystem is affected by human intervention. The crew experiment program would encompass further experiments in human research, biological and physical sciences, development of new technologies, Earth observations and education.

Calling the expedition “action-packed” may have been stretching the description a little at the start, but the crew was certainly never at a loss for

things to occupy their time. With difficulties encountered on their first EVA, there was soon plenty of unplanned “action” for them to deal with. Their mission emblem description explained that the work on the ISS was “heading into the future”. Now that the space station was almost complete and the Shuttle retired, Expedition 33 was part of the push for new goals in space, even though it was not exactly clear where those goals were heading.

The launch occurred on the 37th anniversary of the launch of Soyuz 19 and Apollo 18 under the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first joint U. S.S. R./U. S. manned space flight program. This was not lost on the crew or officials recalling the event in their pre and postlaunch speeches. The arrival at the space station on July 17 was also exactly 37 years after the docking of Soyuz and Apollo and gave rise to further celebrations and comments on how far the joint programs had progressed since that time. The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft was docked success­fully with the Rassvet MRM1 module and, after the hatch opening, normal safety briefings, and welcoming ceremonies, the three new crew members were soon unloading equipment from the Soyuz, powering down their spacecraft, and getting up to speed on the various science and research activities across the station.

For most of their first two months on board the station, the trio were designated flight engineers as part of the ISS-32 Expedition. They were involved with activities associated with the Progress, HTV, and ATV resupply craft, as well as various science activities and general housekeeping duties. As August pro­gressed, Malenchenko assisted Padalka on a Russian segment EVA from Pirs (August 20), while Williams and Hoshide prepared for their own space walk from the Quest airlock using U. S. EMU suits.

That EVA (August 30, 8h 17 min) became the third longest space walk in history. The main objective of the EVA was to install a new Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) to the SO truss segment. This unit was one of four which routed electricity from the solar arrays on the truss to the station. After removing the failed unit, the astronauts found it difficult to install its replacement, chiefly because securing the bolts proved to be much harder than anticipated. Indeed, they could not secure one particularly stubborn bolt, so they used a long-duration tie down tether to secure the unit temporarily until a second EVA could be undertaken to finish the task. Unfortunately, with the MBSU out of service and two arrays out of action, the power available on the ISS was reduced by 25%. The EVA crew was able to connect one of two power cables in preparation for the arrival of the new Russian module, but the replacement of a camera on Canadarm2 also had to be postponed. Ironically, an unconnected drop-off of the station’s power system on September 1 meant that a third panel went off-line, reducing the station to five out of eight power channels for the first time in several years. The second EVA, on September 5 (6 h 28 min) was more successful, with the crew able to secure the MBSU and install the Canadarm2 camera.

On September 15, the Altair ISS-32 crew handed over command of the station to the Agat ISS-33 crew shortly before departing the station and ending their 125-day mission. Once again, the resident crew compliment was down to just three. Commander Sunita Williams became only the second female station expedition commander in 12 years and over 30 expeditions. The formal start of ISS-33 operations occurred when Soyuz TMA-04M undocked from the station to begin their return to Earth.

The handover occurred on the same weekend that Williams became the first person to complete a triathlon in space. After “participating” in the Boston Marathon during her first stay on the station in April 2008, Williams “participated” in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, held in Southern California on September 16. Orbiting some 240 miles (386 km) above the other competitors, she used special exercise equipment designed to keep astronauts fit during their mission and specially formulated to simulate the triathlon experience in space. Using a treadmill and stationary bike, she ran for 4 miles and cycled for 18 miles. To simulate “swimming”, Williams used the Advanced Resistive Exerciser Device (ARED), which allowed her to complete weightlifting and resistance exercises that approximated swimming in microgravity for “half a mile”. Her total time taken for the three disciplines was 1 hour 48 minutes 33 seconds.

The science work gathered pace for the crew through the rest of the month. Other tasks included preparing ATV-3 for undocking from the station. This was accomplished on September 28, with the vessel completing its destructive descent in the atmosphere on October 4. On October 10, the SpaceX Dragon CRS-1 cargo ship (which had launched on October 7) was grasped by the station’s RMS and attached to the Harmony Node, making it the first operational commercial resup­ply mission to arrive at the space station. On board were 8821b (400 kg) of cargo to replenish supplies at the station. The crew loaded about 1,6001b (726 kg) of cargo for return to Earth when the Dragon spacecraft detached from the station on October 28. It splashed down in the Pacific about six hours after undocking.

The next event was the arrival, on October 25, of the other three Expedition 33 crew members on board Soyuz TMA-6M. They were to take over from Wil­liams and her colleagues in November and continue as the Expedition 34 trio for the remainder of the year. With the new crew safely docked and integrated into the main residency program the emphasis shifted to preparations for the next EVA planned for November 1. On this EVA Sunita Williams and Akihiko Hoshide were allocated 6 hours and 30 minutes to repair an ammonia leak on one of the station’s port side radiators. The ammonia, which is circulated through the external thermal control system of the orbital facility, is used to cool the electronics and other systems.

The November 1 EVA (designated U. S. EVA-20) performed by Williams and Hoshide was accomplished in 6h 38 min accomplishing all the assigned and one get-ahead tasks. The pair completed both parts of the EAS (Early Ammonia System) jumper reconfiguration; demated the PVR 2B FQDC (Photovoltaic Radiator Flight Quick Disconnect Coupling); removed the cover from the spare TTCR (Trailing Thermal Control Radiator), then released and deployed the device. They also took documentary photography of the IEA (Integrated Equip­ment Assembly) and the PVR, as well as conducting the get-ahead task of inspecting the port SARJ (Solar Array Joint).

With the EVA completed the “Agat” trio prepared to hand over command of the station to the “Kazbek” crew and end their residency. Formal handover of the command of the ISS from Williams to Kevin Ford took place on November 17. The official ending of the ISS-33 phase and start of the ISS-34 phase took place on

November 19 with the undocking of Soyuz TMA-05M. The residency had accumulated 127 day in space with approximately 60 days spent as part of the ISS-32 expedition and then 63 days as the ISS-33 expedition.

Milestones

289th manned space flight 120th Russian manned space flight 112th manned Soyuz 31st ISS Soyuz mission (31S)

5th Soyuz TMA-M flight 32/33rd ISS resident crew

Williams celebrated her 47th birthday in space (September 19)

Williams becomes only the second female ISS expedition commander Williams also surpasses Whitson’s EVA record for a female astronaut setting a new cumulative EVA record of 50 h 40 min (seven EVAs)

Williams becomes the first person to complete a “triathlon” in space’ on September 16, adding the achievement to her space marathon run completed in April 2008

It was just over five decades ago that a young Soviet air force pilot was sitting strapped to an ejection seat in the confined compartment of a new type of vehicle called a spacecraft. After a rocket-boosted flight of a few minutes, he found himself high above the Earth in the vacuum of space and for just one orbit, becoming the only living human not to be on Earth or within its atmosphere. With this short mission, Yuri Gagarin became history’s first explorer of the cosmos. In the decades since that bold leap, over 500 individuals have followed in his trail, creating news pages in history along the way.

Sadly over the past five decades, we have lost many of the pioneers from the early days of the space program, both those who made the journey from Earth and those who made such missions possible, from administrators and managers, to flight controllers, launch technicians, spacecraft designers and engineers, and so many more. As these pages were being written, two more pioneers were lost in the space of one month: on July 23, 2012, Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, lost her battle with cancer at the age of 61. This was followed on August 25 by the death of Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on to the Moon, follow­ing complications after heart surgery at the age of 82. Their contribution, along with their colleagues and fellow workers in the first 50 years of the global space program, will never be forgotten. No matter how far humans may venture or what marvels they may encounter in the exploration of space, their achievements will have been built upon the foundations laid by pioneers such as these. The exploits of those who created and flew the first missions from Earth are recounted in documents such as this log.