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Five months later scary throwing abort, cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA flight engineer Tyler "Nick" HagueThe first female thief, Christina Koch, is scheduled to take off on Thursday for a six-hour flight to the International Space Station, which will bring the lab team back to six hours.
With Ovchinin attached to the central seat of the control module, flanked to the left of Hague and to the right of Koch, the launch of the Soyuz MS-12 / 58S satellite is expected to take place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 15:14. EDT Thursday (12:14 pm local time), starting a climb to 45 minutes orbit in 8 minutes.
If all goes well, the spacecraft will overtake the four orbit station later and prepare for an automated docking at the Rassvet module facing Earth around 9:07 pm.
Ovchinin and Hague took off on October 11 aboard the Soyuz MS-10 / 56S. Two minutes after takeoff, one of the four rocket boosters failed to separate properly, causing a catastrophic failure. The Soyuz probe abort system immediately started, propelling the crew to safety for a parachute descent on Earth.
NASA
The problem with the normally reliable Soyuz booster was quickly identified and corrected and the current crew of the station – the Soyuz commander MS-11 / 57S, Oleg Kononenko, Canadian astronaut-physician David Saint-Jacques and NASA's mechanic Anne McClain – enjoyed a tour in orbit without a problem on 3 December.
Speaking with CBS News satellite from Moscow last month, Hague said he continued to trust the safety and reliability of the Soyuz.
"I'm 100% sure," he said. "In the aftermath of the launch, watching the reaction of the Russians, the transparency and the way they approach data sharing and problem solving is impressive.The strength of international cooperation has been put to the test and also strong than ever. "
This does not necessarily facilitate the task of the woman and the two children of The Hague. All three were present in Baikonur for the launch abortion.
"It is rare for a family to have the opportunity to watch a parent or spouse sit on a rocket, launch into space and witness a catastrophic launch failure." and then see that happen five months later, "he said. I said.
"But I'm lucky, I have an extraordinary wife, I have extraordinary children and I have been impressed by their resilience.They understand the importance of what we do and why we have to keep the mission, the space program has had failures and successes, and we are learning as we go along, but the important thing is that we continue to move forward. "
His wife Catie told CBS News a little earlier: "I'm nervous, oh yes, every little piece has to work perfectly, and it's scary to be his wife and look at him from the outside ( it's) very scary.But I agree with what Nick said.I mean, it's an important mission.And I go back there to help calm my nerves. . "
Despite this, she added, "will I be terrified while I look? Yes, I will be terrified."
NASA
Abortion has cast a key in the well-planned rotation program of the rotation of the space station's teams. Kononenko, Saint-Jacques and McClain have had the station for themselves since the return of three other members of the station on Earth, December 19th.
The launch of the Soyuz MS-12 / 58S space shuttle was originally scheduled to take place in April with Commander Oleg Skripochka, a guest cosmonaut from the United Arab Emirates, and Koch, who was training as a flight engineer or co-pilot. -pilot. But as a result of the abortion, the flight was moved and Ovchinin and Hague were assigned to join Koch, while Hague assumed the role of co-pilot.
Koch, an electrical engineer, mountaineer and experienced Antarctic researcher, was selected for the astronaut corps in 2013 in the same class as The Hague. She said that Ovchinin and Hague went out of their way to accommodate her on board.
She described Ovchinin as "wonderful", saying that he "met me very kindly within the crew." Since the first day, he has been looking for ways to integrate my skills. and my knowledge, he made me feel like a full member of the crew.
"We trained in both Soyuz and the Russian space station segment, so we had plenty of opportunities to learn how others work and we have excellent relationships. I have the privilege of flying with him – proved himself many times before as an excellent thief in space. "
Regarding the safety and reliability of the Soyuz, Koch echoed The Hague and said that she had no scruples or concern.
"For a few months, before the flight changed after the launch of Nick and Alexey, I was training as a Soyuz co-pilot," she said. "So I had the privilege of not only knowing its life support systems, but also entering into the engineering details of many motion control functions and others. parts of the spacecraft.
"It's an incredible machine, the fact that its reliability is so high is something to consider with great consideration, it was a great privilege to train on a spacecraft that has such an excellent track record. It's a good spacecraft. "
NASA
Kononenko, Saint-Jacques and McClain are expected to return to Earth on June 25 to complete a 203-day mission. Ovchinin, Hague and Koch will have the station until July 6, when three new crew members will arrive: Soyuz MS-13 / 59S commander Alexander Skvortsov, NASA astronaut Drew Morgan, and Italian Luca Parmitano, former astronaut of the European Space Agency.
This flight was the last mission to transport American astronauts during NASA's transition to SpaceX and Boeing commercial ships. SpaceX launched its spaceship Crew Dragon on an unmanned test flight on March 2 and may be ready to launch the first astronauts in the middle of summer.
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner capsule is in preparation for an unmanned test flight this spring, followed by a first crewed mission in the fall. Once one or both spaceships are
declared operational, NASA will be able to put an end to its sole use of the Soyuz for transporting US astronauts and partners to and from the station.
But this certification will require the resolution of many technical problems as well as critical tests of the abandonment systems of each spacecraft. Covering their bets, NASA officials are buying two additional Soyuz seats, one for use this fall and the other next spring. This will ensure a US presence on the station until 2020, even though the Commercial Team Program is experiencing significant delays.
In the meantime, the extended station team will face a busy first few weeks. Hague and McClain plan to make an exit into space on March 22 to install new solar panel batteries. This task will be performed by McClain and Koch during a second spacewalk, seven days later. The Hague and St. James will conduct a third EVA on April 8 to perform maintenance and other upgrades.
Cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya was the first woman to walk in space in 1984. Eleven American women followed in her footsteps. McClain and Koch will be the thirteenth and fourteenth to float outside a spaceship and will form the first all-female team.
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