Space News
space history and artifacts articles

Messages
space history discussion forums

Sightings
worldwide astronaut appearances

Resources
selected space history documents

  collectSPACE: Messages
  Free Space
  Flight Engineers as Soyuz Commanders

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Flight Engineers as Soyuz Commanders
Tom
Member

Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 10-22-2003 10:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Besides the Soyuz TMA-1 landing in May by Nikolai Budarin, were there any other Soyuz flights that were launched or landed by former Flight Engineers flying as Commanders for the first time.
The reason why I ask is because a comment made by Ed Lu aboard the ISS when asked if he was confident about his upcoming landing in the Soyuz. His reply was that he felt confident adding that Melenchenko was an experienced Soyuz Pilot.

Robonaut
Member

Posts: 259
From: Solihull, West Mids, England
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 10-23-2003 07:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robonaut   Click Here to Email Robonaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Nikolai Rukavishnikov in 1979 and Valery Kubasov in 1980 were flight engineers who commanded Soyuz missions to Salyut 6 on their third flights. Before Columbia another one may have commanded a Taxi flight. Also do not forget that the only Russian on the new crew to ISS, Alexander Kaleri, has flown as a flight engineer on his previous missions.

Best wishes
Rob Wood

pokey
Member

Posts: 361
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 10-23-2003 10:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for pokey   Click Here to Email pokey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The TMA-2 they are returning in has the same software bug that TMA-1 has. TMA-3 has a patch. TMA-2 *may* come in ballistic, but I'm sure they are mentally prepared for that.

The flight engineer issue is actually whether or not the Soyuz capsule is being flown by a Russian Air Force officer or a civilian. Budarin is civilian. Kaleri (civilian) added at a JSC news conference that the physics of manuvering a space capsule are not dependent on having stick time in a high performance jet. It's a physics problem that he (Kaleri) is more than capable of and Foale agreed. I think Foale even mumbled something like poppycock at the question of him not being Russian Air Force and commanding the Soyuz.

I also believe that Kaleri and Foale are the first all civilian crew (no active or retired military).

Tom
Member

Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 10-23-2003 04:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks, Rob and Pokey, for the very informative replies.
Tom

All times are CT (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | The Source for Space History & Artifacts

Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a





advertisement