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Author
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Topic: ISS: Proposed Soyuz flyabout photo opportunity
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Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-03-2011 03:17 AM
  
Look, I don't necessarily believe the Russians either, but their logic is quite simple. If the new Soyuz piloted by the old crew can't redock, then they have to land immediately. That means the new crew with the old Soyuz have to return as well, so as not to exceed vehicle lifetime limitations on orbit. Net result, a completely unmanned ISS for the first time in 11 years. Not a good outcome. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-03-2011 04:27 AM
quote:
Originally posted by 328KF:
...but maybe someday someone close to the program will write a book and tell the whole story.
If there is a full story still to be told, my feeling is that it would be more about Roscosmos' greater concern about the performance of their new model Soyuz to date than it would be about their getting compensated for the flyabout. This first test flight has not been without its series of problems, including a loss of cabin pressure during launch and what appears to have been a hard failure of the analog/digital data converter on the new Neptune-ME information display system. |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 03-03-2011 02:32 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
If there is a full story still to be told, my feeling is that it would be more about Roscosmos' greater concern about the performance of their new model Soyuz to date than it would be about their getting compensated for the flyabout.
I never have stopped thinking of spaceflight as anything but a very, very high-altitude version of test-flying experimental vehicles. As a result, although it would have been very neat to have the photo op, I can completely understand why it's a no-go. You don't want to increase the risks or play with more unknowns than necessary. Aside from the problems with the new-model Soyuz already encountered to date, I can't help wondering what would happen if the fly-around were done and something *did* go wrong, causing anything from premature end of mission to (Heaven forbid) someone getting hurt or worse...all in the name of getting some neat pictures. (The XB-70/F-104 collision came to my mind, too.) The pictures would be neat, but safety is always paramount, and the idea would make me nervous. This is probably the right call. |
Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 03-03-2011 03:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ea757grrl:
(The XB-70/F-104 collision came to my mind, too.)
Wow what a perfect example the XB-70 incident makes.We saw Joe Cotton get up in front of a large group celebrating the XB-70 several years ago in Lancaster and speak of the accident. He confessed to the guilt he carried around his whole life since that day. He wished he would have just said no. The room was completely still during his talk. David Hartman was moderating the event and he was taken aback by this confession as well. Nobody thought ill of Joe, but he was wrought with anguish that he could not go back in time and just say no. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1234
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-20-2011 02:58 PM
I was searching around to see if there was any thought of revisiting this now that TMA-01M is back on Earth. A NASASpaceflight.com article reports that the photo op may be back on the table for STS-134. However, as seen with STS-133, it is also possible that the +1 mission day would be used to add more docked time to the mission to help out the ISS crew on various tasks.It is also possible that the +1 day could be used to enable a Soyuz flyaround of the ISS/Shuttle complex since those discussions with the Russians are underway and under evaluation for STS-134. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3208
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 04-14-2011 07:19 AM
Editor's note: The Soyuz flybout, which was canceled during STS-133 and was briefly considered but ultimately ruled out for STS-134, is now again being looked at for STS-135.Which option would be more preferable from a photographic standpoint? An ISS Soyuz flyabout or an ISS 90° yaw maneuver after the Shuttle undocks for the flyaround? I believe that both are still being considered. Editor's note: Threads merged. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-16-2011 11:54 AM
Recent media reports suggested that mission managers were looking at adding the flyabout to the activities performed by the Soyuz TMA-20 crew as they will undock from the International Space Station during space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission on May 23. Bill Gerstenmair, associate administrator for space operations, confirmed at a press conference today that the flyabout was again under consideration but has not yet been approved. We'll have the teams look at the undock sequence and the Russians will provide us what the profile will be for the flyabout. And then the station team will take a look at that flyabout and make sure that all looks fine. We think it will. We'll let the mission management team that is actually managing the mission make the decision about whether that flyabout occurs and when it occurs and how it is done. They'll do that through their normal processes. Editor's update: A Soyuz "undock with imagery" has been approved for STS-134. |
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