In orbit! Next: Two days in the tube
Oct 14, 2004 00: 35 EST
At 7:06 a.m local time (9 pm EST), right on schedule, Salizhan Sharipov (center), Yuri Shargin (left) and Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao (right) left Earth from Kazakhstan in a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft (image from inside the Soyuz TMA-5).
"Soyuz is firmly in orbit," said an announcer at the launch site, reported Reuters 30 minutes ago (midnight EST).
Today's launch took place from the exact pad that once launched Yuri Gagarin. "The big impression for me will be standing at the top of the platform, getting ready to climb into the Soyuz," Leroy said earlier, "and feeling the history around this place, and just feeling proud to be part of it."
The flight to the Space Station will take 2 days. The flight and docking is on autopilot, but there is a manual over-ride function in case of computer failure. They guys are riding the craft for the first time. Sali and Leroy will stay on the station for six months. God's speed!
Image courtesy of Nasa.gov: Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao (right), Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov (center) and Russian Space Forces Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin (left) donned their launch and entry suits and climbed aboard their Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft October 5, 2004 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a dress rehearsal of launch day activities.
They were set to launch for the International Space Station late on October 13 (Eastern time). Chiao and Sharipov will spend six months on the Station, while Shargin will return to Earth October 24 with the Station's current residents, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke.
Image courtesy NASA.gov
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