6 months in ultimate Penthouse: TAKE OFF in 4 hours!
Oct 22, 2004 22: 21 EST
Published Oct 13, 2004 16: 50 EST
At 7:06 a.m local time (9 pm EST), Russians Salizhan Sharipov (bottom right), Yuri Shargin (middle left) and Expedition 10 Commander American Leroy Chiao (top left) are leaving Earth from Kazakhstan in a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft. Destination: the International Space Station.
The flight will take 2 days. The flight and docking is on autopilot, but there is a manual over-ride function in case of computer failure. The launch has been delayed twice. This past Saturday there was an accidental detonation of an explosive bolt, and then a tank with hydrogen peroxide burst.
They guys will be riding the craft for the first time. They have trained in a simulator and Leroy and Sali have flown U.S. space shuttles a few times, while Yuri is a rookie. It's the first time that a Soyuz pilot is not on board, most have retired and Russia lacks resources to train new ones.
At the space station, Sali and Leroi will fix a broken generator (which makes oxygen from waste water), bringing some spare parts.
Choking up there right now (just kidding) are Russian Gennady Padalka and American Mike Fincke. They can't wait for the rocket to arrive after having spent 6 months, including 4 space walks, and taking pictures of the recent Florida Hurricanes. Yuri wil take them back to Earth after a ten day stop-over. Mike will then meet his new daughter Tarali, who was born in June. "My family is the reason I'm returning to the planet," he said.
Sali and Leroy will stay for six months, working with new AIDS vaccines and plants, and trying to make the station quieter. In the midst of a silent Universe, the Space Station inhabitants actually wear hearing protection right now. They'll get a resupply of food and stuff at Christmas: "Sali is a kind and flexible person," says Leroy. "Leroy is a man I would take on a risky mission behind enemy lines," says Sali.
Since the Columbia disaster, the Russian Soyuz is the only carrier to the Space Station. The Russians now shuttle International Astronauts, and a few private travelers.
Today's launch takes 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, "and feeling the history around this place, and just feeling proud to be part of it."
The "Expedition 10" Soyuz-TMA-5 launch goes from Kazakhstan Baikonur Cosmodrome. Check links section for general launch tickets.
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