Freitag, 28. Juli 2017 - 18:20

Raumfahrt - Start von ISS-Crew-52 mit ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespolis Vita-Mission 2017

24.11.2016

Mission logo for ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli's third spaceflight. The logo was developed by ESA together with Italian space agency ASI and Paolo.

The overall circle and blue shading evoke our planet, with the Third Paradise symbol by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto linking the mission’s main messages.

Three elements stand out: a strand of DNA as a symbol of life and science, a book as a symbol of culture and education, and Earth as a symbol of humanity.

The Third Paradise is a reformulation of the symbol for infinity. The two opposing ovals contain elements of the scientific and cultural activities Paolo will perform in space. Their meeting in the centre represents the evolution of Earth and benefits for humankind.

The central shape of the symbol, together with the presence of the globe, can also be seen as an eye, giving an astronaut’s perspective over our planet.

Reflecting Paolo’s origins, the logo features the colours of the Italian flag.

---

VITA: NEXT SPACE STATION MISSION NAME AND LOGO

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli will be launched to the International Space Station next year for his third spaceflight. The name and logo for his mission were announced today.

Vita stands for Vitality, Innovation, Technology and Ability and was chosen by Italy’s ASI space agency, which is providing the mission through a barter agreement with NASA.

In Italian, “vita” means “life”, reflecting the experiments that Paolo will run and the philosophical notion of living in outer space – one of the most inhospitable places for humans.

Logo

The mission’s logo was developed by ESA together with ASI and Paolo.

The overall circle and blue shading evoke our planet, with the Third Paradise symbol by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto linking the mission’s main messages.

Three elements stand out: a strand of DNA as a symbol of life and science, a book as a symbol of culture and education, and Earth as a symbol of humanity.

The central shape of the symbol, together with the presence of the globe, can also be seen as an eye, giving an astronaut’s perspective over our planet.

Reflecting Paolo’s origins, the logo features the colours of the Italian flag.

Crew greeting audience at the launch pad

Quelle: ESA

---

Update: 10.07.2017

Next ISS crew confirmed at Russia’s Star City

The primary crew of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft consists of Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik and astronaut of the European Space Agency Paolo Nespoli

1172595-1

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky and NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik

An inter-departmental commission recommended at a meeting in the Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center, in Star City near Moscow on Monday to approve the primary and backup crews for a flight to the International Space Station (ISS), a spokesperson for the center told TASS.

"A decision has been made to approve the crews for continuing the pre-flight training at the Baikonur spaceport," a spokesperson said.

The primary crew of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft consists of Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik and astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) Paolo Nespoli.

The backup crew brings together Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai. The crews are due to be approved by a state commission at the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan a day before the launch set for July 28.

1166053

The commission’s meeting was held after two-day tests during which the cosmonauts and astronauts successfully managed all contingency emergency situations onboard precise replicas of a Russian segment of the ISS and the Soyuz MS spacecraft. They had been also approved for the flight by a medical commission.

Ryazansky and Bresnik will fly to the ISS for a second time, while Nespoli will be heading for his third spaceflight, which is due to last for 139 days.

Quelle: TASS

---

Update: 24.07.2017

NASA Television Coverage Set for Next International Space Station Crew Launch

expedition52flightengineers

Expedition 52 flight engineers Paolo Nespoli of ESA, left, Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos, and Randy Bresnik of NASA pose for a photograph outside the Soyuz simulator.

Credits: NASA/ Bill Ingalls

Three new crew members for the International Space Station are scheduled to launch on Friday, July 28. Live launch coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) will launch at 11:41 a.m. (9:41 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Expedition 52/53 crew will spend more than four months together aboard the orbital complex before returning to Earth in December. Video of prelaunch activities from the crew’s activities in Baikonur will air July 24-27 on NASA TV.

After launching, the trio will travel for six hours in the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft before docking to the space station’s Rassvet module at 6 p.m. NASA TV coverage of the docking will begin at 5:15 p.m.

Hatches between the Soyuz and station will open at approximately 7:40 p.m. The arriving crew will be welcomed onboard by Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer of NASA. Coverage of hatch opening and welcoming ceremonies will begin at 7 p.m.

The soon-to-be six crew members of Expedition 52 will continue work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the International Space Station.

+++

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli of ESA

nhq201707100006

Expedition 52 flight engineer Paolo Nespoli of ESA answers a reporter's question during a crew press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Monday, July 10, 2017 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

+++

Expedition 52-53 Prime and Backup Crew Members

jsc2017e096670

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 52-53 prime and backup crewmembers pose for pictures July 17 during a fit check dress rehearsal. In the front row are the prime crewmembers, Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency (left), Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Randy Bresnik of NASA (right). In the back row are the backup crew, Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right). Bresnik, Ryazanskiy and Nespoli will launch July 28 on the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

Quelle: NASA

---

Update: 26.07.2017

Military aviation deployed in Kazakhstan and Russia's Siberia ahead of Soyuz launch

The launch is scheduled for 18:42 Moscow time on July 28

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky and NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik near the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft

MOSCOW, The Russian Defense Ministry’s aviation has been deployed at airfields in Kazakhstan and Russia’s Siberia to ensure safe launch of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft due on Friday, the Russian military said on Wednesday.

The aircraft have arrived at airfields in Kazakhstan’s Baikonur and Karaganda and Russia’s Gorno-Altaisk and Kansk (Siberia).

"A total of 125 servicemen, six Mi-8 helicopters, three An-26 and An-12 planes, as well as ten all-terrain vehicles, including two Blue Bird [ZIL-4906] search and rescue vehicles will take part in ensuring the safe launch of Soyuz MS-05," a spokesman for Russia’s Central Military District said.

The launch is scheduled for 18:42 Moscow time on July 28. The Soyuz MS-05 will take crewmembers Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency, Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Randolf Bresnik of NASA to the International Space Station.

Quelle: TASS

---

Update: 27.07.2017

Multi-National Soyuz MS-05 Crew Ready for Friday Launch to Space Station

When Fyodor Yurchikhin’s crew returns to Earth in September, Expedition 53 will officially begin, under the command of NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik (seated right). His crew will consist of (from left) Joe Acaba, Aleksandr Misurkin, Mark Vande Hei, Sergei Ryazansky and Paolo Nespoli. Photo Credit: NASA, via Mark Vande Hei/Twitter

For the first time in almost four years, three Americans will be aboard the International Space Station (ISS) together this weekend, as Soyuz MS-05 brings a new team of astronauts and cosmonauts to the multi-national orbiting outpost. Veteran shuttle flyer Randy Bresik, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Ryazansky and Italy’s Paolo Nespoli are slated to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:41 p.m. local time (11:41 a.m. EDT) on Friday, 28 July, after which they will follow a well-trodden four-orbit “fast rendezvous”, docking at the station’s Earth-facing (or “nadir”) Rassvet module, some six hours and 20 minutes later. In Nespoli’s words, the 134 cubic feet (3.8 cubic meters) of the tiny Soyuz cabin promises “an amazing ride…with little legroom”.

The three spacefarers and their backups—Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Misurkin, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Japan’s Norishige Kanai—traditionally paid homage to Yuri Gagarin at Moscow’s Kremlin Wall, earlier this month, before flying out to Baikonur on 16 July. Over the next few days, the crews ceremonially raised their national flags, prompting Nespoli to tweet “We are getting serious!” For Bresnik, the highpoint was climbing for the first time into the “real” Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft, wearing his “real” Sokol launch-and-entry suit, using his “real” seat-liner and equipment.

The Soyuz MS-05 prime and backup crews arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 16 July. Photo Credit: NASA/Twitter

As outlined previously by AmericaSpace, the number of U.S. occupants of the ISS will increase from two to three members for at least the next year, in response to a Russian decision to reduce its own complement of cosmonauts. When Bresnik, Ryazansky and Nespoli arrive at the station, they will be welcomed by Expedition 52 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and his crewmates Peggy Whitson—more than eight months into a 9.5-month increment—and Jack Fischer. The six spacefarers will work together for a month, before Yurchikhin, Whitson and Fischer return to Earth on 3 September.

During their month together, the crew will oversee a spacewalk by Yurchikhin and Ryazansky and potentially the arrival of SpaceX’s CRS-12 Dragon cargo ship, laden with supplies, including the Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) instrument. With the departure of Yurchikhin’s crew, Bresnik will assume command of the station and Expedition 53 will officially commence. Ten days later, on 13 September, Soyuz MS-06 will deliver the second half of his team—Misurkin, Vande Hei and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba—to the ISS.

The Soyuz MS-05 prime crew undergoes final suited fit-checks aboard their spacecraft at Baikonur. From left to right are Paolo Nespoli, Sergei Ryazansky and Randy Bresnik. Photo Credit: NASA/Twitter

The six-strong team will work together for the next three months, welcoming Russia’s Progress MS-07 and Orbital ATK’s OA-8E Cygnus cargo ships in October, followed by SpaceX’s CRS-12 Dragon in November. A pair of U.S. Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) are targeted for late October, although spacewalking crew members have yet to be identified. These EVAs will be tasked with the replacement of failing cameras on the station’s Integrated Truss Structure (ITS), installation of additional High-Definition (HD) cameras and maintenance work. Current plans call for Bresnik, Ryazansky and Nespoli to return to Earth on 14 December, wrapping up 139 days in orbit.

If their mission runs to schedule, 60-year-old Nespoli will not only become the oldest Italian spacefarer, but also the most flight-experienced of his countrymen or women, with an expectation that on 23 August he will surpass Samantha Cristoforetti’s 199-day national record. Additionally, in September, Bresnik will celebrate his 50th birthday, as Misurkin heads over the hill by welcoming his 40th birthday in orbit.

Quelle: AS

+++

Launcher for next space station crew in position for liftoff Friday

A Russian Soyuz rocket made a railroad journey Wednesday to its launch pad in Kazakhstan, two days before blastoff with a crew of three spaceflight veterans from the United States, Italy and Russia heading for the International Space Station.

The three-stage rocket departed an assembly building just after sunrise Wednesday on a special rail car for the journey to Launch Pad No. 1, the same mount from which Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launched on the first piloted space mission in April 1961.

A hydraulic lift raised the Soyuz vertical before swing arms moved into place around the rocket. The launch structure containing the Soyuz booster then rotated to align with the planned launch azimuth.

Friday’s liftoff is scheduled for 1541 GMT (11:41 a.m. EDT; 9:41 p.m. Baikonur time). The three-man crew inside the Soyuz MS-05 capsule will head into orbit on a fast-track pursuit of the space station, with docking set for approximately 2200 GMT (6 p.m. EDT) with the research outpost’s Rassvet module.

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy, 42, will occupy the Soyuz spacecraft’s center seat during Friday’s launch and docking. The Soyuz commander, a biochemist with a career in space medicine before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2003, is making his second trip to the space station after spending 166 days in orbit as a flight engineer on the Expedition 37 and 38 crews.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik will be the Soyuz MS-05 spaceship’s board engineer, assisting Ryazanskiy with cockpit duties during the six-hour voyage from liftoff to docking. The 49-year-old retired Marine Corps fighter pilot hails from Santa Monica, California, and logged nearly 11 days in orbit aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on a 2009 mission to the space station.

Bresnik will take command of the station’s Expedition 53 crew in September.

European Space Agency flight engineer Paolo Nespoli has 174 days of space experience on two previous missions, including a flight on the shuttle Discovery in 2007 and a long-duration stay on the space station in 2010 and 2011. Nespoli, 60, is a native of Milan and was a special forces operator in the Italian Army before working on several European space projects as an engineer.

Paolo Nespoli, Sergey Ryazanskiy and Randy Bresnik (left to right) pose for a photo during training in Star City, Russia. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The trio will become part of the space station’s Expedition 52 and 53 crews, joining commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer on the orbiting complex. Yurchikhin, Whitson and Fischer are due to depart the station and return to Earth on Sept. 2, and three fresh crew members will launch on the next Soyuz spaceship from Baikonur on Sept. 12.

The space station has been flying with a three-person crew since early June, and Friday’s docking will boost the outpost’s occupancy back to six.

Yurchikhin and Ryazanskiy will conduct a spacewalk Aug. 17 to deploy several small satellites and work outside the Russian segment of the station.

A SpaceX Dragon supply ship launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is expected to arrive at the complex the same week, but its liftoff will have to work around the scheduled Russian spacewalk. Station managers want to ensure the satellites released by the Russian spacewalkers are accurately tracked before committing the Dragon cargo freighter to approach the outpost, minimizing the chance for a collision with one of the small craft.

The Dragon capsule is currently set to launch around Aug. 14, but if it slips more than a day or two, the launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket could be further delayed until officials are sure the small satellites are well away from the space station. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is also expected to launch the same week, potentially complicating bookings on the U.S. Air Force’s Eastern Range, which is responsible for flight safety, communications and tracking support for all missions from Cape Canaveral.

Quelle: SN

---

Update: 28.07.2017

Quelle: NASA

+++

Update: Erfolgreicher Start

Expedition 52 flight engineer Randy Bresnik of NASA, top, flight engineer Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency), middle, and flight engineer Sergei Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos, bottom, wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-05 rocket for launch, Friday, July 28, 2017 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Ryazanskiy, Bresnik, and Nespoli will spend the next four and a half months living and working aboard the International Space Station.