Soyuz TMA-19
Encyclopedia
Backup crew
Launch
Soyuz TMA-19 was launched by a Soyuz-FGSoyuz-FG
The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle is an improved version of the Soyuz-U, from the R-7 family of rockets, designed and constructed by TsSKB-Progress in Samara...
carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. The launch occurred successfully on 15 June 2010, with the rocket lifting off at 21:35 UTC. After its separation from the last stage of the Soyuz-FG rocket, Moscow Mission Control Center began controlling the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft. Nine minutes into the ascent, the spacecraft settled into a preliminary orbit of 200.16 by with the inclination 51.62 degrees toward the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. The Soyuz spacecraft successfully deployed the solar arrays for power generation and the antennas for navigational and communication systems. Telemetry data received from the Soyuz confirmed that the spacecraft was performing nominally.
Prior to launch, assembly of the rocket and spacecraft had been underway for several months. The Soyuz-FG rocket arrived at Baikonur on 11 March 2010, along with a Soyuz-U
Soyuz-U
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....
which was slated to launch Progress M-06M
Progress M-06M
Progress M-06M, identified by NASA as Progress 38P, is a Russian Progress spacecraft which was launched in June 2010 to resupply the International Space Station. It was the 38th Progress to dock with the space station and the third of year 2010.-Launch :...
. The spacecraft itself was shipped from Korolyov
Korolyov (city)
Korolyov or Korolev is an industrial city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, well known as the cradle of Soviet and Russian space exploration. It was originally founded as Kaliningrad in 1938 by Vasily Boldyrev, Naum Nosovsky, and Mikhail Loginov as the leading Soviet center for production of anti-tank...
on 16 April 2010, arriving at Baikonur by train three days later. Upon delivery, the spacecraft was moved to Site 254.
On 11 June 2010, final inspections of the spacecraft were conducted, and the spacecraft was then encapsulated in its payload fairing to form the upper composite of the rocket. The next day, the upper composite was integrated with the upper stage of the rocket that was to launch it, and subsequently the launch escape system
Launch escape system
A Launch Escape System is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate the crew module from the rest of the rocket in case of emergency. Since the escape rockets are above the crew module, an LES typically uses separate nozzles which are...
. This assembly work took place at Site 112 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Once this was complete, the upper stage was attached to the remainder of the rocket in the MIK. A State Commission met of 12 June to approve rollout, which was authorised.
Rollout to the launch pad began at 01:00 UTC ( Moscow Time
Moscow Time
Moscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second westernmost of the nine time zones of Russia. Moscow Time has been UTC+4 year-round since 27 March 2011....
) on 13 June 2010, with the rocket departing the MIK propelled by a locomotive. Rollout lasted around two hours, with the rocket travelling 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the MIK to the launch pad. The winner and runner-up in the patch design competition were present to observe the rollout. Rollout operations were completed by 05:00 UTC ( Moscow Time), when the rocket was erected on the launch pad.
Docking
Soyuz TMA-19 docked with the International Space Station on 17 June 2010at 22:25 UTC. It docked with the aft port of the Zvezda module. Ahead of docking, the ISS handed over attitude control to the Russian Orbital SegmentRussian Orbital Segment
The Russian Orbital Segment is the name given to the components of the International Space Station constructed in Russia and operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency...
at 19:00 UTC, and at 19:17 maneuvered to provide an optimum attitude for docking. At 20:06, the automated rendezvous sequence started. The Kurs
Kurs (docking system)
Kurs is a radio telemetry system used by the Soviet and later Russian space program.Kurs was developed by the Research Institute of Precision Instruments before 1985 and manufactured by the Kiev Radio Factory .- History :...
docking systems aboard the Soyuz and the Space Station were activated at 20:52 and 20:54 respectively. TMA-19 began station keeping at around 20:08 UTC, before it commenced its final approach at 20:16.
Twenty minutes after docking, hooks were closed securing the Soyuz to the station. Once this was completed, the ISS returned to its normal attitude. Attitude control was returned to the US Orbital Segment
US Orbital Segment
The US Orbital Segment is the name given to the components of the International Space Station constructed and operated by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration , European Space Agency , Canadian Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency .The segment currently consists of...
at 23:45 UTC.
Relocation
On June 28, cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin along with NASA astronauts Douglas Wheelock and Shannon Walker boarded their Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft and undocked from Zvezda Service Module's aft port at 3:13 p.m. EDT. They re docked it to its new location on the Rassvet module 25 minutes later as the two spacecraft were flying just off the coast of the Western Sahara on the west coast of Africa. The repositioning of the Soyuz TMA-19 was temporarily delayed due to an electrical breaker problem that delayed proper orientation of the 4B solar array on the space station's P4 truss. The flight went according to plan.The event marked the first ever docking to the Rassvet
Rassvet (ISS module)
Rassvet , also known as the Mini-Research Module 1 and formerly known as the Docking Cargo Module , is a component of the International Space Station . The module's design is similar to the Mir Docking Module launched on STS-74 in 1995. Rassvet is primarily used for cargo storage and as a docking...
module. The change of location released the Zvezda port for the docking of Progress M-06M
Progress M-06M
Progress M-06M, identified by NASA as Progress 38P, is a Russian Progress spacecraft which was launched in June 2010 to resupply the International Space Station. It was the 38th Progress to dock with the space station and the third of year 2010.-Launch :...
.
Undocking and landing
Soyuz TMA-19 undocked from the space station at 01:19 GMT on 26 November, 2010. The descent module landed on the central steppes of Kazakhstan at 04:46 GMT, four days earlier than originally planned. The landing had been set for 30 November, but Kazakh officials decided to restrict air traffic before the start of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in EuropeOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
summit in Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
, Kazakhstan, set for 1-2 December. The landing site was located 84 km away from the city of Arkalyk
Arkalyk
Arkalyk is a city in Kostanay Province, northern Kazakhstan. Earlier, it was the centre of Torgay province, which was abolished in 1997. Today, it is the administrative centre of Torgay region, Kostanay province....
.
On 25 November, 2010, the crew boarded Soyuz TMA-19 to return to Earth. After closing the hatchway between the Soyuz and the station at 22:14 GMT, they donned their Sokol spacesuits and continued with the power up operations. The crew also activated the Soyuz systems and removed the docking clamps. The undock command was issued at 01:20 GMT when the Soyuz and the station was flying above the Russian-Mongolian border.. The physical separation occurred three minutes later at 01:23:13 GMT
After the separation from the station and at a short distance away, Soyuz TMA-19 executed the so called “separation burn” (a 15 seconds burn) to vacate the proximity of the space station. About two and half hours later, at 03:55:12 GMT, the Soyuz spacecraft performed the deorbit maneuver which lasted for 4 minutes and 21 seconds, while it flew backwards over the south-central Atlantic Ocean on a north easterly trajectory towards Asia. With the deorbit burn nominally accomplished, the recovery forces comprising 14 helicopters, 4 airplanes and 7 search and rescue vehicles were dispatched to the landing zone. At an altitude of 140 kilometers, just above the first traces of the Earth's atmosphere, onboard computers commanded the separation of the three Soyuz TMA-19 modules. With the crew inside the Descent Module, the forward Orbital Module and the rear Instrumentation Module were pyrotechnically nominally jettisoned at 04:21 GMT.
Three minutes after the separation, with the heat shield of the Descent Module pointing towards the direction of travel, the Soyuz capsule experienced the first traces of the atmosphere ("entry interface") at 04:23 GMT at an altitude of 400,000 feet above the Earth. Around 04:28 GMT, the flight path of the capsule crossed the Mediterranean, Turkey and the Black Sea before flying over southern Russia and into Kazakhstan.
At an altitude of about 10 kilometers, onboard computers started a commanded sequence to unfurl the parachutes. Two "pilot" parachutes deployed first, extracting a 24-square-meter drogue parachute. The parachute deployment reduced the velocity of the Soyuz capsule from 230 m/s to 80 m/s and assisted in the capsule’s stability by creating a gentle spin for the Soyuz spacecraft. Once the drogue chute was released, the main parachutes were deployed. They further reduced the descent to 7.2 m/s. Initially, the Descent Module hung underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon and for the few minutes before the landing, then following the detachment of the bottom-most harness it hung vertically. At this time, flight controllers reported the Soyuz spacecraft was operating as expected on the automatic sequence. During the same time, they were successful in contacting the crew via the fixed-wing aircraft that served as the central command for the search and recovery forces. The recovery forces spotted the Soyuz TMA-19 around 04:36 GMT. At an altitude of five kilometers, the module's heat shield was jettisoned.
At the end of the 163-day voyage, Soyuz TMA-19's landing was confirmed at 04:46 GMT. The recovery team assisted the crew to exit the capsule. First out of the capsule was cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin followed by NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Douglas Wheelock.
After the successful landing, the Soyuz TMA-19 crew flew to Kustanai in Kazakhstan for the welcoming ceremony. Wheelock and Walker boarded a NASA jet waiting for them in Kustanai for the trip back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Yurchikhin headed for Star City - the home of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.