Hello everybody from the International Space Station!
Many thanks to RosCosmos (Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation – RT) and its press service for creating this channel of communication. What shall I start with? I think I should start from the very beginning…
I could not imagine that orbiting (of the Soyuz spacecraft – ed.) would be so smooth and easy. I even liked it. Just imagine, the spacecraft is still on Earth, and we are waiting inside, and you can feel it swaying slightly, especially if it’s windy.
Then behind my back –the umbilical is located there – the umbilical cable is moving and I can feel it too.
The spacecraft takes off – slowly and smoothly. The noise is not loud. When viewing it from outside, you could never imagine what it feels like being inside. In the same easy way you gradually start feeling the gravity load more, more, and more… approximately 3.5 – 4 G. And when the detachable sections disengage, it – wow! – falls down to 0. The feeling is like falling into an abyss. Then the G-load goes up and up again…And then – wow! – and back to the abyss…
The most exciting is when the third detachable section disengages. That was a great feeling! As if you are turned upside down. You are still in the chair, but it’s like you have your legs behind your ears.
And when the payload fairing disengages, the illuminator opens and we can see the light…
Via Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Show comments (1)
19 November, 2009, 15:11
Thank you very very very much for taking the time for this blog! Finally some real stories instead of the dry NASA way of stating facts and figures. Please don`t stop!