LiftOff Soyuz TMA 12 - 03.04.-09.04.2008
by Werner Strasser
Born in 1954, I wanted to give me a 54th round Birthday special and a kind of grudge. From my youth on, space and rocket technology is fascinating me. My father stood with us guys each night under the open sky, to see the Russian Sputnik above us. Obviously, we were also followed the entire Apollo program on black and white tv-screens. In the 70s and 80s, then a round course from museum to museum. That was interesting but the last kick was missed. Ich wanted to see a rocket launch!
Four attemps I needed until I finally watched the STS-96 mission on October 20th in 1998, as Senator John Glenn flow again into space. In the end of the 90th, the iron curtain was coming down and it seems, that suddenly things were possible what were previously unthinkable. And Russia opened the doors and gates. So would it be possible for to see a liftoff in Russia, so my thoughts.
The Internet led me to Andreas Bergweiler and his company of Space Travelers International.
A few mails back and forth shows me very quickly, that I'd reached someone who has the right knowledge of space - at present and for the history, he has the necessary experience and contacts in Russia to the makers of the Russian aerospace. My most asked question was (again and again): Will the liftoff with the Soyuz will follow up really the plan for the liftoff? Andreas assured me that unlike the U.S., the Russians putted their Soyuz Spacecrafts mostly just in time into space with very rare cancellations or backmoves in the past. So I booked. Now I was even more tense. What do the Russians on other ways, unlike the Americans?
Even the procurement of the visa was a bit adventurous affair. But Space Travellers is well organizened and with special letters and invitations from Muscow and other channels together with the Russian Embassy in Switzerland it had already this first hurdle properly folded. So, the omes for the trip were so good.
Because I travel to Russia with commercial activities and also wanted to combine a very narrow window of time had, I inquired Space Travellers with a special wish, if it would be possible to do the Energia Space Museum visit before the visit of Star City and Baikonur, instead as of the end of the journey. Certainly it is not an easy task, the Energia Space Museum is on the plant of Energia Space, and this is still within a safety zone.
Andreas, thanks to his relationship and his network, desires this promptly complete. This museum is an absolute must for space enthusiasts. Here you will find big many artifacts of human spaceflight what were first time in space.
On Thursday the 3rd April 2008 I met after my Energia Space Museum visit day then the whole tour group at the hotel Soyuz northeast of Moscow. We were 6 people with very different CVs but a common goal, we wanted to see what and how the Russians are accomplishing the manned spaceflight. All of the group had seen Cape Kennedy, now the difference was asked.
On 4 April, so my round birthday, we visited the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Besides the impressive facilities with the largest centrifuge in the world and the hydrolab we saw at the cosmonaut training centre the rehearsal of procedures. Nowhere you can come closer!
On Saturday the 5th April then, we flew with an official airplane of the GCTC from Moscow to Baikonur. No public airline in the world can offer this flight experience. The machine, a TU 134, was defective, we had to wait. With a selenium quietness cycled a mechanic infront of our eyes to a different machine, comprising the same type, built out the damaged landing light, cycled on the tarmac back and built the landing light in our machine. Then, the machine was ready.
With a little delay the flight went off. So sure, I have rarely felt the people were professionals and knew what they were doing. The many cosmonauts and government members on the same machine were also the best guarantee for serious work. The experience of the flight in this airplane is an experience, what you never get in our regions! Through the glass pulpit Cokpit, we were able to fly from the perspective of the navigator long past time watching. Andreas set up a smoke corner, and as there some caucasion cognac appeared, the trip was finally not longer be topped. The landing in Baikonur and the transfer to the hotel were purely routine.
On Sunday 6th April followed the much awaited rollout of the Soyuz rocket with the Soyuz capsule already assembled. At dawn, the gate at of the assembly hall opened and the Soyuz combination was lying on a railway with a diesel for starting withdrawn. Compared with an American rocket, Soyuz is very small. And the effect is the same, as those monster-American, it shot through my head. Unlike Americans pile the Russians are not build up different rocket stages, they bundle identical units on the scale. If you think about, to stack 6 cans of beer on each other or side by side, it appears logical.
With the dawn of the day I could then also clearly recognize the surroundings. The buildings are partially in a neglected state and much scrap is around. The money of today's civil space is much scarcer than the money of military space at the time of the Cold War. This impression is substantiated during a visit to some of the scrapped launch ramps and launch pads of Proton, Buran and Energia rockets. At its launch pad Soyuz arrived, the unit is pushed via a single hydraulic cylinder from the horizontal to the vertical on the pad. Volia, the rocket stood perfectly, beautifully and elegantly on its launch base. It followed over the next two days the completion of refueling, beside this we understandably could not be present.
On Monday the 7th April we had the press conference of the cosmonauts. The primary and the secondary crew. As we read in the European press, was the Korean original cosmonaut replaced because of espionage by a Korean colleague. For the two Russian cosmonauts of the secondary crew was clear that they will be on their flight on the next liftoff in September/October. For the Korean cosmonaut it was equally clear that he will never fly into space.
In the afternoon we visited another launch pads and test centers. In all frankness showed us the Russians also the location of their greatest misfortune. General Nedelin made here in the 60s so much pressure on his workers and engineers in a race against time, that there were gone something wrong and the rocket exploded. The biggest accident on Earth inside the space history, until today, ever. 147 people were killed during the exlosion of the fuel, as the second stage ignited on the pad!
Absolutely incredible was the visit of the Soyuz assembly hall. We were in direct contact with the next two missiles which are already in the assembly stage. Here is the next big difference between the Russian space technology to the Americans. The Russians practice series, the Americans architecture constructings. A american Rocket is never similar to another, on Russian side a rocket is similar to the other, and this since over 40 years! Overall, more than 1000 units built Soyuz. What is the American proverb? Don `t touch it, if it works.
At night we took together with our French friends and the group of the United States a dinner in a Kazakh Gyr, a yurt. The talks were very interesting. The Germans have invented the rocket technology, the Americans were the first on the moon and the French are having their hands together with other ESA members on the Ariane rocket. And we Swiss? After all, the payload hull of the Ariane is from Switzerland, I had myself not quite hide. With space program Apollo 18-Soyuz 19, 15 July 1975 (ASTP-Program) began the end of the East-West conflict in space, and now it this evening in a worthy continuation of this yurt at Baikonur in Kazakstan.
On Tuesday the 8th April then finally the absolute highlight, the liftoff was standing infront of the door!
First, we were able to see the test of the Sokol pressure suits. Again, Andreas knew the details; he guided us to watch in a special corner. What happens there? The men smoked with the cosmonauts and their physicians their last cigarette before they slipped in the space suit!
Surrounded by the prominence of the Russian and the American space we were a part of the action. The whole thing seemed like a family occasion, everyone knew everyone and even our guide Andreas also. Shaking hands and smiles everywhere! We came barely after shooting with photos, Valentina Terechkova, the first woman in space, Alexei Leonov from the Voskhod-2 was the first person who performed space walk in 1965.
Sergei Krikalov, the 'forgotten' cosmonaut appeared. He started as a colonel of the USSR, and landed as a CIS member. During his time onboard the MIR space station, the Soviet Union dissapeared. So, it was no wonder he held with 311 days in space a record for the longest spaceflight until he was outbidded from Valeri Poljakov with Soyuz TM-18 with 437 days during one time in space. However, Krikalov performed 6 spaceflights until today, and so he is the world champion: 803 hours, 9 hours and 39 minutes! And Energia tooked our photo of our group of the farewell of the cosmonauts on the Internet. So we are a part of the history of detention of the Soyuz TMA-12!
Towards the spectators' gallery, we visit the Bajkonur Space Museum and the Korolov cottages. The museum is extremely modest and looks like a little bit forgotten in the steppes, but precisely it belongs to, here in close proximity to the launch pad and launch control center. Infront the building is a Buran, the Russian counterpart to the Space Shuttle. Another copy will be in the next time at the Science and Technology museum in Speyer/Germany.
The launch itself, we could attend from a distance of less than 2 km. The officials offered us places in the VIP viewstands. Andreas recommended to avoid this friendly. Why? The roof would be given us a restrictly look out of the roof of the stands.
Also the Russians are not counting a count down over the loudspeakers as at United States. Commands in Russian are given, only the last 3 seconds they count. The rocket stands majestically infront us in the steppe of Kazakstan. Steel blue, cloud-free skies, bright sunshine. Better the conditions for us viewers can't be!
Eventually, like all present people around me knew what comes next. Suddenly wristwatches were consulted. Then the liftoff! Prompt black smoke under the rocket, then ignition. Rapidly developed into a gigantic fireball, a loud dull sound, the rocket lifted jerky and very slowly. On a fireball sitting accelerated it and shot into the steelblue sky. From naked eye, we were able to see the separation of the four booster rockets. Still, we saw a fire ball and there it goes and it blows away.
The process is not adequate to describe, you must have to see this, just incredible and fascinating at the same time. We shot a group photo and we rejoiced together experienced on the successful launch. By Energia, we were invited to a after liftoff party. Russian, Americans and European Space celebrities are party themselves. Tost to Tost was held with vodka and watered. The caviar and fish sandwiches in between prevented worse. Beautiful, this experience of space cannot be!
A American answered my question, why in Russia a liftoff is taking place at time and totally accurately, "Because, it's absolutely Microsoft free". This answer was not typical American, but an absolute correct answer.
The return flight to Moscow with a TU-144 of the Moscow city government closed for me this indescribable trip. I had returned to Switzerland and, unfortunately, I can't watch the docking at the space and mission center in Korolyov two days later.
By Andreas Bergweiler and his team, I would like to say thanks for this, that he design my birthday very warmly. He has the heart and soul of Space, and he is Space. All space enthusiasts, I can only recommend, to advantage this special service of Space Travellers.
Werner Strasser, in July 2008
