Two Russian cosmon spaceships and a NASA astronaut took a quick spin around the International Space Station on Friday (March 19) as they relocated their Soyuz spacecraft in preparation for the arrival of the next crew.
Expedition 64 Commander Sergei Ryazikov and flight engineer Sergei Kud-Sverkov, both Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, and NASA flight engineer Kate Rubins, donated their Sokol pressure suits, boarded their Russian Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft and then boarded. Gone. At 12:38 pm the earth-facing port of Rasvet Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM1) at the station of EDT (1638 GMT).
“Separation!” Ryzykov was radio on Russian mission control outside Moscow as Soyuz left the space station.
Related: How NASA booked a last-minute space trip on Russian Soyuz
Slowly supporting Rasvet at a rate of less than one foot per second (0.2 m) per second, the Soyuz reached and stopped at a distance of about 130 feet (40 m) while ground controllers and Ryzykov made sure the Suzuki systems were properly maintained. Configured.
Ryzikov maneuvered Soyuz on the fly-around of the Russian part of the orbital laboratory, from Nadir to Zenith, passing Dedk Progress MS-16 and Progress MS-14 cargo vehicles, while the PKSK Mini maneuvered toward the space-facing port. -Research Module 2 (MRM2).
After a second short break, Suzuki was joined by Paisk, Ryazikov, Kud-Sverkov, and Rubins, at 1:12 p.m. EDT (1712 GMT), 34 minutes after the observation.
“Stay tuned for contact. Contact confirmed!” Ryzykov said.
“Congratulations on a successful docking,” replied Mission Control.
The hatch between Soyuz and the station was expected to open at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT).
The relocation of the Soyuz MS-17 freed the Rasvet port for the arrival of another Soyuz spacecraft, the MS-18, which will launch three crewmembers for the station’s mission 65 in April. Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Piotr Dubrov, along with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hay, will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russia on April 9.
Related: International Space Station
The Soyuz move was made to keep Poysk open for future spacewalks. The module was first used as an airlock in November 2020. The MS-17 crew is set to depart from the space station for Earth on April 17, and with the docking of the Soyuz MS-18 at Resvet, Poisk will be open to supporting Russian outdoor activities.
Soyuz migration is not a regular occurrence, but it is also not uncommon. In the 20-year history of human operations on the International Space Station, the crew has now redesigned their Soyuz spacecraft to 19 different ports. An additional 29 Soyuz moves were made by Cosmons on previous Russian space stations, for a total of 48 migrations since 1978.
Robert Pearlman is a contributing author and editor of CollectSpace.com, a space.com partner site and a leading news publication in space history. Follow CollectSpace on Facebook and TwittercollectSPACE on Twitter. Follow us.
