Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known
Founder: Joseph Barone
Contributors: crookedindifference, bumerangue, propagandery, rocketmagic, rostenbach
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
own a piece of space history - auction features 858 items from the dawn of aviation to the space shuttle era.
U.S. actor Tom Cruise and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first human to conduct a space walk, take part in a ceremony at the premiere of the new film “Oblivion” in Moscow April 1, 2013
Source: Reuters
Alexei just seems like the coolest dude.
I wonder if he started jumping on Alexei’s couch.
The launch of Soyuz TMA-08M. According to tradition, the crew sign their room doors and are blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest. The crew then put on their sokol suits, have them checked for leaks and head out to the launch pad. After launch, the crew made the first expedited docking after only six hours, instead of two days.
(Source: GCTC)
A group portrait of cosmonauts involved with the Interkosmos program from the first mission, Soyuz 28 (1978) to Soyuz T-11 (1984).
Top: Sigmund Jähn (East Germany), Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Georgi Ivanov (Bulgaria), Yuri Malyshev, Rakesh Sharma (India), Bertalan Farkas (Hungary), Leonid Popov, Boris Volynov and Valery Bykovsky. Bottom: Pham Tuân (Vietnam), Viktor Gorbatko, Vladimír Remek (Czechoslovakia), Alexei Gubarev, Dumitru Prunariu (Romania), Pyotr Klimuk, Alexei Leonov, Mirosław Hermaszewski (Poland), Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (Cuba), Anatoly Berezovoy.
(Source)
Russian space suits.
Source: Roscosmos Facebook page.
![fyeahcosmonauts:
Aleksandr Laveykin celebrates his birthday today. He spent 174 days in space on Mir in 1987.
My favourite quote from him comes from Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars:
“You really feel the absence of a woman,” Laveikin tells us. “There are sexual dreams, as a substitute. It’s constant through the flight. We were even discussing that maybe we have to take something from the sex shops. It was discussed at [Institute for Biomedical Problems].”
Laveikin breaks into English, as he does sometimes to tweak a translation: ”A rubber woman.” A blow-up doll. Ground control, he says, nixed the idea. “They said, ‘If you would do that, then we would need to put it in your schedule for the day.’ “
(Source)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2uj6r1IA11qiwh6to1_500.jpg)
Aleksandr Laveykin celebrates his birthday today. He spent 174 days in space on Mir in 1987.
My favourite quote from him comes from Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars:
“You really feel the absence of a woman,” Laveikin tells us. “There are sexual dreams, as a substitute. It’s constant through the flight. We were even discussing that maybe we have to take something from the sex shops. It was discussed at [Institute for Biomedical Problems].”
Laveikin breaks into English, as he does sometimes to tweak a translation: ”A rubber woman.” A blow-up doll. Ground control, he says, nixed the idea. “They said, ‘If you would do that, then we would need to put it in your schedule for the day.’ “
(Source)
Űrhajósok Vlagyiszlav Volkov: A csillagok felé című könyv (Kárpáti–Madách–Móra, Uzsgorod–Bratislava–Budapest, 1975) borítójáról.
Cosmonauts, from the dust cover of Vladislav Volkov: Toward the stars (Hungarian edition, 1975).
I just found this: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project ties! The ASTP crew even got them as gifts for Gagarin’s 50th anniversary.
(There’s also an autographed picture of Tom Stafford if you click through)
The Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft is seen with the Moon in the background as it lands in Kazakhstan.
Here’s Yuri Gagarin’s statue in London. He’s gazing out on the Mall, just past Admiralty Arch.
Dmitri Kondratyev and Paolo Nespoli (ESA) photograph Earth from windows in the Cupola of the International Space Station. (March 2011)
![“Orlan” is the Russian word for “eagle”. The Russian corporation “Zvezda” developed this space suit “ORLAN M” for the Russian space programme in early 1970 für moon walks. As the race to space was ended after the landing of Apollo 11 in the “sea of silence” on the moon surface on july 20th 1969, Russians stopped their moon program 1971 and developed the space suit for other activities as like spacewalks outside from space stations and space-ships.It became easier and more mobile. Since 1971 the Orlan was used since beginning of the Salyut space stations. The “Orlan M space suit” (M means here “modernized”) is an improved version of the previous spacesuit, the Orlan-DMA. It can accommodate a greater range of anthropometric sizes (165 cm to 190 cm).Radio communications have been modified so that two cosmonauts can speak and listen to each other simultaneously (which they couldn’t in the previous Orlan version). The metallic cuirass (the suit’s hard aluminum-alloy torso) is increased in size as are the arm and leg openings for the greater range of wearers’ heights. On the cuirass are fixtures for attachment of the USK, Cosmonaut Self-Rescue Device . The Orlan can be used in both the Pirs and U.S. Quest airlocks (the U.S. EMU can only be used in Quest) of the International Space Station ISS.The drawback is that the higher pressure means that the Orlan is somewhat more difficult to move in. The Orlan operates at a pressure of 0.4 atmospheres (EMU at 0.3 atm.), enabling a pre-breathe time of only 30 minutes (in the EMU pre-breathe is 12 hours in the Joint Airlock, or 4 hours in the EMU itself). The Orlan M space suit is very easy concepted: Through the its back the cosmonaut get into the space suite. All vital equipment is in the space suit on the back of the suit, however inside - e.g. fans, water pumps, pressure control valve, oxygene tubes and radio communication system. Each of the articles of equipment has a 1:1 back up system, i.e. if one of the vitally necessary systems should fail, immediately a duplicate takes over the supply.Technical datas of the “Orlan M space suit”: Nominal duration of the autonomous mode: 7 hoursORLAN-M spacesuit absorption cartridge operating time (with airlock time included): 9 hoursSuit positive pressure: nominal mode 392 hPa - emergency mode 270 hPaOxygen available (main and back-up): 1 kg eachCooling water available: 3.6 kgAssured heat removal: average 350 W - maximum Up to 600 WTotal consumed power by the suit systems: Up to 54 WQuantity of telemetry measured parameters: 29Spacesuit weight (wet): ~112 kgService life: Up to 15 vykhody (EVAs) over 4 years (no return to the Earth) MK modelOrlan-MKName: Orlan-MKManufacturer: NPP ZvezdaMissions: Used on ISS. Used from 2009-present.Function: Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)Operating Pressure: 5.8 psi (400 hPa)Suit Weight: 265 lb (120 kg)[12]Primary Life Support: 7 hoursMKS modelName: Orlan-MKSManufacturer: NPP ZvezdaMissions: To be used on ISS. And to possibly be introduced in 2015.Function: Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)Operating Pressure: 5.8 psi (400 hPa)Primary Life Support: 7 hours Source Roscosmos](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpqj3qtZae1qzvby8o1_500.jpg)
“Orlan” is the Russian word for “eagle”. The Russian corporation “Zvezda” developed this space suit “ORLAN M” for the Russian space programme in early 1970 für moon walks. As the race to space was ended after the landing of Apollo 11 in the “sea of silence” on the moon surface on july 20th 1969, Russians stopped their moon program 1971 and developed the space suit for other activities as like spacewalks outside from space stations and space-ships.
It became easier and more mobile. Since 1971 the Orlan was used since beginning of the Salyut space stations.
The “Orlan M space suit” (M means here “modernized”) is an improved version of the previous spacesuit, the Orlan-DMA. It can accommodate a greater range of anthropometric sizes (165 cm to 190 cm).
Radio communications have been modified so that two cosmonauts can speak and listen to each other simultaneously (which they couldn’t in the previous Orlan version).
The metallic cuirass (the suit’s hard aluminum-alloy torso) is increased in size as are the arm and leg openings for the greater range of wearers’ heights. On the cuirass are fixtures for attachment of the USK, Cosmonaut Self-Rescue Device . The Orlan can be used in both the Pirs and U.S. Quest airlocks (the U.S. EMU can only be used in Quest) of the International Space Station ISS.
The drawback is that the higher pressure means that the Orlan is somewhat more difficult to move in.
The Orlan operates at a pressure of 0.4 atmospheres (EMU at 0.3 atm.), enabling a pre-breathe time of only 30 minutes (in the EMU pre-breathe is 12 hours in the Joint Airlock, or 4 hours in the EMU itself).
The Orlan M space suit is very easy concepted: Through the its back the cosmonaut get into the space suite. All vital equipment is in the space suit on the back of the suit, however inside - e.g. fans, water pumps, pressure control valve, oxygene tubes and radio communication system. Each of the articles of equipment has a 1:1 back up system, i.e. if one of the vitally necessary systems should fail, immediately a duplicate takes over the supply.
Technical datas of the “Orlan M space suit”:
Nominal duration of the autonomous mode: 7 hours
ORLAN-M spacesuit absorption cartridge operating time (with airlock time included): 9 hours
Suit positive pressure: nominal mode 392 hPa - emergency mode 270 hPa
Oxygen available (main and back-up): 1 kg each
Cooling water available: 3.6 kg
Assured heat removal: average 350 W - maximum Up to 600 W
Total consumed power by the suit systems: Up to 54 W
Quantity of telemetry measured parameters: 29
Spacesuit weight (wet): ~112 kg
Service life: Up to 15 vykhody (EVAs) over 4 years (no return to the Earth)
MK model
Orlan-MK
Name: Orlan-MK
Manufacturer: NPP Zvezda
Missions: Used on ISS. Used from 2009-present.
Function: Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: 5.8 psi (400 hPa)
Suit Weight: 265 lb (120 kg)[12]
Primary Life Support: 7 hours
MKS model
Name: Orlan-MKS
Manufacturer: NPP Zvezda
Missions: To be used on ISS. And to possibly be introduced in 2015.
Function: Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: 5.8 psi (400 hPa)
Primary Life Support: 7 hours
Source Roscosmos
This is an interesting Soyuz tradition. Before cosmonauts launch they take their last pee on earth on the wheel of the bus. Yup, this is also from Yuri Gagarin’s first flight and has been done ever since.
Guy Lalibertéand Anousheh Ansari, space tourists, mention it in their blogs.
The original footage of cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performing the first EVA on March 18th, 1965. Beautiful shot.
(submitted by bumerangue)
