Russia's Cosmonauts Inside the Yuri Gagarin Training Center
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On 30 January 1996, NASA announced an expansion of the Shuttle-Mir programme, with two further Shuttle dockings and the decision to select and train two further astronauts for residency missions. The second astronaut training group was paired with their Russian colleagues in February 1996 for mission training. The Russian crew had been in training since February 1994: Mir 21 Crew
Cdr FE-1
NASA Prime
Onufriyenko Usachev
Lucid BUp
Manakov Vinogradov Blaha Lucid was to work with the Mir (EO)21 crew until replaced by Blaha, returning home on STS-79. Blaha would work with the EO-21 crew for a short time until replaced by the EO-22 crew (Manakov and Vinogradov), with whom he had trained. 276 Joint programmes However, technical problems delayed STS-79 resulting in a change of resident crew before Blaha arrived. In addition, a slight heart irregularity had grounded Manakov, so the EO-22 crew was replaced by their back-ups, Kaleri and Vinogradov. Blaha had to endure a long mission on Mir with cosmonauts he hardly knew and had not trained with. Lucid flew a 118-day mission, while Blaha flew a `difficult' 128-day mission.
On 16 August 1996, NASA re-instated Wendy Lawrence to Mir training for the new sixth mission. She would be backed-up by Dave Wolf, who would fly the seventh and final long duration mission to the station. Andy Thomas was assigned as the final back-up but, as with Voss, without the prospect of a flight to the Mir station, with operations handing over to ISS from the end of 1998. Mission
Prime Back-up
Launch Land
Duration 3 Blaha Linenger STS-79
STS-81 4 months
4 Linenger
Foale STS-81
STS-84 6 months
5 Foale
Voss JS STS-84
STS-86 4 months
6 Lawrence
Wolf STS-86
STS-89 4 months
7 Wolf
Thomas STS-89
STS-91 4 months
Crews for the next missions were paired on 1 July 1995 (Mir 22) and 21 February 1996 (Mir 23): Mir 22 Crew
Cdr FE-1
NASA Prime
Korzun Kaleri
(Blaha) Linenger BUp
None None
Foale Mir 23
Crew Cdr
FE-1 NASA
Prime Tsibliyev Lazutkin Foale
BUp Musabayev Budarin Voss JS
Linenger flew a 132-day mission, including the first American EVA from a Russian space station. During the mission, a fire broke out on the station, causing some concern and requiring the crews to put into practice the fire emergency drills they had trained on. Then, following a collision on Mir later in 1997, during which Foale's emergency training was also called upon (including an unplanned EVA), astronaut participation on the station was reviewed and a joint decision was made that all NASA astronauts should be trained and qualified in operating the Orlan EVA suit. Lawrence did not fit in this suit and was not EVA trained at NASA, and was again removed from the long duration residency group. However, she still flew on STS-86 to assist in the change over of NASA 5/6 (taking advantage of her training and familiarisation with both the Shuttle crew and Mir systems and experiments). As a result, on 10 October 1997, Thomas was named as the final astronaut to fly a long duration mission to Mir, while Jim Voss was reassigned to fill the dead-end back-up assignment, utilising his previous Mir training rather than assigning a new astronaut to the group. Voss was already in preliminary training for an early assignment to ISS. Cosmonaut training for astronauts 277
Astronaut Wendy Lawrence wearing a Sokol pressure garment inside the Soyuz TM simulator at TsPK. This September 1996 training session was part of her preparations for a subsequently cancelled long duration flight on Mir. (Courtesy NASA) Mission
Prime Back-up
Launch Land
Duration 6 Wolf Thomas STS-86
STS-89 4 months
7 Thomas
Voss JS STS-89
STS-91 4 months
Russian crews for the final missions with Americans on Mir were paired up in October 1996 (Mir 24) and March 1997 (Mir 25). The lack of integrated crew training for these missions was reflected in the comments of the astronauts and cosmonauts assigned (see page 289). Mir 24 Crew
Cdr FE-1
NASA Prime
Solovyov A. Vinogradov (Wolf/Thomas) BUp Padalka
Avdeyev (Thomas/Voss) Mir 25 Crew
Cdr FE-1
NASA Prime
Musabayev Budarin
(Thomas) BUp
Zalyotin Kaleri
(Voss) Wolf flew a 127-day mission that included the final American EVA from Mir, while Thomas completed a 140-day mission to close out the programme. 278 Joint programmes NASA ASTRONAUT MIR TRAINING The Americans' personal experiences in Russia and their activities during these flights have been recorded in several sources (see bibliography), but details of the training for these missions is not so widely reported. Therefore, a review of NASA astronaut Mir resident training follows. Training as part of a group ± phase 1 The first stage of training for these astronauts at TsPK included technical training for the Soyuz TM transport vehicle; practical classes and training sessions in the Soyuz TM simulators and part-task trainers; technical training for the Mir orbital complex; practical classes and training sessions on the station and module simulators; a programme of medical/biological training, including sessions in flying laboratories to simulate weightlessness; medical examinations and physical training programmes; survival and wilderness training under `severe conditions'; independent training; and continued studies of the Russian language. The scope of this training allowed each astronaut to acquire fundamental knowledge of the design, layout and operation of onboard systems of the Mir complex, develop skills in control and servicing of onboard systems, gain confidence in using and understanding the concepts, terms, and abbreviations of the Russian space programme (which allowed them to use a series of Mir flight data files and other flight documentation, all in Russian), and continue to expand their individual Russian language skills. Upon achieving these targets, each astronaut would then be qualified for inclusion into a specific crew assigned to the Mir residency crew training flow. NASA astronaut training for Mir is detailed in Table 15. Training as part of a crew ± phase 2 Once assigned to a crew, the astronauts then began the second phase of their cosmonaut training syllabus. This included technical training for the Soyuz TM spacecraft; practical classes and training sessions using the Soyuz TM simulator and system mock-ups; technical training; practical classes and training sessions on the Mir station and its modules using the simulator; continued medical and biological training; training for the programme of American and joint scientific research under the NASA-Mir agreement; training for the EVA programme (where appropriate); pre-flight training as a member of a Mir resident crew; and independent and Russian language training. This training allowed the Americans to develop the necessary skills to function as FE-2 during a mission. These included crew safety, including contingency situations using the Soyuz TM spacecraft for emergency return to Earth (even though launch to and recovery from Mir was assigned to a NASA Shuttle mission); supporting the nominal operation of onboard systems and equipment of Mir and its modules; operating various workstations; establishing regular commu- nications and exchange of information with the NASA consultant group at NASA mission control in Houston; performing research and experiments; and using onboard facilities to perform personal hygiene, physical exercise and household procedures to ensure the health and hygiene of the astronaut and fellow crew NASA astronaut Mir training 279
Table 15a
Scope and
dates of Mir training for
NASA astronauts NAS A
e Ba ckup Ph ase
1 (Grou
p) Ph ase 2 (Cre
w) To tal To tal
To tal
To tal
La unch
La unch
Missio n Astro naut Astro
naut Start/C
omplete Start
/Com plet
e Hrs
in Hrs
in Hrs
as Tra
ining date
Mission Group
a C rew bac kup
hrs NA SA 1 Thaga
rd Dunb
ar 1994
Mar 01±1
994 Oct
07 1994
Oct 10±1
995 Fe b 21 883
845 ± 1728 1995 Mar
16 Soyu
z TM 20 NA SA 2 Lucid Bla
ha 1995
Jan 03±1
995 Jun
24 1995
Jun 26±1
996 Fe b 26 795
1127 ± 1922 1996 Mar
24 STS-7
6 NA SA 3 Bla
ha Linen
ger 1996
Feb 23±1996
Ju l01
1995 May
29±1 996
Jul 19 795 503 959
2257 1997
Jan 15 STS-7 9 NA SA 4 Linen
ger Foale
1996 Sep
23±1 996
De c 06 1995 Nov
29±1 996
Dec 20 765 605 1054
2424 1997
Jan 15 STS-8 1 NA SA 5 Foale
Voss J.S.
1997 Jan
13±1 997
Apr 09 1996 Apr 03±1997
Apr 30 899 408 840
2147 1997
May 17 STS-8 4 NA SA 6 Wolf
La wrence
1996 Sep
02±1 997
Aug 27 1996 Sep 02±1
997 Aug
12 1081
614 ± 1695 1997 Sep
30 STS-8
6 NA SA 7 Thomas
A. Voss
J.S. 1997
Jan 16±1
997 Dec
05 1997
Sep 08±1
997 De c 05 982
553 ± 1535 1998 Jan
12 STS-8
9 Table
15b NASA
astronaut Mir
training hours
as part
of a Group NO TE:
Hour s for both prime
and bac
k-up toget
her as `a gro up'
NAS A Prim e Ba ckup Soyuz TM training Mir training
M edical/
EVA Inde
penden t R ussian To tal Mission Ast
ronaut Ast
ronaut Tech
nical | Simulators Tech nical
| Si mulato rs biolo
gica l training training langu
age hour
s NA SA 1 Thaga
rd Dunb
ar 134
173 120
50 170
± 86 150 883 NA SA 2 Lucid
Bla ha 20 50 114
60 122
± 161
268 795
NA SA 3 Bla ha Linen ger 20 50 114 60 122 ± 161
268 795
NA SA 4 Linen ger
Foale 26 21 114 34 132 ± 152
286 765
NA SA 5 Foale Voss
J.S. 50 23 108 40 156 93 154
275 899
NA SA 6 Wolf La wrence 77 91 54 22 153
± 172
349 918
NA SA 7 Thomas A. Voss J.S. 49 165 60 13 180 32 147
336 982
280 Joint programmes Table 15c
NASA astronaut Mir training
hours as part of a crew NO TE:
Prime/ back
up hour
s given
whe re kn own NASA
Prime/ Soyuz
TM training
Mir tr aining Medic al/
EVA Science
Pre- flight
Inde penden
t Russia
n To tal Mission Back
up Tech
nical | Simulators Tech nical
| Simulators biolo gical
trainin g trainin g Tra
ining Tra
ining langu
age hour
s NA SA 1 Thaga
rd/Dun bar
35 90 128 68 94 4 311 80 11 24 845
NA SA 2 Lucid/ Blaha
80/± 130/±
141/± 142/±
180/± ± 266/± 24/± 76/±
88/± 1127
/± NA SA 3 Blaha/L
ineng er 6/79 29/17 2 16/13 9 81/14
1 100/1
47 ± 239/2 09 ± ± 32/72 503/9
59 NA SA 4 Linenge
r/Foale 13/49
20/20 6 26/84 81/97 60/15
3 46/75
303/2 30 ± ± 56/16
0 605/1
054 NA SA 5 Foale
/Voss J.S.
14/18 22/50
22/10 2 46/78 62/11 0 4/57 142/3 39 ± 41/48 55/38
408/8 40 NA SA 6 Wolf/L awre nce
10/± 82/-
126/± 100/±
71/± 96/±
121/± ± ± 8/± 614/±
NA SA 7 Thomas A./
Voss J.S.
18 58 78 77 144
64 104
± 6 4 553 NO TE: Foale received
137 ho urs addit ional
group science
train ing;
Th omas
received 93 hour s additio
nal gro
up scienc
e tr aining; /± = no train ing
fig ur es avail able.
NASA astronaut Mir training 281 members. After integrated training sessions, it was determined whether the training was sufficient for the astronaut to be cleared for space flight and a science programme on the Mir space station. Mir systems and Soyuz TM technical training The objective of technical training for NASA astronauts was to develop the knowledge and skills to enable them to operate onboard systems for both the Soyuz TM transport vehicle and Mir space station, so that they could complete a training session in simulators within the limits of their duties as Flight Engineer-2. This training focused on systems that had an impact on crew safety, such as life support, thermal mode control, and the motion control system. Mir Technical training included: Life Support System Training on the control and servicing of the LSS complex of Mir. Thermal mode control systems Development of practical skills for vital operations in servicing and maintaining the system, as well as monitoring and control. Astronaut Jerry Linenger participates in a simulated helicopter rescue during water survival training in May 1996, as part of his Mir resident crew training programme at TsPK. (Courtesy NASA) 282 Joint programmes Motion control systems Theoretical training for off-nominal situation recognition, including a series of practical courses held at RKK Energiya's control and test station for servicing and repair, replacement of units, and exchange of electrical cables.
In addition to these sub-systems, theoretical and practical courses were completed for other onboard systems. Soyuz TM technical training took into account the astronaut's function as a cosmonaut researcher during operations for an ahead-of-schedule or emergency descent from orbit. Each astronaut received a general overview of the Soyuz TM and its onboard systems, plans for the decent from orbit, practical skills for self-help using the spacecraft's life support system, conducting radio communications with mission control in Moscow, evacuating the spacecraft after landing (splashdown), and survival training. Training in the Soyuz TMIntegrated simulator Only Norman Thagard would reach orbit aboard a Soyuz TM transport spacecraft and its R-7 launch vehicle, so his training included sessions as part of the Mir 18 crew (and with Dunbar and the Mir 19 crew) for the launch and docking phase. Subsequently, all NASA astronauts resident on Mir were transported to and from the station aboard the Shuttle, so they only completed Soyuz training for the descent from Earth orbit (including emergency situations). This training required each astronaut to become familiar with the design layout and onboard systems of Soyuz TM and execute emergency evaluation from Mir as part of a resident crew, following correct procedures in the event of fire, depressurisation, or exceeding specific flight rules. They had to be familiar with specific emergency flight data files, and perform several practical tasks including hatch opening/closing, operating personal protection gear (Sokol, Forel suit, etc.), operating specific valves and input commands on the right control panel of Soyuz TM, and familiarising themselves with Soyuz sub-systems such as radio commu- nication systems, the water supply system, the waste water system, and Soyuz survival equipment. The training included practical courses on the Soyuz TM Integrated Simulator, including training as part of a crew for integrated control of the transport vehicle during descent from orbit, which included off-nominal situations. The astronauts also studied relevant flight data file sections, flight programmes and profiles, including decent vehicle ballistics. The competence of each astronaut was then verified by a board during a test training session on the TM integrated simulator, focusing on the descent flight programme and vehicle ballistics as part of a `typical' training programme (nominal and off-nominal). NASA astronaut Mir training 283 Table 16 NASA Astronaut Soyuz TM Simulator Training Name of exercise Exercises Hours
Practical exercise training 3 6 Practical exercises in TM integrated simulator Download 3.5 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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