http://news.yam.com/afp/life/200804/20080423063974.html
傳穿大氣層方式不對 三太空人幾乎回不了家
法新社╱何世煌 2008-04-23 06:20     
 
 
（法新社莫斯科二十二日電）國際傳真社今天引述熟悉調查的消息人士的話說，三名太空人上周穿越大氣層返回地球時，很幸運地躲過危機生還。

報導引述消息人士的話說：「太空人沒有受傷，毫髮未損，非常幸運。結局原本可能更糟。」他表示，太空人性命一度「危在旦夕」。

南韓第一位太空人李素妍及俄羅斯與美國同僚昨天表示，他們十八日以非慣例的「彈道」方式返回地球之後，恢復情況良好。他們降落地點距離預定目標相差數百公里。

國際傳真社消息人士表示，俄羅斯設計的聯合號降落艙進入大氣層時，面對的方向錯誤，使得降落艙無法受到隔熱板保護。

報導引述消息人士的話說：「如果艙口被燒穿，附近的降落傘受損，太空人可能無法生還。」

李素妍在國際太空站九天之後，與滯留太空超過六個月的美國國家航空暨太空總署太空人惠特森及俄羅斯太空人馬林成科一起返回地球。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080422/sc_afp/russiausskoreaissspace_080422180420;_ylt=AvvgjSsM9rITd8w4psNjaejPOrgF
Space station crew lucky to survive re-entry: agency

Tue Apr 22, 2:04 PM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - Three astronauts were lucky to survive a dangerous re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere last week, a Russian news agency reported Tuesday, citing a source close to an investigation into the incident.
 
"The fact that the crew members remained unharmed, in one piece, was very lucky. Everything could have ended much worse," the source was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Their fate was "on a razor's edge," he said.

South Korea's first astronaut and her Russian and US colleagues on Monday said they were recovering well after an unconventional "ballistic" descent to Earth on Saturday that landed hundreds of kilometres (miles) off target.

Interfax's source said the Russian-designed Soyuz landing capsule was facing the wrong direction when it entered the atmosphere, depriving it of the protection of its heat-resistant shield.

"If the hatch had been burnt through and the nearby... parachute damaged, the crew might not have survived," the source was quoted as saying.

Korean scientist Yi So-Yeon was returning from a nine-day visit to the International Space Station with NASA's Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko, who each spent over six months on board.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080421/sc_afp/russiausskoreaissspace_080421131053;_ylt=AkcXHRa1KByjBiNBNpyQoyzPOrgF
Astronauts upbeat after hard 'ballistic' landing

by Nick Coleman
Mon Apr 21, 9:10 AM ET

STAR CITY, Russia (AFP) - The first South Korean in space together with the American and a Russian who accompanied her said on Monday they were recovering well after a gruelling "ballistic" descent to Earth.

Yi So-Yeon, who returned from the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday in an irregular landing that subjected the crew to huge gravitational forces, said there had been nothing to worry about either during take-off or landing.

"It's really, really safe and really comfortable because all the cosmonauts helped me so much," said Yi at a press conference at the Star City astronaut training centre after returning from nine days aboard the ISS.

"During the descent I saw some kind of fire outside because we were going through the atmosphere," she said, referring to the burning which the Soyuz rocket capsule is built to withstand as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

"These two guys looked really, really okay.... After a while I could feel it was not even warm even though outside it was really fire," she said, turning to her fellow crew members, NASA's Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko.

She added that she had fulfilled a promise to sing to fellow crew members on the orbiting station, singing "Fly me to the Moon."

Russian space officials began an inquiry on Monday into why the Soyuz, long considered a reliable workhorse for human space travel, had deviated from its landing pattern, after two similar incidents in recent years.

Whitson, the first ever female commander of the space station, had to be supported under one arm as she arrived and left the news conference, but attributed this to the more demanding period she had spent in space -- a full six months, her second such tour of duty.

One of the space station's main purposes is as a test ground for more ambitious human expeditions to the Moon or Mars.

"I don't know that I have any specific consequences of the descent. I'm feeling much better every day.... I feel a little bit weaker in the sense of muscle weakness. Last time I felt very strong after landing.

"This time a little weaker but again that's part of the process of rehabilitation. I'm confident I'll be able to recover that as well," said Whitson, who has clocked up 377 days in space overall, the most of any US astronaut.

Malenchenko said the astronauts had been able to climb unaided from the capsule when they made their landing on the snowy Kazakh steppe more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) off target -- to the bemusement of a local mayor and residents who drove out to meet them.

"They were very surprised. One of them asked if it was a boat," said Malenchenko.

"When we said we'd come from space... they didn't understand," he said.

The three are going through a recuperation period and de-briefings at Star City before getting the all-clear to return home.

Yi has said she hopes her journey will inspire South Korea to greater space endeavors and even help bring reconciliation on the divided Korean peninsular.

The training center's deputy head, Valery Korzun, told journalists that preliminary findings suggested the crew were not to blame for the unusual descent.

"The crew acted in accordance with the demands of the situation," he said.

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200804/20080421058833.html
“聯盟TMA-11”號飛船在哈薩克斯坦著陸
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-04-21 17:21     
 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN哈薩克斯坦4月19日電 "聯盟TMA-11"號載人飛船著陸，第16期長期考察組乘坐該飛船返回地球。 "聯盟TMA-11"號載人飛船正常著陸。 救援人員抵達宇航員乘坐的航天飛船的著陸地點並疏散了考察組成員。 參加尋找行動的有12架直升機、3架飛機和俄聯邦空中導航局的6台疏散援救設備。 第一位被疏散的是考察組指揮員、俄羅斯宇航員尤里·馬連琴科。 國際空間站考察組的首位女指揮員佩吉·惠特森（Peggy Whitson）在軌道上逗留了374天後返回地球。 韓國首名宇航員李素妍在國際空間站工作了10天。 第一位被運送到救援直升機上的是李素妍，醫生為她測量了脈搏和血壓。 宇航員們被送到科斯塔奈飛機場，在那里受到了熱烈的歡迎。 宇航員們像通常一樣舉行了記者招待會。 俄羅斯"能源"火箭公司正在對"聯盟TMA-11"號飛船進行檢查，只有在檢查之後才能說明，為什麼降落採用的是彈道方式。

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080421/105550558.html
S. Korean astronaut says flames scared her during Soyuz landing 
 16:56 | 21/ 04/ 2008

STAR CITY (Moscow Region), April 21 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon said Monday she was scared as she saw flames engulfing a re-entry capsule during her return to Earth along with two crewmembers on Saturday.

The Soyuz-TMA-11 capsule, carrying U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko, and bioengineer Yi So-yeon from the International Space Station, made a bumpy re-entry Saturday landing 420 km (260 miles) off target in the steppes of northern Kazakhstan.

Speaking at a press conference Monday in Russia's space training city in the Moscow Region, the South Korean astronaut, who spent 11 days on the ISS, said: "At first I was scared, but the other crew members looked okay, so I tried to look okay, too."

The spacecraft should have landed to the north of the town of Artalyk, but it came down near the Kazakh-Russian border, southeast of the Russian town of Orsk, due to a "ballistic re-entry" scheme.

During the ballistic landing, the capsule follows a much steeper descent trajectory, and the crew is subjected to much higher G-forces than normally experienced.

An investigation will be conducted into the off-target landing. In October 2007, a Soyuz capsule carrying Malaysia's first astronaut also landed off course and in 2003, the crew had to wait for several hours until rescuers located them.

http://news.yam.com/afp/life/200804/20080419055241.html
首位南韓太空人李素妍自太空站返回地球
法新社╱張佑之 2008-04-19 19:05     

 
（法新社莫斯科十九日電）俄羅斯太空官員柯魯奇可夫說，該國「聯合號」太空船今天載運南韓首位太空人李素妍以及執行國際太空站第十六次任務的兩名太空人，降落在哈薩克。

俄羅斯任務控制中心發言人柯魯奇可夫在莫斯科說，這艘聯合TMA─11號太空船的降落時間有所延誤，且未準確落在預定地點，不過三名乘員都平安無事。

他告訴記者：「聯合號降落位置偏離了四百二十公里，但我們的直昇機已與這些太空人接觸，他們都平安無恙。」

這三名太空人分別是南韓科學家李素妍、俄籍飛行工程師馬林成科和美籍太空人惠特森。

聯合號在進入地球大氣層後，其強大的引擎減緩了降落速度，然後太空船藉降落傘平穩地降落在哈薩克貧瘠的草原上。

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080419/wl_afp/russiausskoreaspaceisslanding_080419094610;_ylt=AtqOqBm5tGt_oZ41_WSKQXKQOrgF
First Korean astronaut returns to Earth

1 hour, 12 minutes ago

MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying South Korea's first astronaut and two crewmembers of the 16th International Space Station mission landed Saturday in Kazakhstan, a Russian space official said.

The Soyuz TMA-11 landing pod touched down late and missed its target, but all three crewmembers are well, said Nikolai Kluchkov, a spokesman for Russian mission control in Moscow.

"The Soyuz landed some 420 kilometres (263 miles) off, but our helicopter has contacted the astronauts and everyone is well," he told AFP.

On board were Korean scientist Yi So-Yeon, Russian flight engineer Yury Malenchenko and US astronaut Peggy Whitson.

After entering the Earth's atmosphere the Soyuz's powerful engines were to slow its descent, before a parachute eased it onto the barren steppe of Kazakhstan, the centre of the Russian space programme since the Soviet era.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080419/wl_asia_afp/russiausskoreaspaceiss_080419081308;_ylt=AkSbA6ugOxfAFEaQwOVtv1TtOrgF
First Korean astronaut quits space station

by Conor Humphries
2 hours, 43 minutes ago

MOSCOW (AFP) - South Korea's first astronaut ended her nine-day stay on the International Space Station on Saturday as television images showed her spacecraft begin its three-and-a-half hour descent to Earth.
 
A camera on board the Soyuz landing pod showed grainy images of the ISS slowly shrinking into the distance as its three-man crew began its 350-kilometer (220-mile) return trip.

"The craft will land at 12:31 Moscow time (0831 GMT) around 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Arkalyk" in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan, said Nikolai Kluchkov, a spokesman for Russian mission control.

Korean scientist Yi So-Yeon was joined in the cramped Russian-built Soyuz TMA-11 by Russian flight engineer Yury Malenchenko and US astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has now spent more time in space than any other American.

The three were shown on Russian television embracing the incoming crew in the weightlessness of the ISS before strapping themselves into the landing vehicle, waving as the hatch closed behind them.

After entering the Earth's atmosphere the Soyuz's powerful engines were due to kick in to slow its descent, mission control spokesman Kluchkov said.

A parachute would then ease the craft's landing onto the barren steppe of Kazakhstan, the centre of the Russian space programme since Soviet times.

Biosystems engineer Yi carried out a series of experiments during her mission, which has been hailed as a landmark for South Korea's space programme.

President Lee Myung-Bak described it as the start of a "march towards space" for South Korea, which was to pay some 20 million dollars (12.8 million euros) for the mission.

Seoul is due to launch a satellite from its own space base later this year.

Yi also brought an Asian flavour to the ISS, taking a kimono on board and bringing South Korea's beloved pickle dish kimchi into space for the first time.

While Yi only spent nine days on board, Whitson's 191-day stay in space pushed her career total to 377 days, more than any other American, US space agency NASA said on its web site.

She was replaced as commander by Russian Sergei Volkov, who at 35 is the youngest person ever to run the ISS.

Volkov is the son of former Russian cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who launched from the Soviet Union and returned only after the Soviet collapse of December 1991, the two forming the first father-and-son space dynasty.

The ISS, which circles the Earth at a speed of 28,000 kilometres (17,000 miles) per hour, has accommodated 156 astronauts from 15 countries, as well as five "space tourists."

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Station, E16 Soyuz Hatches Closed

Hatches between Expedition 16's Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft and the International Space Station were closed around 10:09 p.m. EDT Friday after goodbyes between members of the two crews.

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko left the station after 190 days aboard. With them was Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi, who launched to the station April 8 with the Expedition 17 crew.

That crew, Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko is beginning a six-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. With them is astronaut Garrett Reisman, who served with E16 during the last few weeks of its increment, and remains aboard as an E17 flight engineer for the early part of its stay.

The Soyuz is scheduled to undock at about 1:05 a.m. Saturday and do its deorbit burn at about 3:40 a.m. to begin the re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Landing is set for about 4:30 a.m. on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Watch NASA Television at 12:30 a.m. for undocking and at 3:15 a.m. for the deorbit burn and landing.

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200804/20080419053415.html
國際空間站第17期考察組成員准備重返地球
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-04-18 21:57     

 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN莫斯科4月18日電 俄羅斯飛行控制中心代表向俄新社記者表示，第16期考察組成員和第17期考察組成員在國際空間站上完成了交接工作。這名代表指出，"宇航員將完成最後的試驗，將物品從空間站搬到‘聯盟-TMA-11號'宇宙飛船中，隨後對其進行開封"。尤里·馬林琴科、佩吉·惠特森和韓國首位女宇航員李素妍將進入"聯盟-TMA-11號"宇宙飛船，關閉艙門，准備返回地面。預計，"聯盟-TMA-11號"宇宙飛船將于莫斯科時間4月19日9：06離開國際空間站，計劃降落在哈薩克斯坦指定地區的時間為莫斯科12：31分。

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200804/20080416047144.html
國際空間站俄羅斯宇航員喜歡上韓國風味食品
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-04-16 19:23     

 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN飛行控制中心（莫斯科州科羅廖夫）4月15日電 韓國首位女性宇航員李素妍在國際空間站請俄羅斯宇航員謝爾蓋·沃爾科夫和奧列格·克諾年科品嘗韓國食品，兩位宇航員都喜歡上了韓國風味食品。沃爾科夫在國際空間站進行直接視頻連線時微笑著回答俄新社記者，"我們兩天前吃到了韓國食品，您在這里看到了我們，也就是說，我們一切正常。我們在國際空間站上吃到的食品跟李素妍以前請我們品嘗的食品是一樣的。當然有一些辣，但整體上我們非常感激李素妍"。在談到宇航員在國際空間站做了什麼科學試驗時，李素妍說，"我成功做完了大部分試驗，是俄羅斯朋友們幫助了我。我還有一些時間，做委托給我的所有事情"。她說，國際空間站上工作氣氛友好，有助于實施既定飛行計劃。

http://news.yam.com/afp/entertain/200804/20080411032291.html
俄國將要求國際夥伴延長國際太空站使用期限
法新社╱何世煌 2008-04-11 15:05    

（法新社莫斯科十一日電）俄羅斯國營火箭製造商RKK Energiya公司執行長羅波達表示，因為國際太空站上的俄羅斯區需要較長的時間才能完成，俄羅斯將於六月要求外國合作夥伴延長太空站使用期限至二零二零年。

國際傳真社引述羅波達的話說：「我們唯有在二零一五年，才能達成原定二零一零年之前完成的工作。」

俄國官員表示，俄羅斯在國際太空站上仍然沒有研究艙，他補充說，二零一一年之前，俄羅斯區將只有兩個小研究艙、一個實驗室及兩個能源艙。俄羅斯區預定包含十個艙。

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080411/104851854.html
Russia needs $5 bln to complete its ISS segment - Energia
15:56 | 11/ 04/ 2008

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will need an additional $5 billion to finish the construction of its segment of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2015, the head of Russia's rocket and space corporation Energia said Friday.

The ISS is a joint project of space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan. The orbital station is likely to remain operational until 2020.

"So far, we have allocated about $4.2 billion for the ISS project, but we will need an additional $5 billion to finish the construction [of the Russian segment] by 2015," Energia President Vitaly Lopota said at a conference dedicated to Cosmonautics Day, celebrated in Russia on April 12.

The first ISS element, the Russian Zarya module, was put into orbit in November 1998. Several modules have been attached to the structure since then, but ongoing construction has missed the initial deadline, largely due to delays in U.S. shuttle launches and a lack of financing.

The Russian segment of the orbital station should have 10 modules by 2015, the Energia official said.

Russia is planning to launch two small research modules to the ISS in 2009-2010, a multi-purpose laboratory module - in 2011, and two energy modules - in 2014-2015.

The ISS crew will comprise six members, including three Russian cosmonauts, starting from 2009, Lopota said.

http://news.yam.com/rusnews/international/200804/20080411030229.html
聯盟號載人飛船自動與國際空間站對接
俄新網╱俄新網 2008-04-10 22:33   

 
 
俄新網RUSNEWS.CN飛行控制中心（科羅廖夫）4月10日電 俄新社記者從莫斯科郊外的飛行控制中心報道，裝載著第17長期考察組和韓國首位宇航員李素妍的“聯盟TMA-12”號飛船已經自動與國際空間站對接。地面飛行控制中心聚集了賓客、宇航員的妻子、家人和眾多記者，伴隨著眾人的掌聲，載人飛船與國際空間站的對接工作在預定時間內完成。對接過程自動完成，宇航員們沒有進行手動操作。抵達國際空間站的有俄羅斯宇航員謝爾蓋·沃爾科夫（國際空間站第17期長期考察組指揮）、奧列格·科諾年科以及韓國公民李素妍，她成為韓國首位宇航員。國際空間站第17期長期考察組俄羅斯宇航員和李素妍星期二從拜科努爾航天發射場升空前往國際空間站。 
 
 
 
http://en.rian.ru/science/20080410/104764601.html
Russian spacecraft docks with orbital station 
17:49 | 10/ 04/ 2008

MOSCOW, April 10 (RIA Novosti) -- The Soyuz TMA-12 delivery vehicle has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) delivering two Russian crew members and South Korea's first astronaut, Russia's Mission Control said on Thursday.

Expedition 17 comprises Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, who will spend six months on board the orbital station, while Yi So-yeon, a biotechnology engineer, will be in orbit for only ten days.

During their stay on the ISS, the new crew will monitor docking with several space shuttles and cargo craft, move the Soyuz TMA-12 from the Zarya module to the Zvezda module on the Russian segment of the orbital station, and conduct at least one spacewalk.

Their scientific research program will consist of over 45 experiments, including studies into the growth of proteins and polymers, forecasting earthquakes, and the influence of space on various life forms, including human beings.

Last week, Europe's first space freighter, Jules Verne, delivered over 7.5 metric tons of supplies to support the operation on the orbital station for another six months.

Members of the current 16th expedition, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will return to Earth with So-yeon Yi in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19, while Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman will join Expedition 17.