- Title: RUSSIA: INTERNATIONAL SPACE CREW PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE YEAR-LONG MISSION.
- Date: 1st April 2004
- Summary: (EU) STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA (RECENT) (REUTERS -- NO ACCESS RUSSIA) 1. MV: NEW INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW WORKING INSIDE MODULE OF SPACE STATION 0.07 2. CU: NASA ASTRONAUT MICHAEL FINCKE 0.14 3. MV: SPACE CREW 0.21 4. CU; FINCKE AT COMPUTER 0.26 5. GV: FINCKE WITH MISSION COMMANDER GENNADY PADALKA 0.32 (EU) STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA (MARCH 31, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. SPACE CREW; PRESS 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SPACE CREW COMMANDER GENNADY PADALKA, SAYING: "I've heard about this, but I'm not entirely sure it will happen. However, there have been such precedents in space. My former engineer from my last mission [Mir 26] Sergei Avdeyev, remained for a year. So, if we receive the command to stay for one year then we are ready. I think there are three moments that stand out in a cosmonaut's life: being named a cosmonaut, launching off into space, and when mission command asks you to extend your mission." 8. PRESS AND SPACE OFFICIALS 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY COSMONAUT ANDRE KUIPERS, SAYING: "I had never expected that I would be an expert in Russian spaceships because I always thought I would fly in the space shuttle; it was quite an eye-opening experience to have these training sessions. The methods were very old-school with chalk and the boards, but they have very good instructors and they know very well what they are doing. The equipment was good and the people very friendly. It was a bit of a struggle with the language but all is fine." 1.49 (EU) STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA (RECENT) (REUTERS -- NO ACCESS RUSSIA) 10. GV: COMMANDER GENNADY PADALKA IN SPACESUIT DURING UNDERWATER TRAINING EXERCISES (2 SHOTS) 2.04 11. GV: PADALKA EMERGES FROM WATER 2.12 12. CU: FINCKE TAKING OFF SPACE SUIT AFTER UNDERWATER EXCERCISES 2.20 (EU) STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA (MARCH 31, 2004) (REUTERS) 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NASA ASTRONAUT MICHAEL FINCKE, SAYING: "I just know that there is a big difference in flying for six months and in flying for a year. A year is a long time on the human organism and also a long time away from one's family." 2.32 (EU) STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA (RECENT) (REUTERS -- NO ACCESS RUSSIA) 14. MV/GV: SPACE CREW INSIDE MODULE OF SPACE CAPSULE; SPACE CREW GETTING OUT OF MODULE (3 SHOTS) 2.59 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th April 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: STAR CITY COSMONAUT TRAINING CENTRE, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAI3WBYF2EE3AYCNYLXPN8NMHL
- Story Text: International space crew prepares for possible
extended year-long mission.
A Dutch-Russian-U.S. space crew is set to blast off
on April 19th to the International Space Station on a
mission that might last 12 months in orbit, an
unprecedented term for the international programme.
The proposal to double the normal mission time for
Russian commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Astronaut
Michael Fincke was made by the Russian Space Agency in
order to save money.
Russia's rockets have been the only link between the
International Space Station and Earth since the space
shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry 14 months ago,
prompting Washington to ground its remaining space fleet.
Russia can ill afford the role, and making astronauts'
missions longer would cut the frequency of the costly
manned launches which Russia undertakes twice a year.
NASA has not yet officially denied or accepted the
proposal.
Mission commander Gannady Padalka said that a year-long
mission had been done before and joked that it would be one
of the three highlight's of any cosmonaut's life.
"I've heard about this, but I'm not entirely sure it
will happen. However, there have been such precedents in
space. My former engineer from my last mission [Mir 26]
Sergei Avdeyev, remained for a year. So, if we receive the
command to stay for one year then we are ready. I think
there are three moments that stand out in a cosmonaut's
life: being named a cosmonaut, launching off into space,
and when mission command asks you to extend your mission,"
said Padalka.
A decision to extend the mission would not affect
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, who is set
to return to Earth with the outgoing U.S.-Russian space
crew in early May.
"I had never expected that I would be an expert in
Russian spaceships because I always thought I would fly in
the space shuttle; it was quite an eye-opening experience
to have these trainings. The methods were very old-school
with chalk and the boards, but they have very good
instructors and they know very well what they are doing.
The equipment was good and the people very friendly. It was
a bit of a struggle with the language but all is fine,"
said Kuipers.
NASA astronaut Michael Fincke said, however, he had
some doubts about a year-long mission for health and
personal reasons.
"I just know that there is a big difference in flying
for six months and in flying for a year. A year is a long
time on the human organism and also a long time away from
one's family," said Fincke.
The ISS is funded by 16 nations, which agreed jointly
to build the orbiting space station in 1998. Russia and the
United States are the only countries with the technical
capability to send rockets to the station.
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