Soyuz safely returns three astronauts from ISS
A Russian Soyuz capsule successfully landed in Kazakhstan this morning, bring two Russians and one American back to Earth after a seven month mission to ISS.
The American on board, Don Petit, also celebrated his 70th birthday today, completing his fourth mission in space. According to the article at the link, he did not do well upon landing, requiring significant aid to exit the capsule. The picture released by NASA of him being carried to the medical tent shows him smiling with a thumbs up, but he is clearly unable to walk at this point on his own. That fact by itself is not significant, because many astronauts after missions lasting longer than six months need aid upon return. It does indicate however that this flight is almost certainly Petit’s last one. As that NASA release it notes he “is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.”
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
A Russian Soyuz capsule successfully landed in Kazakhstan this morning, bring two Russians and one American back to Earth after a seven month mission to ISS.
The American on board, Don Petit, also celebrated his 70th birthday today, completing his fourth mission in space. According to the article at the link, he did not do well upon landing, requiring significant aid to exit the capsule. The picture released by NASA of him being carried to the medical tent shows him smiling with a thumbs up, but he is clearly unable to walk at this point on his own. That fact by itself is not significant, because many astronauts after missions lasting longer than six months need aid upon return. It does indicate however that this flight is almost certainly Petit’s last one. As that NASA release it notes he “is doing well and in the range of what is expected for him following return to Earth.”
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
It kinda puts into touch all the stories of the poor old astronauts “stranded” on the ISS…. There is only one reason one becomes an astronaut… It is to go to space… And I’m guessing the extra time, in what is almost certainly their last mission was welcomed.
And a huge fist bump to Don… I will consider myself lucky if I can still go fishing when I have turned 70…. Never mind completing missions in space!
A genuine inspiration to us all!
What becomes of the capsules?
I think it would be a good idea to put spent capsules and plane cockpits in playgrounds, so as to inspire youth.
Lee S,
I’m not a lot older than Don Petit and there are plenty of times I’d love to be carried around instead of self-locomoting. And I don’t have the excuse of months in zero-G. Old age, I am finding, is not for sissies.
Jeff Wright,
Good question about the returned capsules. Given Russia’s increasingly parlous finances, I wouldn’t be greatly surprised if they are stripped for usable parts to be incorporated into “new” capsules.
The Soviet Union, then Russia, used to do that “put it in a park” thing with at least some of its old spacecraft and military aircraft stuff, but I doubt that’s still going on. For one thing, the stuff they did do that with wasn’t well-maintained thereafter and was pretty soon more an embarrassment than an inspiration. And in the second place, Russia barely has any youth to inspire anymore. At the rate Russia is burning up its under-50 male population, there won’t be any youth in Russia pretty soon for lack of live men to father them.
I was thinking they just left them were they landed to roll around in the wind like Russian tumble weeds.
Just joking I am sure they take them back for examination and maybe to reuse some of the parts.