Videolog-Launch Day

October 12, 2008. Launch Day for Expedition 18 to the International Space Station.
Our day began before dawn as we arrived at the Cosmonaut Hotel to witness the crew emerge from the hotel and walk to the bus that would eventually take them to the launch pad. Photographers, news reporters, and enthusiastic citizens lined the walkway awaiting their emergence.


Once the crew left on their bus, we boarded our own bus to follow them to the next stop where they would have their last flight suit check. Again the crew would remain behind glass while the spectators gathered on the other side. Many Russian military VIPs arrived for this event. Our group was given press passes to gain access to the suit check. We were able to witness the procedure along with the NASA families.



After the crew boarded the bus, they headed to the launch site. There they were strapped into the Soyuz and waited for launch. Our group headed to the launch pad as well. Unlike the gorgeous setting of the Kennedy Space Center, set amidst a wildlife sanctuary, launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome take off from the barren steppes of Kazakhstan. The facility was originally placed here for secrecy. After the end of the Cold War, that was no longer an issue. However, the flat landscape makes for perfect viewing as you will see in the following video of the launch.

Videolog of Expedition 18 Press Conference

The press conference, held at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, was attended by a crush of media. Luckily, the crew members, both prime and backup crew, were protected behind glass. Both the prime crew and backup crew were introduced.

Questions were asked in Russian. All American astronauts learn Russian when they train at Star City, so the questions were not translated into English. However, when the astronauts answered in English, their responses were translated into Russian. Many of the first questions went to space participant Richard Garriott. Here is a video clip of Garriott's answer to the question, "What are some of the most important things you are taking to space?"


The next question was for Commander Mike Finke regarding the purpose of the Expedition 18 mission. Then there was a funny one about whether or not Mike had appeared in the season finale of Star Trek. To see the answers, watch below:


Following that came a question for Richard Garriot. He was asked how comfortable he anticipated the living conditions aboard the ISS would be, compared to his extremely comfortable life style at home in Texas. He was very complimentary of the amenities aboard the International Space Station. Listen below:

The last query regarded politics in space. Here is Mike Finke's response:

Space Participant Greg Olsen

One of the members of our tour group inside the Russian space program was Greg Olsen, who was the third space participant, or space tourist. Working with the company called Space Adventures, Greg arranged to train with the Russian cosmonauts at Star City. He and his fellow crew members launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on October 1, 2005. Greg spent 10 days in space and had quite a bit to share with us about his experience.


When we were in Star City or Baikonur, it was common for Greg to receive shout-outs and bear hugs from the many people who worked with him during his training. At the rocket raising, the press from the BBC, some Russian stations, and other news reporters interviewed him. Since there are so many members of the press on hand for this launch, Greg often got pulled away for interviews. Since there have only been five space participants from Space Adventures, (soon to be six with this launch), the Russians are still very intrigued by someone willing would spend millions of dollars for the opportunity to launch into space.
Greg has many contacts within the cosmonaut corps, so we had some great opportunities. We had dinner with former cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev. He still holds the record for spending the most days in space-804 to be exact. Although he is no longer flying, Krikalev remains very active with the Russian space program. He works for the company Energia, an aerospace company which is the major producer of spacecraft, launch vehicles, rockets, missiles, and which built the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. Energia is the main contractor for the ISS and built the Zvezda module, for example. Krikalev was happy to answer our questions about space travel.
On another evening, Greg arranged for us to have dinner with his commander on his flight, Valeri Tokarev. After dinner, Tokarev answered questions for our group and showed photos of his days training in the Russian Air Force and his work as a test pilot.



On the day we participated in the crew press conference, Greg explained the procedures they went through while in quarantine the last two weeks before the launch. Even their families are not allowed to have contact with them at the end. Only medical personnel and the back up crew have close access to the prime crew at that point, to avoid passing on an illness that would make the crew sick in space. A photographer at Greg's press conference captured a wonderful photo of Greg's four-year-old grandson "touching" hands with his grandfather on the other side of the glass. The next day, at the suit check for Expedition 18, Greg shared what was going though his mind as he prepared for his launch in 2005. It was terrific to travel with someone who had been to the ISS and spent 10 days in space! To see Greg's photos of his training, launch preparation, and flight, visit his website by clicking here.

Videolog-Zero Gravity Flight

Flying in zero gravity was a thrilling experience. Our jet kept flying up and down in the air in a pattern of waves or hills. When we reached the top of each hill, or parabola, we were weightles for about 20 seconds. People keep asking me what it felt like. At the moment the airplane hits the top of the parabola, your stomach feels funny-just like it does on a roller coaster at the top of the rise. But then, it doesn't "feel" any different than normal. The difference is, you can go anywhere. You can shoot to the ceiling, or cruise down the length of the airplane, or spin in a circle with a little help from a friend. Here is some video of what it looked like to be weightless.

The first time we were weightless, our guide told us to hang on to the rail and get the feel of the experience before we attempted to move around. I think they were afraid we would all launch ourselves enthusiastically up to the ceiling. We were a very energetic group! However, we

listened to the instructions for our first parabola.
Later, we got more adventurous. Our handlers tried to take photos of us and spin us at the same time. When you spin in zero-g, you don't get dizzy and the blood doesn't rush to your head when you are upside down. It all feels very natural and comfortable.

Once we got used to being weightless, the soldiers who were handling us began passing us like basketballs. I think they were having as much fun as we were on this flight!
Just when we thought it couldn't get any more fun, they posed us for this "group float." This entire experience was fantastic!

Russian Trip Day #6 Press Conference

We began the day by attending the press conference for Expedition 18. Held at the Cosmonaut Hotel, it was jam packed with the international media, Russian dignitaries, crew families and friends, and us lucky few who were traveling with Mir Corporation's "Inside the Russian Space Program." The cosmonauts and astronauts spend their last two weeks before their launch living at the Cosmonaut Hotel. They are in quarantine, and cannot see their family or friends unless they are separated by glass. The only people they have close contact with are the medical personnel who monitor their health. During the press conference, where the media is invited to ask them questions about their upcoming launch and mission to the International Space Station, the prime crew and the backup crew sit in a room behind glass. Photographers crowd up close to the glass, and those reporters wanting to ask questions step up to a microphone which relays the question to the crew inside the glass room. Interestingly, most of the questions were asked of American space participant Richard Garriott, who is paying to fly to the ISS. People asked him to describe the projects he intended to accomplish while in space.






Garriott, son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, plans to complete science experiments and participate in webcasts with American schools during his 10 day stay in space. To hear his first audio downlink from space,
click here. Garriott is also planning some art activities to do in microgravity. He planned those with his mother, who is an artist. To view photos of Richard creating his art in space,
click here. Questions directed at Garriott also asked whether or not he was nervous about the launch. He replied that he has complete confidence in the Russian technology and the Soyuz rocket. He said the Russians have launched rockets successfully from the Yuri Gagarin launch pad for decades and that after spending a year training at both Star City and Baikonur Cosmodrome, he remains extremely impressed with Russian space technology. Questions for Mike Fincke, Expedition 18 commander, included inquiries about the purpose of the mission regarding both the continuation of construction of the ISS and the science on board. At the end of the press conference, the crew spoke of their dedication to the mission, their faith in space technology, and their respect for one another. They ended the press conference with a great group shot.









After the conference, our group set out for a visit to the various monuments scattered around the town of Baikonur, all dedicated to the exploration of space. Here you can see space participant Greg Olsen in front of the gigantic statue of Yuri Gagarin. At the next stop, we got up close to a Soyuz rocket just like the one that we watched on its way to the launch pad for the Expedition 18 flight. It is incredible to be this close and imagine the explosive power of this rocket. And tomorrow, that power will carry three men into space!

Russian Space Trip Day #5

Greetings from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan! Yesterday we flew from Moscow to Baikonur on a military jet full of NASA personnel and families of the astronauts of Expedition 18. Flying over the flat, arid steppes of Kazakhstan, it looked almost like the surface of Mars. But then we passed a few wild camels and the illusion was dispelled.
It is here at Baikonur that Russia launches its cosmonauts into space, on the same launch pad that sent Yuri Gagarin on his historic flight. Very early this morning we visited the Soyuz assembly building to see the rocket rollout. Two days before the launch, the Soyuz is placed on the flatbed of a train and transported to the launch pad. It was freezing cold, but there was a huge crowd of military dignitaries, NASA people, and the media all here to see this beautiful event. In the early morning darkness, the doors were opened and the rocket was carefully placed on the train. Once it was secured it began its slow trip across the 2500 acre cosmodrome to the launch pad. Our group caught up with it on the open steppes just as the sun began to peek above the horizon. Gathered here were many well known cosmonauts and astronauts including Mike Barrett who is on the backup crew for this mission. He is scheduled to fly on Expedition 19 in late March, and has been living and training in Star City. Since he is technically in quarantine in case he has to replace an Expedition 18 crew member, we had to stand back to chat with him. Also in the crowd was astronaut Sunni Williams, who flew on Expedition 15 to the ISS. She made a little space history by running in the Boston marathon, from space! She registered for the race before she left Earth, and when the time came, strapped herself to the treadmill on the International Space Station and ran the marathon in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Considering that she was also orbiting Earth as she ran, she technically covered over 71,000 miles!
After about an hour, we could see the train off in the distance. It slowly approached, carrying its massive load. From a distance, it was hard to appreciate the size of the Soyuz, but once it came closer, it was impressive. One interesting note: in the United States, we transport our launch rocket, the space shuttle, standing upright, but in Russia they transport their launch rockets horizontally. As it got even closer, we could see the 5 massive rocket engines. They would supply the power to lift the Expedition 18 crew over 200 miles into space! From there we drove to the launch pad to see the rocket raised from the train to its final upright position. On the side of the white outer shroud that covers the Soyuz spacecraft, we could see the flags of Russia and the United States, symbolizing the cooperation between out two countries. What a change from the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s! As we watched, the green crane that had held the rocket in place began to slowly raise the rocket skyward.
It was an impressive sight against the pale blue sky.
Owen Garriott, father of space participant Richard Garriott, was on hand to watch the event. Mr. Garriott is a former NASA astronaut who flew on our country's first space station, Skylab. Now his son is flying to our latest space station, the ISS. They are the first American parent and child to fly in space. Richard Garriott grew up in Houston , Texas, where the astronauts live and train. It was always his dream to become an astronaut, but he discovered that his poor eyesight would disqualify him. Now, years later, his dream is coming true. Through the company Space Adventures, Richard purchased a seat on the Russian Soyuz traveling to the ISS. His father, Owen, took a moment to chat with Renita Fincke, the wife of astronaut Mike Fincke, who is commander of Expedition 18. Fincke is due to launch on October 12th for a 6 month stay aboard the ISS. The rocket was ready, and all that was left was to place a crew inside of it. That would come on Sunday at 1:01 PM Kazakhstan time. Until then, we would have to wait. Our group spent time touring the rest of the facilities at the cosmodrome, anticipating launch day.

Russian Space Trip Day #4

Day #4 Zero Gravity Flight
The day began early with a bus ride to Star City. Once there, we transferred to a military shuttle bus that took us to a nearby Russian air force base. We were loaded aboard an IL-76 jet and harnessed into a parachute. Through an interpreter, we learned how to get to an exit door, hook on to the escape wire, jump out of the aircraft, and deploy our parachute. Then it was time for the flight! They took our parachutes and stowed them in a cabinet and told us to prepare for takeoff. Each of us five tourists was assigned to a Russian soldier who would take care of us during the flight. Although the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS make moving in zero-g look effortless, it actually takes a lot of skill. The soldiers were there to make sure we didn't hurt ourselves. Although they did not speak English, those guys were very enthusiastic and clearly wanted us to enjoy ourselves. The inside of the jet was basically empty-just a long tunnel with thick mats on the floor. There was a handrail at about 4 feet off the floor which ran the entire length of the plane, and another about 8 feet above the floor. The soldier in charge explained through our interpreter that we would make ten parabolas, or "hills" as he called them. On the way up the "hill" we would experience 1.5 Gs (meaning we would weigh one and a half times our body weight), then 1 G which is our normal body weight, then .5 Gs which is half our weight, and finally we would be weightless. He suggested we spend the first period of weightlessness sitting down and holding on the lower rail just to get used to the feeling. After 20 seconds of weightlessness, the plane would go into a steep dive and we would experience 2Gs (twice our weight). The best way to deal with the feeling is to lie flat on the mat parallel to the airplane and close your eyes. When the first period of weightlessness hit us, we just floated right off the floor! The soldiers who were helping us began to toss us from one guy to another like we were basketballs. We experimented with motions, and found that even a little push off the floor sent us careening up to the ceiling. In the group photos that follows, although it seems that the soldiers are holding us up, they are actually just holding us in place because otherwise, we would float away. The rest of the flight just sped by. Our handlers tossed and twirled us and we just relaxed and enjoyed every minute. When the flight was over we all wished we could do it again!
Check this site often for a video of this unique experience, coming soon!