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.