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Science NASA worries about astronaut safety onboard Soyuz
Science NASA worries about astronaut safety onboard Soyuz | NASA worries about astronaut safety onboard Soyuz |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Monday, 19 May 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 2 The last two Soyuz missions, TMA-10 and TMA-11, both ended up descending through Earth’s atmosphere in an off-nominal trajectory, what is called a “ballistic reentry.” Such an abnormal travel path causes the descending spacecraft to enter Earth’s atmosphere much steeper than normal, which causes much more aerodynamic forces on the capsule and the crew. The ballistic reentry mode is a backup mode that takes over from the normal mode when something fails onboard the Soyuz capsule during entry back into Earth atmosphere. Soyuz TMA-10 landed on October 21, 2007, about 211 miles (340 kilometers) northwest of its intended landing site in Kazakhstan. A Russian commission determined, at that time, that a damaged cable on the Soyuz control panel failed with regards to the capsule’s descent equipment. However, other unidentified problems may also be present--especially with regards to the result of the next Soyuz flight. Later, Soyuz TMA-11 landed on April 19, 2008, after its computer switched to its ballistic reentry mode instead of the nominal mode. It landed 295 miles (475 kilometers) away from its intended landing point. The crew was reported to have been shaken up from the ordeal. Later, Korean spaceflight participant Yi So-Yeon, the country’s first person in space, was admitted to a hospital after complaining of back pain. The other two crew members were RSA cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Russian space officials commented that the capsule may have incorrectly entered Earth’s atmosphere hatch first, which resulted in damage to the capsule, especially to its hatch and antenna. Media reports have been circulating that the three-member crew of TMA-11 could have likely been killed from their incorrect orientation and steep descent into the atmosphere of Earth. Thus, based on these last two Soyuz hard landings, NASA officials are concerned that the Soyuz capsule may not be safe enough to return its astronauts from the International Space Station at the end of their stay in space. In addition, the Soyuz capsule can also be used by all crewmembers on board the space station in case an emergency happens and they need to immediately evacuate and come home. What might NASA do? Please read on. |
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