Baikonur (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – The Soyuz spacecraft with on board the first British to stay on the International Space Station (ISS), an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, docked Tuesday night “manually” the station after taking off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The three astronauts, Briton Timothy Peake, American Tim Kopra and Russian Yuri Malenchenko captain, had performed “manually” the maneuver. The reason: “a malfunction of the automatic mode”, told AFP the press service of the Russian space agency Roskosmos
Everything is then “place normally”, a-t. he said, adding that docking the spacecraft took place at 5:33 p.m. GMT, when he was expected to 5:23 p.m. GMT.
Several maneuvers are still needed until the opening of the hatch linking Soyuz TMA-19M to the ISS, scheduled at 7:25 p.m. GMT.
The rocket took off “as planned” Cosmodrome in the Kazakh steppe at 11:03 GMT, and after being detached from the third floor the pitcher, she had performed more than six hours of flight to the ISS, where astronauts will stay about six months.
If this is the sixth space flight for Yuri Malenchenko This is the first time that Columbia will stay on the ISS.
The trip to the station Timothy Peake, 43 years old and former helicopter test pilot aroused great interest in Britain.
British Prime astronaut for over 20 years it will be the first to stay on the ISS.
“It was great to see Tim Peake off to join the International Space Station, “said an enthusiastic British Prime Minister David Cameron on Twitter, the official account of Queen Elizabeth II for his part sharing a tweet from the UK Space Agency, complete the hashtag #GoodLuckTim.
In London, 2,000 school children waving small British flags gathered at the Science Museum to watch the takeoff, broadcast on giant screen.
“If only one or two of them decided here to become an engineer, scientist or test pilot after this mission, then it will be worth it, “said the TV presenter Brian Cox, present at the Science Museum.
A comprehensive interest while the British government wants make the space industry a £ 40 billion representing industry for the economy of the country by 2030 and that London wants to increase its market share in the space sector from 7% to 10%.
A Chichester, the small town of Sussex (south) which is native Tim Peake, the emotion was also the rendezvous.
“This is the dream of every teacher of physics have a future astronaut facing you (…) Many children come here because Tim Peake + + astronaut came here, “said Chichester Observer at the former teacher of the hero, Mike Gouldstone.
– From pudding in space –
Once the ISS, Britain will meet the three current inhabitants of the resort: American Scott Kelly and Russians Sergei Volkov and Mikhail Korniyenko . Timothy Peake, who seemed rather relaxed before takeoff, had said on Monday “rush to enjoy the fantastic views of the Earth” on the occasion of a press conference, saying that he would even have forgotten the holidays Christmas away from home.
“I heard a Christmas pudding was sent into orbit, so we we also treats” added “Major Tim” in a burst of laugh.
In the final moments before takeoff, several legendary rock songs, including “Do not Stop Me Now” by Queen and “The Final Countdown” by Europe, were released through the blast Speaker of the Soyuz rocket.
Yuri Malenchenko and Tim Kopra, the two traveling companions Timothy Peake, for their part already spent 641 and 58 days in space.
The Soyuz spacecraft will remain docked with the ISS 173 days, before bringing the three astronauts to Earth June 5, 2016.
On Friday, a Russian cosmonaut and two US and Japanese astronauts returned to Earth, passing a Rare night landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Sixteen countries participate in the ISS outpost and space laboratory into orbit in 1998, which cost a total of $ 100 billion, funded for the most largely by Russia and the United States
. Source: AFP
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