Gagarin's day

In Baikonur, April the 12th is celebrated each year to remember Yuri Gagarin maiden flight to space in 1961. It is a bank holidays for most of the workers of the cosmodrome. Due to the dramatic plane crash which killed the Polish President and the top army executives last Saturday near by Smolensk, Russian authorities declared April the 12th as a national day of mourning to show compassion to their Polish neighbours. Therefore all celebrations for the 49th anniversary of the Gagarin's day were canceled in Baikonur.
However, this morning the Korolev memorial was decorated with few flowers.
Here under is a picture of the memorial dedicated to the man, S. P. Korolev (kept under secrecy for a long time by the Soviet regime), without which the Russian space programme would not have reached its fame and the rank it still has today.

Another important point of commemoration today could have been the memorial the city of Baikonur devoted to Gagarin first flight just opposite to the Baikonur first school.

Credits Julio
"On 12/4/1961 for the first time in the world the launch of a spaceship with a man on board, citizen of the Soviet Union, was achieved".

The CryoSat-2 team was invited for a guided tour a Cosmonaut hotel. There are now many buildings on this historical area were the cosmonauts and politicians use to stay. Constructions are surrounded by a park where some open air sport facilities and swimming pool are available.
The main building we visited today was build in 1968. A nice monumental mosaic on the eastern immediately captures visitor's attention. This modern hotel accommodates today astronauts and cosmonauts just before their flight.

At the reception, stained glass window reminds the style of interior decoration as it was already seen at different places in the city and at the Orion swimming pool in particular.

The quarantine area is the section of the hotel reserved for accommodating the astronauts just before their mission. It is a tradition that astronauts write their names on the door of their room. Here is the door of suite where lived two of the three astronauts who took off April 2010 for the International Space Station.

Outside, the hotel, there is park which is certainly very nice when the spring is a bit more advanced. Anyway, despite the stormy weather, we had the chance for a last view on the Syr Daria river on the platform at the very end of the Cosmonaut Path. As you already now know each cosmonaut has his/her own tree along this path to commemorate his/her flight.

Today 12th April 2010 is the perfect day for a last picture aside the Gagarin tree which should be exactly...49 years!
Trees planted along this path are elms (Вяз)

C праздником и С днем рождения!

Soyuz TM-18 Launch

Aside CryoSat-2 launch preparation, a manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) took off from Baikonur Cosmodrom Launch pad Nr.1 at 10:04 sharp this morning 02/04/2010. Two Russian cosmonauts (Alexander Skortsov, Mihail Kornienko) and one US woman astronaut (Tracy Caldwell Dyson) were on board the Soyuz TM-18 capsule.

CryoSat team was invited to see the astronauts when they left the Cosmonaut hotel (just behind the Sputnik Hotel) this morning at ca 4:00 am to prepare for the flight. The team also had the permission to see the launch of the Soyuz rocket.
Pass on the windscreen of the CryoSat-2 bus.

The attendance was very large, including Baikonur school pupils . This is normal for manned missions.

A debriefing team informed in real time the public about the main events of the Countdown (even long time after the launch).

A closer view of the rocket on the launch pad.

Credits: Klaus
... and few minutes before launch, when "arms'' are opened.

Credit: Klaus
Below is a short movie of the launch. It is (always) very impressive.

The booster separation was well visible.
This crew will be be one of the first to enjoy a new element of the ISS that has been integrated last February with one of the last American shuttle missions: the Cupola. This element will, among other purposes, increase the habitability of the ISS providing astronauts, thanks to the 7 large windows, beautiful and relaxing views on Earth and the cosmos.

After this successful and very beautiful launch, let's wish to this crew a very fruitful mission !

CryoSat-2 wear and Kazakh fashion

Cryosat-2 clothes are Public Relation (PR) items that are worn by the team most of the time during the campaign.
They are mostly Tee shirts, polos and shirts, fleeces and winter jackets.

Since the beginning of the campaign a significant amount of CryoSat-2 stamped clothes and other PR items have also been widely distributed outside the CS-2 team.

Below from left to right, Guldana and Aida from the restaurant waitress team wearing CryoSat-2 gear becomes our best ambassadors!

Credits: Gerhard

But 2 weeks ago, we also got a Kazakh diner at the hotel where all the personnel were wearing traditional Kazakh clothes.
From left to right: Laura, Mira, Hassan, Aida


Credits: Gerhard

We had even the participation of a Kazakh singer playing the Домбра (Dombura a string instrument very popular in central Asia).
On the left, holding the microphone, Horlan from the Restaurant team and her cousin.


To be complete on the restaurant team:

from left to right Laura and Sholpan

Credits: Gerhard

Buajar who opens the restaurant very early for serving breakfast


... and before and after diner at the Sputnic bar:
from left to right Laura, Guldana and Aida

Credits: Gerhard

A BIG BIG BIG thanks to all of them!

A Sticker show

At this very moment of the campaign, all parties wanted to exhibit their own stickers to be put on the fairing.

Here, Bill and Yuri (from left to right) exhibit the Russian one.
Note also from left to right, the Turkmenistan, Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakh flags.
For the CryoSat-2 launch, An agreement has been reached with Turkmenistan for the drop zone of the rocket first stage.
The sticker also clearly flags the main players on the Russian side:

• Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency
  
• The National Space Agency of Ukraine
  
• Kosmotras, joint Russian Ukrainian project to commercialise DNIEPR
  
• Yuzhnoe, rocket designer
  
• Yuzhmash, rocket manufacturer
  

ESA presents its own:


Astrium's one is handed by Edi and Raphael (from left to right).
A small sticker indeed ... but for an outstanding contribution!


Finally when all of these have been put at the right place, an overall picture of the Platform concluded this "sticker show":-)

Soyuz launch today

CroySat-2 team was invited to see a Soyuz rocket U-LV launch this morning (3/2/2010).
Payload was a Progress cargo (M-04M) heading to the ISS.

At about 8:45 am (i.e. 1 hour before launch) , we arrived at sunrise...


...on an empty parking lot where standing more that 10 minutes by -17C with a slight northern breeze was a prowess. We just made few pictures of the rocket standing on the launch pad at about 1km distance before getting back and wait in the warm bus the end of the count down.


15 minutes before launch the attendance increased on parking lot and then after launch all people were trying to get the best angle:

"CS-2 uniforms" in action


other (polar?) uniforms but not from the team.


But at 9:45 , that is exactly hat we saw: A splendid show that just leaves you breathless.
This launch pad was visited last Saturday, refer to earlier note.


Around 10:00 am the show was over. Just a vanishing cloud (water vapor from the cryogenics?) in the sunny sky of the steppe.


The same cloud over the tracking station few minutes later masking the sun.
Note the different position of the left tracking antenna compared with picture#1 above.

Bill got an Award

After almost 3 weeks of launch campaign, the idea surfaced to congratulate the key person without which the campaign would certainly not have reached the point of achievement where we are today. Therefore, as a mark of recognition, the "dream team" offered to Bill a huge poster of a baby seal where each one expressed how good he feels the campaign has been led so far.

Just a sample of Bill's tasks: CS-2 campaign schedule and planning, lead of daily meeting, interface with the Russians, resolving technical problems, logistics, security and safety, collecting data for visas, passenger count in the bus (we only forgot Fabio once at the sputnik :-), bi daily bus (re)-scheduling, organising shifts, rescheduling flight tickets (between Baikonur and Moscow), planning socials, getting medical support, interfacing with hotel Sputnik management for lunch boxes diner, drinks laundry, distribution of PR gifts, etc...
So in one word how to make things working smoothly in an environment where every little thing may become a huge problem, and most important ... get people happy!

Bill receiving his "award", well done!


On the same evening, the chef of the Sputnik Restaurant prepared a Lebanese diner for us.



A nice opportunity to thank the very efficient and devoted team of the Restaurant:
from left to right: Sholtan, Aida, Hassan and Laura

Team photos of the day 28/01/2010

09:00 am "daily" at the MIK


17:45 Group photo in the clean room
Organized by Christophe who returns to ESTEC tomorrow


18:00 Team boards the bus to the hotel
Most of the time bus left the MIK at 20:00 and even later for few of us!


18:30 A good opportunity to enjoy the sunset on the Steppe during the trip
Not seen for since almost 2 weeks due to night transport


19:45 Fabio, Philippe and Laurent open the Restaurant
All suited with SIRAL-2 rugby polos


21:30 Astrium, CryoSat-2 Prime Contractor, offered drinks at the Bar of the Hotel Sputnik
Note Marco's presence (2nd from the left) who joined Baikonur last Tuesday with his luggage full of spare parts which were urgently needed for the continuation of the test campaign. He managed to get on his own all this stuff through the Russian customs. Thanks Marco for all these efforts!


...and Klaus-Peter, Astrium CS-2 Project Manager, offered CryoSat-2 fleeces and polos to the team

TV team visited the project

On 26/01 Dominique (ESA TV Executive Producer) organized to get a Russian TV team on site to record few aspects of our activity in Baikonur.

Short film sequences were shot:
1-At the morning daily meeting.



2-Individual interviews were made in English, Italian and French.
(preparation for Richard's interview below)


3-Activities in the clean room around the spacecrafts with walk-on actors '' figurants'' were also shot (but not very spectacular in fact at the time it happened).

These interviews will be used by ESA for its internal TV programme to be broadcasted just before launch. They could also be used by national TV programmes where short sequences may be edited.

Social at Hotel Sputnik

On Saturday 23/01 we had a formal diner where almost all the parties involved in the CryoSat-2 launch campaign were present:

• Rosckosmos (Russian Space Agency)
  
• Baikonur Cosmodrome representatives
• Kosmotrac (Dniepr rocket dealer)
• Yuzhnoe (Dniepr rocket development and manufacturing)
• Cenki (Engineering services)
• European Space Agency
• Astrium (Prime contractor for Cryosat-2)
• Alcatel-Alenia Space (Siral-2 instrument manufacturer)
• CNES (French Space Agency)
• Europ Assistance (medical support during the campaign)

Evening started at the bar around 20h30


A large table to accommodate the 44 of us was set up in the dining room.
Richard, ESA Project Manager, gave the first "toast". Opposite to him, Irina our interpreter. At the right bottom corner, Laura one of the restaurant waitress.


Same table seen from the other end


Bill makes a toast, next to Irina


Then, in the pure Russian tradition, people stand up and raise their glasses:


The meal itself was excellent as shown on the table by this short movie


We all have to thank Hassan, the Lebanese Chef of the Sputnik restaurant and his team for the great evening they prepared for us.



Kirill B. seated in the "Russian corner"


I learned from my neighbors that the "Baikonur spirit" has played a tremendous unifying role in the former CCCP (Soviet Union). This was due to the fact that a wide range of of experts coming from all parts of the country were federated by the same endeavor aiming at getting successful space missions (and this, particularly in the cold war context).

The "Baikonur spirit is still alive and present within us yesterday evening at the Sputnik.
Kirill B.
24/01/2010

Welcome to Hotel Sputnik

Yesterday evening 19/01/2010 most of our support colleagues for ESA and ASTRIUM has join Baikonur from Noordwijk (NL) and Friedrichshafen (D). The team has now almost reached its final quorum to complete final testing activities.

To celebrate the event, we had "mini social" at the hotel Sputnik where a glass of white (Meersburg, Mueller Thurgau) and red (Chateau la Haye, St Estephe) wines were offered to all.
Diner was followed by a briefing providing practical details for the "new comers"' and a working meeting to consolidate planning.



This introduction gives a natural opportunity for a quick tour of the hotel which accommodates the team for the CryoSat-2 campaign.

General view of the hotel (photo taken last Sunday, sun -10C almost no wind)


The architectural design of the hotel is likely inspired from the shape of the Sputnik: a central "heart"with 4 radial "wings" reminding the 4 antenna of the 1st ever built spacecraft.


Reception


Room


A nice view on the Sputnik memorial from room A18 (mine :-)


Bathroom


Sporting room


Swimmiming pool is certialnly nice but water temperature is 24C only


Gaming room


Dining room


Breakfast buffet as displayed this morning


Meeting room
(to be published later)

Bar
(to be published later)