SHM fit check on the launcher

On the Russian side, the following activities shall take place this week:

• the loading of the empty Space Head Module (SHM) on a dedicated truck,
• the SHM transport from MIK to the launch pad and
• the fit check of the SHM on the launcher in the Silo

The truck, called the crocodile*, arrived in Building C of the MIK this morning.

The CS-2 team was invited by the Russians to see the very beginning of this activity: i.e. moving the empty SHM towards the truck. Further activities are "classified" to us and will not be witnessed by the CS-2 team.

Here are 2 pictures of what was seen this morning:

The crocodile


Push of the SHM into the truck open container.
(the container once filled will be tilted horizontally)


*Another angle of view on the "open crocodile's jaw"!
Hope you got it now? :-)

Campaign mid-term

We are roughly today on the middle of bridge.

Yesterday a test with ESOC called SVT-4 successfully took place. The purpose of this test was to check that telecommands sent by the ESA Control Centre are well executed by the satellite and the generated telemetry data received at ESOC are nominal. In other words it is one of the last check to verify that the space and the ground segments talk the same language.

To date, almost all functional, flight-like, performance, health checks... tests foreseen during the campaign on the Spacecraft and the Instrument have been performed.

Therefore a crowd of the support team is leaving Baikonur today to fly home namely to Noordwijk, Toulouse and Friedrichshafen. Their job close to the spacecraft has been completed and some of them will carry on the campaign soon at ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany.

To say good bye to them, a song contest-like was organised at the sputnik bar yesterday evening where certainly German, Welsh and Russian talents had the lead (not quoted by order order of ranking).


For those who stay, another type of exciting activities will start.
The aim will be now to progressively prepare the spacecraft to be integrated in the Space Head Module (SHM) as well the Launch operations. This will cover among other:
- (Still) some antenna tests
- Pressurization of the tank (to give the spacecraft enough "fuel"to perform its orbit and attitude control maneuvers once in space)
- Progressively remove the "red tag items" (those that are still on the spacecraft like protective caps on optical devices or electrical connectors...)
- Install the "green tag item" ones (those that have not yet been put on the spacecraft or that will be put at the last minute. For instance some pieces of thermal blankets that were not installed to give access to some working areas...)
- Careful spacecraft visual inspection
- Final charging of the battery (will be done on the launch day)
- Repeat the procedure from OFF to launch mode
- Rehearse the Count Down
-Perform Flight Readiness (FRR) related activites
-...

For those who stay, some are progressively showing remarkable adaptation to the Kazakh fashion!

CryoSat-2 flag flies high

Dear all,

Last Friday night, Bill and Rob installed the CS-2 flag on the roof of Sputnik hotel.

Coming back from a round walk in Baikonur city today at lunch time, here is how it looked like.



Cheers
K. B.

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

From Gagarin to CryoSat-2

On this poster displayed in the Gagarin's museum, the Cosmonaut talks to us:

"Orbiting the Earth in a spaceship, I have seen how beautiful is our planet. People, let's preserve it and not destroy it "

Since Gagarin's maiden flight, this message of Earth beauty and fragility seen from space has been re-iterated several times by space travelers.

Cryosat-2, the ESA icy mission, together with other environmental missions, will help to better answer questions raised by the present global warming. To that respect, CryoSat-2 mission carries on the original Gagarin's message by better understanding the complexity of the Earth environmental "machinery".

Bill handed over a (still half packed :-) model of the spacecraft to Venera, our guide.


CS-2 will be soon displayed in this prestigious Baikonur space museum. It is certainly an honor for all the persons who have contributed to this project.

Richard was then invited to sign the guest book.


He wrote:

"The Cryosat-2 team are (almost) ready for launch - thanks to the great support of the Russian team and the local hospital*!" R. F.

*See the previous note: Surgeon of the Baikonur hospital brought great support to the project

CS-2 team at Gagarin's Launch pad and Museum

Saturday morning we could observe the full moon set during our trip in the bus and when we arrived at the MIK.


After a busy morning all SIRAL-2 and DORIS tests were successfully completed at noon. A big milestone reached in the launch campaign!

In the afternoon, a visit of the Gagarin's launch pad and museum was organised for the CS-2 team with the support of the Russians.

While a Soyuz launch was in preparation, we were allowed to approach Launch pad #1. From this place, Gagarin flew for the first time to space in April 1961, made few orbit around the Earth before landing safely. The exact details of the Vostok-1 mission were kept secret by the Soviet regime for a long time. Today this atmosphere of secrecy has mostly dropped and we have been escorted very friendly through these historical places.

Gagarin's launch pad
Note open arms will close when the rocket will be placed on the pad.


CS-2 team at Baikonur launch pad#1


The visit continued at the Gagarin's museum which contains the full memory of what is related to the Baiknonur cosmodrome. Therefore, it is not possible to make a realistic summary of it.
In the yard in the front of the museum, a simple glance carries you form Gagarin to Buran.


A model of the cosmodrome, and the sputnik second model ever produced.
(note the village along the Syr Daria river)


ESA CS-2 team in the museum
From left to right: Rob, Richard, Fabio, Bill and Andrea


Few meters further the museum, the 2 houses where Korolev and Gagarin overnighted the day before the historical mission have been kept intact and can be visited.


The Gagrin's sleeping room.


During this visit we have seen in few hours more than 50 years of Soviet space history. This is very emotional because most of us have been grown up in the excitement of the "race to Space" and seen at the time almost "live' on TV screens the prowess of the space pioneers.
This was in fact reflecting, in the context cold war, the interest the USA and Soviet Union had to get access to space and the price they were ready to pay for it. Today space is also used as a media to develop missions that aim at a better understanding our planet and its complex environment.

PS:
It seems that some French visitors in the past were quiet impressed by the broad scope of objects on display in the museum as they noted it in the "guest book" :-)


Finally a big "thanks" to Venera (means Venus in Russian) our museum guide who had made this tour so living and interesting!

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