| The return to Earth again was not without complaints Yesterday morning at the Mission Control Center near Moscow was again quite nervous. The specialists of the Russian Mission Control Center were faced with at least two tasks: not only to ensure the landing of the Soyuz TMA-2 descent module with Yuri Malenchenko, American astronaut Edward Lu and Spaniard Pedro Luque, but also to do it beautifully - without failures and comments from partners project of the International Space Station. This descent attracted special attention from colleagues from NASA, since the previous landing, although normal, was fraught with complications. On May 4, Soyuz TMA-1 left the controlled landing mode and switched to a ballistic trajectory. As a result, the ship “overshot” by as much as 400 kilometers, and the landing was somewhat “uncomfortable.”
Russian specialists coped with the first task brilliantly - as, in fact, they promised the day before. The descent vehicle landed safely near the Kazakh city of Arkalyk at 5:40 am Moscow time. According to the flight director of the Russian segment of the ISS, Vladimir Solovyov, in general, “the landing, braking and engine operation procedures went without any comments” and the ship landed only 3-4 kilometers from the target area.
However, a reason for the Americans' sarcastic remarks still appeared. Before closing the hatches and reactivating the Soyuz, an unauthorized reorientation of the station occurred, which required an immediate response from ground services. As Valery Ryumin, deputy general designer of RSC Energia, later explained to journalists, “for a still unclear reason, the engines on the ship turned on, turning the station approximately 25 degrees.” As a result, the ISS and Soyuz had to spend additional fuel to return the station to its original orientation. As a preliminary version of this incident, an Energia representative named the incorrect actions of the cosmonauts: “The engines could only turn on if the crew opened the lid covering two commands that must be issued for this to happen.” Representatives of Rosaviakosmos also pointed to the “human factor” as one of the reasons that could lead to such a turn of events. However, space structures are naturally in no hurry to come to final conclusions, especially since later the MCC employees began to prove that this error not only did not create problems when undocking the Soyuz from the ISS, but even helped in some way. The operational duty officer of the Mission Control Center noted that before undocking, the orbital station had to be turned 90 degrees, and the command to the engines for this turn was given somewhat prematurely. In any case, a thorough investigation into the reasons for the early start of the engines will begin when the astronauts come to their senses after landing. By evening, the Soyuz crew was delivered from Kazakhstan to Star City near Moscow, where they will undergo a rehabilitation course.
For Alexander Kaleri and Michael Fowell, who remained on board the ISS, the morning incident does not promise any future troubles. According to representatives of Rosaviakosmos, although the orientation adjustment required additional engine work, the fuel reserves in orbit are sufficient for the crew of the eighth main expedition to work safely until the arrival of the next Progress cargo ship, which is scheduled for launch in January. Vladimir DZAGUTO |
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