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News  Claudie's Training Diary 3: testing times for the Andromède crew
Well, it's done. The Soyuz Taxi 2 crew has passed all its flight qualification exams successfully. Now we are waiting for the official ceremony on 11 October at Star City. That's when the Joint Approval Commission - it's made up of representatives from Rosaviakosmos, RKK Energia, Star City and various medical organizations - will announce the results. But we know them already. Our operational qualification involved many different tests. First, there was the manual approach of the spacecraft during the last five kilometres to the ISS. If there is a breakdown in the automatic Kours radar system, the flight engineer - that's me - moves into the upper orbital compartment, sets up the backup laser measuring system and points it at the ISS through one of the viewports. Then I read off speed and distance data to the commander, still in his pilot's seat, which allows him to make the approach to the station safely. It's a kind of very precise ballet between the engineer and the commander, which we spent many hours practising; everything went well.
Then there was manual docking. For that, the commander plays the
principal role. He controls the spacecraft's attitude jets and
thrusters, while the engineer keeps a lookout and pays attention
to the timing. No problems there, either.
Both commander and engineer are trained in these manual procedures in a static simulator, but we had to pass the exam in a centrifuge - though we ourselves controlled the acceleration. We both came through OK.
The last test - the hardest and the the longest, too - is the full
mission simulation. That involves just about everything: we had to
go through every step of the mission. Orbital insertion; the first
flight checks; orbital correction manoeuvres; approach; docking;
undocking; descent. It took about ten hours, in our spacesuits,
watched over by a team of experts who took turns devising more and
more complex breakdowns and problems to throw at us. We came out
of the simulator haggard and exhausted. But we still had a full
debriefing session ahead of us before those same experts, who made
us explain and justify every action we had taken.
A few days before the full mission simulation, the medical board had passed us fit for flight. After that - it would have been Tuesday, 2 October - we organized a little party with our instructors to celebrate. Then we left for a few days' well-deserved break with our families in a rest centre not far from Moscow. It was a delight to enjoy the golden colours of the Russian autumn, as well as the presence of our loved ones - and the chance to relax.
In a few hours, we will be leaving for Baikonur for the first
checkout of our spacecraft. The crew is ready: now we will see
whether the equipment is ready, too.
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