Soyuz TMA-14 atop Soyuz FG on March 26, 2009

[Orbinaut Pete]

Soyuz TMA-14 will launch a space tourist, Charles Simonyi. It will be his second trip to the ISS. He will land with the Ex.18 crew.

See his website at: http://www.charlesinspace.com/

 

[SiberianTiger]

Soyuz TMA-14 will launch a space tourist, Charles Simonyi. It will be his second trip to the ISS. He will land with the Ex.18 crew.
http://www.charlesinspace.com/

Also, this is going to be the last tourist trip to the ISS in the near future. All seats for the subsequent Roscosmos flights are engaged by professional Astronauts and Cosmonauts. There are plans to build a "tourist" Soyuz'es on purpose and perform non-ISS flights with them.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

To book a trip to space, please visit

www.spaceadventures.com

OK, so anyone got a spare $50m?
:rofl:

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Good to see another Expedition about to be on it's way! I think the Soyuz is without question one of the best of all time! It has one thing in mind, Efficiency.

The live launch coverage is scheduled to begin 1100 GMT (7:00 AM EDT) on NASA TV. edit: (Currently a pre-launch feed seems about to begin)

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Actual liftoff will be at 11.49am GMT

-----
Also, this expedition is the start of the 6 person crew for the ISS...

 

[SiberianTiger]

Can anybody kindly check if the launch is going to be visible from the ISS or the Discovery?

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Will a video of the launch be available to download anywhere? Maybe even an HD video? Does anyone know of any sites that host videos of Russian launches? NASA usually don't...

Unfortunately I won't be able to watch the launch live, as I am going to the British National Space Center today (where there is a real life-size Soyuz though)!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Will a video of the launch be available to download anywhere? Maybe even an HD video? Does anyone know of any sites that host videos of Russian launches? NASA usually don't...

Yep, they usually appear at http://tvroscosmos.ru/?page=videopusk ...
I'll drop the link here.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Can anybody kindly check if the launch is going to be visible from the ISS or the Discovery?

If correct I think ISS and Discovery will be in the south Atlantic at the time. According to Orbitron.

 

[cjp]

The last one is 250 km south of my home town.

I can recognize some things, like Astana, and Lake Balkhash. I'm having some trouble with reading pixel-sized Cyrillic though, so I can't recognize all the smaller names. Is it correct that the last stages fall somewhere on the Kazakh/Russian border?

What is your home town? Last summer I made some pictures from (what I think is) Novosibirsk, on my return flight from China, but I couldn't match my pictures with what I can see on Google maps.

Edit:
I found the location of my pictures: they are about 10km north of Novosibirsk.

 

[SiberianTiger]

I can recognize some things, like Astana, and Lake Balkhash. I'm having some trouble with reading pixel-sized Cyrillic though, so I can't recognize all the smaller names. Is it correct that the last stages fall somewhere on the Kazakh/Russian border?

Sorry, could not find this map in a better resolution or translated. Actually, the last (3rd) stage stays in orbit, multiplying the space junk population and eventually falls in a random place within its inclination limits. The 2nd stage (the rocket's core) and 3rd stage adapter fall at the territory of Russia, in Mountain Altai Republic.

What is your home town? Last summer I made some pictures from (what I think is) Novosibirsk, on my return flight from China, but I couldn't match my pictures with what I can see on Google maps.

Mine is Barnaul. Novosibirsk is not very far away, I've been there a number of times.

BTW, the TMA-14 crew members have taken their seats in the capsule. They are showing the rocket fuming at the LC.

 

[tblaxland]

If correct I think ISS and Discovery will be in the south Atlantic at the time. According to Orbitron.

Concur (with Nova), except over the south Atlantic, not in it.

 

[SiberianTiger]

15 minutes till the launch, the coverages are about to go live.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Well, Region that is. About ten minutes to launch

edit: T-2 mintues

edit: Liftoff!

edit: Boosters Jettision

 

[SiberianTiger]

There's a lift-off!

---------- Post added at 14:52 ---------- Previous post was at 14:50 ----------

The rocket's passed through the cloud deck, and is not visible anymore.

---------- Post added at 14:53 ---------- Previous post was at 14:52 ----------

The ship's fairing dropped, sun is glaring through the porthole.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Wonder why we don't get such live shots here with the shuttle! Looks nice in there.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Perminov is bugging Simonyi about his impressions of the last and the current launch.

---------- Post added at 14:55 ---------- Previous post was at 14:55 ----------

There's a 2nd stage sep.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

3rd Stage jettision, Spacecraft seperation. Another perfect launch! Go Expedition 19!

 

[SiberianTiger]

The ship has lost the comms range of the Cosmodrome and is now contacted through the stations along the track.

 

[kklim]

The live coverage reported that there will be another flight to the ISS in late May.
With the crew capacity increased to 6, there will be many more flights.
I suppose the production of the Soyuz spacecraft would increase and it would be very busy for them in Baikonur.