Sandscript on Soyuz
On the south coast this morning it was mild grey and wet; in Baikonur, Kazakhstan there was a blue sky above the frozen Steppes.
They have become as regular as buses, occasionally on clear nights we watch it cross 250 miles above our roof, but this week we are taking more interest than usual. At 11.03 GMT I watch a perfect lift off, a Russian Soyuz rocket vibrates the television, on board are Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko, US astronaut Tim Kopra and a real British astronaut. Tim Peakes, Star City and the Cosmodrome have become part of our lives in the last few days, years of preparation condensed into a Horizon programme.
I have to go out but arrive back in time to catch up with live coverage. After six-and-a-half hours, at 17:33 GMT, their capsule successfully docks with the International Space Station. We have a Christmas dinner to go to and miss the moment two-and-a-half hours later when the hatch finally opened and the ISS crew welcomed the three newcomers on board. Tim Peake, previously an army major and helicopter pilot, will spend six months on board the space station orbiting the Earth. He has spent six years training to become the first professional British astronaut to be employed by the European Space Agency.
His wife is cool, capable and very supportive, she and I have one thing in common, we’ve both been left to do all the Christmas cards.
Meanwhile back on tonight’s news we were able to see Tim on board and catch up with the enthusiasm of children around the country; Tim’s own son jumping up and down in excitement as the rocket took off, pupils at Tim’s old primary school, children at the science museum. Equally excited are the television experts seeing the scientists of tomorrow. It does not matter what nationality the space heroes are, the International Space Station is proof of what cooperation between countries can achieve, it is literally above the turmoils of the world.
I have written in previous blogs, 2013 and 2014, about the ISS.
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They have become as regular as buses, occasionally on clear nights we watch it cross 250 miles above our roof, but this week we are taking more interest than usual. At 11.03 GMT I watch a perfect lift off, a Russian Soyuz rocket vibrates the television, on board are Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko, US astronaut Tim Kopra and a real British astronaut. Tim Peakes, Star City and the Cosmodrome have become part of our lives in the last few days, years of preparation condensed into a Horizon programme.
I have to go out but arrive back in time to catch up with live coverage. After six-and-a-half hours, at 17:33 GMT, their capsule successfully docks with the International Space Station. We have a Christmas dinner to go to and miss the moment two-and-a-half hours later when the hatch finally opened and the ISS crew welcomed the three newcomers on board. Tim Peake, previously an army major and helicopter pilot, will spend six months on board the space station orbiting the Earth. He has spent six years training to become the first professional British astronaut to be employed by the European Space Agency.
His wife is cool, capable and very supportive, she and I have one thing in common, we’ve both been left to do all the Christmas cards.
Meanwhile back on tonight’s news we were able to see Tim on board and catch up with the enthusiasm of children around the country; Tim’s own son jumping up and down in excitement as the rocket took off, pupils at Tim’s old primary school, children at the science museum. Equally excited are the television experts seeing the scientists of tomorrow. It does not matter what nationality the space heroes are, the International Space Station is proof of what cooperation between countries can achieve, it is literally above the turmoils of the world.
I have written in previous blogs, 2013 and 2014, about the ISS.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
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by
Jane
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Dec 16, 2015 06:34AM
One can appreciate the moment-but I might just be a bit spaced-out now [what with the Star Wars movie to boot...;)
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Sandscript
I like to write first drafts with pen and paper; at home, in busy cafes, in the garden, at our beach hut... even sitting in a sea front car park waiting for the rain to stop I get my note book out. We
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