Soyuz TMA-11M Launch to ISS

[Mr Shifty]

Three Expedition 38 crew members launched uphill this evening from Baikonur Cosmodrome. They're carrying the Olympic torch to the ISS, and this will mark the first time that more than 6 crew members will be inhabiting the ISS at the same time.

NSF Article:

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/11/soyuz-tma-11m-launch-dock-iss/

[KvickFlygarn87]

Goshdarnit I missed it!

[Tommygun]

Nice footage.

I wonder if the Russians ever considered parachute recovery of those boosters for reuse?

[sjwt]

Nice footage.

I wonder if the Russians ever considered parachute recovery of those boosters for reuse?

Most likely not, IIRC the american recovery of boosters was nothing more then a political stunt, and not worth the cost.

[Outlander4]

Nice footage.

I wonder if the Russians ever considered parachute recovery of those boosters for reuse?

Nae, as sjwt said, it's not worth the cost. In Soviet centralised economic system it was even more pointless. If I'm not mistaken, the debris was recovered eventually, I don't know if it's done now.

Russian recoverable designs were all plane-launched spaceplanes, until the government decided they absolutely need to copy that insane Space Shuttle design. Even that didn't stop Russians from building a more sensible system overall (a super-heavy Saturn-V / SLS-class multi-purpose launcher called Energia and a Buran orbiter). The latest normal Russian re-usable design is MAKS system but the government doesn't provide support to anything that makes even a slightest bit of sense...

[Mr Shifty]

TMA-11M successfully docked at the ISS. There are now 9 crewmembers aboard Station for the first time.

[PakledHostage]

Nice footage.

I agree. I am always impressed by the camera work. It is not as easy as they make it look. Thanks for sharing this video, Mr Shifty.

[Tech Support]

wait,... recoverable boosters is not economical ? I always thought that recovering the engine was worth it...

[Requiem762]

The soviets also thought that the shuttle would double as a bomber in the case of war it would div e into the high atmosphere drop a bomb and push itself back into orbit. The soviets paranoi drove them to build the bran specifically to have that functionality

[KvickFlygarn87]

wait,... recoverable boosters is not economical ? I always thought that recovering the engine was worth it...

Nope, since the costs for refurbishing the boosters are higher than the costs of building a new one.

Also, I've heard of a new "Fast transfer" used by NASA, what is it?

[Karriz]

Also, I've heard of a new "Fast transfer" used by NASA, what is it?

Soyuz rendezvouses with ISS in 6 hours instead of two days. They've been doing that for the last few missions.

[Mr Shifty]

Here's video of the docking:

And here's video of the hatch opening and arrival of the new crew and Olympic torch:

[KvickFlygarn87]

Soyuz rendezvouses with ISS in 6 hours instead of two days. They've been doing that for the last few missions.

But, how does it do that? Just launching closer to a window?