Michel Tognini

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

30 years ago Michel Tognini the third Frenchman sent into space...

On July 27, 1992, launch of the Soyouz TM 15 spacecraft from Baikonour with the Russians Anatoly Soloviev, Sergei Avdeyev and the French Michel Tognini.

Mooring at Mir station 29 July. The Antares mission consists of about a dozen experiments from the life sciences, physics and technology including Orthostatism, Nausicaa 1 and Illusion among others. Soloviev and Avdeyev will carry out four orbits in space on September 3, 7, 11 and 15 lasting a total of 18 hours and 21 minutes.

Back on August 10th for Tognini aboard the Soyouz TM 14 with the Russians Viktorenko and Kaleri for a flight of 13 days 18 hours 56 minutes and 218 terrestrial orbits. As usual, the two Tognini teammates are picking up the previous crew and will carry out numerous scientific experiments and also maintenance for the Mir station. Returning on February 1, 1993 for an 188-day flight 21:39 minutes and 2,989 Earth orbits.

 

Discovery STS 114

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

26 July 2005, Discovery STS 114 shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral 39A firing line. This is Discovery's 31st flight and also the first flying mission since the tragic loss of Columbia (STS 107 on February 1, 2003).

The crew consists of Eileen Collins, James Kelly, Charles Camarda, Wendy Lawrence, Stephen Robinson, Thomas Andrew (USA) and Soichi Noguchi (Japan).

The goal of the mission is to supply and transport new modules for the International Space Station.

During the mission, Noguchi and Robinson perform three spacewalks (for a total of 20 hours and 5 minutes).

The shuttle returns to Earth on August 9 landing on Runway 22 from Edwards Base in California for a 13-day, 21 hours, 32 minutes, and 219 Earth orbits flight.

International Space Station Visiting Manifest

 

By Nicholas Steggall

International Space Station Visiting Manifest

Launch schedules can always change and it is a guide only.

SpaceX Crew 5 with the Crew Dragon Endeavour on September 1. 2022 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 from the Kennedy LC-39A. Crewed mission docking at the Harmony port. 

Soyuz MS-22 with the Soyuz MS on September 21. 2022 by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Baikonaur launch site 31/6. Crewed mission docking at the Rassvet port.

NG-18 with an en-hansed Cygnus spacecraft in October 2022 by an Antares 230+ launch vehicle from the Wallops Flight Facility LP-0A launch site. Un-crewed mission docking at the Unity port.

HTV-X1 with the HTV-X in October. 2022 by a H3-24L launch vehicle from the Tanegashima LA-Y2 launch site. Un-crewed JAXA mission to dock at the Harmony port.

Progress MS-21 with the Progress MS no. 451 spacecraft on October 26. 2022 by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Baikonaur site 31/6 launch site. Un-crewed Roscosmos mission to dock at the Poisk port. 

SpX-26 with a Cargo Dragon in October 2022 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. Un-crewed SpaceX mission to dock at the Harmony port.

Boe-CFT with the Boeing Starliner Calypso spacecraft on December 8. 2022 by an Atlas V N22 launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral SLC-41 launch site. A crewed mission to dock at the Harmony port.

SpX-27 with a Cargo Dragon spacecraft on January 10. 2022 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. An un-crewed  SpaceX mission to dock at the Harmony port.

Axiom Space, AX-2 with the Crew Dragon in the first quarter of 2023 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. A private crewed mission to dock at the Harmony (or Zvezda-aft) port.

Progress MS-22 with the Progress MS no. 452 spacecraft by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Baikonaur 31/6 launch site. An un-crewed mikssion to dock at the Zvezda-aft port.  

NG-19 with an en-hansed Cygnus spacecraft in February 2023 by an Antares 230+ launch vehicle from the Wallops Flight Facility LP0A launch site. A Northrop Grumman un-crewed mission to dock at the Unity port.

SNC-1 with the Dream Chaser Tenacity spacecraft in February 2023 by a Vulcan Centaur VC-4L launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral SLC-41 launch site. An Sierra Nevada un-crewed mission to dock at the Harmony port.

Soyuz MS-23 with a Soyuz spacecraft on March 20. 2023 by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Baikonaur 31/6 launch site. A Roscosmos crewed mission to dock at the Prical port.

SpaceX Crew 6 with a Crew Dragon spacecraft in March 2023 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. A crewed mission to dock at the Harmony (or Zvezda-aft) port.

Axiom Space AX-3 with a SpaceX Crew Dragon in the first half of 2023 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. A crewed mission to dock at the Harmony (or Zvezda-aft) port.

HTV-X2 with a JAXA HTV-X spacecraft in April 2023 by a H3-24L launch vehicle from the Tanegashima LA-Y2 launch site. An un-crewed mission  to dock at the Harmony port. 

SpX-28 with a SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft on June 5. 2023 by a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle from the Kennedy LC-39A launch site. An un-crewed  mission to dock at the Harmony port.

Progress MS-24 with the Progress MS No. 453 spacecraft  on September 21. 2023 by a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from  the Baikonaur 31/6 launch site. The crewed mission to dock at the Rassvet port.

Starliner 1 with the Boeing Starliner SC-2 spacecraft in September 2023 by an Atlas V N22 launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral SLC-41 launch site. The crewed mission to dock at the Harmony port.

47 years ago

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

47 years ago, on July 15, 1975, the Apollo-Soyouz ASTP mission.

It was quite nice this appointment in space, announced with great publicity, American astronauts (Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand and Donald Slayton) and Soviet cosmonauts (Alexis Leonov and Valery Koubasov). The project, conceived in 1972, was to transform a merciless rivalry into a joint venture resulting in a fruitful exchange of technical information between the two rivals.

Soyouz and Apollo flights were becoming almost routine. Nevertheless, meeting and towing in the space of two vehicles of different designs was not so easy. The project took three years to complete. It is necessary to build a special mooring system, coordinate procedures and, of course, remove language barriers.

Russian and American teams training at the City of Stars and Houston. Mixed Soviet and American tech teams accompanied them. In July 1975, everyone was ready to exchange in space the long-awaited memorable "Shake-hand".

7 years ago

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

7 years ago July 14, 2015 New Horizons fly over Pluto and Charon...

On January 19, 2006, the US probe New Horizons (478 kg) was launched from Cape Canaveral by an Atlas V-551 rocket. It flies over Pluto and its satellites on July 14, 2015 from 11,095 km away. The results of the New Horizons mission have completely upset knowledge about Pluto and its satellites. Extensive geology data, as well as surface and atmosphere composition, has been collected. They have shown that, contrary to popular assumptions, Pluto has been very active geologically since its creation. The dwarf planet presents a particularly rich array of atmospheric phenomena and geological formations, which rival Mars in diversity.

July 13, 1934

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

July 13, 1934, birth of Aleksei Stanislavovich Yeliseyev in Zhizdra, Russia, Soviet cosmonaut selected on May 27, 1968 in the TsKBEM-1 group. (September 1965 Korolev band, May 23, 1966 Mishin band).

He participated in three space missions:

-Soyouz 5 from 15 to 17 January 1969, return with Soyouz 4 launched the day before.

-Soyouz 8 from 13 to 18 October 1969.

-Soyouz 10 from 23 to 24 April 1971.

He was assigned in the backup crew on Soyouz flights 6 and Soyouz 7.

He left the cosmonaut group on December 19, 1985 with 8 days 22 hours 20 minutes spent in space, including 37 minutes on an extra-vehicle trip (from Soyouz 5 to Soyouz 4).

James Webb

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

July 12, 2022, James Webb the first image shows the universe only 100 million years old!

Evidence of the U.S. government’s unwavering interest in the space program, President Joe Biden has unveiled and unveiled the first-ever public image of the James Webb Space Telescope. And unsurprisingly, it is spectacular from both a scientific and a technical standpoint.

It shows us a wide variety of objects at different ages of the universe, some of which are "old" by a hundred million years.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the deepest, sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as "Webb's First Deep Field," this image of SMACS 0723 galaxy cluster is full of detail.

Zvezda module

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

On July 12, 2000, the Zvezda module was launched by a Proton K rocket from Baikonour. It joins automatically at the Zarya docking port opposite Unity on 26 July 2000.

This is the third module installed in the International Space Station assembly after the Zarya and Unity modules.

A few weeks later, management of the space station is transferred from Zarya's computers to Zvezda's. During an extra-vehicle crew outing of the STS 106 mission on September 11, 2000, the external connections between the two Russian modules are set up. Zvezda engines are now taking over Zarya for attitude control and orbit corrections. Zarya's role is storing equipment and fuel.

Expedition 1, the ISS's first standing crew, takes possession of the site on November 2, 2000.

Ariane 3

 

By Astrophilatelie Martin

The latest launch of Ariane 3...

Ariane 3 V32, launched on July 11, 1989 from ELA 1 firing pass of Kourou, Guyana. It placed the Olympus 1 telecommunications satellite weighing 2,600 kg into geostationary orbit.

All Ariane 4s, bigger and more powerful, new generation, will take off from ELA 2 firing line.