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Rolling out the Proton...
Jun. 3rd, 2003 05:44 pm...but first, some words about last night's launch of the Mars Express.
The bus to the ESA launch pad was pretty full, and we left in plenty of time to negotiate any safety and security roadblocks. Predictably, there were none along the way, so we arrived about 90 minutes early. Despite the lateness of the hour, there was still some vestige of light toward the west-northwest, with a new moon sinking slowly toward the horizon.
The launch pad was visible as a few points of light in the distance, with the Soyuz rocket itself as a short vertical streak against the horizon. As the minutes passed, the air became colder and I regretted not taking along a sweater.
The launch was impressive, although I wasted time trying to photograph it. My best photo consists of a white splash of light against a black background, which I could have gotten in any number of ways without going to the middle of the karakumy of Kazakhstan. No matter, though. I got a running commentary from an ITB journalist who was there for the launch, and who practiced his lines a whole bunch of times before going for the gold in one take.
I saw the first stage separation, which made the launch vehicle look like a sparkling Christmas ornament in the night sky. Then the rocket dwindled to a slowly moving point of light, not unlike a high-flying aircraft receding in the distance.
* * * I managed to doze a little on the way back to the hotel. We got back around 1 am and upon disembarking from the bus, I tried to remain somewhat stupefied as I climbed up to my room, got undressed, set the alarm for 5 am, and went to sleep. It worked fairly well, as I drifted off quickly and woke refreshed.
The ILS safety engineer, one of the Alcatel engineers, and I got to the vehicle a few minutes after 5:30 am to disconnect the battery box, and I returned to the main building to pick up a emergency air pack that one must carry at the launch pad complex when the Proton is there. (This applies to the U.S. team; the Russians have a somewhat different approach.) Upon returning to the holding area, the lights that had been on during the night were off, and the vehicle and its attached thermal car were ready to go.
(The vehicle, by the way, is kept here instead of inside the facility once the upper stage is fueled. Final fueling of the bottom stages will occur sometime between now and launch.)
Slowly, a locomotive came down the track and was guided to a gentle "kiss" with the coupling on the thermal car.
Despite appearances, the guys in the colorful uniforms are not Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, but railroad workers. They, along with (it seemed) about half the world escorted the train as it proceeded down the track at just under a brisk walking pace. Myself, I stayed inside the thermal car, in what looked to be a break/work/sleep compartment, together with the Khrunichev security guy, while the two Pinkertons stayed in the back compartment, at the entrance/exit to the thermal car, and kept an eye on things.
I grabbed about an hour and a half of shuteye and then chatted with the Khrunichev guy. He was, as are many Russians I've worked with, curious to know how I ended up in this crazy business (and, naturally, the story of how I came by my language skills). Therein lies a tale, and there are times I, too, am curious as to how all this came about.
After about 3 hours of movement, during which the train backed up into a siding and then out again, so that the locomotive ended up pushing the train instead of pulling it, we approached the launch pad complex.
Eventually, the rocket was positioned so that its tail was right next to its erection location. By this time, we had quit the train and joined the rest of the team, which was there to watch the Proton get erected into place. While we were waiting, Conrad (the ILS safety guy) took a picture of me standing next to the flame trench, with the Proton in the background.
As it turns out, the transporter railcar on which the Proton was resting serves as an erection platform, too. Slowly, the rocket was lifted into position so that it sat squarely over the flame trench opening.
At about this time, there was a frenzy of picture-taking going on, with everyone pointing their cameras at each other with the rocket in the background. I looked around and happened to see a bunch of guys just spending another day at the office:
This is, of course, the fire brigade that was on hand in case anything were to happen. I recalled seeing their truck shadowing the progress of the train from time to time during the rollout. I have to make sure I figure out a way to get these guys a hardcopy of the photo.
The trip back from the pad was surprisingly short, considering how long it had taken for me to get there in the bowels of the thermal car. Generally speaking, the prelaunch checkout process is largely in the hands of the Russian side, so there's not a heck of a lot going on from the U.S./Alcatel side. I've heard some Alcatel traffic on my radio, but things appear to be going nominally.
Time to wander downstairs and check out what's going on.
Cheers...
The bus to the ESA launch pad was pretty full, and we left in plenty of time to negotiate any safety and security roadblocks. Predictably, there were none along the way, so we arrived about 90 minutes early. Despite the lateness of the hour, there was still some vestige of light toward the west-northwest, with a new moon sinking slowly toward the horizon.
The launch pad was visible as a few points of light in the distance, with the Soyuz rocket itself as a short vertical streak against the horizon. As the minutes passed, the air became colder and I regretted not taking along a sweater.
The launch was impressive, although I wasted time trying to photograph it. My best photo consists of a white splash of light against a black background, which I could have gotten in any number of ways without going to the middle of the karakumy of Kazakhstan. No matter, though. I got a running commentary from an ITB journalist who was there for the launch, and who practiced his lines a whole bunch of times before going for the gold in one take.
I saw the first stage separation, which made the launch vehicle look like a sparkling Christmas ornament in the night sky. Then the rocket dwindled to a slowly moving point of light, not unlike a high-flying aircraft receding in the distance.
The ILS safety engineer, one of the Alcatel engineers, and I got to the vehicle a few minutes after 5:30 am to disconnect the battery box, and I returned to the main building to pick up a emergency air pack that one must carry at the launch pad complex when the Proton is there. (This applies to the U.S. team; the Russians have a somewhat different approach.) Upon returning to the holding area, the lights that had been on during the night were off, and the vehicle and its attached thermal car were ready to go.
(The vehicle, by the way, is kept here instead of inside the facility once the upper stage is fueled. Final fueling of the bottom stages will occur sometime between now and launch.)
Slowly, a locomotive came down the track and was guided to a gentle "kiss" with the coupling on the thermal car.
Despite appearances, the guys in the colorful uniforms are not Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, but railroad workers. They, along with (it seemed) about half the world escorted the train as it proceeded down the track at just under a brisk walking pace. Myself, I stayed inside the thermal car, in what looked to be a break/work/sleep compartment, together with the Khrunichev security guy, while the two Pinkertons stayed in the back compartment, at the entrance/exit to the thermal car, and kept an eye on things.
I grabbed about an hour and a half of shuteye and then chatted with the Khrunichev guy. He was, as are many Russians I've worked with, curious to know how I ended up in this crazy business (and, naturally, the story of how I came by my language skills). Therein lies a tale, and there are times I, too, am curious as to how all this came about.
After about 3 hours of movement, during which the train backed up into a siding and then out again, so that the locomotive ended up pushing the train instead of pulling it, we approached the launch pad complex.
Eventually, the rocket was positioned so that its tail was right next to its erection location. By this time, we had quit the train and joined the rest of the team, which was there to watch the Proton get erected into place. While we were waiting, Conrad (the ILS safety guy) took a picture of me standing next to the flame trench, with the Proton in the background.
As it turns out, the transporter railcar on which the Proton was resting serves as an erection platform, too. Slowly, the rocket was lifted into position so that it sat squarely over the flame trench opening.
At about this time, there was a frenzy of picture-taking going on, with everyone pointing their cameras at each other with the rocket in the background. I looked around and happened to see a bunch of guys just spending another day at the office:
This is, of course, the fire brigade that was on hand in case anything were to happen. I recalled seeing their truck shadowing the progress of the train from time to time during the rollout. I have to make sure I figure out a way to get these guys a hardcopy of the photo.
The trip back from the pad was surprisingly short, considering how long it had taken for me to get there in the bowels of the thermal car. Generally speaking, the prelaunch checkout process is largely in the hands of the Russian side, so there's not a heck of a lot going on from the U.S./Alcatel side. I've heard some Alcatel traffic on my radio, but things appear to be going nominally.
Time to wander downstairs and check out what's going on.
Cheers...
