Photo op...
Sep. 2nd, 2005 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpThe campaign team was invited to come visit the assembled space rocket in hall 111 yesterday. I went over with the advance group of managers, who were photographed and videotaped in front of the Proton, a process that continued even after arrival of the rest of the team. Always on the lookout for something unusual to photograph, I pointed my camera at the folks photographing the VIPs.
As it turned out, the blurred figures in the background add a certain je ne sais quoi to the image. Also, I finally figured out - completely by accident - how to correct the yellowish cast that have been in all the photos taken inside the processing area (the result of artificial lighting).
There aren't many ways to photograph the launch vehicle while standing on the floor, so after taking the customary shot or two, I continued to look for unusual aspects of this photo opportunity. It came when I saw a technician climb on top of the rocket and walk down the side. I think this image better shows the scale of the Proton (and the vastness of hall 111) than a similar photo with people standing on the floor.
There is a well-worn saying to the effect that the job's not done until the paperwork is finished. In the somewhat fuzzy shot below, engineers and technicians converge on various work journals where each operation has an entry for date and time of performance, the results, and the signature of the person performing the operation.
Moments after taking this shot, on my way out of hall 111, I was asked to interpret what turned out to be a fairly complex discussion of spacecraft battery cooling at the pad that carried over into a followup meeting on the master script/checklist for the launch.
All sorts of activities are planned this weekend, when the launch vehicle will be out of our hands and in the custody of the Russian Space Forces, who will be loading propellant on the upper stage. There are a couple of Luna trips planned, which I intend to miss, as well as a concert by Kazakh folk artists, which I actually am looking forward to. A town trip on Sunday and this afternoon's Soyuz launch are in the mix as well, with plenty of work to do for us interpreters.
Cheers...
As it turned out, the blurred figures in the background add a certain je ne sais quoi to the image. Also, I finally figured out - completely by accident - how to correct the yellowish cast that have been in all the photos taken inside the processing area (the result of artificial lighting).
There aren't many ways to photograph the launch vehicle while standing on the floor, so after taking the customary shot or two, I continued to look for unusual aspects of this photo opportunity. It came when I saw a technician climb on top of the rocket and walk down the side. I think this image better shows the scale of the Proton (and the vastness of hall 111) than a similar photo with people standing on the floor.
There is a well-worn saying to the effect that the job's not done until the paperwork is finished. In the somewhat fuzzy shot below, engineers and technicians converge on various work journals where each operation has an entry for date and time of performance, the results, and the signature of the person performing the operation.
Moments after taking this shot, on my way out of hall 111, I was asked to interpret what turned out to be a fairly complex discussion of spacecraft battery cooling at the pad that carried over into a followup meeting on the master script/checklist for the launch.All sorts of activities are planned this weekend, when the launch vehicle will be out of our hands and in the custody of the Russian Space Forces, who will be loading propellant on the upper stage. There are a couple of Luna trips planned, which I intend to miss, as well as a concert by Kazakh folk artists, which I actually am looking forward to. A town trip on Sunday and this afternoon's Soyuz launch are in the mix as well, with plenty of work to do for us interpreters.
Cheers...
