New Space Station Crew Readies for Launch on Russian Rocket

Things cant be that bad. At the ISS its business as usual with a mixed US and Russian Crew.


MOSCOW, March 25 (RIA Novosti) – The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three new crewmembers to the International Space Station has been scheduled for early Wednesday morning, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said Tuesday.

The Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev as well as NASA astronaut Steven Swanson will follow an express flight path and dock with the station just six hours later.

Link
en.ria.ru...

reply to post by Reinmax

I guess one of the things I see in this post is that given the USA and NASA are still cooperating I think it safe to say we are not on the brink of WW3.

I had a buddy who was a real deal Russian rocket scientist. He once asked me if I knew why Russia's uses five engines on their rockets instead of just three. In case two don't work...... Never will forget that.

reply to post by Reinmax

Things cant be that bad. At the ISS its business as usual with a mixed US and Russian Crew. 

That's exactly what I don't understand. Lol

Of course things won't get the bad. If anyone thinks world war 3 is going to start then I believe they need there head checked. I said this in another friend. The world and the normal people livings on it are far to connected these days. I can go online and join a Russian chat room and make friends. I mean look at this picture for example, look at all these planes connecting the world if a world war did start all these flights would have to stop


The world today is such a different place compared to what it was 60 years ago. 60 years ago you couldn't pick up a mobile phone and call someone in chine or Russia or wherever. But with all this technology and how close the people of the world are now I don't think the majority of people would want a war.

reply to post by ThePeaceMaker


Oh heck this is so off topic it's silly but I have to say it anyway. Looking at the picture on FlightRadar makes me wonder how anyone can deny that humans have affected our climate.......

Okay that was off topic but maybe thread worthy.....

One things interesting,

Guess who gets a gun in their pod?

Russians, standard issue.

Russian astronauts get to keep a side arm.

Always thought that was a funny detail, anyone play the last Call of duty game?

reply to post by benrl

That is interesting. However I think it would have more to do with where they land (on land) when returning from missions. I can not imagine using a explosive method of firing a projectile is such a good idea in a space station.....

reply to post by benrl


Really ?! I hope that wasn't in the link provided by the OP otherwise I've been busted for not reading properly. Why would you want a side arm? Surely the effects of a bullets wizzing around in a tight area 20 odd miles above the earth would be disastrous

reply to post by Mamatus


Off topic sorry: Yeah it's crazy isn't it, using flight radar it's pretty cool to zoom out sometimes and actually seeing how many aircraft are out there. If I look on the app at say 2am ( UK time ) you see all the flights from the US heading toward Europe ready to land for the morning. It looks like an invasion lol. As for the emissions from planes, plane engines these days are quite economical

reply to post by Reinmax


As I see, sanctions are not in place when it comes to space programs

US is paying over 70 million for having that astronaut on board. As currently US does not currently have the means to send astronauts to space, last April US made a deal with Russia (till 2017 if I remember correctly) that they well buy seats on Russian rockets going to space, 70.7 million dollars per seat.

Although, its good seeing that space programs are not affected by the current Ukraine crisis.

reply to post by Mamatus


Yea, it was for Landing, buts its still there.

Makes a good threat,

Russian participation means that there are guns on board the ISS, and the guns belong to the Russians. This is not quite as alarming as it sounds, and officially it’s no secret. However, I could never find any mention of this design feature on NASA web sites or mission press kits. Actually, it’s a safety feature, and not an unreasonable one.

American astronauts who trained for the 1995–1997 Mir visits, and later as part of the Soyuz spacecraft crews for the International Space Station, encountered a unique feature that cosmonauts need to master: target practice. They have to know how to load, aim, and fire the special survival gun that has been on board all Soyuz spacecraft throughout their 30-year history.

The triple-barreled gun can fire flares, shotgun shells, or rifle bullets, depending on how it's loaded. The gun and about 10 rounds for each barrel are carried in a triangle-shaped survival canister stowed next to the commander's couch. The gun's shoulder stock opens up into a machete for chopping firewood.

Just to be clear, I feel this just proves the whole situation is contrived, they are still cooperating in space, and they are armed, if they where a threat, I think this wouldn't be happening.

ThePeaceMaker
Of course things won't get the bad. If anyone thinks world war 3 is going to start then I believe they need there head checked. I said this in another friend. The world and the normal people livings on it are far to connected these days. I can go online and join a Russian chat room and make friends. I mean look at this picture for example, look at all these planes connecting the world if a world war did start all these flights would have to stop

The world today is such a different place compared to what it was 60 years ago. 60 years ago you couldn't pick up a mobile phone and call someone in chine or Russia or wherever. But with all this technology and how close the people of the world are now I don't think the majority of people would want a war.

Anyone who thinks there isnt a war going on needs their head checked....could it lead to ww3? Well a global war will happen eventually..some day....it is possible to think that this could be the start of it...its not that far fetched.

Wars are fought in many ways....Colin Powell used to often talk of using soft power to avoid physical force....that is what is going on with the US and Russia. It is a battle ...just a different kind.

reply to post by benrl

It's an old magic trick or as is commonly called in Politics "Wagging the Dog". For all we know the USA is secretly supporting the Russian takeover of Eastern Europe...

The entire dog and pony show is just for us. Truth be told none of us on ATS have a real clue as to the grand plan and all we do is guess ( :

reply to post by Mamatus


Honestly, the plan is greed.

Its always been, it always will be.

No need for complex conspiracy, just human nature.

I completely agree, we won't know whats really going on, but you can usally guess by the overall momentum of history.

Presidents always take more power, never give, Military spending will always increase, and there will always be a new Boogie man, the march to encroach on personal liberty continues.

Those are the symptoms, what left is to randomly guess the end goal.

Having side arms on board is so Star trek TOS. I like it

I dont think russia will move beyond Crimea and this will alll settle down then business as usual. Already the situation is Ukraine is changing to the various groups that supported the coup now infighting and assasinating each other for power.

There was a assasination today of a leader of one of the groups by the now current governmernt, but BBC has removed the link.

reply to post by cosmicexplorer


I agree with you cosmic and I'm not denying there is war going on. I guess I've been a bit silly assuming a world war would be like the great wars that we've had I just admit I'm not that clued up on types of war. Thanks for your input helps me broaden the mind so to speak

Imagine those New astronauts are hit men sent to off everyone in the ISS...Russians...