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Russian Rocket Takes Off for Space Station

Posted on: Friday, 15 April 2005, 13:00 CDT

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) -- A Russian rocket blasted off from the steppes of Central Asia at dawn Friday, catapulting three astronauts in a crowded capsule on a two-day journey to the International Space Station. The rising sun turned the capsule's smoky trail shades of pink, purple and orange as the Soyuz-FG rocket lifted off from Russia's base at the Baikonur Cosmodrome with a Russian, American and Italian crew.

They will be welcoming Discovery to the station next month when NASA revives its shuttle program grounded after the Columbia disaster two years ago.

Russia's space program has been the only way of getting astronauts to the station since the Columbia disintegrated as it returned to Earth on Feb. 1, 2003, sparking a suspension of shuttle flights.

Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and American John Phillips are heading for a six-month stay on the station. Italian Roberto Vittori, from the European Space Agency, was set to return to Earth in 10 days with Russian Salizhan Sharipov and American Leroy Chiao, who have been on the orbiting lab since October.

A Russian Orthodox priest blessed the three before liftoff, raising a gold cross over their heads and sprinkling them with holy water. They stood solemnly as the prayers were said, according to Russian state television.

The 46-year-old Krikalev has already logged 624 days in space on missions both to the ISS and the Russian space station Mir, and aboard the shuttle. At the end of the current mission, his sixth, Krikalev will have spent 800 days in space- more than any other astronaut.

Phillips's wife, Laura, and daughter, Allie, watched as he celebrated his 54th birthday with the liftoff from the remote, wind-swept Baikonur base on the Kazakh steppes.

"The sunrise with the beautiful rocket launch, it was just outstanding," Laura Phillips said as she huddled with officials bundled against temperatures just above freezing.

American astronaut Michael Foale, a former space station commander who was at the Baikonur site, said the Soyuz blastoff offered a "softer sensation" than the space shuttle. Speaking in Russian to state television, Foale said that in the shuttle, "you clearly feel takeoff."

"Your back feels a big jolt because the accelerators are very heavy and tough," he said.

Space engineers who watched the launch on a large screen at Russian Mission Control outside Moscow broke into applause as an announcer confirmed that the spacecraft had entered orbit and that all systems were working fine.

Mission Control chief Vladimir Solovyov said the flawless launch proved the reliability of the Russian space technology and the industry's poorly compensated workers. Russian mission control workers and engineers earn between $144 and $179 a month.

"The booster rocket is absolutely reliable," Solovyov said. "The people who are doing the job are real romantics who are involved in fascinating work for a miserable salary."

In Cape Canaveral, Fla., NASA on Thursday successfully tested a redesigned external fuel tank as it aims to revive flights as early as May 15. It underwent major modifications after the Columbia disaster, which was caused by a chunk of insulating foam that fell off the tank during liftoff and struck the shuttle's wing.

NASA removed foam from some places on the tank and applied the insulation differently, to prevent big chunks from breaking off. Heaters were also installed to prevent the formation of ice at spots that no longer have insulation.

A key task for Krikalev and Phillips will be to observe the condition of the insulating tiles as the Discovery approaches the station, conducting a photo survey of the shuttle's exterior before docking.

"I think the eyes of the world are going to be upon the shuttle crew at that moment, and will be a little on us too, and I'm really proud to be a part in that," Phillips said Thursday.

Krikalev said he expected to be moved by the shuttle arrival. "When the shuttle comes it will be a big celebration. They're not only bringing material for experiments, material for the station, food, water, gas, but they're bringing emotions," he said.

Vittori's brief mission will mean he'll miss the shuttle's arrival, but he plans to contribute by spicing up the space station's cuisine.

"One of the particularities of this mission is that we also have some food coming from Italy," he said. "The idea is to bring a little flavor of Italy to the International Space Station."

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Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov contributed to this report from Russian Mission Control in Korolyov, outside Moscow.

Source: By JIM HEINTZ

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