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back to article Soyuz docks with ISS, delivers trio of fresh 'nauts

The Soyuz capsule carrying the Kazakh Space Agency's Aidyn Aimbetov, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov successfully docked with the International Space Station this morning. The mating followed a fly-around of the orbiting outpost, during which the TMA-18M onboard …

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  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
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    Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

    I don't suppose they have HD cameras out there yet. Obviously, the problem is not buying the kit, but making sure new kit would work flawlessly with the rest.

    Oh, and there's the cost of getting it up there and putting it in place as well. And the fact that a spacewalk is a potentially dangerous thing, so keep 'em to what is needed.

    Okay, so no HD. But what's with all the numbers ? Do they really need all that data all the time ? (independantly from the fact that it's NASA, so if they have it, they most certainly need it).

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    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge
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      Re: Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

      The quality's due to the fact they have a live feed from the camera, so I assume they're keeping the bandwidth low. I was wondering if the Soyuz is equipped with a HD camera grabbing the whole thing independently.

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    2. Helena Handcart
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      Re: Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

      My feeling is that the numbers are needed because that's what they are flying by, the pictures being secondary. Much like terrestrial pilots often fly by instruments - IFR, rather than looking out the window - VFR. Essential skills for night/poor weather/high altitude. And I can imagine many of the usual visual cues in atmo are just not there in orbit, so you can't trust your eyes as much.

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    3. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

      "Okay, so no HD. But what's with all the numbers ? Do they really need all that data all the time ? (independantly from the fact that it's NASA, so if they have it, they most certainly need it)."

      The blurry pics with writing/numbers on aren't NASA, they're from the Soyuz. And it's effectively flight data, or the HUD view from the pilot's perspective.

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      1. imanidiot Silver badge
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        Re: Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

        Seems from this video they do have an HD camera around somewhere: https://youtu.be/8ec6WJKdubw

        The video here is from the automated docking system which was developed and designed before HD video was even a thing.

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    4. Vulch
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      Re: Nice pics ! A bit blurry though.

      But what's with all the numbers ?

      The pictures are from part of the KURS docking system (over on the right, 6 lines down "KYPC") giving distances, velocities and angles between the station and the Soyuz. eg bottom left quadrant gives the distance, 208m with a relative velocity of 0.1m/s in the first pic and 40m out closing at 0.14m/s in the second. If a manual docking is needed the crosshairs are lined up with a target beside the docking port on the station which gives a visual indication of whether you're on line and at the right angle.

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  2. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Let's do another orbit...

    ... and see if we can find somewhere closer to park...

    19 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Pint

      Re: Let's do another orbit...

      You, sir, deserve an award for that one.

      1 0 Reply
  3. gregthecanuck

    Congratulations to everyone involved on getting up there *safely*. Everything after is gravy.

    2 0 Reply
  4. Geoff May

    Mare's milk and Lego toys

    One of the German news sites (N-TV) is saying that Mare's milk and Lego has also been delivered.

    0 0 Reply
  5. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
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    Clapjam Junction...

    ...in SPAAAAACE!!!!!!

    Christ on a bike, it's almost become a routine everyday thing this flying into space stuff. I'm just sad that we still don't quite have "proper" rockets which land vertically back on terra firma after their trip to the "space wheel" with it's simulated gravity like what we got in proper old fashioned science fiction, or even more modern stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    All aboard the 06:45 commuter special express to the ISS, no intermediate stops!

    1 0 Reply
  6. Captain DaFt

    "All aboard the 06:45 commuter special express to the ISS, no intermediate stops!"

    The missing part:

    "Have your transfer slips ready on arrival for boarding flights to the Moon, Mars, Io, annnnd Alpha Centauri!"

    1 0 Reply
  7. Martin Budden Silver badge
    Coat

    I left my vehicle in a 2 hour spot...

    ...I'll just nip out and move it. Damn, there aren't any free places! I hope I don't get a ticket, the fines are astronomical these days.

    0 0 Reply

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