Soyuz TMA-15: Landing in Kazakhstan, Part I

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Soyuz TMA-15, crewed by commander and Roscosmos cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Bob Thirsk, landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 1:15:34 a.m. CST on Tuesday, concluding 188 days in space.

Video credit: NASA TV

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• TMA-15
• International
• Space
• Station
• De
• Winne
• Thirsk
• Romanenko

[Bhorzo]

The key to good engineering is simplicity.

[Suyamu]

@oomblikkies

it's simple - that's why it's good.

More parts and a more complex system means more failures.

Soviets had a shuttle as well - it had made it's maiden space-flight + landing unmanned before being shelved.

[themainproblem]

I have always liked the way Russians engineer their spacecraft. No flash, just a great functioning and very practical, reliable vehicle. But I also find their spacecraft beautiful to look at as well. The Vostok series is my favorite.

Respect from Apache Junction, Arizona.

[FunKitYourSelf]

for mother russia!

[romrayla]

@DestroyTheseWalls But this method is cost effective. This is even more cost effective than a shuttle. And yes these things are safe. There were a few who died here and there in a soyuz craft, but the same is true for the shuttle.

[DestroyTheseWalls]

@romrayla well lets put it this way....u can use a controlled landing with francy smancy airbrakes, and long runways and reuse it.... oooorrrr use a craft with an expiration date that looks lke sheeot XD lol jk..... i mean smash it in water Apollo style....ill gve them credt for it surving though =D

[romrayla]

@DestroyTheseWalls It's not really "smashing" it to the ground. I guess it's an intelligent way of using nature (gravity) to do the job. It requires far less resources. And oh, just so you know, these Soyuz crafts have rockets. Along with the chute, these rockets fire to counter gravity to ensure smooth landing. The dust cloud is caused by these rockets.

[romrayla]

Russian technology I guess is mostly about functionality. Their tanks, their spaceships, their guns, are not so flashy at all... but they are used for scores and are just as effective as current models. Rugged, yes. Does the job, yes.

[dhbiza]

Boy, the photographer really knew his stuff. He is trying to get a video of a capsule 1000 yards away and has it focused on an anthill 10 feet in front of him. Nice footage of the actual touchdown, I think he actually held the camera still for 0.012 milliseconds.

[Suyamu]

@chillaxer1993

Russia is constantly upgrading it's Soviet tech - the R-7 family of rockets has seen it's upgrades and variations - one thing remains though - it's the most used rocket with the best safety record. What about that is antiquated? What improvements do you suggest need to be done to make it modern?

You might not be used to the concept, but this thing is designed to last - not to be replaced every 2 years by a new model. Having a well tested system is worth gold in space exploration.

[chillaxer1993]

@Suyamu they learned the hard way what complicated systems are more prone to failure. the soviet N1 was the one of their biggest fuck ups. 30 engines.  if one engine failed all of the engines would shut down unlike the saturn 5. the second stage could keep working on 4 engines.

basically the soyuz is antiquated. it's good but old. they're too scared to come up with new technology.

[skyprop]

Simple is a Great start in designs