ESA title
Soyuz TMA-18M liftoff
Science & Exploration

Spacecraft swap

2580 views 4 likes
ESA / Science & Exploration / Human and Robotic Exploration / iriss

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen flew to the International Space Station as flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-18M. He sat to the left of cosmonaut commander Sergei Volkov and acted as second in command providing information to Sergei during the six-hour flight to the Space Station. To the right was Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

Soyuz TMA-18M arriving at Space Station
Soyuz TMA-18M arriving at Space Station

Most astronauts live and work on the International Space Station with their Soyuz attached that acts as a lifeboat in case of emergency. When their mission is finished they return to Earth in the same spacecraft that bought them to space.

Each Soyuz, as all spacecraft, are designed to work for a certain period of time and come with a space warranty guaranteeing their correct functioning. In the harsh environment of space, radiation, vacuum, mini-meteorites and large temperature differences push all equipment to its limits.

In 2015, two astronauts stayed on the Space Station for almost a whole year, more than their Soyuz ferry can safely stay in space. Mikhail Korniyenko and Scott Kelly needed a replacement Soyuz to return to Earth safely after their marathon stay.

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen back on Earth
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen back on Earth

Andreas’s mission replaced the Soyuz TMA-16M that flew Mikhail and Scott to the International Space Station on 27 March 2015.

When Andreas’s iriss mission was over he returned in the Soyuz TMA-16M with commander Gennady Padalka and Aidyn Aimbetov, flying under a different commander from his outbound flight on the TMA-18M. Sergei will return to Earth with Mikhail and Scott in Spring 2016.

A tailored spacecraft

Andreas during Soyuz simulation
Andreas during Soyuz simulation

Each Soyuz has custom-made seats that are moulded to the astronaut’s body to be as comfortable and safe as possible, absorbing the vibrations during take off and shocks of landing.

One of the first tasks for the Soyuz commanders after arrival was to swap the astronaut’s seat-liners to their new ferry.

Andreas was second-in-command for the return flight sitting to the left of his new commander as on the outbound journey to space.

As his mission was short Andreas did not need to readapt to Earth’s gravity and returned to his homebase at ESA’s astronaut centre in Cologne, Germany, from the landing site in Kazakhstan.

Andreas Mogensen being welcomed back
Andreas Mogensen being welcomed back

Related Articles

Science & Exploration

Astronaut brains as beacons for researchers

08/10/2015 7968 views 59 likes
Read
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen back on Earth
Science & Exploration

Andreas Mogensen lands after a busy mission on Space Station

12/09/2015 10188 views 55 likes
Read
Science & Exploration

Supervising two rovers from space

11/09/2015 5887 views 58 likes
Read
Andreas controlling rover
Enabling & Support

Slam dunk for Andreas in space controlling rover on ground

08/09/2015 8958 views 82 likes
Read
Science & Exploration

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen begins busy International Sp…

04/09/2015 8183 views 41 likes
Read
Science & Exploration

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen launched to Space Station

02/09/2015 16322 views 64 likes
Read
Science & Exploration

Longer flight to the International Space Station for Andrea…

27/08/2015 6526 views 62 likes
Read
Andreas Mogensen
Science & Exploration

ESA’s next astronaut to go into space arrives at launch site

19/08/2015 6105 views 39 likes
Read
Andreas Mogensen
Science & Exploration

Andreas Mogensen launch moved by a day

24/07/2015 8374 views 50 likes
Read
Andreas during a simulation inside the full-scale mockup of the Soyuz capsule
Science & Exploration

100 days to Andreas Mogensen’s mission

22/05/2015 6227 views 38 likes
Read
iriss logo
Science & Exploration

Space viking: Andreas Mogensen unveils mission logos

10/10/2014 6962 views 46 likes
Read
Underwater base
Science & Exploration

Underwater return for Andreas and Thomas

10/06/2014 4906 views 41 likes
Read
Andreas using a flare for survival training
Science & Exploration

Andreas Mogensen’s mission name links cosmos and Earth

28/04/2014 5318 views 39 likes
Read
Andreas Mogensen
Science & Exploration

Andreas Mogensen set for Soyuz mission to Space Station in …

28/08/2013 12646 views 37 likes
Read

Related Links