Today, dear viewers, you will get a chance to witness one of the most unusual space experiments
– we will be operating robots located back on Earth by controlling them remotely from the space station.
Also you will see a re-docking of a Soyuz spacecraft and a satellite launch directly from the ISS,
as well as some more of Mikhail Kornienko's space tricks.
And now let's add some fizz to our water bubble and watch what happens!
- Moscow Mission Control, come in, ISS-1 here! - Yes, Mikhail, copy!
While Mikhail Kornienko is talking to the Mission Control, scientist teams in St. Petersburg and in Munich
are preparing to start receiving the telecommunication signal from space.
Russian and German Robotics Institutes are running an unusual experiment together – it's called Kontur-2.
- We are ready! - When are we starting? - In an hour?
Scientists from the German Space Agency's laboratory will be watching over the experiment running in St. Petersburg.
A special kinematic manipulator was designed here at the Russian State Scientific Centre for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics.
Scientists dubbed the device "Meerkat" for its resemblance to the little animal, known for standing up straight and tall.
Alexander Silinenko, Laboratory Manager at RSSC for RTC, St. Petersburg: We are aiming to develop
an infrastructure for remotely controlling robots, for example during exploration of other planets.
Today the task for our robot will be to hit the surrounding targets with this stylus.
The remote control device for operating robots from space was delivered to the ISS in summer 2015 by one of the Russian spacecraft.
Oleg Kononenko was the commander of that particular flight. He had already worked with this device during his training,
but in weightlessness the conditions are very different. So the orbital part of this experiment will be a test not only for the equipment but for the crew as well.
Oleg Kononenko, Russian cosmonaut, ISS flight engineer: Remote control robotic technology has a long
has a long history in our country, going all the way back to the development of moon rovers like Lunokhod
for the exploration of lunar surface in the 60's and the 70's.
Kontur-2 experiment recreates a possible scenario of exploring a surface of a planet, like the Moon,
for example, by using robotic manipulators controlled remotely by an operator from an orbiting spaceship.
In our experiment today the Earth will represent a planet being explored, with ISS as a manned orbiting spaceship,
and I will play the role of an operator remotely controlling one or more robots working down on the surface.
This joystick device, developed by Russian and German scientists, allows the cosmonaut to manipulate the robot from a distance of 400 km.
During the experiment I will control the robot using the robot's camera video stream, which will be transmitted
to this laptop here. Usually there shouldn't be any distractions during an experiment like this, but today I am making an exception.
- Ok! Let us know if everything's alright! - Yes, let's go!
The cosmonaut will need to get the robot to hit all surrounding targets as fast as possible.
They are pre-programmed to make it hard to guess which one will light up next.
Let's start!
I am now making the robot hit the targets as they light up.
You can see how Oleg's arm muscles are tensing up. Even though he has done this before back on Earth,
microgravity makes it much harder and at first the robot hits some of the wrong targets.
Soon, however, the cosmonaut and the "Meerkat" start working as a team quite well.
During the Kontur-1 experiment things were reversed – the robot was on the ISS and the operator was back on Earth.
The second stage of this space research program is truly unique thanks to the equipment that is unaffected
by the high speed of the space station and the enormous distance between the robot and the operator.
There have been previous experiments in controlling robots remotely from orbit, but this one is special
in that we are using force feedback from robot to joystick.
The cosmonaut feels the force with which the robot is touching the surrounding surfaces.
We have programmed the device so that the operator cannot move the handle faster than the robot can actually move around down on the planet.
This is the first time when such precise operations are performed from space. The margin of error here is less than one centimetre.
Task complete! Repeat task applying force to joystick, when ready press 'Start'.
I'm now pressing start and applying force. Touching the lights… Left, right… Go clockwise…
Task complete. Let go… I'm letting go!
Thank you! Session complete, see you next time! That's it!
The experiment lasted 8 minutes, and both St. Petersburg and Munich teams were satisfied with the results.
There will be 19 more sessions like this one, and each time the assignments for the robots to complete will get more complicated.
So what is the purpose of this experiment, you might ask… It's actually a rather important mission
and a serious step towards the exploration of the Moon, which would first of all require building a base on the Moon's surface.
Such construction would only be possible with the use of robots, controlled remotely from Moon's orbit, or maybe even from Earth.
Robots would replace people during the first stages of lunar exploration, until the necessary conditions can be
created for continuous human presence on the Moon, just like we created living conditions here on the ISS.
And at that point it will be possible to control the robots directly from our Moon base.
Robots assisting humans in space explorations is no longer science fiction but a part of a very real
and not so distant future, especially taking into account successful use of remotely controlled devices on the ISS.
Most of the US segment of the station, for example, was assembled using the Canadian manipulator arm.
Many open space experiments use robotic facilities of the Japanese module that can also be controlled remotely.
The Japanese module has its own manipulator arm. It's similar to the Canadian one, but with a bit less freedom of movement.
However, it is still very useful for many operations outside the station, for example reinstalling
a piece of equipment from one part of the station onto another or unloading cargo spacecraft…
In 2017 the Russian segment of the ISS will also receive a manipulator arm, which will be delivered into orbit together with the new Nauka laboratory module.
ISS is the perfect place for fine-tuning robotic technologies that can be applied both on the station itself and on the other planets of the Solar system.
Today these technologies allow for less spacewalks and generally make life on the station easier.
However, without human input and control all this equipment is nothing but a pile of very expensive metal scraps.
And due to the wide variety of their tasks the cosmonauts today are truly the most
multi-skilled professionals on the planet. And off the planet too, for that matter.
A cosmonaut on the ISS has many jobs. Sometimes we get to be researches, engineers, equipment operators...
Sometimes baggage handlers – when loading or unloading Progress spacecraft. Educational experiment
called Great Start also allows every Russian cosmonaut to become a teacher.
This time it was Oleg Kononenko's turn, but soon I will also get to try it.
And I will be telling the internet users about the Russian-American year-long medical research program and my very active participation in it.
Today the International Space Station is not only a unique laboratory with plenty of research opportunities
but also a convenient launch pad for small satellites, thanks to its altitude and technical capabilities.
Another satellite launch from the Japanese manipulator…
Just waiting here, about 30 seconds to launch now!
Such microsatellites are sent into space by a special launching device that uses a spring mechanism.
- Three, two, one, go! - There they go…
We'll see them from the other window in a bit… Perfect launch!
Cosmonauts will be watching over the little orbiters for a while. Many of these are just as advanced
as standard size satellites launched into orbit from Earth by carrier rockets, and are used for a wide range
of purposes, such as ecological monitoring, orbital photography of Earth, educational projects and scientific research.
Russian crew launch microsatellites during their work in the open space. But there are also proposals for creating
a separate launching module in the Russian segment of the station.
If the project is realized then such launches will become a usual occurrence during the orbital expeditions.
And now we invite you to witness a very rare manoeuvre – re-docking of the manned Soyuz spacecraft.
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka by now has already returned to Earth,
setting the record for the most cumulative days in space – over his five space flights he spent a total of almost
900 days in orbit, more than anyone else. Gennady was the commander of the spacecraft that had brought
Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly to ISS for their Year In Space. And just before returning home from his mission
Gennady was entrusted with a complicated operation that we called orbital "re-parking".
- Undocking complete! - Copy!
- Monitoring undocking, timer on. Let's go to digital loop control mode…
- Confirm! - Copy!
Safety procedures require all of the crew to board the ship and don their spacesuits. For Mikhail Kornienko
and Scott Kelly this is their last ride on this particular Soyuz. They will be returning back to Earth
in March 2016 on board a different spacecraft. And it is for this spacecraft that a re-docking is being done to free up the required parking spot.
- Starting to tilt. To the left, 45 degree angle. - Copy!
Re-docking the Soyuz is a rare occurrence, and very few crew members get to do it. The ship must undock,
move away from the station, realign itself and dock to a different module.
- About 28 metres to the station. - Copy!
- After 30 metres take it slow. We are waiting for the station to realign.
- Copy!
Due to close proximity to the station re-docking is always done in manual mode,
unlike during standard flights when Kurs automated docking system is on.
Using it in this situation would have required significantly more time and fuel. Re-docking is one
of the few examples when manual control is still a preferred option.
Most of the spacecraft operations are fully automated as a result of continuous development
of the Soyuz which today is the most popular mode of space transportation.
Sergey Volkov, cosmonaut, Hero of Russian Federation: It's like with the cars we drive – it may still look
the same on the outside, but every 3 to 5 years there's an upgrade of some sort or some new system is added,
so there are many versions of the same vehicle. Also everything is computerized these days,
development and improvement are ongoing. The only downside, I guess, is that there are less and less
opportunities for the cosmonauts to actually drive a spaceship themselves.
- Pitch. Pitch angle too large I think.
- Copy that, slowing down. I can't see the target yet though. Got it! Slowing down!
- That's it, another 15 degrees. I see the target now.
Now the ship's commander must carefully approach the station and precisely hit the docking target,
all in manual control mode. Only an experienced space pilot can accomplish a task like this successfully.
- Contact confirmed. Very smooth. - Copy!
- Capture confirmed! - Copy contact and capture confirmed!
And now let's speed it up and review the flight again.
You are now watching the whole 18-minute manoeuvre in just 18 seconds.
- Come on, open!
Don't worry, this particular emergency only happened inside a training simulator. This is Sergey Volkov's crew,
filmed not long before their launch into orbit. Sergey relieved Gennady Padalka,
and will be taking the year-long expedition crew back to Earth at the end of his mission.
Cosmonauts' Training Centre runs these simulations all the time. All crew members, and Mikhail Kornienko
among them, must practice their response in every possible emergency situation, including having to control
the ship manually and dealing with any unexpected circumstances.
Luckily, many of these skills never get used, and instead of putting out fires the cosmonauts
spend most of their expeditions doing scientific research.
Are we part of the big science? Of course! Just think of the amount of scientific institutions involved in making
manned spaceflight possible! This is large-scale scientific work that will definitely make
a difference and yield significant results. And although we may not yet see those results today,
or even tomorrow, we are certainly building a strong foundation for our future.
It may take years, even decades for the orbital research to be incorporated into practical applications.
Some of it will be implemented in Mars exploration program, and some during the upcoming ISS expeditions.
Certain experiments might prove unnecessary and will soon be forgotten. Some, on the other hand, will have
a lasting impact on the way of life in this unique environment where things are so very different from the way they are back on Earth.
And now a little bit about liquids in weightlessness! I think you'll enjoy this, let's have a look…
And now let's add some fizz to our water bubble and watch what happens!
We want to avoid this little bubble hitting a panel or something
so we just guide it a bit like so…
See how cool this is!
And now that the tablet's dissolved, I think…
…I'll have a sip. Nice and fizzy!
Alright, now this is getting out of hand a bit... Anyway, that's how carbonated liquids behave in space…
Have a good day everyone!
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