If a Soyuz capsule lands in front of you, follow these instructions [pdf]

http://www.spaceref.com/iss/soyuz/SCLSaB.edit.pdf

by marvel_boy • 10 years ago

261 73 10 years ago

spaceref.com

Ao7bei3s• 10 years ago

Interesting.

There is a low level radiation hazard area clearly marked on the bottom of the capsule

Whats this?

trothamel• 10 years ago

IIRC, it's a sensor that uses reflected gamma rays to measure the distance to the ground. When the ground is close enough, braking rockets are fired to reduce the touchdown velocity, making a land-landing more pleasant.

kevan• 10 years ago

making a land-landing more pleasant.

Or at least a bit less unpleasant

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/06/08/back_to_...

flashman• 10 years ago

Cobalt-60. Here is some more information on the Kaktus gamma-ray altimeter in Soyuz landers: http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/spaceflight/reentry-desce...

s0rce• 10 years ago

This book seems to say its 137Cs. Anyways TIL.

blueintegral• 10 years ago

Wow, a radar that uses ionizing radiation is a crazy idea.

ringshall• 10 years ago

Reminds me of a charming story from Yuri Gagarin's flight:

"Both he and the spacecraft landed via parachute 26 km (16 mi) south west of Engels, in the Saratov region at 51.270682°N 45.99727°E. It was 280 km to the west of the planned landing site (near Baikonur).

A farmer and her daughter observed the strange scene of a figure in a bright orange suit with a large white helmet landing near them by parachute. Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1#Reentry_and_landing

IgorPartola• 10 years ago

Didn't the early cosmonauts also carry handguns in case they landed I Siberia and had to defend themselves against a bear or wolves?

Turing_Machine• 10 years ago

It was actually a triple-barreled weapon. Two shotgun/flare barrels, one rifled barrel.

It could be configured in either pistol or carbine mode.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2007/10/13/tp-82-russian-...

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

Not early cosmonauts. They remain up there today, in soyus pods attached to the ISS.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23131359/ns/technology_and_science...

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

Check out this strange pic:

https://vintagespace.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/ivan-ivanov...

"MAKET" means dummy or doll. This is the dummy pilot used in a test flight. The word is there so that any well-meaning farmer who finds the craft won't start cutting anything open in a rescue attempt, possibly destroying test data.

I've also seen, but cannot find online, pictographs on soviet spacecraft meant to inform possibly illiterate rescuers that real people are inside and probably need help. Similarly, look at any plane with ejector seats. There are usually signs or diagrams explaining how to pop the canopy and even trigger the ejection seat of a crashed plane (usually by means of a rope).

zyztem• 10 years ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2425610491 text and action plan on the Soyuz capsule

usefulcat• 10 years ago

Why would it be a good idea to trigger the ejection seat of a crashed plane?

laserSpaceJets• 10 years ago

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

nothis• 10 years ago

Those deploying antennas sound absolutely terrifying and deadly.

Keyframe2• 10 years ago

Yeah, what's up with that?

userbinator3• 10 years ago

Things that need to stay very secure, but also quickly detach when needed, are usually attached with explosive bolts. Much simpler and far more reliable than other means.

erickhill• 10 years ago

If any capsule lands in front of me, and I survive the impact zone, I'm looking to see if Sandra Bullock needs any help.

wyldfire• 10 years ago

She'll need it. Recovering micro-g is rough stuff.

foota• 10 years ago

For any context look at the video of the astronaut (almost said spaceman ;a;) that landed the other day.

nobleach• 10 years ago

Information that would have been more useful YESTERDAY!!

GeorgeRichard• 10 years ago

I was in the Soviet Union for a couple of weeks at the end of the 60's. Our Intourist guide took us to see an exhibition having to do with the Soviet space effort. One of the exhibits was a spherical module which, given the date, I imagine was part of a Soyuz-A. The thing that struck me, and that I would be interested in having confirmed (or not) by someone knowledgeable, was that part of the thing (a porthole surround?) was made of/trimmed with wood. Could this be the case or is my memory playing tricks on me?

cromulent• 10 years ago

A Google search turned up that the Chinese have used a heat shield made of impregnated oak, and perhaps the Russians used a cork one.

Some speculation:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11075.25;wa...

bliti• 10 years ago

May you share more about the experience?

jeffwass• 10 years ago

Was it the Vostok? (it's spherical at least, not sure of the wood) :

http://i.imgur.com/XBcLxta.jpg

gman99• 10 years ago

Perhaps you're thinking of Vostok? I thought much the same when I saw it in the Science Museum in London (just last weekend). Some kind of heat resistant cork or something? http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ImageHandler.ashx?image={4D8...

I can heartily recommend the Cosmonaughts exhibition if you're at all interested in the birth of the Space Age. It's open till the 12th of March: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/...

KineticLensman• 10 years ago

Not a spacecraft, but the Germans in WW2 developed an air-to-air missile [0] that had wooden fins. It wasn't going fast enough to create significant atmospheric heating and wood wasn't a strategically limited resource. I've seen one at a museum in the US, and the wood looks really incongruous.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrstahl_X-4

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

Wood actually has great properties re fire and heat. It doesn't conduct heat very well. In a fire, the outer surfaces turn to ash, allowing the structure to survive for a time at temperatures that would melt steal instantly.

cshimmin• 10 years ago

What is a "150_____ mile radius"? What goes in the blank? "Nautical" vs. "imperial roman"?

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

It was probably a blank "____ mile" in the original electronic doc and someone added the 150 without deleting the underscore, shifting everything right.

altitudinous• 10 years ago

I saw this too. Maybe it allows 150 - 350 mile radius or something similar.

gaur• 10 years ago

Note also the strange spacing and boxing of "side", apparently for no reason.

Also: "there is no hazard-if both risers are still attached". What's a "hazard-if"? Or do they mean to use a dash here instead of a hyphen?

This document looks like it was typeset by an incompetent temp in 1995. Really goes to show that the cutting edge of space research is in many aspects at the mercy of the lowest bidder (literally and figuratively).

userbinator3• 10 years ago

Perhaps it was translated from a Russian version and hastily redacted.

CWuestefeld2• 10 years ago

Heck, what's a riser? I mean, I am familiar with the term, but I have no way to identify what a Soyuz capsule's risers are, so ho do I know if they're attached or not?

kraftman• 10 years ago

its to add more 0's later.

bonniemuffin• 10 years ago

I enjoyed the knocking code:

One knock or silence (.) = “We are bad.”

I'm not sure you need a translation to know that no knocks = we might not be doing so great in this capsule here.

steve-howard• 10 years ago

Does allow them to indicate that they're not dead or unconscious, though. The radio has already failed at this point.

V-22• 10 years ago

Well, clearly it should be split:

One knock (.) = “We are bad.”

Silence ( ) = “We are unconscious or dead.”

Retric• 10 years ago

Don't forget aware, but paralyzed.

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

Reminds me of a first responder briefing I heard at an air show. The first job if a fighter was on the ground with a pilot aboard, after opening the canopy, the first two guys on the scene were to hold the pilots arms down. Nothing else mattered. Should he wake up and reach for those ejection handles ... bad things.

LeifCarrotson• 10 years ago

I suppose that it would be theoretically easy to disable the ejection handles when the plane had the canopy open, was not moving, and/or was on the ground. But if the plane was damaged and the sensors or circuits that managed that decision were destroyed, the pilot couldn't eject.

They decided to err on the side of allowing the pilot to eject, possibily in a state of panic or confusion, under conditions that could be fatal. They did this instead of preventing this death caused by human error but opening the remote possibility that the best redundant system they could devise would fail and leave the pilot unable to eject. That says something interesting about their safety philosophy.

sandworm1019• 10 years ago

There are times when a pilot may want to eject from a stationary plane on the ground, fire being the big one. Of course this is only true of modern "zero-zero" ejection powerful enough to get the pilot under parachute without any altitude/speed. But if the plane has already crashed, the pilot probably has a damaged neck/spine already and ejecting might be lethal.

eps• 10 years ago

Has any of the Soyuz capsules ever landed outside of Russian/Soviet controlled territory? Does anyone know?

iSnow• 10 years ago

None, ever. Unless you count the Chinese capsules that are heavily influenced by the Soyuz design and of course land in China.

zamalek2• 10 years ago

For non-rescue personnel (the rest of us), it looks like the best thing you can do is simply make sure that nobody gets closer than 150 feet. If you're certain that aerials are deployed, you can approach (from the FRONT/pointy-end) and knock five or more times. One or no knocks means that you need to phone the authorities after retreating to a safe distance - there is nothing that you can do for them (special tools are needed to crack it open).

lukashed• 10 years ago

Though,

There are three tools safety-wired to the outside edge of the bottom of the capsule. They can be easily removed in both upright and side landing scenarios

zamalek2• 10 years ago

Ah, I missed that.

They seem very clear about how dangerous the thing is, so unless you're absolutely and utterly certain that it's completely safe, keep away. Don't add more casualties.

mikewilliams• 10 years ago

911 what's your emergency?

There are some visitors from space in my back yard.

jrockway• 10 years ago

NOT FOR RELEASE TO MEDIA

Oh well.

If a Soyuz capsule lands in front of you, follow these instructions [pdf]

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