GETTING CONFIRMATION THE GROUND
PROPELLANT FEED HAS BEEN
TERMINATED.
WE WILL HAVE ONE MORE UMBILICAL
TO SEPARATE.
THERE YOU CAN SEE THE ENGINE
FIRING, VEHICLE LAUNCH COMMAND
HAS BEEN ISSUED, RAMPING OFF AND
LIFTOFF.
MARK VANDE HEI, ALEXANDER
MISURKIN AND JOE ACABA LIFTING
OFF ON THEIR WAY TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
A LITTLE OVER TEN SECONDS INTO
THE FLIGHT, GETTING GOOD
FIRST-STAGE PERFORMANCE, SOYUZ
DELIVERING ABOUT 930,000 POUNDS
OF THRUST FROM THE FOUR BOOSTERS
AND CORE ENGINE.
>> 40 SECONDS AND THE VEHICLE IS
STABLE.
>> GETTING GOOD CALLS, THE
VEHICLE IS STABLE, EVERYTHING
LOOKING GOOD AS IT VEERS ACROSS
THE KAZAK STYLE INTO THE LIQUID
BLACK, FIRST STAGE OF FUEL
BURNING OFF TWO MINUTES AND 0
SECONDS INTO FLIGHT.
THE YAW, PITCH AND CONTROL
DETERMINING EVERYTHING ABOUT THE
ROCKET ALL LOOKING GOOD.
NORMALLY GET GOOD FIRST-STAGE
PERFORMANCE FROM THE SOYUZ
ROCKET.
>> 80 SECONDS.
>> AT THIS POINT, THE VEHICLE
ALREADY MOVING IN EXCESS OF
1100 MILES PER HOUR, OVER A
MINUTE AND A HALF INTO THE
FLIGHT SINCE LIFTOFF.
STILL GETTING GOOD CALLS ON
VEHICLE PERFORMANCE, EVERYTHING
LOOKING GREAT.
A MAJOR MILESTONE COMING UP WILL
BE THE ESCAPE TOWER BEING
JETTISONED AND JUST GOT
CONFIRMATION THE ESCAPE TOWER
HAS BEEN JETTISONED AND GETTING
A GREAT VIEW THERE, YOU JUST SAW
THE FOUR STRAP-ON BOOSTERS
JETTISONED, THEIR JOB COMPLETE
AT AN ALTITUDE OF 428 STATUTE
MILES TRAVELING OVER 453 MILES
PER HOUR.
OVER TWO MINUTES NOW SINCE THE
LAUNCH, EVERYTHING LOOKING GREAT
THE FIRST STAGE HAS DONE ITS
JOB, THE FOUR STRAP-ON BOOSTERS
HAVE DROPPED AWAY, THE SINGLE
CORE ENGINE CONTINUING TO FIRE
AND GETTING CONFIRMATION FROM
THE VEHICLE OFFICER HERE THE
LAUNCH SHROUD HAS BEEN
JETTISONED, THE SOYUZ NOW
EXPOSED, ROCKET ALTITUDE
48,000 MILES HIGH AND AT THIS
POINT IN THE FLIGHT, THREE
MINUTES, SOYUZ ALREADY TRAVELING
AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 432 MILES
PER HOUR.
THE CORE STAGE IS THE SECOND
STAGE, CONTINUING TO PERFORM AS
EXPECTED.
56 FEET, 13 1/2 IN DIAMETER, A
SINGLE ENGINE WITH FOUR FUEL
CHAMBERS THAT PROVIDE BETWEEN
178 TO 248,000 POUNDS OF TRUST
DEPENDING ON THE FUEL DURING
OPERATION.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BURN TILL
THE 4.43 MINUTE MARK WHEN THE
SOYUZ WILL DO WHAT THEY CALL A
HOT FEED TECHNIQUE MEANING THE
THIRD STAGE WILL IGNITE WHILE
THE SECOND IS STILL BURNING.
IF YOU WILL REMEMBER THERE IS
THAT LATTICE STRUCTURE BETWEEN
THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGES ON
THE ROCKET.
JUST CROSSED FOUR MINUTES SINCE
LAUNCH.
>> EVERYTHING IS NORMAL ONBOARD.
>> YOU HEARD THE CREW DOING
FINE, GETTING AN UNPRESS HE
DENTED LONG VIEW OF THE SOYUZ, A
VERY CLEAR NIGHT THERE IN
VIKONOR.
THERE YOU CAN SEE ACABA INSIDE,
THE CREW DOING WELL AS THE
ROCKET CONTINUES TO SEND THEM
INTO ORBIT, THE SECOND STAGE
STILL GOING.
AND CONFIRMATION THE SECOND
STAGE HAS SEPARATED
SUCCESSFULLY.
>> SEPARATION OF H2, EVERYTHING
IS NORMAL ONBOARD.
>> SO AT THIS POINT, THE SECOND
STAGE HAS DROPPED AWAY, THE CORE
BOOSTERS SEPARATE AT AN ALTITUDE
OF 105 MILES, SPACECRAFT NOW
BEING PROPELLED BY THE SINGLE
ENGINE OF THE SOYUZ THIRD STAGE
PROVIDING 367,000 POUNDS OF
THRUST THAT WILL BURN FOR FOUR
MINUTES AND 2 SECONDS.
FIRST TWO STAGES COMPLETE THE
THIRD AND FINAL STAGE, THE CLIMB
INTO ORBIT UNDERWAY AND
EVERYTHING GOING VERY SMOOTHLY
IN THIS FLIGHT, THE SOYUZ DOING
WELL AND CONTINUING ITS FLIGHT
TO ORBIT.
>> 380 SECONDS FLIGHT THRUSTERS
OPERATING NORMALLY, EVERYTHING
IS NORMAL AND THE CREW IS DOING
FINE.
>> WELL OVER SIX MINUTES NOW.
THE CREW, THE ROCKET ALL DOING
WELL.
>> 420 SECONDS.
EVERYTHING IS NORMAL, THE CREW
IS DOING FINE.
>> OVER SEVEN MINUTES, NOW
APPROACHING THE 7 1/2 MINUTE
MARK, THE SOYUZ TRAVELING
435 MILES PER HOUR, GETTING WORD
THE CREW IS DOING FINE AND THERE
IS THAT SPUTNIK MODEL WHICH,
KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT, AFTER THE
THIRD STAGE AND SEPARATION, YOU
SHOULD SEE IT START TO FLOAT.
ONCE THE THIRD STAGE IS DONE AND
DELIVERS THE SOYUZ TO ORBIT, THE
SPACECRAFT WILL GENUINE EXECUTE
ALL THOSE PRE-PROGRAMMED
COMMANDS TO HEAD OUT A NUMBER OF
ANTENNAES AND DEPLOY THE SOLAR
ARRAYS.
THIRD STAGE SHOULD FIRE UNTIL
THE ORBIT LAUNCH WHICH SHOULD
HAPPEN VERY SOON.
>> 520.
>> AND THE TELL TALE JOLT,
GETTING CONFIRMATION IT HAS
SEPARATED AND THE SOYUZ NOW IN
ORBIT.
>> CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
SUCCESSFUL INSERTION AND HIKE TO
GIVE THE FLOOR TO COSMOS CENTRAL
IN MOSCOW.
YES, WE HAVE ACHIEVED
SEPARATION, EVERYTHING IS
NORMAL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND
WE ARE WORKING WITH MOSCOW
MISSION CONTROL.
WE COPY YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
THAT IS GREAT.
WE ARE STANDING BY FOR YOUR
REPORT AND STANDING BY FOR
FURTHER OPERATIONS.
THANK YOU.
>> AND AGAIN, A A SUCCESSFUL
ORBITAL INSERTION, THE SOYUZ NOW
IN ORBIT, CONFIRMATION ALL THE
ANTENNAES AND SOLAR ARRAYS HAVE
DEPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY.
TEXTBOOK ROCKET LAUNCH FOR THIS
CREW TODAY, THIRD STAGE CUTOFF
AS WE SAW THE CREW GET A BIT OF
A JOLT THERE, THE AVOIDANCE
MANEUVER OPENS A VALVE ON THE
LIQUID OXYGEN TANK THAT FALLS
BACK TO THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
SO THE SOYUZ IN PRELIMINARY
ORBIT AND THAT WILL GET RAISED
OVER THE NEXT SIX HOURS, CONTROL
SENT TO THE MOSCOW SPACE CENTER
AS THEY CHASE DOWN THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.