good morning this is a great onboard Mir
station along with my crewmates
commander below judges you're off and
flight engineer can you spare Karloff
right now we're busy making preparations
for tomorrow's anticipated talking of
the space shuttle with the MIR station
that should be exciting for all of us
and we certainly look forward to it not
the least of our reasons of course is
we've already been here almost four
months and the Space Shuttle is
basically our ride home
as we prepare we are at the same time
breaking some things out for further
checking is sort of a last-minute
verification that some of the equipment
that arrived inspector will work but on
the other hand to try to make the
station a bit neater we're also trying
to pack some things away and make some
water to the station so it's a busy time
nonetheless we're happy to have the
opportunity to talk with the folks in
Connecticut who are participating in I
will try and handle any questions that
are given in English and my crewmates
can answer those questions that are
presented in Russian and maybe in that
way we can answer all the questions and
with that we're standing by via them my
name is Vera do you speak foreign
languages
foreign language we speak many foreign
languages that are even within the
boundaries of Russia even though Russia
is the primary language as you well know
within Russia there are many separate
Republic's and many Republic's have
their own languages of course since we
are on an international mission we
understand English and even try
sometimes to speak in English by the
name of Mike who wants to ask a question
what's the greatest distance that you
have flown from the planet right now
we're flying in orbit it's four hundred
to four hundred and fifteen kilometers
in altitude and we are in this orbit and
flying around the the earth at this
distance Atlantis Houston loud and clear
for the ODS comm check transmitting on
air-to-ground one copy that charlie
anko earning his money today charlie
a commander who'd Gibson and pilot
Charlie Precourt about to conduct a test
of the post contact thrust system this
is a computer software on the shuttle
which when initiated which one initiated
will provide about a two-second burst of
several of the shuttles jet thrusters at
the point of contact between the shuttle
and the MIR Space Station tomorrow to
drive the two docking mechanisms more
closely together and initiate the
capture sequence between the capture
latches on the orbiter docking systems
docking mechanism and comparable latches
on the crystal science modules docking
mechanism on the mirror
the shaking of the picture representing
the firing of those thrusters copy
initial evaluation looks right on the
money and we see the rate through cam
ray the test involves the extension of
this docking ring to about 13 inches in
length that will duplicate that will
duplicate the activity that will occur
once the two vehicles come into contact
with one another tomorrow during docking
the mechanical systems officer here in
the Mission Control Center reports that
that docking ring is being driven
properly is moving forward to it to its
extended position it is at that extended
position that the orbiter will come into
contact with the docking mechanism on
the crystal science module on the mirror
and thus initiate the capture of the two
vehicles with a series of capture
latches that are located in those three
triangular petals at the top of the
docking ring you can clearly see the
docking ring now extending upwards from
the docking system itself at the point
of contact between the two vehicles the
capture latches on the top of that
extended ring will hook on to comparable
latches on the crystal module docking
mechanism then the capture ring will be
retracted to bring the two docking
interfaces flush against one another at
that point the structural mating of
hooks and latches on both sides of the
docking interfaces between the atlantis
and the mirror will begin the entire
process from contact through capture and
then the hard mating of the two vehicles
against each other should take about 20
to 25 minutes this is a Russian built
docking mechanism which was built by RSC
energy are the main hardware
manufacturer for Russian spacecraft
hardware it was then integrated into the
orbiter through Rockwell International
in Downey California on the right side
of the screen
as the orbiter passes in darkness is a
very faint view of the centreline camera
which is located at the top of the
inside of porthole at the top of the
orbiter docking system which will be
used as a navigational aid by commander
hoot Gibson and pilot Charlie Precourt
during the final phase of the run to
view an approach to the MIR space
station tomorrow in the crosshairs and
that shot on the right side of the split
screen would be the crystal science
modules docking target the two the two
views will enable Gibson and Precourt to
perfectly align the orbiter docking
system mechanism with the crystal
science module docking mechanism for a
precise point of contact and capture
inner guía de signed and built this
Russian docking mechanism it was
integrated into the orbiter docking
system and then into the orbiter itself
by NASA and Rockwell International and
the initial test of that docking system
and the extension of the docking ring
went off without a hitch earlier this
morning as mission specialist Greg
Harbaugh who's chiefly in charge of the
docking system used two motors through a
control panel at the aft flight deck of
Atlantis's flight deck to drive that
docking mechanism upward to its fully
extended position of 13 inches above the
top of the docking system this will
enable commander hood Gibson to use this
image aboard Atlantis on the aft flight
deck on a special TV camera he has set
up back there in order to perfectly
align the docking ring on the orbiter
docking system with that of the crystal
module these three that's a good image
Greg and we have a good MUX now we see
it'll be spectacular looking at a mirror
Space Station through there on the right
side of the screen the image of the
centreline camera
alright let's let's begin the interview
then I'll tell you all that we are on
tape we're not live so everybody can
relax this is this is a very exciting
mission if all goes as planned tomorrow
tomorrow morning you will reach out and
shake hands with Russian cosmonauts for
the first docking with the with the
Russians in in 20 years is there a sense
do you feel a sense of history on this
mission I'll begin with You commander
Gibson I guess I would have to say yes
very much so I feel a sense of history
and of following a tradition that we
started 20 years ago and getting to
continue in something that it has taken
us a long time to pick up on again but
very much feeling as though we are
continuing in some footsteps that were
laid down a long long time ago and of
course any kind of effort like this is a
monumental team effort there's an awful
lot of work that's been going on on this
flight for the last three years we're
very pleased that it's all coming
together very nicely and yes we very
much feel a little bit of a flow of
history as we proceed here the docking
tomorrow will be very very complicated
to two spacecraft that way more than
than a hundred tons trying to come
together very precisely in in orbit
commander Gibson how complicated is that
going to be to anything we do in our in
our everyday lives I've never driven an
18-wheeler so I don't I don't know about
the complexity in one of those but it is
a it is a complex sequence of events
that we need to choreograph very
carefully that we all need to fly very
carefully we have a straining corridor
that we must stay within or we could
conceivably
damage the solar arrays on the mare for
example we have a limited amount of fuel
to do all this with so all of which says
it's a it's a complex sequence of events
it's a very constrained sequence of
events having made it all sound very
difficult I will tell you that in the
simulator we had very very good success
and we've done this probably a couple of
hundred times in the simulator so we're
looking forward very eagerly to doing it
for real
and for doing at tomorrow Bonnie Dunbar
you you trained as the backup to to norm
thagard who is up aboard the the mirror
right now you're in a kind of a unique
position to to talk to us a little bit
about some of the differences between
the Russian space program and the
American space program and some of the
some of the real challenges you are
having to overcome
let me let me turn to your to your
cosmonaut colleagues now colonel
Sylvia what do you think the Russians
bring to the American space program and
what does the American space program
bring to the Russian
store resist hi grandma
peep no American school program
in store Americans Karaman a beurre
noisette Francisco program oh you have
to acknowledge that there are things
that can be exchanged good broad
experience piloting and in orbit so for
example we have equipment that's been
working for many years from the point of
view of the American space program its
contribution I think new technologies
allow us to significantly accelerate the
development of the space station alright
I have a question now for Nikolai abou
Darwin this is your first spaceflight
what do you think so far
gaspar you know Budetti know yet the
Rajpura cosmesis keep a low opinion as
concerns my being the rookie and now
with this flight there's one cosmonaut
more in the world the actual launch
nothing common about it excellent owing
to the excellent training owing to the
excellent training that we received
I have lost IFB because being inside the
cabin there is no external effect that
can be observed probably much more
interesting to observe observe this from
the side
okay as as a bystander particularly the
launch but inside from inside different
little from training of course there was
a lot of overloading g-forces during
launch these did not affect me too bad
too badly I think we have a very
challenging and rewarding program
underfoot here and we're very honored to
have the opportunity to be up there
taking part in it alright thank you all