Rare Images From Inside a Soyuz During Flight

By Nancy Atkinson - December 30, 2010 at 10:00 AM UTC | Missions
inside-soyuz1.jpg

[/caption]

Cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev recently arrived at the International Space Station, along with astronauts Cady Colemand from the US and Paolo Nespoli from the European Space Agency. Kondratyev has a blog, which he has been updating regularly and he has included several pictures. Most interestingly, he has quite a few images taken inside the Soyuz after launch as the crew was on their way to meet up with the ISS. Very few interior images of the Soyuz during flight have been made available before. Below are some that Kondratyev shared.

[caption id="attachment_82064" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Dmitry Kondratyev inside the Soyzu either before or during launch. Credit: Roscosmos"]

[/caption]

Still feeling the effects of gravity, Kondratyev looks buried among all the supplies stuffed into the Soyuz.

[caption id="attachment_82065" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="The weightlessness from being orbit seems to provide more room inside the Soyuz. Credit: Roscosmos. "]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_82067" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Coleman and a checklist feel the effects of weightlessness. Credit: Roscosmos."]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_82068" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="After reaching orbit and checking all systems, the crew took off their launch suits and dressed in more comfortable flight suits. Credit: Roscosmos."]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_82066" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Coleman and Nespoli stretch out in the Soyuz living area and grab a bite to eat. Credit: Roscosmos"]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_82069" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="The view of Earth from the Soyuz TMA-20. Credit: Roscosmos. "]

[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_82070" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Kondratyev and Coleman inside the Soyuz living area. Credit: Roscosmos"]

[/caption]

Kondratyev wrote in his blog: "For two days we had two hours of relaxation for sleep. Sleeping crew members are able to choose any convenient location and arbitrary orientation in space. At other times, we learned to eat in weightlessness, Earth watched and talked with TsUPom, check the efficiency of vehicle systems."

[caption id="attachment_82071" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Sleeping arrangements on the Soyuz. Credit: Roscosmos. "]

[/caption]

See more images and read about life on the ISS at Kondratyev's blog.

Source: Roscosmos, via Chris Hadfield

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com