Re:Astronauts escape malfunctioning Soyuz rocket
by Rebelgecko on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:53AM
(#18194532)
I think their first indication that something was wrong was that they felt weightless at a time when they should've been experiencing 4g's. Apparently after the abort they still stayed under 7g
Re:Astronauts escape malfunctioning Soyuz rocket
by rbanffy on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:57AM
(#18194579)
Yes. It happened right after they ejected the escape rocket (which is probably terrifying to use), so they used the stage separation mechanism.
That's a much gentler experience, provided the booster doesn't explode.
Re:Astronauts escape malfunctioning Soyuz rocket
by mikejb on Thursday October 11, 2018 @12:24PM
(#18194832)
Jep, the escape system is definitely not a walk in the park. As far as I know, the Soyuz escape system is the only one that was deployed with people inside, in the Soyuz T-10a accident. Suffice to say, the cosmonauts didn't like it very much. They got between 14g-17g for 5 seconds, which removed them 4km downwards from the exploding launch vehicle.
After landing safely (and being badly bruised), they asked for cigarettes and were given shots of Vodka. [1]
[1] http://www.americaspace.com/2013/09/28/we-were-swearing-thir...
I imagine you are happily doing 3, maybe 4 G's, then an alarm sounds and suddenly the escape system (or mission control, your the commander) decides you are not going to space after all, adds 10 G's or so to what you are already doing for a couple seconds, then a couple seconds of free fall until the parachutes open, then the final kick when you are about to land.
They had a very bad day.
At least it's not a very long time inside a Soyuz. I don't think I fit inside one.