Union MS-09

In 2016–2017, training in the Yury Gagarin CPC as a flight engineer -2 Soyuz MC and a flight engineer for the ISS of the main crew of Soyuz MS-09 was passed by NASA astronaut Janette Epps ^[1] . On December 17, 2017, during the launch of Soyuz MS-07 , it was a backup for the flight engineer-2 of the ship. Jan. 18, 2018 Janette Epps was removed from the main crew of Soyuz MS-09 for personal reasons ^[2] , instead of her astronaut Serina Aunion-Chansellor ^[3] was appointed as a crew member.

On May 19, 2018, astronauts and astronauts of the main and backup crews of the Soyuz MS-09 transport manned spacecraft and the ISS-56 / 57 expeditions arrived at the Baikonur cosmodrome to complete the final stage of pre-launch preparation for space flight ^[3] .

The launch of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with Soyuz MS-09 TPK took place on June 6, 2018 at 14:12 Moscow time from the launcher of Site No. 1 ( Gagarinsky Start ) of the Baikonur cosmodrome ^[4] . The rapprochement with the ISS and the docking of the spacecraft to the Rassvet small research module (MIM1) were carried out automatically using a two-day scheme. The docking of the ship with the station took place on June 8, 2018 at 16:01 Moscow time. The crew members went to the station, where they were met by members of the space expedition ISS-56 and crew members of Soyuz MS-08 TPK Oleg Artemyev , Andrew Feustel and Richard Arnold , who were at the station from March 2018 ^[5] .

Abnormal situation

On the night of August 29-30, 2018, by means of objective control, employees of the flight control center recorded a drop in air pressure inside the ISS. Astronauts did not wake up. In the morning, the station crew conducted an examination of all the modules of the station with alternate sealing compartments. Astronauts Prokofiev and Artemyev, with the help of a special ultrasound device, found a drilled hole about 2 mm in size behind the automated control system located in the household compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft ^{[6] [ 7]} . Cosmonaut S. Prokopiev sealed the damage with a medical bandage and epoxy resin , after which the air pressure at the station was restored to the specified parameters ^{[8] [9]} .

Specialists from the state corporation Roscosmos , RSC Energia , TsNIIMash formed a special commission to study and eliminate the current emergency situation ^[10] . Russian cosmonauts were instructed to collect all the evidence of a hole in the ship, which could help the investigation. Later, in October 2018, the dust filter from the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft, as well as samples from the inner surface of its domestic compartment and spacesuits of the crew that were stored in this compartment, were delivered to the ground by the Soyuz MS-08 ship and transferred criminologists ^[11] .

On September 11, the Roskosmos State Corporation, under the leadership of the first deputy general director of the corporation, Nikolai Sevastyanov, formed a special commission to investigate the abnormal situation related to air leakage that occurred on board the Soyuz MS-09 ^[12] . Three versions of the place of appearance of the drilled hole in the ship were considered: in the RSC Energia workshops, at Baikonur, and in orbit ^{[7] [13]} . The commission planned for November 15, during a planned spacewalk, a survey by Russian cosmonauts of damage from the outside of the ship ^[14] .

Due to the accident of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with Soyuz MS-10 TPK on October 11, 2018, astronauts went into outer space to investigate damage from the outer side of Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft was postponed to December ^[15] . The return of the crew of the Soyuz MS-09 to the Earth, previously scheduled for December 13, was postponed to December 20, 2018 ^[16] .

On December 3, 2018, the Soyuz MS-11 transport manned vehicle with three crew members on board: Oleg Kononenko , David Saint-Jacques and Ann McClain docked to the ISS. On December 11, 2018, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopiev made a spacewalk to survey the outer skin of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. Exit duration was 7 hours and 45 minutes. The astronauts opened the screen-vacuum insulation and a micro-meteoric protective panel. The cosmonauts found a small hole on the outer surface of the ship’s domestic compartment, which posed no danger to the ISS crew and did not threaten the safety of the ship’s crew upon its return to Earth ^[17] .

Landing

On December 20, 2018 at 8:02 Moscow time, the descent capsule with Roskosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Serina Aunion-Chensellor landed in Kazakhstan 147 km south-east of the city of Zhezkazgan . During descent from orbit, problems arose with the communication system between the ship and the MCC. The commander of the ship, Sergei Prokopiev, used for negotiations with the Earth a duplicate communication system of his spacesuit . In parallel with Prokopiev, the ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst led a report on the landing process. The health of the crew members who returned to Earth was good. The duration of stay in the space flight of the crew of the long expedition ISS-56/57 was 197 days ^{[18] [19]} .

Emergency Investigation

In December 2018, the investigating authorities began to study the materials on the case of damage in the Soyuz MS-09, which the crew returned to Earth on December 20. The materials expertise of the samples and materials taken during the spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopiev was planned from the hull of the ship. Investigators interrogated cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev (flight engineer of the expedition MKS-56 ) in the case of damage of the Soyuz MS-09 TPC ^[20] .

On December 24, 2018, at the post-flight conference in the Yu. A. Gagarin CPK, cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev stated that a hole in the household compartment of Soyuz MS-09 was drilled from inside the ship ^[21] . In December 2018, Russian experts in materials science stated that it was almost impossible to establish the exact origin of the hole in the skin of the Soyuz MS-09 manned spacecraft ^[22] .

On March 25, 2019, the Head of Roscosmos D.O. Rogozin stated that “in the household compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 vehicle they found traces of metal dust from drilling, Roscosmos would conduct an experiment in orbit to find out if there was a hole on Earth or in space in the hull of the ship. " The investigation is continuing ^[23] .

The round shape of the emblem of the crew of Soyuz MS-09 TPK symbolizes the shape of the globe , inside which the Belukha mountain is visible: the highest peak of Altai , representing the crew call sign. A trio of white swans flying above the ground on the International Space Station, symbolizes the three crew members. Six stars on a black background of space - 6 crew members of a long expedition to the ISS. At the top of the emblem, a golden silhouette of an orbital station is displayed. Below are the numbers of the main expeditions of the same color. The logo of Roskosmos is in the middle of the inscription "Soyuz MS-09". The names of the crew members are placed along the internal emblem, the surname of the crew commander is placed under the Soyuz spacecraft. The initial version of the emblem featured the surname Janette Epps , but due to a change in the composition of the crew, it was replaced by S. Anunon-Chansellor. The outer border of the emblem consists of the national flags of the astronauts. The developer of the logo is Luc van den Abeelen ^[24] .

Silhouettes of white swans emphasize the service of the commander of the crew on the Tu-160 , which has a name among the pilots "White Swan" ^[25] .

Crew and Expedition Emblems

• Preparations for the launch and launch of the Soyuz-FG launch rocket launcher with Soyuz MS-09 TPK (Unidentified) . TV studio Roscosmos (2018). The appeal date is April 25, 2019.