Project description

The "Odyssey" project includes all the stages of preliminary selection and pre-flight training of the inter-planetary station crew, as well as simulates a 7-day "Earth-Moon-Earth" space mission.
Selection of candidates for their participation in the "Odyssey" project is carried out among students of Moscow universities and institutes on a competitive basis. The candidates, who have passed the first stage of selection, undergo a medical-psychological testing. Testing results are taken into account when assigning the prime and back-up crew (6 persons in each). The crews pass an accelerated training for a mission at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), including:

1. Basic space training,
2. Specialized space training (weightlessness, excessive G-loads, survival, mental stress),
3. Training in crews on the "Soyuz" transport space vehicle trainers and simulators according to the following profiles: take-off, Earth orbit insertion, de-orbiting and descent,
4. Training in crews on the "MIR" space station trainers and simulators under the interplanetary "Earth-Moon-Earth" mission program,
5. Training on technical and biotechnological experiments and researches.

A flight is simulated in a real time scale, including the following prime stages: a "Soyuz" spacecraft take-off, insertion into orbit, docking to an interplanetary complex, in-orbital flight around the Earth, acceleration burn and transition to a trajectory of a flight to the Moon, elliptic orbit flight, braking burn for transition to the circular selenocentric (lunar) orbit, flight on a circular orbit around the Moon, acceleration burn for transition to a trajectory of a flight to the Earth, flight on an interplanetary elliptic orbit, braking burn for transition to geocentric orbit, undocking, "Soyuz" transport space vehicle landing on the Earth.
A flight program consists of three big stages.

Stage N 1

A crew is put into orbit and delivered aboard the orbital complex by means of three "Soyuz" space vehicles. The orbital complex already has an interplanetary station (IS) in its composition, which is ready for flight.
Each crew dons "Sokol" space suits and undergoes a medical express check-up in a special laboratory.
Training mock-ups of a 3 - crewmember space vehicle's descent capsule and habitation compartment, connected with each other with the help of transfer hatch are used as a spacecraft cockpit.
Before take-off the crew has to position toggles and switches on the space vehicle control panels in a required position, to don protective gloves, to close and to pressurize a protective glass helmet of the space suits. An excessive pressure is provided into a space suit (pressurization of space suits). From this moment on and up to orbital insertion the crew breathes with the air mix, coming from KCC system (rescue means complex).
At insertion the crew has to monitor and to acknowledge a passage of insertion trajectory reference points based on the change of a noise, generated by operating launching booster engines, and also by means of sounds, arising at the moment of the booster stages and other used structural elements separation. Thus, a commander maintains a continuous communication with the Earth and with his/her crewmembers, using personal headsets with in-built microphones and speakers, as well as special push - buttons (microphone push-to-talk buttons) on the physiological handles located between the legs. At each moment of insertion the crew is ready for emergency escape and cockpit jettison from the launching booster, as well as for descent to the Earth.
After orbital insertion of a vehicle the crew transfers into the habitable compartment and doffs space suits, changes clothes, takes a meal and has a rest, getting ready for the docking with orbital station.
A far distance approach stage with orbital station doesn't require a direct participation of a crew. The commander only monitors an automatics operation and maintains communication with the Mission Control Center. Other crewmembers negotiate with the "ground" and get ready for docking.
At a range of 15-20 km the crewmembers take their seats in the descent capsule and close СА-БО transfer hatch as a safety measure in case of emergency collision with the station and in case of pressure leak. At 1 km distance there is a simulation of an approach control system automatic unit failure, and the crew commander assumes the vehicle's control as per MCC ("Ground"). At a 50-m range between the space vehicle and the station the both space objects get in a shadow of the Earth. The commander controls the vehicle taking use of the station's external lights as a reference point, and berths to one of its ports, having switched on a space vehicle's headlight. As soon as the docking and coupling are competed, interface integrity is to be checked.

Stage N 2

When at station, there will be a general meeting of all flight participants, debrief on crews actions at stages of insertion and docking, as well as task statement for the interplanetary mission.
The crew will fly to the Moon aboard the interplanetary module, which is simulated by the main core of the "MIR" orbital station simulator.
Members of interplanetary crew (both of the prime and back-up) have the following mission tasks and responsibilities:

• A commander (carries out a general onboard control and is responsible for the crew safety and vital activity. He/she also operatively allocates and redistributes crewmembers' workload. He/she is also in charge of communication with the Earth);
• A Flight Engineer N 1 (carries out the monitoring and maintenance of the IS permanently operating onboard systems);
• A Flight Engineer N 2 (carries out the monitoring and maintenance of the IS onboard technological equipment complex,);
• An Engineer - Researcher N1;
• An Engineer - Researcher N2;
• A Flight Surgeon - Researcher.

Prior to the crew arrival the IS should be prepared for the forthcoming flight, including the following:

• It has to contain all the necessary equipment and flight files;
• It also must have onboard stocks of food and other consumables, allocated in specially assigned places,
• It has to contain kits with personal things of each crewmember for the whole flight period;
• Its onboard systems and equipment are to be in an inactivation state;
• It has to provide a possibility to see and to listen to the negotiations of crewmembers, starting from the moment of the crew ingress into the station.

Upon arrival aboard the IS the commander stages a general meeting of all crewmembers and briefs on the station reactivation tasks.
After the station reactivation the commander establishes a communication with the MCC and receives a radiogram (Form 24) for the rest of the Flight Day 1.
The prime task of the first day is to prepare and to carry out dynamic operations, related to IS translation to a trajectory of a flight to the Moon. Cosmonaut-researcher's and flight engineer's N1 tasks are to test the IS motion control system, as well as to check the template of fuel consumption, attitude control establishment and acceleration burn run.
Other members of the crew monitor the IS angular motion visually through the windows and by means of ВКУ.
Interplanetary trajectory flight lasts for 7 days. Within this period the crew maintains a continuous communication with the "Ground", observes external space environment, carries out the program of technical and biotechnological experiments and researches, reveals onboard malfunctions and eliminates their consequences, takes care of its own safety and vital activity, establishes communication with the ISS crew (via the HAM radio channel)), with Russian and foreign participants of space flights, as well as with of Internet network users. The remaining time is used for a crew rest, TV- and video - viewing, and physical training.
An external space conditions study is conducted with use of the station's windows and special displays, simulating an operation of external television observation cameras. The crew observes a "run" of the star sky, the Earth and the Moon at different ranges and under various conditions of light exposure of the Sun. In this case all the station windows, which are not used for observation purposes, should be closed from outside. As per MCC, the crew does photographing and video - shooting.
A communication link with the Mission Control Centre, with ISS crew (via HAM radio channel), with Russian and foreign participants of space flights, and also with of Internet network users is carried out by the crew both with use of regular onboard communication workstations, and by means of the onboard Laptop (the radio amateur channel and Internet). Some communication sessions are accompanied with the image.
Communication sessions are subdivided into:

• Obligatory periodic (once in every hour) or the ones, initiated "by paging" with use of the VHF - channel without a TV-image;
• Pre-planned ones by radiogram F-24 with use of reporter's cameras;
• The same ones, but in a mode of videoconferences (a two-way "TV-image").

One stationary and one portable video camera (which is "aimed" at a table in ББ area) are used for the reporting. The full set of each camera includes an additional light source, a cable and cassettes. As a rule, shooting by means of a portable camera is carried out by one of Researchers.
In-flight video shooting is conducted in the following cases:

• During video reporting and videoconferences (alive);
• In the course of an onboard technical experiments run and for observation of external space conditions, as well as in case of emergencies and off-nominal situations for their subsequent analysis (on the cassette or via cable).

A packet link with the Earth is used by the crew for reception of F-24 and current radiograms. It is simulated by means of inter-computer communication within the framework of the simulator's local area network, interconnecting the ОГУ control panel personal computer and an onboard Laptop. The user's interface corresponds to the regular one.
A crew can use the HAM radio channel as a voice communication channel, but as per MCC, for the following:

• Communication establishment with ISS crew;
• Communication sessions with HAM radio audience.

Communication via Internet network is used for intercom with any crewmember in real time. Internet crew access is carried out via GCTC local area network. The page for informational exchange is located on the " ATLASAEROSPACE " company server.
Provision of the crew's vital activity includes a personal medical self-check-up, taking meals, observation of work-and-sleep patterns and performance of sanitary-and-hygienic procedures. Basically all this is done on the regular basis, including heating a specially ordered onboard "space" food and beverages, using sleeping bags and onboard medical belt.
A crew takes meal as follows: there is a sufficient amount of ready-made food items aboard the station, especially prepared for use in space. The crew takes meal around a common table. A standard food heater is used for the crew conveniences. Food garbage is gathered in a special disposable container. When it is full one of the crewmembers puts it in a toilet and takes a new one.
Available onboard physical exercise facilities are:

• A treadmill;
• A bicycle ergometer;
• A horizontal bar;
• Espanders/expanders.

Prior to perform physical exercises crewmembers don a special harness and sports suits. Water procedures (shower) are obligatory upon termination of physical training.
Medical check-up and vital activity parameters monitoring is obligatory for each crewmember .It carried out by a Flight Surgeon (Surgeon-Researcher) with use of the "Gamma" onboard medical equipment, and if deemed necessary - the state of health is supervised by the MCC doctor. He/she has the right to administer medical treatment in case of emergency. Any sick or incapacitated crewmember can be replaced during the mission by his/her back - up. The ОГУ (MCC) doctor conducts the remote medical monitoring with use of Medical Monitoring Equipment, as well as by means of visual observation via television cameras being able to operate under conditions of insufficient light exposure (ТКН). Four cameras are installed in a way that allows to cross-monitor the whole IS habitable volume.
After interplanetary station comes back to the near-Earth orbit, the crewmembers get ready for descent. They stow kits with their personal things, results of researches and observation, photo and video footage, and put things in order aboard the station compartments. Then crews egress from the simulator of the main core and transfer into their home transport space vehicles (the "Soyuz" space vehicle integrated simulator).

Stage N 3

Experienced pilot-cosmonauts supervise a descent and landing of crews. The crew again dons space suits prior to ingress into the space vehicle.
As per MCC instructions, before braking burn the vehicle's cruising engine is to be oriented along the orbital speed vector, and the direction of the Earth "run" has to be monitored via ВСК.optical sight.
The cruising engine is activated in a time, precisely determined by the "Ground" (MCC) and is cut off after braking burn. The crew monitors braking burn run and reports on it to the Earth. Then automatics is activated, resulting in the СА, БО and ПАО compartments separation after entering the dense layers of atmosphere; the speed is damped; the parachute is deployed; the СА heat shield is jettisoned. The crew anticipates the moment of touch -down.
After the landing and parachute blast off, as per MCC, the crew gets out from the space vehicle and proceeds to a special room for doffing space suits and changing clothes.