Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Ракета с Союзом ТМА-2 на старте http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1189733/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Scott Andrews,
NASA
Explanation:
It takes a big rocket to go into space.
Last weekend, this
huge Russian rocket was
launched toward Earth-orbiting
International Space Station (ISS),
carrying two astronauts who will make up the new Expedition 7 crew.
Seen here during rollout at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the rocket's white top is actually a
Soyuz TMA-2, the most recent version of the
longest serving type of human spacecraft.
The base is a
Russian
R7 rocket, originally developed as a type of
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in 1957.
The
rocket spans the length of a football field and
has a fueled mass of about one million kilograms.
Russian rockets like this will be
primary transportation system to the
ISS while
NASA
studies the underlying reasons behind the recent
tragic break-up of the
Space Shuttle Columbia.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.