NASA Astronaut Describes Close Call Following Failed Launch 16 October 2018, by Marcia Dunn

NASA astronaut describes close call following failed launch 16 October 2018, by Marcia Dunn

It was the first aborted launch for the Russians in 35 years and only the third in history. Like each one before, the rocket's safety system kept the crew alive.

Hague—the first American to experience a launch abort like this—communicated in Russian throughout the more than half-hour ordeal.

"All of my instincts and reflexes inside the capsule are to speak Russian," said Hague, who had two years of training in Russia.

"We knew that if we wanted to be successful, we In this frame from video from NASA TV, NASA astronaut needed to stay calm and we needed to execute the Nick Hague, who survived the Oct. 11, 2018, failed procedures in front of us as smoothly and efficiently launch and emergency landing, speaks Tuesday, Oct. as we could," Hague told The Associated Press 16, 2018, from the NASA Johnson Space Center in from Houston. Houston. Hague and Russian Alexei Ovchinin were two minutes into their flight last Thursday from Kazakhstan to the International Space Station when the Soyuz rocket The astronauts experienced a few moments of failed. (NASA TV via AP) weightlessness after their Soyuz capsule catapulted away from the rocket. Hague, making his first launch, saw the curvature of Earth and the blackness of space. The NASA astronaut who survived last week's failed launch and emergency landing knew he Between the abort and touchdown, Hague looked needed to stay calm. out the window to make sure the capsule's systems were operating properly and to check their landing. Air Force Col. Nick Hague on Tuesday described They braced for the extreme force—seven times the the closest call of his career: His space capsule force of gravity—of the unusually steep descent and violently ripped from his damaged rocket shortly the shock of the parachutes popping open. after liftoff, then with lights flashing and alarms sounding, plunged steeply back to Earth with They landed on the smooth, flat terrain of punishing force. Kazakhstan.

Hague said he and his commander, Russian Alexei "You can imagine the scene," Hague said. "We're Ovchinin, were flung from side to side and shoved kind of hanging upside-down from our straps ... and back hard into their seats, as the drama unfolded we looked at each other, big grins. He holds out a 50 kilometers (31 miles) above Kazakhstan last hand. I shake his hand. And then we start cracking Thursday. One of the four strap-on boosters failed a few jokes between us about how short our flight to separate properly two minutes into the flight to was." the International Space Station and apparently struck the core rocket stage, resulting Neither man was injured. instantaneously in a rare launch abort.

1 / 2

Hague, 43, said he's dealt with in-flight emergencies during his Air Force career, but nothing like this.

"Any time you're launching yourself into space and your booster has a problem when you're going 1,800 meters per second, things are pretty dynamic and they happen very fast," he said.

He's grateful the emergency system worked despite the fact it hadn't been called into action for decades.

His emotions bubbled up once he was reunited with his wife, their two young sons and his parents, back at the launch site. His youngest wanted to know when he was going back to space.

Hague said he has no clue as to when he'll get a second shot, but is ready as soon as he gets the go- ahead. A Russian accident investigation is continuing, with all crew launches to the space station on hold. The space station, meanwhile, is managing for now with a crew of three.

"What can you do? Sometimes you don't get a vote," Hague said. "You just try to celebrate the little gifts that you get, like walking the boys to school this morning."

© 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. APA citation: NASA astronaut describes close call following failed launch (2018, October 16) retrieved 29 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2018-10-nasa-astronaut.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

2 / 2