Compares Sporty Soyuz To Truck-Like NASA Space Shuttles

NASA's now retired Space Shuttle was big. Critics of the fleet's retirement liked to liken it to a spacegoing truck, noting that no other spacecraft could take its place when large or heavy objects had to get to the International Space Station. But at least one US astronaut who's flown on the shuttles is looking forward to strapping into a Russian capsule atop a Soyuz rocket for his next trip to the ISS, for the same reason many of us prefer driving a Miata to driving a Mack.

Astronaut Daniel Burbank is a 50-year-old veteran of the US space program who's been to the ISS twice onboard the shuttle. He's scheduled to launch for another mission November 14, atop a Soyuz. Reuters notes that his fellow crewmembers will be two first-timers, Anatoly Ivanishin and Anton Shkaplerov, both Russians.

Of the upcoming mission, Burbank says, "To me the Soyuz is like a sports car and the shuttle is like an 18-wheeler. I am very much looking forward to the ride."

This will be the first manned mission since a similar Soyuz rocket carrying cargo for automated docking at the ISS malfunctioned, crashing in Siberia in August. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that incident was the result of an isolated problem. The last cargo mission, launched last Saturday, went off without a hitch. This will be the first attempt at a manned mission since the brief stand-down.

Of the dangers, Ivanishin observes, "Humanity is too curious to remain tied to the Earth's gravitational pull. Sometimes we face difficulties. Sometimes we lose ships. It is sad but, thankfully, it's rare."

FMI: www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz.html