When invited to look into space from where everything happens, only a very lazy person will refuse. Therefore, we accepted with great interest the invitation from the press service of the Mission Control Center in Korolev, Moscow Region. It was really interesting how it all happens.
And all this happens very calmly and measuredly. There is no other word for it, and it is not particularly necessary. Everything is very calm.
This building houses what is called the MCC.
Modestly and with the same Soviet marble, as in the old metro stations. There is also marble inside, but you cannot remove it. Although, by and large, there is nothing to film. Long corridors, doors with signs on which abbreviations are absolutely incomprehensible to the ignorant.
Well, and the hall. The same one that we see in every report from there.
People and computers. There are more computers. People sit quietly in their workplaces or move slowly around the hall. They all speak in a low voice, so that being upstairs, you can hear almost everything that is said below. But this, again, is only for those thinking. So in half an hour you involuntarily abstract yourself from conversations. You still don’t understand anything.
At times, however, there is a revival. Then people begin to cluster around one workplace, poke their fingers at the screens and discuss something. Then some teams come by phone … and everyone leaves again.
This is a huge screen that displays everything that can be shown. True, there is no secret information on the computers below, but it is seen worse.
The white zone is a zone of confident tracking by Russian space communications facilities.
All telemetry data of spacesuits are constantly broadcast on the screen.
In general, this hall is the tip of a huge iceberg that can be shown to journalists and guests. All the main brew is prepared in other places that are not so comfortable for viewing. But the coordinator of the whole process sits here.
This person is in charge of the entire process taking place in orbit. Program coordinator.
Next to him is his assistant, who from time to time comments on what is happening for the guests. This does not bring much understanding, because in orbit everything is also done quite slowly, with rest and breaks. And when the commentator says that the cosmonauts did this and that, you already lose understanding of what was happening there.
And there is some kind of action akin to the shamanism of a very high flight. The astronauts move around the station, perform some kind of manipulation. By the way, it's a pity that there is no broadcast of what they are saying to the coordinator. It would be more interesting. And so - a solid mystery.
We have witnessed the spacewalk of a couple of our astronauts. They carried out the work planned by the program there.
At the time of this event, Yuri Malenchenko had 5 spacewalks with a total duration of 30 hours and 6 minutes. Sergei Volkov has a smaller one. 3 exits lasting 18 hours and 15 minutes. But it is clear that both - space wolves are still the same. And they worked everything according to their program.
The program is complex, for 5 hours of work. Installation, dismantling of equipment, taking some samples and smears, replacing cassettes at research facilities, some kind of covers were put on the devices.
And all this is on the surface of the ISS, which, to be honest, looks more like a miraculous nightmare of apocalyptic nature. And everything is just as calm and without fuss. Apparently, haste and fuss in space affairs is generally contraindicated.
The only excitement in the camp of the observers was when the coordinator announced that the astronauts would now dismantle the Expose monoblock. And then the picture disappeared. And when she reappeared, the station flew into the shadows, and in general it became impossible to see what was happening there. Well, it is clear that if something needs to be unscrewed, the darkness is not a hindrance for the Russians. And so it happened. The block was unscrewed and dragged away with them exclusively by the light of helmet-mounted lanterns.
And this is one of the representatives of the MCC press center. The lady at the highest level answered the questions that fell on her. Let there were not many media representatives, 5 or 6, but the questions were quite mundane. In general, we are very grateful to the press service for the excursion.
What more can be said? Never mind. It just happened to touch what is happening high above the ground. Secret? Mystery? No, rather an impressive chore. Nothing supernatural, some people do their job in space, others on Earth. But the way they do it is very impressive. Calm and measured. Not like Hollywood movies, not like that at all.
It is clear that the main work is not done under the cameras of journalists, it is possible that passions are boiling in other halls, and the tension is much higher. Perhaps, of course, but for some reason I can't believe it.
When we left the MCC, Roman told me the following: "And you know, I looked at them, they are all like impenetrable tanks. Probably, there, in nature, everything is in order."
Probably it couldn't be better. It is gratifying to feel that everything is calm upstairs.
