Spaceflight
At Korolev RSC Energia on 24 and 31 July 2006 training sessions took place for Japanese spaceflight participant Daisuke Enomoto and his backup, US citizen Anoushek Ansari. Energia's specialists taught them how to use the photographic and video cameras and the amateur radio equipment, which they will use on board the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) (pictured below).
Enomoto recently successfully completed a zero-gravity training flight as part of his preparation. His launch to the ISS is expected next month from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan. The aircraft used for the zero-gravity training was the Ilyushin Il-76.
Weightlessness was achieved by flying the Il-76 aircraft through a parabolic manoeuvre. Ansari, his back up, is a member of the Ansari family that provided the $10m million for the X Prize, won by the Scaled Composites-designed SpaceShipOne in 2004, and is also a partner in the development of Space Adventures' Explorer suborbital vehicle.
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| Above: Enomoto (left) discusses cameras with Energia personnel |
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| Above: Ansari (left) helps Enomoto (centre) with a camera lens |
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| Above: Ansari (left) looks on as Enomoto (centre) is given laptop computer tuition |
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| Above: Enomoto adjusts video camera stand |
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| Above: An Energia engineer (left) talks through radio communication with Enomoto (centre) and Ansari (right) |
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| Above: An Energia engineer (left) talks through radio communication with Enomoto (centre) and Ansari (right) |
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