9c



ISS Expedition 9 EVA 9c GENNADY'S ."Dinosaurs" DVDs Now Available At Project P.R.O.V.E.!

The International Space Station (ISS) has been occupied continuously since 1 November 2000, with the arrival of the Expedition 1 Crew. Much had changed by the time the Expedition 9 Crew came aboard. The Station had nearly doubled in size, with a large increase in capability. Expedition 9 initiated with the launch of Soyuz TMA-4 atop a Starsem booster from Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on 18 April 2004 at 10:19 PM CDT (03:19 19 April GMT). Aboard were Station and Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke. In the third seat was ESA Astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, on the Delta Mission. They spent the next two days chasing ISSy for rendezvous and docking, which took place at 12:01 AM (05:01 GMT) on 21 April. The three men were warmly greeted by the outgoing crew of Expedition 8. These were Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander "Sasha" Kaleri. A week of joint operations ensued, with the station being finally handed over to the Expedition 9 crew. Andre Kuipers, and the Expedition 8 crew entered their Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle to return to Earth on 29 April 2004. During their six month stay aboard, the Expedition 9 crew carried out Four EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) and an extensive but flexible program of science. These included some 21 different experiments in five categories. These were Bioastronautics, the Physical Sciences, Space Product Development, Space Flight, and Space Biology. More can be learned about the Expedition 9 Science program Here, and Here. With the arrival of the Expedition 10 Crew, and Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin of the Russian Space Forces, on 15 October 2004, the final week of Expedition 9 was at hand. As is usual practice, the two crews worked together for a week to familiarize the new men with their home in orbit. On 23 October at 4:08 PM CDT (21:08 GMT), the Soyuz TMA-4 undocked from ISSy for the return home. Cosmonaut Shargin was aboard with the Expedition 9 crew for the ride. A safe landing was achieved near Arkalyk Kazakhstan on 23 October at 7:36 PM CDT (00:36 24 October GMT). Expedition 9 was a productive and successful mission to ISS, and all ended very well. Total flight duration: 187 days 21 hours 17 minutes.
	Exp. 9 Launch

	Soyuz TMA-4

	Fun On Orbit

	Fincke On EVA

	Exp. 9 Back Home

EVA 9c - THE SPACEWALK


Padalka In Suit	Fincke - EVA 9c	MPAC-SEEDS	Kromka	Reflectors For ATV
This EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) was designated 9c for being the third spacewalk of the Expedition 9 increment. It took place on 3 August 2004, and was the 55th for ISS assembly as well as the 30th mounted from the station itself. The 4 1/2 hour EVA began with opening the hatch of the PIRS docking and airlock compartment at 1:58 AM CDT (6:58 GMT). Station Commander Gennady Padalka, and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke ventured out onto the outer hull of the Zvezda Service Module to begin their work wearing slightly modified Russian made Orlan spacesuits. The modifications involved the installation of helmet lamps garnered from US spacesuits, as well as some US equipment such as retractable safety tethers. The previous Expedition 9 EVAs, on 24 and 30 June, were also carried out in these Orlan suits. (Orlan means "Eagle" in Russian) Their first task was to proceed to the far end of the service module to replace cassettes in a materials exposure experiment. From there, the men also replaced the Kromka unit, used to measure residue from thruster firings. Once those jobs were complete, Padalka and Fincke swapped outdated laser reflectors for more advanced designs to be used in navigation and docking of the new Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). This cargo ship contributed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to carry supplies much as the Russian Progress vehicles have been doing since 1978. But the ATV will be capable of hauling 2.5 times the payload of a Progress. As of this writing (01/2006) the ATV has yet to be launched. The two men had ample room to work at the end of Zvezda, as the old Progress 14 freighter had been undocked and de-orbited just days previous. The new Progress 15 was due to arrive a week later on 16 August. (An anomaly was recorded during this operation). Because of their movements at the end of the module, the station was temporarily destabilized. The Control Moment Gyros mounted in the area of the Z-1 Truss were overwhelmed and couldn't maintain station attitude. The men were asked to vacate the work area for a few moments so that the main thruster rockets could be used to bring the station back into alignment with the Sun. Following this operation, the crew returned to the aft end of Zvezda to complete their assignments. The PIRS hatch was re-sealed at 6:28 AM CDT (11:28 GMT) to mark the end of EVA 9c. It was, overall, a successful and productive spacewalk.

GENNADY'S ."Dinosaurs"

We will now move on to examine a most curious exchange between the Expedition 9 crew, and ground control in Korolev, Russia (TsUP). Taken on its own, the words mean very little other than seemingly normal chatter during a delicate operation being carried out on the outer hull of the Zvezda Service Module. However, when juxtaposed with the words of Cosmonaut Alexander "Sasha" Kaleri of Expedition 8 during the EVA of February, they appear to be aimed directly at the controversy. This is why I named this article "Gennady's Dinosaurs" (The 'G' in Gennady pronounced like the 'G' in Gift).

The meaning of all this should be quite clear after you have read "Sasha's Dinosaurs". That story first appeared at the end of April 2004, in Filer's Weekly Files (Edited by George Filer - Maj. USAF ret.). It stirred up a "hornet's nest". A well known debunker attempted to explain Kaleri's comments as reference to a pair of Russian scissors used for cutting wires and tie-downs. This explanation fell flat when examined closely, however.

Then Gennady Padalka seemed to make a deliberate point of talking about these scissors over and over again during EVA 9c nearly six months later. It appears very possible to this writer that the words were scripted for him in advance, for the specific purpose of reinforcing the debunker's explanation. It all comes across as forced and artificial though.

Next is a transcript of the conversation. It is as accurate as possible, considering that some of the words were a bit garbled. Please read it carefully, especially the portion concerning “Dinosaur Scissors”. We will discuss the words in detail afterwards.

TRANSCRIPT of “DINOSAUR SCISSORS” EXCHANGE

All Orange italics mine for emphasis. Hesitations and grammatical errors are left in as originally spoken. JC

(K) = Korolev = MCC Moscow – Sometimes “Vladia”

(P) = Padalka - also “Genna”

(F) = Fincke - also “Michael”

Elapsed EVA time at start of transcript was c. 1 Hr. 27 Min.

Begin Transcript

P	"They are diminishing in numbers to the right. 2711 then 2720 and 2726 to the left and the numbers are diminishing."
K	"Yes, the numbers are diminishing. Don’t pay any attention to that, you are on the right way."
P	"How about that? It’s interesting labelling. Thank you. And they put the labels on the other side…FROM the other side."
K	"OK, now it’s clear. That’s understood."
F	"Vladimir, the KROMKA payload is open, it is deployed, and it is all nominal."
K	"Copy Michael, thank you."
F	"When I take pictures, you will have a chance to see that."
K	"OK, thank you Michael. Please stay on those handrails, and you can do…we can deal with (garbled)…not have anything hanging from it. (garbled) bundle."
P	"Well, I’m opening the valve…the FLAP."
K	"Copy Genna."
P	"I have opened the flap…and done with the (garbled)."
K	"Good news. Copy." (Audio Clip Below Starts Here)
P	*"And yes, you are right. We need the “Dinosaur Scissors”. How copy?"*
K	"Yes, copy Genna. But you have the “Dinosaur Scissors”?"
P	"Yes, of course. No other way. I have everything. *And just a second ago, pulled the “Dinosaur” out of the casing. Well, I have cut one of them…the other."*
K	"Copy. Michael, how is it going?"
F	"Excellent."
K	"Good." (Audio Clip Below Ends Here)
P	"139 pressure and Oxygen bottle about 340."
K	”Copy Genna. Pressure about 139 and about 340.”
F	”And mine is about 139 and 350.”
K	”Copy Michael. 139 – 350.”
P	*”Well, I have got…wires, and I’m re-installing the “Dinosaurs”…done.”*
F	”Genna, sorry. And the covered clips?”
K	”Have you cut the wires?”
P	”No, thank you.”
K	”A late reminder.”
P	*”Well, the “Dinosaur Scissors” are in the case…is in…the tool is in the casing, but I’ll…”*
K	”Understood.”
P	”OK, but I have done it without the “Dinosaur Scissors”, without cutting the wires. I just moved the wires to the side, and they can be removed easily. So we are on the right way. So I’m, they [are] mating, and they are connected. How copy?”
K	”Copy. How’d it go to the mating connector?”
P	”Removed and…they mating! Done! They mated. I’m closing the flap. One is closed.”
K	”Copy. Genna, and the smaller part of the connector is to be put into the same clip, but the major part of it into the side one, where the covers were… where the flap was.”
P	*”Oh, understood. Very good Vladia. OK, Vladia, I need to use the “Dinosaur Scissors” again. How copy?”*
K	”Copy.”
P	”You were right. I have removed the caps, but to stow them, I need to cut out the wires on the clip. My hand doesn’t get in there.”
K	”That’s a bottleneck, right?”
P	”Yes, it’s very narrow. The left one is not handy, but can’t manage to work it on the right one. I’ll try to do it from the left-hand side once again. Ok, now it’s good.”
K	”Copy”

End Transcript

Elapsed EVA time at end of transcript was c. 1 Hr. 37 Min.

Option: The most relavant portion of the conversation above is available below (We did not provide ALL of the audio track due to download size):

Please take note how many times Cosmonaut Padalka asks mission control “How Copy” after mentioning the tool. It's as if he wished to make sure that every use of the term "Dinosaur Scissors" was CLEARLY heard back on Earth. Also you might notice that he refers to “Dinosaur SCISSORS” as opposed to “Dinosaurs”; the term used by Sasha Kaleri the previous February.

These, we're told, are "Gennady's Dinosaurs". This is the tool which debunkers claim Kaleri was talking about, and was so over emphasized by Commander Padalka during EVA 9c.

Click Photo To Enlarge

Photo Provided By NASA Employee

Next we will see an exact transcript of the “Dinosaurs” exchange between Cosmonaut Kaleri and Russian ground controllers at Korolev. Please pay especially close attention to this. Compare the usage. Please note Kaleri’s element of surprise at these “Dinosaurs”, and how mission control was also caught unawares, advising him to “LET THEM BE WITH YOU”.

TRANSCRIPT OF "DINOSAUR" EXCHANGE

All Orange italics mine for emphasis. Hesitations and grammatical errors are left in as originally spoken. JC.

(S) = Sasha Kaleri

(K) = Korolev = MCC Moscow

Begin Transcript

S	*"So, dinosaurs are needed here. You can’t do…can’t do anything* without them."**
K	"Say it again??"
S	*"I say when the dinosaur* is here. YES! I have them here!" (Six second pause) "Uh…these are with me now!"**
K	"Yes. Let them be with you."
S	"Understood."

End Transcript

Option: The actual words of Sasha Kaleri and Russian Ground Control available below.

Moments later, Sasha's commander, US Astronaut Mike Foale makes this comment:

TRANSCRIPT OF FOALE'S WORDS

Begin Transcript

Foale

"(unintelligable, possibly the first name of the man at TsUP)…Sasha is attaching the dinosaurs now…"

End Transcript

Option: Commander Foales' actual words available below.

Foale's comment is just one of the keys to sinking the scissors explanation. A TOOL would not be ATTACHED! And to add further confusion, Padalka also said ”Well, I have got…wires, and I’m re-installing the “Dinosaurs”…done.” after emphasizing the "Dinosaur Scissors" numerous times. Guess they felt the need to "cover all the bases"!! There has STILL been no explanation avaiable anywhere as to WHAT these attached/installed "Dinosaurs" might be.

So, now "Dinosaurs" are a tool, AND an unidentified part at the SAME TIME! One must wonder just how the Russian space program functions so well with the same term used for completely different items used on orbit. How can one use Dinosaurs to cut Dinosaurs anyway? I'd really like to see THAT demonstrated! I'd at least like to see some reference online as to what a Dinosaur part is exactly.

At left is what we were very briefly shown during the "Dinosaur Scissors" conversation. This EVA saw an extreme paucity of television coverage. In this case, the worst possible angle was chosen. The two men were not only behind these solar panels, but on the OTHER SIDE of the module. This view lasted only a few seconds before being cut off.

I believe we've made a strong case for Gennady Padalka's "Dinosaur Scissors", and "Re-installing the Dinosaurs" conversation being a deliberate attempt to cement the tool explanation for Sasha Kaleri's "slip of the tongue" whilst on EVA earlier that same year. It appears that both NASA and the Russian Space Agency felt it necessary to do SOMETHING to counter the worldwide exposure the story got thanks to Project P.R.O.V.E. and Filer's Weekly Files. So, I believe that careful attention to what Astronauts and Cosmonauts say from space has resulted in another...

GOTCHA!

In closing,It must be pointed out that there was a major difference between EVA 9c, and most others I've followed. It was not televised! Almost every spacewalk is covered on TV virtualy from beginning to end. NOT this one. We were granted a mere 12 minutes 24 seconds of television, and that was it. There were six brief exceptions lasting a few seconds each, but they were so short as to be useless. One barely had time to figure out which camera, and the orientation before the images were gone. The story of this aspect of EVA 9c is "The UN-Covered EVA".

For even more of the EVA 9c story, see these pages as well.

"EVA 9c - The Fast Object!"

"EVA 9c - The Horizontal Object!"

"Dinosaur Scissors" turned up again during the Russian ISS EVA 19, on 6 June 2007. For more on this, see "Fyodor's Dinosaurs".

***

At all times during this incident, the camera and audio feed, were under the control of the CATO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.