Superhero socks, astronaut diapers, and chasing your childhood dreams — it’s all there in Astro Maker’s first-person chronicles of six months aboard the International Space Station.
Scott Tingle was the oldest of The Chumps. Of the 3,566 applicants to the 2009 astronaut candidate class, NASA selected nine to train for space flight. In keeping with tradition, the Chumps nickname was bestowed on NASA Astronaut Group 20 by the previous class. At age 44, Tingle (MS ME’88) was a decade older than the average astronaut candidate and only four years shy of an astronaut’s average retirement age, and there was no guarantee he would ever be selected for a mission. By the time he finished the rigorous two-year training program on basic astronaut skills — including space walking, robotics, aircraft flight readiness, and Russian language training — NASA had ended the 30-year space shuttle program. The only ride to the International Space Station (ISS) is aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. And spots are limited, at a cost of roughly
$81 million per person.
“We all know if we can be patient enough, the assignments are coming,” Tingle says. “There are so many variables in a flight assignment, things going on that are way out of our control that drive timing on it. I knew I was getting older and it may not happen.”
Typically, NASA managers have a private conversation with the astronaut before announcing an assignment to ensure timing and mission duration will work out. “Everything has implications with the training time and time away from home because it is a big sacrifice for the family,” Tingle says.
Tingle was among the last of his training class to be selected for a mission. In the intervening years, he contributed to designs for new space vehicles and worked as a capsule communicator. “My learning of Russian was probably a little slower than some of the other folks,” he says. “Everyone in the US learns Russian. It’s brutal.”
“In my case, they decided to play a trick on me and we never had any talks or discussion. They held an all hands meeting and were talking about the next flight assignment. All of the sudden I heard my name,” he says. “It was thrilling. I’m pretty motivated. I’m going to drive through whatever I have to drive through to get there.”
After nine years of training, Tingle fulfilled a lifelong dream to travel among the stars as a flight engineer on the ISS Expedition 54–55, at age 52. A captain in the US Navy and veteran test pilot, Tingle still goes by his call sign, Maker.
LOG ENTRY
Baikonur Cosmodrome (Launch Pad)
Earth Date: 12-16-2017
Earth Time: 20:00 (GMT)
Weather: -15ºC, snow
Our crew just finished the final training event before the launch. Tomorrow, at 13:20 local time (Baikonur), we will strap the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft to our backs and fly it to low Earth orbit. We will spend two and a half days in low Earth orbit before docking to the MRM-1 docking port on the International Space Station (ISS). There we will begin approximately 168 days of maintenance, service, and science aboard one of the greatest engineering marvels that humans have ever created.
Today was bittersweet. Ending a two-year process of intense training was welcomed by all of us. We are very tired. Seeing our families for the last time was difficult. I am pretty lucky, though. My wife, Raynette, and the kids have grown up around military service and are conditioned to endure the time spent apart during extended calls-to-duty. We are also very much anticipating the good times we will have upon my return in June. Sean and Amy showed me a few videos of them mucking it up at Red Square before flying out to Baikonur. Eric was impressed with the Russian guards marching in to relieve the watch at Red Square. Raynette was taking it all in stride and did not seem surprised by any of it. I think I might have a family of mutants who are comfortable anywhere. Nice! And, by the way, I am VERY proud of all of them!
Tomorrow’s schedule includes a wake-up at 04:00 followed by an immediate medical exam and light breakfast. Upon returning to our quarters, we will undergo a few simple medical procedures that should help make the two-and-a-half-day journey to ISS a little more comfortable. I’ve begun prepping with motion sickness medication that should limit the nausea associated with the first phases of spaceflight. I will continue this effort through docking. This being my first flight, I’m not sure how my body will respond and am taking all precautions to maintain a good working capability. The commander will need my help operating the vehicle, and I need to not be puking into a bag during the busy times. We suit up at 09:30 and then report to the State Commission as “Готовы к Полёту,” or “ready for flight.” We’ll enter the bus, wave goodbye to our friends and family, and then head out to the launch pad.
Approximately two kilometers from the launch pad, the bus will stop. The crew will get out, pee on the bus’s tire, and then complete the last part of the drive to the launch pad. This is a traditional event first done by Yuri Gagarin during his historic first flight and repeated in his honor to this day. We will then strap in and prepare the systems for launch. Next is a waiting game of approximately two hours. Ouch. The crew provided five songs each to help pass the time. My playlist included “Born to Run” (Bruce Springsteen), “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Guns N’ Roses), “Cliffs of Dover” (Eric Johnson), “More Than a Feeling” (Boston), and “Touch the Sky” (Rainbow Bridge, Russian). Launch will happen precisely at 13:20.
I think this sets the stage. It’s 21:30, only six and a half hours until duty calls. Time to get some sleep. If I could only lower my level of excitement!
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 12-19-2017
Earth Time: 21:00 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
The launch went as planned. Our Soyuz spacecraft did a great job getting the three of us to the International Space Station (ISS).
A week later, it all seems like a blur. The bus driver played me a video of my family and friends delivering their good luck messages. After exiting the bus at the launch pad, I was fortunate to have the Soyuz chief designer, Roman, and NASA’s associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, Bill Gerstenmaier (AAE’77), walk me to the stairs and elevator that would take us to the top of the rocket for boarding. The temperature at the pad was approximately -17 degrees centigrade, and we were wearing the Russian Polar Bear suits over our spacesuits in order to stay warm. Walking in these suits is a little hard, and I was happy to have Roman and Bill helping me. We walked into the fog created by the systems around the rocket, climbed the ladder, and waved goodbye. My last words before launch were to Bill, “Boiler Up!” Bill is a fellow and very well-known Boilermaker. We strapped in, and the launch and docking were nominal. But I will add that the second-stage cutoff and separation and ignition of the third stage were very exciting. We were under approximately 4 Gs when the engine cut off, which gave us a good jolt forward during the deceleration and then a good jolt back into the seat after the third stage ignited. I looked at Anton, and we both began to giggle like school children.
We spent two days in orbit as our phase angle aligned with ISS. Surprisingly, I did not feel sick. I even got four hours of sleep the first night and nearly six hours the second night. Having not been able to use my diaper while sitting in the fetal position during launch, it was nice to get out of our seats and use the ACY (Russian toilet). Docking was amazing. I compared it to rendezvousing on a tanker in a fighter jet, except the rendezvous with ISS happened over a much larger distance. As a test pilot, it was very interesting to watch the vehicle capture and maintain the centerline of ISS’s MRM-1 docking port as well as capturing and maintaining the required speed profile. Just like landing at the ship, I could feel the vehicle’s control system (thrusters) making smaller and faster corrections and recorrections. In the flight test world, this is where the “gains” increase rapidly and where any weaknesses in the control system will be exposed. It was amazing to see the huge solar arrays and tons of equipment go by my window during final approach. What an engineering marvel the ISS is. Smooth sailing right into the docking port we went!
About an hour later, after equalizing pressures between the station and Soyuz, we opened the hatch and greeted our friends already onboard. My first view of the inside of the space station looked pretty close to the simulators we have been training in for the last several years. My first words were, “Hey, what are you guys doing at Building 9?” Then we tackled each other with celebratory hugs!
Did you know? The ISS travels 5 miles per second, circling Earth once every 90 minutes.
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 12-25-2017
Earth Time: 21:00 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
At 22:00, after initial “safing” and unpacking of Soyuz, we finally retired to our quarters. It was very hard to sleep, and I think the busy days leading us to ISS were beginning to take their toll. We were scheduled for a full day of work to include familiarization of safety equipment as well as beginning to prepare several science experiments for action. The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft arrived to ISS a couple days before we did, and its cargo included several experiments that needed to be conducted promptly upon arrival. I was doing a great job of floating from one module to another. Since I was a little behind schedule due to having to learn where everything is, I decided I could speed up my floating to be more expeditious. Well, we know how that usually goes and this time was no exception. I gathered a “bag of knots” (aviator slang for “going really fast”) and began a healthy transition from Node 2 into the Columbus module — where I predictably hit the top of my head. Ouch.
The following five days were challenging as we worked to integrate all of our new knowledge and increase our efficiencies. The senior crew was very helpful and understanding. I was very grateful of how they managed our arrival and how they slowly passed down the information we needed to get started. Everything was different from life on Earth. Everything. We quickly figured out that we needed to think differently as we began to adapt to life in space. Drinking water, preparing food, eating food, using the toilet, working, physical training, etc., all different. I had a good handle on the differences and what to expect before I got there. But I didn’t expect that when operations got very busy that my reflexes would respond naturally as they did on Earth. The light bulb came on. I was going to have to move slower and think about everything before I took action. This is why space fliers new to this environment appear to be less efficient than most managers and/or operations planners would like. Adaptation to life in space takes time, and you can’t rush it.
On day three, I finally had the opportunity to look out the Cupola (window facing Earth). My Lord, what a beautiful sight. I could see the sun rising in front of us, darkness below and behind us, and a bright blue ring highlighting the curvature of the Earth as the sun began to rise. Absolutely amazing!
We wrapped up our busy week and celebrated Saturday night by enjoying some rehydrated meats and instant juices. Christmas Eve, we had a few tasks that kept us busy, and the same on Christmas Day. Fortunately, we were able to have video conferences with our families over the holiday, and it was really nice to talk with them. We also had a very short celebration for Christmas after work was done. Our wonderful Behavioral Health Professionals at NASA had sent us Christmas stockings in the SpaceX cargo delivery. I added the small gifts that I brought for the crew — superhero socks! Mark got Hulk socks, Nemo (Norishige Kanai) got Spiderman socks, Joe got Deadpool socks, Anton got Superman socks, and Sasha and I got Batman socks. NOW, we are ready to conquer space!
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 1-07-2018
Earth Time: 17:29 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
Week three. The time is flying by. The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is 80 percent loaded. This has been a big effort for the crew as well as our specialists on the ground. Tracking a large matrix of storage locations, special requirements, and loading locations is a nightmare, but our team on the ground made it look easy. Our crew is becoming more versatile and now flexes between operations and science tasking with what is seemingly just a flick of a switch.
I had the opportunity to set up our Microgravity Science Glovebox for the Trans-Alloy experiment. Unfortunately, the team had to abort the science run due to high temperatures in the glovebox. Tomorrow morning, we will remove the science hardware, remove the cooling plugs, and set it all back up again. Reworks like this don’t bother me, and I am happy to do what is needed to reach success. We are on, and sometimes beyond, the front line of science where lines between science, engineering, and operations become very blurry and complex. We have to be flexible! The ISS has now entered its 20th year of operations. What an engineering marvel. As with any aging program, we have accumulated an expanse of experience operating in space. As an engineering community, we are much smarter about operating in space than we were 30 years ago when we designed the ISS. I will be very encouraged to see our community apply lessons learned as we create new systems to require less training, less maintenance, and less logistics.
I’ve managed to take a few moments over the last week to take some pictures of Earth. Sunrises are the most beautiful part of the day. Out of total darkness, a thin blue ring begins to form that highlights the Earth’s circumference. At this moment, you can really see how thin our atmosphere is. Within a few minutes, the sun rises on station and highlights the docked vehicles while Earth just below is still in night’s shadow. A few minutes later, ISS is over brightly-lighted ground and water, providing a fresh view of the features below. The promise of a new day is real!
The crew managed to have a movie night last night, which provided some good fun and camaraderie. This was a welcome break from the busy routine we endure. Unfortunately, today, I woke to hear that astronaut and moonwalker John Young had passed away. And I also learned that a good friend from the Navy had passed away after a challenging battle with cancer. When he learned he had cancer two years ago, he decided to ignite the afterburners and live every day like there was no tomorrow. He was just as successful in his final days as he was in his previous 50 years. To two remarkable American heroes, thank you for all you have sacrificed and thank you for a lifetime of inspiration. Fair winds and following seas.
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 1-23-2018
Earth Time: 22:00 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
We just finished a 20-hour workday. I spent nearly 11 hours in the spacesuit and seven hours and 24 minutes doing a spacewalk. The view was amazing. The changes from day to night and back to day were phenomenal. My fellow astronaut Mark Vande Hei and I completed the primary task of replacing the Latching End Effector, or hand, for the robotic arm, but a software glitch kept us waiting, and we were unable to complete any get-ahead tasks. I thought we had plenty of time and estimated that we had only been outside for a few hours. I was very surprised to find that we had worked for over seven hours. Wow, I guess time really does fly by when you are having fun!
Did you know? There are no washing machine facilities aboard the ISS. Astronauts have new clothes shipped to them in an unmanned spacecraft, which is then stuffed with their old clothes that burn up upon reentry.
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 1-27-2018
Earth Time: 14:45 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
The smoke detectors have been setting off alarms. This happens routinely due to dust circulating in the modules, but every alarm is taken seriously. This is the third time that the alarm has sounded while I was using the Waste & Hygiene Compartment (toilet). I am starting to think that my actions are causing the alarms … maybe I should change my diet?
Did you know? The food aboard the ISS is all canned, dehydrated, or packaged so it doesn’t require refrigeration.
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 2-8-2018
Earth Time: 22:00 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
I did an interview with some students today, and I was asked a two-part question by one of the students. He asked, “What is the most exciting thing about being in space, and how did you keep yourself motivated to get there?”
I answered, “When you were very young, did you ever dream or wish you could fly? We all know it’s impossible, right? Imagine waking up one day and finding out you actually can fly! THAT is exciting! Now consider the contrary thought: what if you grew up and realized that flying wasn’t possible for humans, and you were at peace with this reality, and at peace shedding your childhood dream of flying? You will have several crossroads in your life, and you will have to decide which of these people you want to be. I, too, am amazed that I had the staying power to continue to dream as I did when I was a child. Words cannot describe how I feel when I fly through the International Space Station every day.”
LOG ENTRY
Earth Date: 2-25-2018
Earth Time: 21:00 (GMT)
ISS Location: Low Earth Orbit
While flying fast-moving jets, we practice the art of recovering from unusual attitudes.We close our eyes, and let the instructor put the jet in an unexpected attitude — sometimes straight up, sometimes straight down, sometimes upside down, and sometimes anything in between. The goal is to open our eyes, analyze the situation, and make rapid and smooth corrections to power and attitude to effect a speedy recovery to straight and level flight without departing controlled flight or having to endure high Gs or experiencing big losses of altitude. Sometimes, when I crawl into my crew quarters on the space station, it is very dark — just like closing our eyes in the jet. And then, as I sleep, my body floats around and changes position. When I awake in total darkness, I have to figure out what attitude I am in relative to my crew quarters and then right myself. “Unusual Attitude Recovery” can be pretty funny. And sometimes, my heart can get pumping as I awake and realize I don’t know what my attitude is. I execute my procedures to figure out what my attitude is and then correct it. At first, it used to take me a while to realize. But now, it is second nature — and it always brings a smile to my face.
Did you know? Astronauts aboard the ISS must work out two hours a day to maintain muscle and bone mass in the zero gravity environment.
Follow the ISS: Spot The Station spotthestation.nasa.gov