#soyuz capsule

[caifanes]

insane dcst rambling below

i wasn’t planning to read the spin off about senku’s dad but i find it so interesting that byakuya took on the enormous responsibility of caring for his close friend’s child but we know nothing about the nature of the relationship and why there’s no mention of his mother at all. like. it isn’t ’i took over the responsibility for my close friend and his wife’s kid bc of a circumstance i choose to not to disclose’ the connection is only drawn between byakuya and senku’s bio dad. and it seems that senku was young enough to not have any solid memories of his own (a la soyuz) and he trusts byakuya to tell him only the important parts. there’s such an avoidance of revealing specific details it seems like a case of senku being abandoned or unwanted. they make it such a point to single out senku’s bio dad’s involvement that i theorized xeno’s role in the story as a mentor might extend beyond. i’ve engaged with WAY too much media about parent and child reuniting under extraordinary circumstances but the relationship remains mentor/mentee and xeno doesn’t involve himself with senku beyond scientific discovery. (but senku DOES involve himself by using xeno’s relationship with stanley as collateral just as he did with tsukasa and mirai)

[whirligig-girl]

I think an autistic amount about an Avatar sequel series that's straight up space exploration science fiction. Or like maybe a Star Trek Avatar au. However an idea I'd had for that was aetherbending. Aether being the element of space itself. With this, you can get warp drives--but the warp drives are powered by rare and skilled martial artists.

All bending is supposed to derive from some original benders. Waterbending was learned from the Moon itself iirc (due to tides), earthbending from the badger-moles, firebending from the dragons, and airbending from the sky bison.

It would be cool if spacebending had a similar origin, but it'd also be kinda hilarious and a bit badass if spacebending was invented (at least, independently) by the avatar-world version of Albert Einstein. On the other hand, maybe it was learned from big ol space jellyfish which use spacebending to travel. idk.

Spacebending abilities would include superluminal propulsion, gravity manipulation, wormhole/portal production, making things bigger on the inside, production of spherical or hyperbolic geometry, changing the distances between objects, and maybe even time travel. The abilities, like with all bending, scale with individual skill.

I am thinking though that it may be the case that spacebenders draw their energy from space. As in, "the vacuum of--". So being on a planet will always keep them from reaching their full potential, which is why it's not a form of bending that was ever discovered before.

Either way I feel like the concept of spacebending doesn't really match the whole "all benders are oxygenbenders" thing on account of spacetime not being made of oxygen. Or indeed, any element at all.

cursed thought. the world of ATLA/LOK is actually made of atomic elements in a periodic table and not just four elements... all bending is oxygen bending.

Oxygen is the most common element on the planet. The rocks in the Earth's mantle and crust have oxygen in them. The atmosphere is 20% oxygen by pressure. Most of the mass of water is in that oxygen molecule. And firebending is just an especially energetic oxidation reaction!

Metal-bending is said to rely not on bending the metal itself, but the trace impurities within it. Most relevantly, rust. Pure metals like platinum can not be metalbended.

Opens up the possibility for radically new kinds of bending with the advent of physics, or even aliens on other planets. On a carbon planet, maybe the benders are carbon benders (carbon dioxide in the air, carbon in the hydrocarbon oceans, carbon in the tar, and carbon in the ground). Maybe gas giant gasbags or hycean-dwellers are hydrogen benders. (the hydrogen in the atmosphere, in the ammonia and water clouds and rain, maybe even the liquid metallic hydrogen ocean, and antifire-bending through reduction reactions)

And it gives the Avatar a lot of catching up to do.

[elbiotipo]

Genuine question why can't NASA just build another Apollo? why bother designing a new spaceship when you already have one you know it works?

They can't *literally* build Apollo again because the tools and hardware for building Saturn V and such are long gone, they were replaced by the Shuttle during the 70s-80s. And that was supposed to be alright as the Shuttle was supposed to be next generation (though it ultimately failed at that). And then the Shuttle was supposed to be replaced by the Space Launch System or SLS which was supposed to be like, Apollo 2 (I used supposed a lot sorry)

The main thing about this is that the US congress by law requires using the SLS in all the Moon missions, even though it's a piece of shit rocket that sucks. There are many reasons why it sucks so much, but the main reason in my opinion is that the SLS and the Orion spacecraft are built by Boeing and Lockheed-Martin. And if those names haven't already raised alarm bells... well, to summarize everything, both Boeing and Lockheed-Martin are incredibly rich and powerful corporations contracted by the US government for everything, mostly "defense" (war) but also space.

So what do these corporations do? They bribe, eh, lobby the US congress so that NASA has to work with THEM and ONLY them, and they deliver subpar, costly, piece of shit products to keep sucking US state money, with the excuse that "space is hard", which it is, but they have no excuse for the expenses. And they're also competing with SpaceX, which Musk is bad on its own way, but it only furthers the corporate infighting.

And I mean these products are terrible and expensive. The cost of building and launching a SLS is ridiculous for something that the Soyuz has been doing since the 1970s. The whole "Gateway" flying circus is because the Orion capsule cannot go to the Moon by itself. I really need to stress that they built a Moon capsule that, unlike Apollo, CANNOT GO TO THE MOON. So they need to go through all this incredibly complex Rude Goldberg machine just to go to the Moon.

Many space-interested people in the US see this as an example of state bureaucracy and overspending, which is kind of true, but from my opinion, it only shows how the military-industrial complex and these war megacorporations has the US "civilian" government grabbed by the balls. Meanwhile, Trump's Space Force has no problem into getting good hardware and launches.

[ddagent]

A random collection of Margo/Sergei thoughts and fic ideas:

Sergei's face when he sees Irina has his old position.

Sergei regularly keeps up correspondence with an old colleague - only its to Margo, and the letters never get sent.

Both Margo and Sergei, in Moscow and Iowa respectively, tell people that they are widowed.

Sergei is tired of people (including Margo) calling his girlfriend an ice queen so he uses an ice cube to make her melt.

The KGB are held up by the CIA in '92 so Sergei has to deal with the aftermath of Margo's anger (but thankfully not the strangling).

Margo is fired but not charged at the end of S3; she tries to keep it from Sergei as he settles into Houston.

Margo and Sergei go on a bunch of secret dates, including one to a drive in movie theatre.

In 4.08, Margo and Sergei go to 11:59, still open, and talk everything through. The owner, grizzled and not caring about Moscow Margo, gives her the keys to lock up. They continue to meet there in secret.

Irina does not attempt to kill Sergei; she, in fact, hopes Margo will try and recruit him back to Roscosmos.

Margo & Sergei have to attend the ten-year anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz (and most likely end up fucking in the museum capsule)

Apollo-Soyuz never happens and Margo spends twenty years hating Sergei Nikulov - until a hotel room in Leningrad enables them to get out all their feelings.

[gemini-enthusiast]

On this day in space program history, on July 15th, 1975, the Apollo-Soyuz test project launched from KSC Launch Complex 39B...

And from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

This mission was a major landmark in space history by being the first meeting of an international crew in space. American astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton, and Vance Brand docked their Apollo capsule to the Soviet Soyuz capsule carrying cosmonauts Alexei Leonov (who had been the first person to walk in space a decade prior) and Valery Kubasov. The ASTP was also the last usage of an Apollo capsule, and the last American space flight before the completion of the Space Shuttle.

The two spacecraft docked on July 17th, and the commanders of each craft, Tom Stafford and Alexei Leonov, shook hands to mark the occasion.

Together, the joint crews participated in a number of scientific experiments, including using the Apollo capsule to block the sun and create a man-made eclipse, allowing the Soviet capsule to study and photograph the sun's corona.

The ASTP is now one of the lesser-known parts of the Apollo program, but was a hugely important landmark in space history, and paved the way for future international relations in space. Without ASTP, we would not have the Shuttle-Mir program nor the International Space Station. It marked the end of the Apollo program on a high note.

Well, except for the fact the Apollo crew got poisoned by rocket fuel on reentry and nearly died, but that's neither here nor there.

[cpvnksabm]

in his diary too

anyone else think this is a little unnervingly specific

[wumblr]

boeing starliner returned uncrewed, spacex scheduled to evacuate stranded astronauts -- and in an entirely unrelated set of events, soyuz capsule launching with three astronauts. if anybody can find one news source that will explicitly connect the dots and state that the soyuz capsule is a functional, USSR-designed alternative option for evacuation, and has performed reliably for decades, i would love to see it. lmao. like the party line of capitalism sure is getting so paper thin isn't it. i haven't seen one article that acknowledged it was an option with the only potential obstacle being the basic requirement of diplomatic relations with russia during this entire whole thing (which is apparently not even an obstacle so much as a potential PR disaster since at least one of the three riding a soyuz to the ISS is a NASA astronaut) i had to dig into the topic myself to find that out

[mudwerks]

The Remains of Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, The man who fell from space (1967)

"In his diary, Nikolai Kamanin recorded that the Soyuz 1 capsule crashed into the ground at 30–40 metres per second (98–131 ft/s) and that the remains of Komarov's body were an irregular lump 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter and 80 centimetres (31 in) long."

I guess his remains probably have a pretty good shelf-life.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Wednesday SpaceTime 20240918 Series 27 Episode 113

Recent volcanism on discovered on the Moon

Scientists have discovered evidence of volcanism on the lunar surface as recently as 125 million years ago.

The Strange phenomena people will see at Moon's south pole

When astronauts return to the Moon’s surface as part of the Artemis 3 mission to the Lunar south pole, they’ll experience a very different environment to that which the Apollo astronauts witnessed more than half a century ago.

A new crew arrives at the International Space Station

The Russian Soyuz MS-26 capsule has successfully docked with the International Space station just three hours after its launch aboard a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan.

The Science Report

Study shows up to 19% of dementia cases could be linked to vision problems.

Over 52 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the environment every year.

The growing amount of incorrect AI generated data being generated.

Alex on Tech: are the new iPhone 16s worth it? 

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

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SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[allatariel]

For your WIP game: Love At The Drafting Table. I'm not really familiar with the source but I like the title and am curious about it!

Hello friend! Thanks for the ask <3 Sorry it took me so very long to reply. I wanted to get a little more written, it was mostly an idea.

So, a little background on For All Mankind, the show I've been obsessing over for the past few months: It's an alternate history of the space race in which the Soviet Union lands on the moon a month before Apollo 11 and the U.S. has to play catch up. And then while the U.S. is focused on beating them in the race to put a base on the moon, the Russians instead land a woman on the moon and the Americans are playing catch up yet again.

OK, so in this timeline, the Apollo-Soyuz mission takes place in 1983 instead of 1975. On the show, Margo Madison is the Director of JSC and she ends up working with the head of the Soyuz program, Sergei Orestovich Nikulov, to design the docking mechanism.

Love at the Drafting Table is an AU, and also the title of a Life magazine article that gets published in the story after the success of Apollo-Soyuz, a parallel to another in universe article published circa 1967 in Look magazine, "Love in the Air," about pilot Tracy Stevens and her husband astronaut Gordon Stevens. I switched to Life magazine because Look shut down in 1971 and also Life ran a full issue on the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975 so I wanted to parallel that.

The premise is that as a result of the televised handshake in space, the U.S. and the Soviet Union officially collaborate on more space missions after the peace treaty. And that Margo and Sergei, who grew very close working on this project together, become the faces of that collaboration on the ground, while Danielle and Stepan, the commanders of the Apollo and Soyuz capsules involved in the mission, are the faces in space. Aleida Rosales, Margo's protege who worked with them to refine the design, mentions to one of the journalists working on the Life feature that Margo and Sergei developed the initial design on their first date.

I'm still working out a lot of the details and planning, but I do have a little snippet I can share.

Aleida, Margo, and Sergei set to work drawing up new schematics incorporating the shock absorbing ring Aleida had suggested and refining the overall design. Despite Sergei’s facility with rendering, he encouraged Aleida to do the bulk of the work. He and Margo continued to make notes on their existing sketches, updating measurements and calculations for Aleida to work off of. Not fifteen minutes passed before they hit a snag and Margo craved a tootsie roll to chew over the problem with. She wrinkled her nose at the pencil eraser, knowing it wouldn’t cut it as a substitute. And then her stomach gave her away with a gurgle. Sergei had seemed so focused on his notes, but immediately looked up at her with that cheeky little half smile she was starting to recognize as the prelude to a wry joke or clever idea. A warmth bloomed low in her belly and she fiercely ignored it. “Did someone eat your porridge?” His blue eyes danced and Margo pressed her lips together to fight down the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth. “You’re still drunk,” Margo muttered and lost the battle, her smile breaking free with the lingering vowels of her drawl. Aleida snorted but didn’t look up from her work.

Thanks again for the ask, and for your patience <3

WIP Title Ask Meme

[lonestarflight]

Cancelled Missions: Testing Shuttle Manipulator Arms During Earth-Orbital Apollo Missions (1971-1972)

In this drawing by NASA engineer Caldwell Johnson, twin human-like Space Shuttle robot arms with human-like hands deploy from the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) Bay to grip the derelict Skylab space station.

"Caldwell Johnson, co-holder with Maxime Faget of the Mercury space capsule patent, was chief of the Spacecraft Design Division at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas, when he proposed that astronauts test prototype Space Shuttle manipulator arms and end effectors during Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) missions in Earth orbit. In a February 1971 memorandum to Faget, NASA MSC's director of Engineering and Development, Johnson described the manipulator test mission as a worthwhile alternative to the Earth survey, space rescue, and joint U.S./Soviet CSM missions then under study.

At the time Johnson proposed the Shuttle manipulator arm test, three of the original 10 planned Apollo lunar landing missions had been cancelled, the second Skylab space station (Skylab B) appeared increasingly unlikely to reach orbit, and the Space Shuttle had not yet been formally approved. NASA managers foresaw that the Apollo and Skylab mission cancellations would leave them with surplus Apollo spacecraft and Saturn rockets after the last mission to Skylab A. They sought low-cost Earth-orbital missions that would put the surplus hardware to good use and fill the multi-year gap in U.S. piloted missions expected to occur in the mid-to-late 1970s.

Johnson envisioned Shuttle manipulators capable of bending and gripping much as do human arms and hands, thus enabling them to hold onto virtually anything. He suggested that a pair of prototype arms be mounted in a CSM Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) Bay, and that the CSM "pretend to be a Shuttle" during rendezvous operations with the derelict Skylab space station.

The CSM's three-man crew could, he told Faget, use the manipulators to grip and move Skylab. They might also use them to demonstrate a space rescue, capture an 'errant satellite,' or remove film from SIM Bay cameras and pass it to the astronauts through a special airlock installed in place of the docking unit in the CSM's nose.

Faget enthusiastically received Johnson's proposal (he penned 'Yes! This is great' on his copy of the February 1971 memo). The proposal generated less enthusiasm elsewhere, however.

Undaunted, Johnson proposed in May 1972 that Shuttle manipulator hardware replace Earth resources instruments that had been dropped for lack of funds from the planned U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. President Richard Nixon had called on NASA to develop the Space Shuttle just four months before (January 1972). Johnson asked Faget for permission to perform 'a brief technical and programmatic feasibility study' of the concept, and Faget gave him permission to prepare a presentation for Aaron Cohen, manager of the newly created Space Shuttle Program Office at MSC.

In his June 1972 presentation to Cohen, Johnson declared that '[c]argo handling by manipulators is a key element of the Shuttle concept.' He noted that CSM-111, the spacecraft tagged for the ASTP mission, would have no SIM Bay in its drum-shaped Service Module (SM), and suggested that a single 28-foot-long Shuttle manipulator arm could be mounted near the Service Propulsion System (SPS) main engine in place of the lunar Apollo S-band high-gain antenna, which would not be required during Earth-orbital missions.

During ascent to orbit, the manipulator would ride folded beneath the CSM near the ASTP Docking Module (DM) within the streamlined Spacecraft Launch Adapter. During SPS burns, the astronauts would stabilize the manipulator so that acceleration would not damage it by commanding it to grip a handle installed on the SM near the base of the CSM's conical Command Module (CM).

Johnson had by this time mostly dropped the concept of an all-purpose human hand-like 'end effector' for the manipulator; he informed Cohen that the end effector design was 'undetermined.' The Shuttle manipulator demonstration would take place after CSM-111 had undocked from the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft and moved away to perform independent maneuvers and experiments.

The astronauts in the CSM would first use a TV camera mounted on the arm's wrist to inspect the CSM and DM, then would use the end effector to manipulate 'some device' on the DM. They would then command the end effector to grip a handle on the DM, undock the DM from the CSM, and use the manipulator to redock the DM to the CSM. Finally, they would undock the DM and repeatedly capture it with the manipulator.

Caldwell Johnson's depiction of a prototype Shuttle manipulator arm with a hand-like end effector. The manipulator grasps the Docking Module meant to link U.S. Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in Earth orbit during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission.

Johnson estimated that new hardware for the ASTP Shuttle manipulator demonstration would add 168 pounds (76.2 kilograms) to the CM and 553 pounds (250.8 kilograms) to the SM. He expected that concept studies and pre-design would be completed in January 1973. Detail design would commence in October 1972 and be completed by 1 July 1973, at which time CSM-111 would undergo modification for the manipulator demonstration.

Johnson envisioned that MSC would build two manipulators in house. The first, for testing and training, would be completed in January 1974. The flight unit would be completed in May 1974, tested and checked out by August 1974, and launched into orbit attached to CSM-111 in July 1975. Johnson optimistically placed the cost of the manipulator arm demonstration at just $25 million.

CSM-111, the last Apollo spacecraft to fly, reached Earth orbit on schedule on 15 July 1975. By then, Caldwell Johnson had retired from NASA. CSM-111 carried no manipulator arm; the tests Johnson had proposed had been judged to be unnecessary.

That same month, the U.S. space agency, short on funds, invited Canada to develop and build the Shuttle manipulator arm. The Remote Manipulator System — also called the Canadarm — first reached orbit on board the Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-2, the second flight of the Shuttle program, on 12 November 1981."

source

[livingforstars]

A Soyuz at Mir - September 28th, 1996.

"Pictured above is a three person Russian Soyuz capsule with wing-like solar panels extended, joined to the Mir space station. In Russian, "soyuz" means "union," and indeed one of the milestones achieved by a Soyuz spacecraft was an orbital union with a US Apollo command module, during the first international space mission in 1975. The Soyuz TM spacecraft were specially modified for use with the Mir as ferries for cosmonauts and astronauts and also as lifeboats, should the need arise. This image is from an electronic still camera used by the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis during their latest Mir visit to pick up astronaut Shannon Lucid and drop off John Blaha."

[the-technicolor-whiscash]

Starliner finally landed (with the crew remaining on station to return home on a Dragon in February) so I am desperately hoping that its return to earth stops the comments from people who don't know anything about the situation who are like "there's astronauts stuck up there how can they do that to them!" Easily. It's part of their job.

I watched the entire reentry including undocking and deorbit burn through landing and first of all they gotta throw some cameras on that bitch next time. SpaceX puts cameras on everything even the shit that sucks so you can see their Starship falling apart in real time. This was (as far as I can tell I cant speak for what the inside of the spacecraft looks like) a nominal reentry and honestly the fact it lands on land is pretty impressive. It touched down really smoothly. When you're used to splashdowns where they look like they're hauling ass, it's quite the difference.

I've followed this spacecraft's journey from the first scrubbed launch all the way through its landing and I gotta say. A much longer ride than I anticipated. But beyond fascinating and historic to experience. Like, it was the first manned test flight to include a woman. It was the first manned launch on an Atlas rocket since they launched Gordo Cooper on MA-9 in 1963. It's the first American-made human rated capsule to land on land. And its time in space has shown NASA's dedication to the safety of their astronauts as well as the skill of their teams in finding creative ways to solve difficult situations.

It's a spacecraft not without ills, made by a company where the only reason why they haven't succumbed to lawsuits is because they kill whistleblowers and make blood money off of wars. But it shows you a fascinating window into the extremely complicated process of bringing a new human rated capsule into the space zeitgeist, and shows how we've learned from previous tragedies how to tread lightly in the water. It in and of itself is a learning experience for everyone involved - NASA, Boeing, and the general public. This was a shockingly public-facing PR disaster for Boeing and for NASA, to the point where even people who know nothing about the current space industry were talking about it. And because of that, misinformation was running absolutely rampant. People on Twitter were genuinely scared for these astronauts when really, there was nothing to be scared about, especially not when they're already on station.

NASA is big on redundancies when it comes to space flight - redundant thrusters, fuel cells, astronauts, etc. And after the shuttle fleet was grounded from the Columbia tragedy and their astronauts had to return on a Soyuz, NASA realized the importance of having more than one space transportation system for low earth orbit missions. That's why we have the commercial crew program. That's why we don't want to just have Dragon, that's why we want multiple options for if one goes out of commission. There are backup plans on top of backup plans. I'm sure if the Crew 9 capsule fell through, we probably could've sent Butch and Suni home on a Soyuz, and they would've been perfectly fine. Once you're docked on the station, you're able to have options. It's getting there and back which is the problem.

Anyway. That's my two cents. I think it'll be interesting to see now that Starliner's returned what they'll discover about how it was affected by its extended stay in space.

[elbiotipo]

The Soviets really had a really interesting emphasis on human comfort in the case of space exploration. Galina Balashova, who designed the interior of the Soyuz capsule as well as others, provided herself watercolor paintings for the spaceships:

And in the plans for the DLB Soviet Lunar base, it was considered very important that the cosmonauts had a "false window" (some sort of TV?) to show Moscow which would change with the seasons, and a bicycle for them to exercise and ride around. This would be very innovative in our current times, imagine a VR videogame for astronauts so they can destress and see the landscapes of Earth!

I won't say that NASA or others didn't have these kinds of ideas, because they had plenty too, but there's something that always makes me feel fuzzy about these little details... and there are more like picking the colors to be soothing, the design of the control panels to be easy to manage, the tools used were supposed to be practical and mass produced. I think it was because the scientists of the Soviet space program did have the idea that permanent human presence in space was at their grasp, and they knew if people would live in space, they didn't only need to get there with practical stuff (the classic 'every gram counts' on astronautics), but also LIVE there comfortably.

There is just something very nice about an architect painting watercolors for a ship that would eventually burn down in orbit in return, but they might made the cosmonaut's stay more cozy.

[geekysteven]

Got kicked off the space station for jerking off in a Soyuz capsule instead of the Orbital Masturbation Module.

[ddagent]

OK this can be a 5x or a fic prompt (or neither, of course). “Accidental Proposal”

Sorry, I was only able to do three!

They have literally known each other for approximately fifteen hours at this point, but Margo and Sergei have just solved the Apollo-Soyuz conundrum. The words, uttered in Russian, slip under his breath as their capsules make contact. Margo doesn't understand. Sergei is forever grateful, but never loses how that moment makes him feel.

The IAC is moved to February; they manage to get a reservation in a tiny French restaurant just around the corner from the hotel. It's packed with couples celebrating Valentine's Day. More than one proposal, which leaves them both feeling highly embarrassed. And then Sergei accidentally drops the model prototype he had designed for a spacecraft to Mars and he finds himself down on one knee. The restaurant explodes into applause and Margo has to kiss him and pretend she's now engaged to the love of her life.

It's an off-hand comment after the Moon treaty is signed. Margo is teasing in the elevator up to their hotel rooms about how they're legally bound together. Maybe we should get married. It's 1984 and Sergei is now separated but Margo doesn't know that. Screws her face shut, hopes the Earth will swallow her whole. She doesn't hear the whispered perhaps, one day.

Send me a Margo/Sergei AU (either one I’ve mentioned before, created a gifset of, or one of your own devising) and I’ll give you 5 headcanons!