‘Do not bury worm hater’
Hague and Oychinin tuck in after flight ordeal crew and then spend six months on the station. Due to the aborted flight, the trio now aboard the ISS – a German, a Russian and an American – will be stuck there at least until January. But Nasa ISS director Sam Scimemi played down fears for the trapped team. He said: “We have resources well into next year for them.”
The malfunction of the Soyuz – one of the oldest current rocket designs – occurred around “staging”, where the craft ditches its empty boosters.
An emergency descent has been carried out once before, in 1975, when astronauts had to undergo a force of 21G.
Yesterday’s drama is the latest in a series of mishaps for Russia’s space programme which has had 13 technical Battered capsule and, below, the crew are shaken up after launch failures since 2010. However the launch malfunction is thought to be the first for a Soyuz booster since 1983.
The craft is now the only one used to ferry crews to the ISS after the retirement of the US fleet.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov confirmed no manned missions would take place “until we believe the entire situation guarantees safety”. He said the drama would not harm US relations, saying that America recognises it is a “hi-tech industry linked to risk”.
Space co-operation is an area that has survived otherwise tense relations between Russia and the US. RUSSIA DEPUTY PM YURY BORISOV ON CRASH PROBE
Tell us what you think: yourvoice@mirror.co.uk FRIENDS of a woman set to be buried in a pauper’s grave are demanding she be cremated because of her “fear of worms”.
Vivienne Hudson is battling to get Anne McManus, 62, of Sheerness, Kent, cremated and the ashes scattered at sea.
But Medway council says they give a pauper’s burial to those who, like Ms McManus, have no will.
Ms Hudson, also from Sheerness, said her friend hated worms. “She couldn’t even eat spaghetti.”
There’ll be no manned missions until it is guaranteed to be safe