Mission Control Center in Baikonur up and running
This is a term we usually use for the Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen. In this project it is used twice, unfortunately, but it doesn’t make sense to change it. That’s why we call this place ‘MCC Baikonur’. We’ve divided up our assigned space and put in the telephones, fax machines and Internet connections. I drew up a layout and prepared a test plan. The room has two windows looking out towards the launch silo, but we are 7.8 kilometres away from it. Nevertheless, the flatness of the landscape allows a clear view. I will bring my video camera and put it on a tripod.
Top picture: Michael Schmidhuber at his workplace. Above: The view of the launch pad. Images: DLR.
After that, I was able to visit the integration hall. Unfortunately, the satellite has already departed, but the huge assembly hall with the scaffolding is still very impressive. Once the lines were set up, we started the connection test. I called my colleagues at GSOC with the various phones, had them call me back, and sent sample pages to the fax machines. The numbers from here to Germany are of a 16-digit format. There is also a dial-up connection to the voice intercom system at GSOC. With this connection, everyone in the control room can hear a phone call that comes into the intercom system. Using this line, a translator repeats the Russian countdown and launch sequence in English. Following this successful test, we drove back to the hotel. There, I wrote a test report. Today it was 40 degrees Centigrade! We can cope, thanks to the air conditioning.
Today, things become serious again. The launch rehearsal will be held in the afternoon, where we will go through the entire process of the launch in real time. More on that tomorrow.
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