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Anne, David, and Oleg Have Arrived!

Monday night as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed I started to notice dull aches in my joints. My wrists and knees felt like they had been tensed up all day. My brain was mush and my eyes protested when I opened my book to read. Physically, it felt similar to that time I tried to hover in the Chinook simulator next to Dave.

Earlier that day I spent 10 hours in Flight Control Room 1 preparing the International Space Station for the arrival of three humans. They had only left Earth 6 hours earlier - rendezvousing in space a mere 4 orbits after launch. And even though spaceflight, and these Soyuz missions in particular, may seem almost routine, it is not the time to let your guard down. As flight controllers these are the experiences we train for, "routine" must be translated into "extra vigilant" - six lives are on the line, 3 in a small Soyuz spacecraft, and 3 onboard the International Space Station. Operations in space always present danger, even if they have been performed dozens of times before.


Here is an amazing timelapse of the 57S launch from the vantage point of the International Space Station!


With this launch I am just days away from taking over as the ADCO Increment Lead for Increment 58, needless to say I have been busy preparing for my duties and responsibilities, and have already started the work of planning multiple dynamic events for the next few months. I never realized how many activities with conflicting constraints occur on ISS daily, or how many Flight Rules could swim around in my head! I'm trying to fit my console duties in before my increment starts - this weekend I am on console to support the Dragon installation on Saturday and next Tuesday I will be on console to support the Russian EVA. 

This is an exciting time to be at the helm of the ADCO team - it is during my increment that we expect the first Crew Dragon test mission to dock to ISS (without crew, ironically). I can't wait to see everything we will accomplish together!

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And a special shout out to the Techno Turtles who have their First Lego League competition this weekend! 

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