| This shot shows the sim of the next-generation Soyuz, which will fly for the first time in October/November 2002. Mark's Soyuz will be the last TM (designated TM-34). The new cockpit for the Soyuz TMA was changed to allow for taller cosmonauts at NASA's request, and also uses a new set of computer displays. The underlying systems are almost entirely unchanged, so the craft should perform just like a TM. The new displays allowed them to make the control panel, hence fitting taller cosmonauts. Currently, tall NASA astronauts are excluded from ISS crews because they won't fit into the Soyuz emergency escape vehicle. That will change with the TMA. |
