Please note: the Soyuz spacecraft and Sokol spacesuit are no longer on display at the Science and Industry Museum. To find out what exhibitions and activities are open today, visit our What’s On section.
17.00 – That’s all, folks
We’re all set downstairs now, so all that’s left for me to do is thank you all for stopping by at our live feed today.
And of course, to tell you to come on down to the Museum from 10.00 tomorrow (Saturday 10 March) until Sunday 13 May to come and see Tim Peake’s Spacecraft and Spacesuit, as well as have a go on our Space Descent VR experience. They are all quite literally out of this world!
See you on the other side…!
16.10 – We have lift off!
15.30 – Professor George has found the VR lounge
Having another sneeky go at the Space Descent VR @SamsungUK journeying back to Earth with Tim Peake #SoyuzTour
Here @msimanchester until 13th May. Come and try it! #DoWhatYouCant pic.twitter.com/6bNNNeUua7— Prof Danielle George (@EngineerDG) March 9, 2018
15.10 – A man of many talents Pt.3
Who is the best Lewis?
- Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton
- Inventor of Narnia, CS Lewis
- Noted over-actor Daniel Day-Lewis
- MSI Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard
Answers on a postcard, Ladies and Gents!
15.00 – A man of many talents pt.2
…And now Lewis has just broadcast live via our Facebook page, alongside our Marketing Manager Nancy. Is there no end to what he can do?
14.30 – A man of many talents
Not only has he proved himself this morning to be a broadcasting pro, Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard has also been busy writing the interpretation for the exhibition:
You simply have to come see Soyuz here @msimanchester to see the amazing galley text that I wrote ???? #SoyuzTour pic.twitter.com/R0fDHmyMWV
— Lewis Pollard ☔???? (@Circa1350BC) March 9, 2018
14.00 – The montage strikes back
We’re back. And whilst this Web Manager was swanning about on his lunch break, the team downstairs have been working extremely hard to manoeuvre the Soyuz spacecraft and Sokol spacesuit into position:
12.45 – “Pull the ripcord now!” “You first.”
Yes. Two movie references in as many posts. Patrick Swayze would have been proud.
Anyway, now the spacecraft itself has made it into the Museum, our team have turned their attention to the parachute that acted as a brake for the Soyuz as it fell to Earth. I’m sure it was just as nailbiting as the end of Point Break.
Here’s the team working on unfolding the parachute:
And Exhibitions Project Manager Jane Brown took the below photo, to give you an idea of the size of parachute capable of slowing a spacecraft as it returns to Earth:
It took atleast 10 of us to unpack this big old parachute #soyuztour #museumlife pic.twitter.com/iBnvbz02Us
— Jane Brown (@JaneMuseums) March 9, 2018
12.15 – Everybody loves a montage!
Our roving photographer Drew has been following the team around this morning, and has taken some great snaps of how we’ve been getting on.
The European Space Agency has got nothing on our logistics crew.
11.45 – A word from the man himself
Looks as though Tim is as happy as we are to have his spacesuit here!
Really excited to see my Sokol spacesuit joining the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft tour of the UK. See it at @msimanchester from tomorrow! https://t.co/tCIC1RLQqy
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) March 9, 2018
11.30 – Who needs carrier rockets…
When you’ve got pallet trucks?
How do you move a spacecraft? With great care and a nifty bit of pallet work…#SoyuzTour pic.twitter.com/Zcrwp96Y1y
— MSI Manchester (@msimanchester) March 9, 2018
11.15 – Radio coverage with Professor Danielle George
Friend of the Museum Professor Danielle George has been here this morning talking to talkRADIO and Radio Manchester about our new arrival. Thanks Danielle! Plus our curators Erin Beeston and Georgina Young have been talking all things space, time and history for the launch of BBC Civilisations – catch them on TV this evening…
Really enjoyed talking to Julia @talkRADIO today about the latest arrival to @msimanchester – Tim Peake’s Soyuz spacecraft!! AND you get to experience the 400km journey! #DoWhatYouCant #SoyuzTour https://t.co/RqUXhQ2jFB
— Prof Danielle George (@EngineerDG) March 9, 2018
@msimanchester with the marvellous Mike @RadioManchester #SoyuzTour #DoWhatYouCant pic.twitter.com/oK18zgRUsl
— Prof Danielle George (@EngineerDG) March 9, 2018
11.05 – Final flight suit checks for Sokol
Here’s Conservation and Collections Care Manager Rachel Rimmer again, putting the finishing touches to our Sokol display:
11.00 – Entering MSI’s atmosphere
Oh, so that’s how we were going to get it in the building…
I spy with my little eye, something beginning with S… #SoyuzTour pic.twitter.com/DsPduqgRia
— MSI Manchester (@msimanchester) March 9, 2018
10.55 – Important PSA from elsewhere on #Soyuz
Unrelated to today’s events but useful information nonetheless. Fortunately there were people there to let Tim Peake out of his, but you never know. Thanks for the tip, @Rainmaker1973!
Just in case a #Soyuz lands near you, on one side of the capsule there are instructions about how you let the cosmonauts out. Also, a Kaktus precision γ-ray altimeter is the reason for the radiations warning https://t.co/T224MGctwD pic.twitter.com/3QGHuKRvgD
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 9, 2018
10.45 – Creative Tourist drop by
Our friends at Creative Tourist have already been to see us, and had some very kind words to say:
We defy even the most space-sceptic not to find this one of the most blinking fascinating things you will see in a long time.
And they’re not wrong!
10.30 – First glimpses of the star of the show
The tarp is off, as our crew set about moving the spacecraft into the Museum:
10.15 – Hollywood beckons for curator lewis
Shout out to Assistant Curator Lewis Pollard, who has just made his radio debut, boldly stepping in at the last minute to talk all things Soyuz!
In 10 mins I’m gonna be on @BBCRadioManc talking about the Soyuz capsule, so come along and listen to what we’ve got planned @msimanchester !!!
— Lewis Pollard ☔???? (@Circa1350BC) March 9, 2018
10.00 – Tim Peake’s Spacecraft has arrived!
Forget re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Travelling from York to Manchester on a flatbed on a cold March morning with just a tarpaulin for protection is surely the greatest challenge the Soyuz has had to face.
09.45 – The Sokol spacesuit arrives in our collections department
Here’s our Conservation and Collections Care Manager Rachel Rimmer delicately unpacking the Sokol spacesuit on its arrival at the Museum yesterday afternoon. It may have been to space and back but it’s still very precious cargo!
09.00 – Tim Peake’s SOKOL KV-2 spacesuit joins the science museum group collection
We are delighted to announce that the emergency spacesuit worn by Tim Peake as he traveled into space has joined the Science Museum Group Collection. And you’ll be able to see it at the Museum of Science and Industry alongside the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module as of Saturday 10 March!
To find out more about the spacesuit, our friends at our sister museum in London, the Science Museum, have written this handy blog post featuring 11 things you might not know about Tim Peake’s spacesuit.
And here is the man himself talking more about the spacesuit:
06.00 – Welcome to Tim Peake’s Spacecraft lands at MSI – Live!
Today (Friday 9 March) is the day that Tim Peake’s Spacecraft, the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module, lands at the Museum of Science and Industry as part of its national museum tour, presented by Samsung and the Science Museum Group.
We’re going to be spending all day making sure that the spacecraft arrives here safely from our sister museum in York, the National Railway Museum, and gets settled into its home for the next couple of months, ahead of being unveiled to the the public tomorrow (Saturday 10 March).
To coincide with the spacecraft’s stay here (10 March – 13 May), we also have a variety of special events and activities lined up, including daily demonstrations, the Space Descent VR with Tim Peake virtual reality experience, a space-themed Late event, and a jam-packed Learning programme.
If you can’t wait until Saturday, we also recently published two blog posts to whet your appetite from Tom Fisher, an aerospace engineering researcher at the University of Manchester: one detailing the challenges of bringing spacecraft like the Soyuz back to Earth; and another taking a tongue-in-cheek look at how other things might fair when attempting re-entry.
Check back here at 09.00 for our first update of the day. It’s going to be a big one!
In the meantime though, May the Force to Live Long and Prosper into Infinity and Beyond Be With You!
Excellent report! Full of interesting facts. Seen this display at London Science Museum; well worth a visit.