It is raining here as another winter storm bears down on California, so I thought I’d be lazy. WUWT readers like a puzzle. This is a relatively easy one I think -take your best guess as to what caused the big dust plume, then see the answer and more photos after the break.
Soyuz TMA-18 Descent Module Landing
A comment on Reddit claims the dust below is from retro rockets fired just before landing to soften impact, and not from the impact itself.
The four-quadrant dominant plumes appear to support that claim.
full slide show here
Just think, 20 years ago these would be top secret photos, my how the world has changed.
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Woot! Can’t prove it, but i guessed “Soyuz capsule braking rockets”.
“sitting in a tin can” David Bowie, seems very apt!
Guessed wrong. Just presumed it must be that pesky Global Warming.
Aliens!
Perhaps more a reflection that the world’s center of gravity has shifted and that the core of the action is no longer the cold war competition with Russia, but rather the ongoing economic crisis in the West together with the rise(return) of Asian economic dominance.
While the West is preoccupied with fraudulent debates such as the AGW controversy, which in a rational world would at most encourage a spate of nuclear power plant construction, Asia is building both nuclear and fossil fuel plants as fast as possible. Our children will work for their children, because our childrens parents lost sight of truth and of common sense.
My question is……. How did it manage to land almost exactly on the vehicle track running diagonally across the image?
Well, I hope the dust plume wasn’t from impact. The guy getting out would be mush after an impact capable of that much of a plume.
“Well, I hope the dust plume wasn’t from impact.”
As mentioned, the Soyuz uses braking rockets just before impact; you pretty much have to for any large capsule containing humans because you can’t afford the mass of a large enough parachute to slow it to safe speeds.
That said, the Apollo capsule was tested for impact on land and the tests showed it was survivable, just not healthy.
Digging back into the ancient depths of what I laughingly call my mind that I have an idea that the term retro rockets is perhaps misleading and what is deployed is much closer to a motor car safety airbag system than an a rocket.
Kindest Regards
There were 3 people in that little thing. WT@ur momisugly!
The irony of this is that in the end, the Russians won the space race. They still have manned space flight capability, the USA is retiring the shuttles and no longer can put an astronaut into orbit or service the space station, it has been outsourced to the Russians…
Ah time for “Trava u doma” (^____^)
Doug in Seattle says:
November 20, 2010 at 10:26 am
Well, I hope the dust plume wasn’t from impact. The guy getting out would be mush after an impact capable of that much of a plume.
One of the astronauts recently said that landing in that capsule was like being in a car crash.
Definately from retro rockets. But I am surprised there that there doesn’t appear to be any burned dead grass.
If the dust plume is from braking rockets wouldn’t the ground below the capsule be scorched? It doesn’t look scorched in the third photo.
That first picture looks like a hole in a sofa with bits of fluff coming out… I was sure it was an illusion till I saw the other pics… mind blowing stuff.
P.S. I’m not on drugs 😀
video slide show of the photos
@ur momisugly Mark S says:
November 20, 2010 at 11:46 am
If the dust plume is from braking rockets wouldn’t the ground below the capsule be scorched? It doesn’t look scorched in the third photo.
A little known secret is that the braking “rockets” are in reality high pressure CO2 canisters that provide the braking thrust. That eliminates the potential fire hazard. 😉
Someone mentioned the Russians won the space race. Ain’t it hell when your own leadership quits.
We would prefer a super-conducting, cold fusion, anti-gravity module boosted by a skyhook Erie Canal to a teleportation terminal planted at a Lagrange Point preparatory to slinging bulk cargoes towards miles-wide intrasolar refugia disposed about the plane of Sol’s ecliptic.
State-sponsored pterodactylic “space programs” have hindered progress long enough. It’s way past time to dump these phony, gender-bending PR exercises, lay on a half-way decent IPO and spread our wings.
Just to be difficult, as an old farmer, that would have to be one of the scraggiest wheat crops/stubbles I have ever seen!
I knew CO2 had to be involved somehow.
Curiousgeorge says:
November 20, 2010 at 12:10 pm
“A little known secret is that the braking “rockets” are in reality high pressure CO2 canisters that provide the braking thrust. That eliminates the potential fire hazard. ”
That can’t be – it would lead to water vapor feedback and a deadly heatwave would arise!
I was wrong, I thought that the case for AGW had finally come crashing down.
Hangtown Bob asks:
“How did it manage to land almost exactly on the vehicle track running diagonally across the image?”
Notice that they missed the ‘X’ – it’s on the left of the second (pre-touchdown) shot. 🙂
Sadly, I believe America lost its will to explore after the Challenger PC bull that wanted to make space flight as safe as driving a car. That won’t happen in this century or the next, as we’re quickly losing the basic knowledge in the workforce, and it will have to be relearned all over again.