Cooperation with the Russian Space Agency RoskosmosFORTIS has renewed its space program
In June, space craft Soyuz TMA-02M started its trip to space from the space port in Baikonkur, Kasachstan with the three astronauts Mike Fossum (USA), Sergei Volkov (RU) und Satosho Furkawa (JP) on board. Since then the 28th ISS Crew operates in different science experiments and takes care of the maintenance and repair of the ISS.
Alexander Samokutyayev, who is on the ISS since April, e.g. takes care of the Russian long-time experiment called Uragan, by documenting the different changes on the surface of the Earth with photo- and video equipment especially after natural catastrophes like Hurricanes, but also the changes made by mankind. The ISS orbits the Earth in only 91 minutes and covers a distance of 42.300 km (=26,284 miles), and these are perfect conditions for the cosmonauts to document consistently all changes on the surface of the Earth.
Soon the 6 crew members will receive a visit for a couple of days. The Space Shuttle Atlantis will start to its last flight, scheduled for July 8th from space port Cape Canaveral in Florida/USA. With flight STS-135 the shuttle program of the NASA is completed after 30 years. From now on manned space missions will be operated by the FSA in Russia, with its new Director Vladimir A. Popovkin.
FORTIS now has renewed its space program for the next years after two antecessors also with him. Being in space for the first time in 1992 and as the official time piece of the Russian manned space program, FORTIS is heading with flight no. 280 to its 100.000th Earth orbit. The space proven FORTIS Chronographs are therewith continuously in space for over 5500 days in almost 20 years.
Distance covered by FORTIS watches in space including expedition 27:
98,731 earth orbits. Length of an orbit of the ISS: 42,273 km (= 22,284 miles)
98,731 Orbits x 42,273 km/ 22,284 miles = 4,170,128,003 km / 2,591,197 miles.
This matches the distance of:
■5424 times to the moon
■one time to Saturn and back
■one time to Uranus
■or also a distance of ca. 0,5 light years