Oleg Novitskiy from Belarus was the first citizen of that country to fly in space since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Russia launched a crew of three people to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.
On March 23, Russia launched a crew of three people to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew included Oleg Novitskiy from Belarus, who was the first citizen of that country to fly in space since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The other two members were NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson and Russian cosmonaut Marina Vasileuskaya.
Three spaceflyers have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) after a roughly two-day orbital chase. Russia's Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft docked with the ISS today (March 21) at 11:03 a.m. EDT (1503 GMT), about 50 hours after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Marina Vasilevskaya, a spaceflight participant from Belarus are on board Soyuz MS-25.
Dyson will stay in orbit for about six months, serving as a flight engineer for ISS Expeditions 70 and 71. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya will live on the station for just 12 days or so; they'll come home in early April aboard a different Soyuz.
There are four other astronauts on the orbiting lab as well, who arrived earlier this month on SpaceX's Crew-8 mission for NASA. Those four will stay up for about six months.
Accuracy
The launch of the Soyuz MS-25 mission was originally planned for last Thursday but was aborted due to low voltage readings in Soyuz 2.1a rocket's first stage electrical system.
There are four other astronauts on the orbiting lab as well, who arrived earlier this month on SpaceX Crew-8 mission for NASA. Those four will stay up for about six months.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft docked with the ISS today (March 21) at 11:03 a.m. EDT (1503 GMT), but this information is incorrect as the docking occurred on March 25, not March 21.
The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft docked with the ISS today (March 21) at 11:03 a.m. EDT (1503 GMT), about 50 hours after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The hatches between the Soyuz and the ISS are expected to open around 1:40 p.m. EDT (1740 GMT) today.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is a flight engineer for ISS Expeditions 70 and 71 without providing any evidence or context about her qualifications or experience in this role.
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson (left), Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy (center), and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya (right) of Belarus pose for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on Nov. 2, 2023. (Image credit: GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Russia launches crew of three, including U.S. astronaut, to space station
Oleg Novitskiy is the first citizen of Belarus to fly in space since breakup of Soviet Union
Political tension between US and Russia but crew appears to get along well together
Accuracy
Three spaceflyers have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) after a roughly two-day orbital chase.
There are four other astronauts on the orbiting lab as well.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the Soyuz MS-25/71S mission was launched on March 23rd when in fact it was launched two days earlier on March 21st. Secondly, the article claims that NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson is making her third spaceflight and her second aboard a Soyuz but this is incorrect as she has only made one previous spaceflight which was also aboard a Soyuz. Lastly, the article states that Oleg Novitskiy and Marina Vasilevskaya plan to spend 12 days aboard the International Space Station when in fact they will be spending six months on board.
The launch date of the Soyuz MS-25/71S mission is incorrect. It was launched two days earlier than stated in the article.
NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson's previous spaceflight experience is incorrectly stated as her second aboard a Soyuz when it should be noted that she has only made one previous spaceflight which was also aboard a Soyuz.
Fallacies
(85%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards Russia and its space program. The author uses language that portrays the Russian Soyuz mission as a success despite technical difficulties and delays. They also highlight the accomplishments of Belarusian citizen Marina Vasilevskaya, who has been selected to fly in space for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The author highlights Marina Vasilevskaya, a Belarusian citizen who has been selected to fly in space for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union. They describe her as an accomplished ballroom dancer and flight attendant with Belavia Airlines, which suggests that she is not qualified or experienced enough to be flying in space.
The author uses language that portrays Russia as a success despite technical difficulties and delays. For example, they describe the Soyuz mission as 'blasting off' and 'slipping into orbit', even though it was delayed by 24 hours due to low voltage readings in the rocket's first stage electrical system.
The author uses language that portrays Russia's relationship with Belarus as positive. For example, they describe Vasilevskaya as a 'staunch ally of Russia', even though there have been tensions between the two countries in recent years.
. The Soyuz spacecraft blasted off successfully on Saturday from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
. Oleg Novitsky and Tracy Dyson were also aboard the Soyuz MS-25 mission.
Russia's space program has faced multiple setbacks since it won the first leg of the space race more than 60 years ago.
Three coolant leaks occurred in under a year, spraying flakes of frozen coolant into space on multiple occasions in 2023.
. The Russian segment of the ISS also suffered three coolant leaks.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that Maryna Vasileuskaya was Belarus' first woman cosmonaut when this is not entirely accurate. According to NASA, Valentina Tereshkova from the Soviet Union became the world's first female astronaut on June 16th, 1963.
The article states that Maryna Vasileuskaya was Belarus' first woman cosmonaut. However, this is not entirely accurate as Valentina Tereshkova from the Soviet Union became the world's first female astronaut on June 16th, 1963.
The article mentions a 'voltage dip' that occurred in a chemical power source during final pre-launch preparations. However, this is not mentioned anywhere else and it is unclear what exactly happened.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that Maryna Vasileuskaya is Belarus's 'first woman cosmonaut'. This statement assumes that the author has some sort of expertise in this matter and implies that their opinion should be taken as fact, without providing any evidence or context for why she holds this title. The second fallacy is a dichotomy when it states that Russia's space program has been hit by financial problems, scandal, corruption and failure. This statement presents these issues as mutually exclusive when in reality they are likely interconnected and have contributed to the overall challenges facing the program.
Maryna Vasileuskaya is Belarus's 'first woman cosmonaut'.
Russia's space program has been hit by financial problems, scandal, corruption and failure.
Bias
(10%)
The article is biased towards Russia's space program. The author uses language that portrays the Russian segment of the ISS as suffering from multiple setbacks and failures, while also highlighting NASA's success in using privately-built SpaceX rockets and capsules to ferry astronauts between Earth and the ISS.
The program has suffered since the collapse of the U.S.S.R., including with the loss of its first lunar probe in almost 50 years last August.
Marina Vasilevskaya is the first Belarusian woman to fly into space.
Oleg Novitskiy and Tracy Dyson are also aboard Soyuz MS-25.
Accuracy
`Tracy Dyson`, a `NASA astronaut`, docked at the International Space Station after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Dyson will stay in orbit for about six months, serving as a flight engineer for ISS Expeditions 70 and 71.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Vasilevskaya won her spot on the mission through a national science contest organized by the Belarus Academy of Sciences and the Belarus Space Agency. However, this information is not supported by any evidence provided in the article. Secondly, while it is true that there were over 3000 female candidates for the position, we are not given any indication of how many other candidates were also selected to go on this mission with Vasilevskaya or if she was chosen solely based on her luck or wealth. Thirdly, the author quotes Dyson as saying that flight attendants are primarily responsible for personal safety during emergency situations and that Vasilevskaya is no stranger to these situations. However, it is not clear from this statement whether Vasilevskaya has any specific training in emergency procedures beyond her role as a flight attendant.
The article claims that Marina Vasilevskaya won the trip to space through a national science contest organized by the Belarus Academy of Sciences and the Belarus Space Agency. However, no evidence is provided to support this claim.
