8aSD

Now Commander Foale has joined in. He tells Russian Mission Control that Sasha is ATTACHING the dinosaurs. What makes Commander Foale's statement (That Sasha was attaching the “Dinosaurs”) fall flat, was the fact that the Cosmonaut’s conversation about these “Dinosaurs” with the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev (TsUP) suggested surprise on his part. Every step of the EVA should have been extremely familiar. Yet, Kaleri expresses surprise and dismay that “Dinosaurs” should be present. Mission control advised him to accept them, and moments later, Commander Foale seemed to feel obligated to make up some cover story.

High strangeness indeed, especially when one takes into account that there were a number of mysterious objects seen flitting about during the space walk. In addition, space suit to ground communications were interrupted for extensive periods by a terrible screeching racket.

My observation is that this interference with communications between the space walkers and the ground seems to have coincided with times when the mystery objects were present.

Shortly after the story of "Sasha's Dinosaurs" debuted in Filer's Weekly Files, a well known debunker threw in his "explanation" for "Dinosaurs". He was condescending, and insulting. Typical behavior for a debunker. ALWAYS attack the intelligence and integrity of the messenger. This person chided myself and George Filer (Filer's Weekly Files), for not mentioning him by name, implying that we were afraid of him. Nonsense. I simply will not feed this person's ego by providing free publicity on my website. BUT, I am willing to counter any unsatisfactory "explanations" that this personhas to offer.

Here is what he had to say in an e-mail sent to me and Filer that first week of May 2004. Unlike what the writer did to me, taking just a little of what I wrote out of context to twist the meaning, I'm presenting it to you unedited.

The International Space Station (ISS) has been occupied continuously since 1 November 2000, with the arrival of the Expedition 1 Crew. Much had changed by the time the Expedition 8 Crew came aboard. The Station had nearly doubled in size. The Crew lifted off from Baykonur Cosmodrome on 18 October 2003 at 12:38 AM CDT (5:38 GMT). Soyuz TMA-3 rode to orbit in about nine minutes of powered flight atop a Soyuz Starsem booster. Inside were Soyuz Commander Alexander "Sasha" Kaleri, & Mission Commander Michael Colin Foale. Occupying the third seat, and representing the ESA on the Cervantes Mission, was Astronaut Pedro Francisco Duque of Spain. Docking to ISSy's PIRS module took place on 20 October at 2:16 AM CDT (7:16 GMT). The new crew were greeted warmly by their predecessors of the Expedition 7 Crew. After a week of joint operations and handover of command, the Expedition 7 Crew, with ESA Astronaut Duque, closed hatches between the Station and Soyuz TMA-2 for their return home on 27 October. During their six month stay aboard, Foale and Kaleri conducted an extensive program of scientific experiments and research. These included 27 different experiments in five categories of investigation. A single EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) was mounted from the PIRS docking and airlock module in Russian Orlan spacesuits on 26 February 2004. This was the first ever two man EVA executed from ISSy with no one left on board to monitor systems. This task fell to ground controllers (US - Russia) using remote telemetry. The spacewalk was cut short due to a malfunction in the cooling system of Kaleri's suit. The arrival of the Expedition 9 Crew aboard Soyuz TMA-4 on 21 April 2004 signalled the final days of Expedition 8. After a week of joint activities, Expedition 8 (Along with visiting ESA Astronaut Andre Kuipers from the Netherlands) entered their Soyuz vehicle once again. Undocking occurred at 3:52 PM CDT (20:52 GMT) on 29 April. Despite a worrisome helium leak from a tank in the spacecraft, a safe landing near Arkalyk Kazakhstan was made at 7:11 PM CDT, 29 April 2004 (00:11 30 April GMT). Total flight duration: 194 days 18 hours 33 minutes.
	Exp. 8 Launch

	Soyuz TMA-3

	Exp. 8 Crew On Orbit

	Christmas 2003

	Exp. 8 Back Home

On 26 February 2004, the crew of ISS Expedition 8 mounted the first two man EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) since Expedition crews were reduced from three to two persons following the loss of Shuttle Columbia. Dubbed EVA 8a, this was the first time the ISS was left unmanned whilst the crew were outside. (Here are three sources for more information on ISS EVA 8a: NASA, Spaceref, Space.com) It was the 52nd EVA for ISS assembly, and the 27th mounted from the station itself.The PIRS airlock module hatch was opened at 3:17 PM CST (21:17 GMT) and the EVA ended at 7:12 PM CST (01:12 GMT 27 February). Tasks accomplished included recovery and replacement of small modules containing materials being tested for long term exposure in the space environment. Also completed was deployment of the Matryoshka experiment. This is a torso shaped block of material which tests long term exposure to radiation by the human body.
	"Sasha" Kaleri

	Mike Foale

The MPAC-SEEDS experiment from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) was also removed and replaced. Another experiment, called Kromka, measuring residue accumulation from station thruster rockets was not completed this time out. EVA 8a had also been scheduled to remove some laser reflectors from the aft end of the Zvezda module. These had been installed to aid navigation of the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) due to arrive from the ESA at some point. This job was also left for another spacewalk. (Further description of the MPAC-SEEDS and Matryoshka experiments HERE) The spacewalk lasted 3 hours 55 minutes, and was cut short because Cosmonaut Kaleri's Orlan space suit developed cooling problems.

S	*"So, dinosaurs are needed here. You can’t do…can’t do anything* without them."**
K	"Say it again??"
S	*"I say when the dinosaur* is here. YES! I have them here!" (Six second pause) "Uh…these are with me now!"**
K	*"Yes. Let them* be with you."**
S	"Understood."

*WELL, HERE IT IS...*
	Odd that Kaleri would express surprise over the use of such a tool which he would necessarily have used many times in his accumulated years of space travel. Even ODDER is that Sasha's Commander, Mike Foale, would state that Kaleri was INSTALLING dinosaurs, when it's NOW supposed to be merely a simple TOOL! At least, according the the debunker and his unnamed "chuckling" cohorts. Click Photo To Enlarge
Photo Provided By NASA Employee
Personally, I don't see the connection. If one takes the word "Dinosaur" by itself out of context, perhaps such a case could be made. But when one takes into account the entire conversation Kaleri had with Russian controllers in Korelyev, the tool explanation simply does not fit. Both Kaleri, and Russian Mission Control spoke of "Dinosaurs" in plural. Astronaut Michael Foale stated that Sasha was INSTALLING the dinosaurs. Regardless if this is true or not, the tool claim isn't the answer. There was never any talk about cutting or snipping any bundles, tiedowns, OR lanyards during the time in question as well. Was it a tool, or some part to be installed on the exterior of ISSy? The debunkers will have to decide which story they're going to stick to, because.. *"Ya Can't Have It Both Ways!"* This tool business was pushed very HARD by the Russians during one portion of a later spacewalk by the Expedition 9 crew on 3 August 2004. The subject of the "Dinosaur Scissors" was brought up yet again. The word was emphasized many times. It seemed to me that the station crew were attempting a little "damage control" for Cosmonaut Kaleri. See that story by clicking on the link below. *ISS EVA 9c - Gennady's* Dinosaurs I just HAD to wonder if the words of the Expedition 9 crew might have been deliberately scripted for them in advance. Could it have been because of the publicity generated by this article a few months earlier? Did I stumble onto something which upset someone important? Seems telling that "Dinosaur Scissors", and indeed the word "Dinosaur" itself, didn't turn up again in any context. That changed with ISS EVA 19, on 6 June 2007, and the term "Dinosaurs" was used again by Station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin. See the story of "Fyodor's Dinosaurs", and decide for yourself if his words three years down the road fit with the two previous instances. I tried to find any reference to the word "Dinosaur" in the databases of both NASA and the Russian Space Agency, without success.**

	Search Results For "Dinosaurs" At NASA ISS Acronym Page. What are “Dinosaurs” in the context of this long planned spacewalk from the ISS? I have done an extensive search of both the NASA, and Russian, web resources concerning the Shuttle, Space Station, and specifically this EVA. There is no mention of anything resembling this term. The NASA ISS acronyms list turns up nothing, as did a similar search on the Russian side.
Screen Shot © 2004 Jeff Challender
Historically, the term doesn’t exist. In all my years of listening to Cosmonaut and Astronaut chatter during EVAs from Mir, and ISS, I’ve never ever heard this term before. I have never heard this term used on any Shuttle flight in over 20 years of observation. I watched and recorded the flight of STS-106 (ISS Assembly Flight 2A.2b) in its entirety. Although the debunker's nameless "chuckling friend" claims the term originated then, there was never a single mention of"dinosaur", "dinosaurs", or "dinosaur scissors" at any time during STS-106. I never heard the term during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, or Sky Lab programs for that matter. In well over 40 years of watching and listening to the space programs of the United States and Russia, I’d NEVER EVER heard the term “Dinosaurs” used in ANY context. That is, until 26 February 2004!



ISS Expedition 8 EVA 8a Sasha's "Dinosaurs" DVDs Now Available At Project P.R.O.V.E.!