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Cargo ship begins flight to the space station BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: October 23, 2006 A freighter packed with fresh supplies and critical repair parts for the International Space Station successfully rocketed away from Earth today and immediately began plotting a three-day trek to the orbiting outpost. The Russian Progress M-58 spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:41 a.m. EDT (1341 GMT) aboard a three-stage Soyuz booster. The 24-foot long ship, known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 23P, reached its preliminary orbit nine minutes after liftoff and separated from the launcher's spent upper stage.
A series of precise engine firings over the next three days will guide the Progress into the station's orbit for the automated docking at 10:28 a.m. EDT (1428 GMT) Thursday. It will link up with the usual Progress parking spot at the station -- the Zvezda service module's aft port. The cargo craft is loaded with 4,812 pounds of supplies. The "dry" cargo amounts to 2,784 pounds in the form of spare parts, repair gear, life support and equipment hardware. The payload includes repair parts for the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system, which has been shut down since last month. The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the station to feed the outpost's maneuvering thrusters. To replenish the station's oxygen supply, the Progress is bringing 110 pounds of oxygen. The International Space Station is occupied by the Expedition 14 crew of commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin and Thomas Reiter. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin are beginning their second month on the complex, while Reiter has been there since July. The following timeline shows the key events scheduled from launch until docking for the Progress freighter: Day 1 events - Monday
Day 3 events -Wednesday
Day 4 events - Thursday
Data source: NASA. |
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