|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Space station resupply ship launched ahead of Endeavour BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: April 27, 2011 
Before the shuttle Endeavour can receive final clearance for takeoff Friday afternoon, a Russian-made cargo freighter must make a smooth flight to the International Space Station. Step number one was accomplished this morning when that unmanned resupply ship successfully launched atop a Soyuz booster from Kazakhstan at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 GMT).
A series of precise engine firings over the next two days will guide the Progress toward an automated rendezvous with the station. The docking is slated for Friday at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT), just five hours and 18 minutes before Endeavour's scheduled launch. Shuttle Endeavour's original April 19 launch date was postponed by 10 days to deconflict with this vessel's arrival. Flight controllers opted against having the freighter rendezvous with the station while the shuttle was there, forcing Endeavour to wait on the ground until after the Progress was launched and docked. The 24-foot long ship will attach itself to the open port on the Pirs compartment, which was vacated last Friday when a previous Progress was jettisoned to burn up in the atmosphere. Today's liftoff was known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 42P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-10M. The craft will bring two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station, continuing the constant stream of provisions sent up the orbiting complex. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard this Progress amounts to 2,976 pounds in the form of food, spare parts, life support gear and experiment hardware. The refueling module carries 1,940 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 926 pounds of water and 110 pounds of oxygen. The space station is staffed by the Expedition 27 crew of commander Dmitry Kondratyev, Cady Coleman, Paolo Nespoli, Ron Garan, Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev. The cosmonauts will be standing by Friday to take over manual control of the approaching Progress spacecraft if the autopilot experiences a problem. They spent time Tuesday reviewing procedures and conducting refresher training on the backup system just in case it is needed. The following Progress freighter timeline shows the key events scheduled from launch until docking: Day 1 events - Wednesday
Day 2 events - Thursday
Day 3 events - Friday
Data source: NASA
|
|
|
|
Final Shuttle Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses!  The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history! U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE STS-134 Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses!  The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREAres 1-X Patch  The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREApollo Collage  This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREProject Orion  The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.U.S. STOREFallen Heroes Patch Collection  The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MISSION STATUS CENTER INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE ADVERTISE © 2012 Spaceflight Now Inc. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VIDEO:
ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT LAUNCH SITE 