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Cargo craft begins pursuit of International Space Station
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: October 27, 2010


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Just a week before the shuttle Discovery arrives at the International Space Station for its construction mission, a Russian resupply ship has launched to deliver a load of equipment, fuel and provisions to the orbiting science laboratory.


Credit: Tsenki TV
 
Liftoff of the cargo freighter atop a Soyuz booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan occurred today at 11:11 a.m. EDT (1511 GMT).

The preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet.

A series of precise engine firings over the next three days will guide the Progress toward an automated rendezvous with the station. The docking is slated for Saturday at 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT).

The 24-foot long ship will attach itself to the open port on the Pirs compartment, which was vacated Monday when a previous Progress was jettisoned.

Today's launch was known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 40P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-08M.

The craft will bring two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 2,804 pounds in the form of food, spare parts, life support gear and experiment hardware.

The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 498 pounds of water and 110 pounds of oxygen.

It'll remain attached to the station through mid-January.


The Soyuz rocket rolls to pad with Progress 40P. Credit: Roscosmos

The space station is staffed by the Expedition 25 crew of commander Doug Wheelock, fellow NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Scott Kelly, and Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka.

The cosmonauts will be standing by Saturday to take over manual control of the approaching Progress spacecraft if the autopilot experiences a problem. They will spend time this week checking out the backup system.

After the Progress arrives, the station crew will turn its focus to the upcoming space shuttle mission.

Discovery is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday at 4:40 p.m. EDT. The shuttle will dock with the station next Wednesday to install the Permanent Multipurpose Module and an external equipment carrier.

You can follow along with Discovery's launch countdown and flight in our Mission Status Center.

The following Progress freighter timeline shows the key events scheduled from launch until docking:

Day 1 events - Wednesday

Event Mission Time Eastern Time
LAUNCH 0/00:00:00 11:11:50 a.m.
Orbit Insertion 0/00:08:45 11:20:35 a.m.
Maneuver DV1
(23.05 m/s)
0/03:37:47 2:49:37 p.m.
Maneuver DV2
(8.23 m/s)
0/04:32:02 3:43:52 p.m.

Day 3 events - Friday

Event Mission Time Eastern Time
Maneuver DV3
(3.00 m/s)
2/01:01:48 12:13:38 p.m.

Day 4 events - Saturday

Event Mission Time Eastern Time
Start Automated
Rendezvous
2/23:07:50 10:19:40 a.m.
DV4 / Impulse 1
(18.089 m/s)
2/23:29:51 10:41:41 a.m.
Impulse 2
(1.265 m/s)
2/23:51:48 11:03:38 a.m.
Progress Kurs-A
activation
2/23:54:10 11:06:00 a.m.
Zvezda Kurs-P
activation
2/23:56:10 11:08:00 a.m.
DV5 / Impulse 3
(22.063 m/s)
3/00:14:36 11:26:26 a.m.
Good Kurs-P data
(Range 80 km)
3/00:18:50 11:30:40 a.m.
Orbital sunrise 3/00:21:13 11:33:03 a.m.
Kurs-A and Kurs-P
short test
(Range 15 km)
3/00:39:50 11:51:40 a.m.
Start Zvezda transmitter
for TORU link
(Range 9 km)
3/00:45:50 11:57:40 a.m.
Progress TV
activation
(Range 9 km)
3/00:45:50 11:57:40 a.m.
Start Progress receiver
for TORU link
(Range 3 km)
3/00:55:10 12:07:00 p.m.
Impulse 4
(6.568 m/s)
3/00:55:31 12:07:21 p.m.
TORU command
link test
(Range 2 km)
3/00:57:30 12:09:20 p.m.
Impulse 5
(5.282 m/s)
3/01:00:00 12:11:50 p.m.
Impulse 6
(2.259 m/s)
3/01:02:29 12:14:19 p.m.
Start flyaround 3/01:05:38 12:17:28 p.m.
Start stationkeeping 3/01:12:50 12:24:40 p.m.
Start final approach 3/01:16:40 12:28:30 p.m.
Orbital sunset 3/01:17:31 12:29:21 p.m.
DOCKING 3/01:27:40 12:39:30 p.m.

Data source: NASA

Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: WELCOME CEREMONY FOR NEW EXPEDITION 25 PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ TMA-01M DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY

VIDEO: FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY

VIDEO: BIOGRAPHIES OF KELLY, KALERI AND SKRIPOCHKA PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT KELLY PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER KALERI PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH OLEG SKRIPOCHKA PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
VIDEO: ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO: PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY

VIDEO: REMARKABLE VIDEO OF CREW EXITING CAPSULE PLAY
VIDEO: AERIAL FOOTAGE OF THE SOYUZ SAFELY LANDING PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ TMA-18 DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: CREW BOARDS SOYUZ CAPSULE FOR DEPARTURE PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE STATION CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY

VIDEO: WATCH CARGO FREIGHTER DOCK TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH OF SOYUZ ROCKET WITH PROGRESS 39P PLAY

VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 3 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS CONCLUDE THE THIRD EVA PLAY
VIDEO: AMMONIA HOSES ARE ATTACHED TO THE PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: POWER AND DATA LINES BRING PUMP TO LIFE PLAY
VIDEO: REPLACEMENT PUMP SECURELY BOLTED DOWN PLAY
VIDEO: PUMP INSERTED INTO SPACE STATION SLOT PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER HAULS PUMP OVER TO TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: RETRIEVING THE REPLACEMENT PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 3 BEGINS PLAY

VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 2 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FAILED COOLANT PUMP REMOVED FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM MANEUVERS SPACEWALKER AROUND PLAY
VIDEO: POWER AND DATA LINES UNPLUGGED PLAY
VIDEO: TROUBLESOME UMBILICAL DETACHED PLAY
VIDEO: NO REPEAT OF AMMONIA LEAK PLAY

VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 1 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PROBLEM CONNECTOR FINALLY FREED BUT THEN LEAKS PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND AMMONIA UMBILICAL COMES OFF WITH EASE PLAY
VIDEO: SKIPPING OVER PROBLEM CONNECTOR TO DO ANOTHER PLAY
VIDEO: TROUBLES AND ADVICE FOR STUCK AMMONIA LINE PLAY
VIDEO: PUMP'S SMALL COOLING LINE UNPLUGGED PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER DOUG WHEELOCK WORKS ON OLD PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON PUMP FAILURE AND SPACEWALKS PLAY

VIDEO: FULL BROADCAST OF SUPPLY SHIP'S DOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: WATCH CARGO FREIGHTER DOCK TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: PROGRESS 38P FREIGHTER LAUNCHED PLAY

VIDEO: ORANGE COUNTY AND AL JAZEERA MEDIA INTERVIEWS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ RELOCATED FROM ZVEZDA TO RASSVET PLAY

VIDEO: WELCOME CEREMONY FOR THE NEW RESIDENTS PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY

VIDEO: FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: ENTIRE EXPEDITION 24 LAUNCH BROADCAST PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA OFFICIAL PLAY
VIDEO: ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO: PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
VIDEO: CEREMONIAL VISIT TO RED SQUARE IN MOSCOW PLAY
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