Space station welcomes wave of international cargo ships
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: January 29, 2011
The International Space Station received its second cargo freighter of the week Saturday night when a Russian-made vessel loaded with two-and-a-half tons of supplies safely approached and docked on autopilot.
File photo of Progress spacecraft reaching the station. Credit: NASA
|
The Progress M-09M spacecraft linked up to the station's Pirs module at 9:39 p.m. EST (0239 GMT) while orbiting 220 miles above the Atlantic, just off the coast of Uruguay.
"Contact and capture. Docking confirmed," NASA commentator Rob Navias announced from Houston's Mission Control Center. "For the second time in less than three days, an international cargo craft has weighed anchor at the International Space Station."
Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes later to firmly secure the 24-foot-long craft to the station.
The Expedition 26 crew of commander Scott Kelly, fellow NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Italian Paolo Nespoli and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Kaleri, Oleg Skripochka and Dmitry Kondratyev plan to open hatches and enter the Progress overnight.
The cargo includes 3,080 pounds of equipment, food, clothing, life support system gear, 1,918 pounds of propellant to replenish reservoirs that feed the Russian maneuvering thrusters, 926 pounds of water and some 110 pounds of oxygen and air for the station's atmosphere.
A 66-pound spacecraft, called ARISSat-1, is packed inside the freighter, too. It will be hand-launched into orbit during a spacewalk on February 16 to serve amateur radio operators, transmit still pictures of Earth from onboard video cameras and play recorded greetings in 15 languages.
The Progress was launched Thursday atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, reaching a preliminary orbit of 158 by 120 miles. A series of precise engine firings over the past two days guided the freighter to the rendezvous.
After arriving in range of the space station, the vessel began a flyaround maneuver to get lined up with the docking port and then executed a roll maneuver to properly orient its forward nose probe with Pirs.
A brief stationkeeping hold with about 600 feet between the freighter and station allowed Russian flight controllers to assess systems before giving approval to commence the 11-minute final approach.
The ship's automated docking system did its job and drove the craft to the linkup just after an orbital sunset.
"OK, guys. Congratulations of a successful docking," a Russian flight controller radioed the station crew.
"Copy. Right back at you with a congratulations," Skripochka replied.
This is the 41st Progress to dock with the station over its decade-long life and the first of six scheduled for 2011.
See our earlier coverage of Progress 41P:
The craft joins a previous Progress ship that launched in September and remains affixed to the outpost, plus two Soyuz crew transport capsules currently residing at the space station.
The station also possesses the Japanese HTV 2 freighter that arrived earlier this week. Soaring within reach below the outpost, the astronauts used the robotic arm to snare the craft and attach it to the Harmony connecting module on Thursday morning.
In contrast, the Progress used thrusters to fly itself straight into the docking slot without needing any intervention by the crew.
Europe's version of an unmanned resupply ship -- the Automated Transfer Vehicle -- is undergoing preparations at the Guiana Space Center in South America for launch atop an Ariane 5 rocket February 15. It will fly to the aft docking port of the station's Zvezda service module on February 23.
Additional coverage for subscribers:
 VIDEO:
WATCH PROGRESS 41P FREIGHTER DOCKING PLAY
VIDEO:
FASCINATING VIDEO INSIDE CUPOLA DURING HTV ARRIVAL PLAY
VIDEO:
HATCHWAY OPENED TO ENTER INTO THE HTV PLAY
VIDEO:
HTV 2 ATTACHED TO SPACE STATION DOCKING PORT PLAY
VIDEO:
STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM GRABS THE FREE-FLYING HTV 2 PLAY
VIDEO:
HTV 2 CARGO SHIP APPROACHES THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH OF H-2B ROCKET WITH HTV 2 FREIGHTER PLAY
VIDEO:
H-2B ROCKET ROLLED TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO:
LAUNCH REPLAYS FROM 3 DIFFERENT ANGLES 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:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH CADY COLEMAN PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH PAOLO NESPOLI PLAY
VIDEO:
PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH DMITRY KONDRATYEV PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO:
POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
VIDEO:
WEEKEND BEFORE LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 26 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:
EXP. 25 CREW WELCOMED BACK TO EARTH PLAY
VIDEO:
LANDING SITE VIDEO OF CREW EXITING CAPSULE PLAY
VIDEO:
SOYUZ TMA-19 DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
CREW BOARDS SOYUZ CAPSULE FOR DEPARTURE PLAY
VIDEO:
SPACE STATION CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY
VIDEO:
THANKSGIVING MEAL FOR THE CREW ON STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
WATCH PROGRESS 40P FREIGHTER DOCKING PLAY
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
SUBSCRIBE NOW
|
