|
|
|
|
|
International Space Station receives cargo vessel BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: March 2, 2005 A Russian cargo-delivery freighter safely docked to the International Space Station today, ferrying more than two tons of supplies and equipment for the outpost and its resident crew.
The docking happened a few minutes ahead of schedule since it was not required to happen over Russian ground tracking stations. Video from the Progress' nose-mounted video camera was routed to the Russian mission control center via U.S. communications assets. Expedition 10 commander Leroy Chiao and flight engineer Salizhan Sharipov plan to open hatches and enter the Progress later today. Unloading of its contents will begin Thursday. This was the 17th Progress flown to the station. The cargo includes 2,932 pounds of equipment, experiment hardware and life support system gear, 1,071 pounds of water, 386 pounds of propellant and 242 pounds of oxygen and air. The delivery of 86 food containers will provide more than 160 days of provisions for Expedition 10 and continuing into Expedition 11, which is due to arrive in April. In preparation for the space shuttle return-to-flight mission in May, the digital cameras and lenses that station residents will use to photograph Discovery's thermal tiles in the search for damage were brought by the Progress. The shuttle performs a quick backflip before docking with the station, presenting Discovery's belly for Expedition 11's crew to take the pictures during a 90-second window. The shuttle will be 600 feet below the station. Also aboard the resupply ship are spare parts for the station's toilet, oxygen-generating and carbon dioxide-scrubbing units, and a new heat exchanger device for the Quest airlock module. The device, which is used for cooling U.S. spacesuits, will replace a faulty unit that forced all recent spacewalks to be performed from the Russian-side of the outpost. Proximity Communication Equipment that will aid Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicles during their future dockings to the station is packed inside the Progress, too. After installation in the Zvezda module, tests of the equipment will occur this spring. The PCE hardware enables two fully redundant S-band communications paths during the last 19 feet of an ATV's approach. The first ATV cargo ship, dubbed Jules Verne, is scheduled for shipment to the Ariane 5 rocket launch site in South America by year's end.
|
|
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
After a two-day journey from Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Russian Progress 17P mission and International Space Station rendezvous in Earth orbit. Cameras on both craft provide scenes in this highlights movie. (4min 02sec file)
The Progress vehicle performs an automated flyaround of the International Space Station to align with the docking port. (3min 42sec file)
The Russian Progress M-52 resupply ship docks to the International Space Station as seen by the nose-mounted camera on the delivery freighter. (1min 30sec file)
This extended length clip shows the Russian Progress cargo ship's final approach and docking to the International Space Station. (10min 00sec file)
The external tank for the return-to-flight space shuttle mission is moved into position and mated with the twin solid rockets boosters at Kennedy Space Center. (4min 30sec file)
Go inside the Cassini-Huygens mission to explore Saturn, its rings and moons with this lecture from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (81min 05sec file)
Testing to support the space shuttle return to flight is being performed at NASA's Ames Research Center. This footage shows wind tunnel testing using a shuttle mockup and thermal protection system tests in the arc jet facility. (5min 02sec file)
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, in his final press conference appearance, presents the 2006 budget information and answers reporters' questions on Hubble, the exploration plan and shuttle return-to-flight. (86min 37sec file)
Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev, flight engineer John Phillips and Soyuz taxi crewmember Roberto Vittori hold a pre-flight news conference in Houston. Topics included problems with the shuttle safe haven concept. (42min 23sec file)
