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
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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:
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WATCH PROGRESS 41P FREIGHTER DOCKING PLAY
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FASCINATING VIDEO INSIDE CUPOLA DURING HTV ARRIVAL PLAY
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HATCHWAY OPENED TO ENTER INTO THE HTV PLAY
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HTV 2 ATTACHED TO SPACE STATION DOCKING PORT PLAY
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STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM GRABS THE FREE-FLYING HTV 2 PLAY
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HTV 2 CARGO SHIP APPROACHES THE SPACE STATION PLAY
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LAUNCH OF H-2B ROCKET WITH HTV 2 FREIGHTER PLAY
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H-2B ROCKET ROLLED TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
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LAUNCH REPLAYS FROM 3 DIFFERENT ANGLES PLAY
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CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
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CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
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LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH CADY COLEMAN PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH PAOLO NESPOLI PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH DMITRY KONDRATYEV PLAY
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SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
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WEEKEND BEFORE LAUNCH OF EXPEDITION 26 PLAY
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HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
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CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
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PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
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EXP. 25 CREW WELCOMED BACK TO EARTH PLAY
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LANDING SITE VIDEO OF CREW EXITING CAPSULE PLAY
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SOYUZ TMA-19 DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
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CREW BOARDS SOYUZ CAPSULE FOR DEPARTURE PLAY
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SPACE STATION CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY
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THANKSGIVING MEAL FOR THE CREW ON STATION PLAY
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WATCH PROGRESS 40P FREIGHTER DOCKING PLAY
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WELCOME CEREMONY FOR NEW EXPEDITION 25 PLAY
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POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
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SOYUZ TMA-01M DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY
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FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
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CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
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CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
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LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY
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BIOGRAPHIES OF KELLY, KALERI AND SKRIPOCHKA PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT KELLY PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER KALERI PLAY
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PRE-LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH OLEG SKRIPOCHKA PLAY
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SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
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POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA VIPS PLAY
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ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
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HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
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CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
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PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
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REMARKABLE VIDEO OF CREW EXITING CAPSULE PLAY
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AERIAL FOOTAGE OF THE SOYUZ SAFELY LANDING PLAY
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SOYUZ TMA-18 DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
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CREW BOARDS SOYUZ CAPSULE FOR DEPARTURE PLAY
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SPACE STATION CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY
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WATCH CARGO FREIGHTER DOCK TO SPACE STATION PLAY
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LAUNCH OF SOYUZ ROCKET WITH PROGRESS 39P PLAY
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POST-SPACEWALK NO. 3 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
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SPACEWALKERS CONCLUDE THE THIRD EVA PLAY
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AMMONIA HOSES ARE ATTACHED TO THE PUMP PLAY
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POWER AND DATA LINES BRING PUMP TO LIFE PLAY
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REPLACEMENT PUMP SECURELY BOLTED DOWN PLAY
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PUMP INSERTED INTO SPACE STATION SLOT PLAY
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SPACEWALKER HAULS PUMP OVER TO TRUSS PLAY
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RETRIEVING THE REPLACEMENT PUMP PLAY
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SPACEWALK NO. 3 BEGINS PLAY
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POST-SPACEWALK NO. 2 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
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FAILED COOLANT PUMP REMOVED FROM THE STATION PLAY
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ROBOT ARM MANEUVERS SPACEWALKER AROUND PLAY
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POWER AND DATA LINES UNPLUGGED PLAY
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TROUBLESOME UMBILICAL DETACHED PLAY
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NO REPEAT OF AMMONIA LEAK PLAY
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POST-SPACEWALK NO. 1 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
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PROBLEM CONNECTOR FINALLY FREED BUT THEN LEAKS PLAY
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LEFT-HAND AMMONIA UMBILICAL COMES OFF WITH EASE PLAY
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SKIPPING OVER PROBLEM CONNECTOR TO DO ANOTHER PLAY
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TROUBLES AND ADVICE FOR STUCK AMMONIA LINE PLAY
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PUMP'S SMALL COOLING LINE UNPLUGGED PLAY
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SPACEWALKER DOUG WHEELOCK WORKS ON OLD PUMP PLAY
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BRIEFING ON PUMP FAILURE AND SPACEWALKS PLAY
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FULL BROADCAST OF SUPPLY SHIP'S DOCKING PLAY
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WATCH CARGO FREIGHTER DOCK TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO:
PROGRESS 38P FREIGHTER LAUNCHED PLAY
VIDEO:
ORANGE COUNTY AND AL JAZEERA MEDIA INTERVIEWS PLAY
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SOYUZ RELOCATED FROM ZVEZDA TO RASSVET PLAY
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WELCOME CEREMONY FOR THE NEW RESIDENTS PLAY
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POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
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SOYUZ DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY
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FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
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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
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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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