While the fourth European ATV has been sitting on top of an Ariane 5 launcher set for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, engineers are still analyzing a potential problem with a Laser Radar Reflector (LRR) which allows ATV’s autonomous approach to the station. On April 26, Progress M-19M cargo docked at the ISS with one [...]
Post Tagged with: “Progress”
Potential Damage to ISS During Progress Docking May Delay ATV-4
The European Space Agency is investigating potential damage to the International Space Station (ISS) docking port which was used by Progress 51P on April 26. The damage, caused by the undeployed Progress antenna, appears to have involved a navigational aid needed for ATV-4, scheduled for June. The docking between the cargo spacecraft and the space laboratory may have damaged the [...]
Progress 49 Leaves ISS as Comsonauts Prepare for EVA
Russian ISS cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko have been preparing for a six-hour spacewalk. The two cosmonauts will go outside the station at 10:06 a.m. EDT on April 19. The extra vehicular activity was scheduled to deploy and retrieve several science experiments and install a new navigational aid. As part of the preparation, Vinogradov and Romanenko have installed lights [...]
Secret Colors of the ISS
Most pictures of the International Space Station don’t show much color, we generally see metallic and white elements. The inactive golden colored side of the solar panels – the opposite side of the solar cells – appears to show most of the color over the entire ISS. The active side of the solar panels, where the solar cells are mounted, is actually colorless, [...]
Orbital Delivery: Complete Guide to Unmanned Cargo Spacecraft
The International Space Station gets it supplies from an ever-growing array of unmanned cargo ships, including the Japanese HTV, the European ATV, the Russian Progress, and the commercial Dragon that just rendezvoused with ISS after a brief thruster scare. There are yet more on the way, with the next ship to launch being Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus demonstration mission, now that [...]
Antares Hot Fire Test Aborted at Last Second
Orbital Sciences Corporation was all set to perform a hot fire test of its Antares rocket on February 13. The test is the last before Orbital launches its Cygnus cargo ship aboard the rocket on its demonstration mission to the International Space Station, making it the second commercial cargo ship to rendezvous with ISS, after SpaceX’s Dragon. But Orbital will [...]
Progress Cargo Arrives At ISS 3 Hours After Launch
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the robotic Progress 50 resupply ship was successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonour Cosmodrome, on February 11th. Progress spacecraft are disposable Soyuz vehicles designed in 3 segments with a propellant module instead of the central crew return capsule used on the manned Soyuz vehicle. The cargo ship delivered nearly 3 tons [...]
International Space Station Tests Debris Avoidance Ahead of Crew Arrival
On December 16, the International Space Station ran a test of the Predetermined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) system. The test resulted in a 2.5 km boost of the station, the altitude needed for Friday’s upcoming crew docking. PDAM is designed to be an emergency response measure, providing boost capability as little as 140 minutes before a predicted debris impact. The [...]
When Your Spacecraft Moves Without You
At regular intervals, the International Space Station needs a propulsive boost to avoid losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, or occasionally to get out of the way of approaching space debris. These boosts are provided from docked supply spacecraft – the Progress, ATV, and HTV vessels – and provide a spectacular show outside the station. But did you ever wonder [...]
Dragon Rocket Seen from the Ground
On May 22, 2012, the Dragon C2+ spacecraft (also known as COTS Demo Flight 2) was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40. The Dragon was the first commercial cargo craft to perform a docking to the ISS. The spacecraft lifted up atop the two stage Falcon 9 rocket. A few days after the launch, I [...]
