lundi 21 décembre 2015

Supply Ship Launches on Two-Day Trip to Station











ROSCOSMOS - Russian Vehicles patch.

December 21, 2015


Image above: The Progress 62 (Progress MS-01) on rocket Soyuz-2.1a launches from Kazakhstan on a two-day trip to the International Space Station: Image Credit: NASA TV.

Carrying more than 2.8 tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the International Space Station crew, the unpiloted ISS Progress 62 cargo craft launched at 3:44 a.m. EST (2:44 p.m. local time in Baikonur) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Less than 10 minutes after launch, the resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned. The Russian cargo craft will make 34 orbits of Earth during the next two days before docking to the orbiting laboratory at 5:31 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Russian Cargo Ship Sets Sail for the International Space Station

Video above: At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the unpiloted Russian ISS Progress 62 cargo ship launched at 3:44 a.m. Eastern time (2:44 p.m. Baikonur time) on Dec. 21 on a two-day journey to reach the International Space Station. Loaded with 2.8 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 46 crew, the Progress reached orbit less than nine minutes after launch for a two-day rendezvous deliberately planned to test upgraded software and telemetry systems. Docking to the Pirs Docking Compartment on the station is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 23. Video Credits: ROSCOSMOS/NASA TV.

At 8:10 a.m. EST, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA will exit the station’s U.S. Quest airlock to conduct a previously unplanned spacewalk to help move the station’s mobile transporter rail car so it can be latched in place prior to arrival of the Progress spacecraft. NASA TV coverage of the planned three-hour spacewalk will begin at 6:30 a.m.

Watch live on NASA TV and online at http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of Progress 62’s arrival to the space station’s Pirs docking compartment beginning at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

ROSCOSMOS Press Release: http://www.federalspace.ru/21911/

International Space Station (ISS): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch