NASA Space Station Status Report 24 April 2006
A shipment of supplies is on its way to the International Space Station. The ISS Progress 21 cargo ship was launched today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The new resupply ship lifted off at 11:03 a.m. CDT (10:03 p.m. Baikonur time). Less than 10 minutes later, the cargo ship reached orbit, and its solar arrays and navigational antennas were deployed for its two-day trip to the orbital outpost.
Two pre-programmed firings of the Progress’ main engine are scheduled today to fine-tune the ship’s path to the space station. Additional rendezvous maneuvers are planned Tuesday and Wednesday.
When the Progress launched, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer Jeff Williams were flying 219 statute miles over the Earth off the northeast coast of Australia in their 26th day in space and their 24th day on the complex.
Carrying 2.5 tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen, air, spare parts and other supplies, the new Progress is scheduled to automatically dock to the aft port of the station’s Zvezda Service Module at 12:40 p.m. CDT Wednesday. The older ISS Progress 20 supply ship that arrived at the station just before Christmas will remain at the Pirs Docking Compartment until mid-June. It will be used to stow trash and to enable its supply of oxygen to replenish the cabin atmosphere.
Live coverage of the docking of Progress 21 to the space station begins at noon CDT Wednesday on NASA Television.
For more on the crew’s activities aboard the station and opportunities to see the station fly overhead from anywhere on the Earth, visit:
The next station status report will be issued on Wednesday, April 26, after the Progress 21 docking, or earlier, if events warrant.
