Progress M-03M Docks With ISS
After autonomous 3-day flight Russian transport cargo vehicle Progress M-03M docked with the International Space Station (ISS).
Rendezvous with the station, its flying around, station-keeping and berthing are performed in an automatic mode. Approach contact with the Pirs Module docking unit of the ISS Russian Segment (RS) took place at 5 hours 41 minutes Moscow Time.
The members of the Prime Crew ISS-21 currently working onboard the station monitored performance of the rendezvous and docking processes. All dynamic operations were performed under the direction of the Technical Management (with V.A. Lopota, President of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, General Designer, acting as the Technical Manager) and mission control specialists.
In Moscow Mission Control Center (MCC-M) the following officials witnessed the final operations for the space vehicle rendezvous and docking with the ISS: representatives of the State Committee (with Poscosmos Head A.N. Perminov as the Chairman), Roscosmos, NASA, the Corporation managers and experts; representatives of the industry – wide subcontracting enterprises and organizations. By telemetry data and the ISS crew reports, the station and space vehicle onboard systems are operating in design modes.
For reference:
1. Space vehicle has delivered over 2.4 tons of cargoes to the station. Cargoes include the following: propellant reserves, reserves of oxygen and food, including (fresh foodstuff); scientific equipment and hardware for the ISS RS systems; flight documentation; parcels for crewmembers; video- and photographic equipment. Cargo weighing 114 kg is designated for the USOS.
2. Mission control and the space vehicle and station condition monitoring in the approach and docking phases were conducted by the Lead Operational Control Team comprising the specialists from RSC Energia, MCC-M and industry-wide enterprises. Mission Director is the First Deputy General Designer of RSC Energia V.A. Solovyov.
3. ISS RS content: Functional – Cargo Block Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking compartment – module Pirs, manned space vehicles Soyuz TMA-15 and Soyuz TMA-16; cargo space vehicle Progress M-03M. The USOS content: modules Unity, Destiny, airlock Quest, Harmony, Columbus, Kibo; truss arrangements with solar array panels and other resupply equipment installed thereupon.
4. ISS crewmembers makeup: Russian cosmonauts R. Romanenko and M. Surayev, American astronauts N. Stott and J. Williams, ESA astronaut F. de Winne (ISS Commander) and astronaut of Canadian Space Agency R. Tersk.
5. ISS is flying in near-earth orbit with a minimum altitude of 341.4 km, maximum altitude of 359.5 km. The station orbital period is 91.4 min.
