Progress M-47 Docks with International Space Station
The Russian cargo vehicle Progress M-47 launched from the Cosmodrome
Baikonur on 2nd of February, 2003 docked today to the International Space
Station (ISS) after the 2 days autonomous flight on the near-earth orbit.
The vehicle approached to the free longitudinal docking port of the Service
Module Zvezda of ISS. The berth touch occurred at 17:49 in Moscow time. The
approach of vehicle with the ISS Orbital Complex, its fly-about and docking
were made in automatic mode. On the final phase of vehicle/Station docking
during vehicle’s fly-about and berthing they were within the zone of vision
of the Russian Ground Measurement Stations.
The ISS 6th main Expedition crew (ISS-6) consisting of Kennet Bauersocks
(Commander, NASA), Nikolai Budarin (on-board engineer, RSC Energia), Donald
Pettit (on-board engineer, NASA) operating on-board the Station monitored
the approaching/docking process realization.
The vehicle delivered more than 2.5 tons of various cargoes including 870 kg
of propellant in the Refueling System tanks for the Station.
The ISS-6 shall perform the vehicle unload and stow the delivered cargoes
on-board the Station, as well as download the wasted materials and equipment
to the vehicle.
The ISS Orbital Complex of about 189.4 tons operates consisting of
Functional Cargo Module Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking compartment –
Module Pirs, cargo vehicle Progress M-47, manned vehicle Soyuz TMA-1, U.S.
modules Unity and Destiny and Quest Airlock.
The ISS flies on the near-earth orbit with the following parameters, maximum
altitude 408.0 km, minimum altitude 384.5 km, period of revolution of 92.2
min.
The vehicle on-board systems and Station Modules operate in a design mode.
The ISS flight control is performed by Main Operational Management Group
from the Mission Control Center (MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow Region along with
the U.S. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), Houston. The Flight Director in
MCC-M is V.A. Soloviev, space pilot, RSC Energia.
During the cargo vehicle docking to the ISS the MCC-M was attended by V.A.
Grin, Co-Chairman of State Committee (Deputy Director of TsNII Mash); Yu. P.
Semenov, Technical Manager of Russian Manned Space Programs (General
Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia); N.A. Anfimov, Academician of the
Russian Academy of Sciences (Director of TsNII Mash); representatives of
Rosaviacosmos and NASA and related enterprises and entities involved in the
Progress M-47 manufacturing, preparation and launch and the ISS Russian
Segment control.
After the docking completion Yu.P. Semenov, General Designer of RSC Energia,
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences answered the questions of
journalists from the leading Russian and foreign news agencies and TV
companies attended the MCC-M.
