Progress M1-7 Cargo Vehicle docks with the International Space Station

The Russian Progress M1-7 transport cargo vehicle has docked with the
International Space Station (ISS) following the two-day autonomous flight
to it, the rendezvous maneuvers, its fly-around, stationkeeping and
berthing.

The contact of the Progress M1-7 cargo vehicle with the axial docking
port of the Russian Zvezda Service Module occurred at 22 hours 43 minutes
2 seconds Moscow time when the ISS was flying within a radar coverage
zone of the Russian ground measuring stations.

The cargo vehicle has delivered to the ISS some 2,4 tones of the cargoes,
including the propellant for refueling the station Russian Segment.

Among the delivered cargoes were food packages, fresh fruit, potable
water, as well as the equipment intended for the orbital station systems,
scientific equipment, flight documentation, the parcels for crew members.

The crew of the Expedition Three (ISS-3) involving U.S. astronaut Frank
Culbertson, Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin
will have to unload the delivered cargoes and accommodate them onboard
the station; dismantle the rendezvous system apparatus installed in
the vehicle with the aim to provide its subsequent return to Earth for
reuse, as well as load in the cargo vehicle the spent materials and
equipment.

The rendezvous, fly-around, stationkeeping, berthing and docking of
the cargo vehicle were carried out in an automatic mode under control
of the Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) located at the Mission Control
Center (MCC-M), Moscow area, and the ISS-3 crew.

The Progress type transport cargo vehicle have been successfully operating
as part of the manned orbital stations transport and logistics support
since January 1973, when the above cargo vehicle delivered for the first
time propellant, scientific equipment and consumables to the Salyut
station for its onboard systems.

The Progress M1 type vehicles offer greater capabilities compared with
the earlier modifications, including delivery of payloads and fuel.
One of them, the Progress M1-5 cargo vehicle, provided deorbiting and
completion of the Mir station orbital flight.

During the Progress M1-7/ISS docking Yu.P. Semenov, Technical Manager
of the Russian Manned Programs, General Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC
Energia, the Academician of the RAS; the Rosaviacosmos representatives;
the space agency representatives of the member-countries under the ISS
(NASA, ESA) Project; the specialists from RSC Energia, allied industrial
organizations were present at the MCC-M.

The ISS complex of about 138.3 tons by mass is currently flying with
the following components included: Functional Cargo Block Zarya; Service
Module Zvezda; docking compartment Pirs; Soyuz TM-33 manned transport
vehicle; Progress M1-7 cargo vehicle; as well as the Unity, Destiny
modules and the Quest airlock.

The ISS onboard systems are operating in design modes.

The ISS flight is commanded from the MCC-M (Korolev, Moscow area) in
association with the American Mission Control Center MCC-H (Houston,
the USA). The flight director is pilot-cosmonaut Vladimir Soloviev.

The ISS Complex is flying on a near-earth orbit with the following parameters:
maximum altitude of 402.1 km; minimum altitude of 373.3 km; an orbital
period of 92.0 min.