[FPSPACE] Progress re-rendezvous/approach exercise July 12

[James Oberg]

Progress re-rendezvous/approach exercise July 12

So the Progress will perform a re-rendezvous and approach exercise on July 12 (Sunday). 

Will NASA TV cover that live? How often on ISS has this been done before?

I wonder what NASA's role in the hazard assessment analysis was, considering the 
1997 experience with a redocking exercise that very nearly proved fatal for some 
or all of the Mir crew [one or two may have been able to make it into the Soyuz to
seal the hatch prior to full depress of the holed station -- except Lazutkin knew which
module was hemorrhaging air and they sealed it off successfully].

Jim



Cargo Carrier Loaded With Refuse Undocks From ISS

Moscow Interfax-AVN Online in English 0835 GMT 01 Jul 09

MOSCOW. July 1 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's Progress M-02M cargo carrier filled with refuse and decommissioned equipment has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS).

"Orders to undock [the spacecraft] were issued at 10:27 p.m. Moscow time. The spacecraft separated from the station three minutes later, according to the program," a spokesman for the Mission Control Center outside Moscow told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.

The Russian cargo carrier will not be dumped into the so-called Spacecraft Cemetery in the Pacific Ocean immediately. Since the Progress M-02M belongs to a new series of cargo carriers, which are currently undergoing flight trials, specialists of the Mission Control Center will test the spacecraft's systems for two weeks after it undocks from the orbiting outpost. On July 12, the cargo carrier will automatically approach the station's docking port, but will not touch it.

"The spaceship will probably be removed from its orbit on the same day," the spokesman said.

"The Progress M-02M has vacated the Pirs docking port, where the Soyuz TMA-14 manned spacecraft will soon be transferred from the Zvezda module's docking port. The [ISS] crewmembers will handle the transfer of the spacecraft between two docking ports manually. In the event of an emergency, the Soyuz spacecraft will accommodate all three crewmembers: Gennady Padalka, Michael Barrett and Koichi Wakata," he said.

The Soyuz spaceship will fly around the ISS at a distance of 20-30 meters from the station and dock with the Pirs docking port, the spokesman said.

The Zvezda module's docking port will accept the next cargo carrier, which is to leave for the ISS on July 24. 
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