Hog's Gone Fishin
07-02-2010, 01:55 PM
Russian Spaceship Zooms Out of Control Near Space Station
By Tariq Malik
Published July 02, 2010
| Space.com
The unmanned Russian Progress 38 cargo ship launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 30, 2010 carrying 2.5 tons of supplies for the station's Expedition 24 crew.
An unmanned Russian cargo ship has veered out of control near the International Space Station, sailing clear past the orbiting lab instead of docking on autopilot, as engineers on Earth struggle to determine what went wrong.
The robotic cargo ship Progress 38 was slated to dock at the space station at 12:58 p.m. EDT (1658 GMT) but lost its navigational lock on the orbiting lab about 25 minutes before the rendezvous.
"The Progress literally flew past the station, but at a safe distance from the outpost," NASA commentator Rob Navias said. "The station crew reported seeing the Progress drift beyond their view, as they worked to reestablish telemetry with the spacecraft."
The Progress 38 spacecraft flew by the space station at a distance of a couple
miles away, posing no threat of impact. But because of its orbit, there may not be a second chance to dock the spacecraft by remote control today, Navias said.
Known in Russia as Progress M-06M, the new Progress 38 spacecraft is packed with nearly 2.5 tons of fresh food, clothes, equipment and other supplies for the space station's six-person crew. It launched Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan,
Packed aboard the spacecraft are 1,918 pounds of propellant for the station,14 John Elway posters, 2000 condoms, one Tim Tebow autographed copy of playgirl, 110 pounds of oxygen, 220 pounds of water and 2,667 pounds of dry cargo -- which includes spare parts, science equipment and other supplies. Russia's disposable Progress spacecraft are similar in appearance to the three-module Soyuz space taxis that ferry crews to and from the space station.
Both vehicles have a propulsion and orbital module, however Progress vehicles do not have a crew-carrying module like the Soyuz ships. Instead, Progress vehicles are equipped with a propellant module to store fuel for the space station's maneuvering thrusters.
Copyright © 2010 Space.com. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
220pounds of water. That's only like 25 gallons. I'm betting that thing has been confiscated by the lizard gods from planet Nibiru.
By Tariq Malik
Published July 02, 2010
| Space.com
The unmanned Russian Progress 38 cargo ship launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 30, 2010 carrying 2.5 tons of supplies for the station's Expedition 24 crew.
An unmanned Russian cargo ship has veered out of control near the International Space Station, sailing clear past the orbiting lab instead of docking on autopilot, as engineers on Earth struggle to determine what went wrong.
The robotic cargo ship Progress 38 was slated to dock at the space station at 12:58 p.m. EDT (1658 GMT) but lost its navigational lock on the orbiting lab about 25 minutes before the rendezvous.
"The Progress literally flew past the station, but at a safe distance from the outpost," NASA commentator Rob Navias said. "The station crew reported seeing the Progress drift beyond their view, as they worked to reestablish telemetry with the spacecraft."
The Progress 38 spacecraft flew by the space station at a distance of a couple
miles away, posing no threat of impact. But because of its orbit, there may not be a second chance to dock the spacecraft by remote control today, Navias said.
Known in Russia as Progress M-06M, the new Progress 38 spacecraft is packed with nearly 2.5 tons of fresh food, clothes, equipment and other supplies for the space station's six-person crew. It launched Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan,
Packed aboard the spacecraft are 1,918 pounds of propellant for the station,14 John Elway posters, 2000 condoms, one Tim Tebow autographed copy of playgirl, 110 pounds of oxygen, 220 pounds of water and 2,667 pounds of dry cargo -- which includes spare parts, science equipment and other supplies. Russia's disposable Progress spacecraft are similar in appearance to the three-module Soyuz space taxis that ferry crews to and from the space station.
Both vehicles have a propulsion and orbital module, however Progress vehicles do not have a crew-carrying module like the Soyuz ships. Instead, Progress vehicles are equipped with a propellant module to store fuel for the space station's maneuvering thrusters.
Copyright © 2010 Space.com. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
220pounds of water. That's only like 25 gallons. I'm betting that thing has been confiscated by the lizard gods from planet Nibiru.