02.03.2005, Korolev, Moscow Area.
Following a two-day free flight in near-earth orbit Russian
Progress M-52 cargo vehicle launched on February 28, 2005
from Baikonur cosmodrome docked to the International Space
Station (ISS).
The vehicle approached a free axial docking port of Service
Module Zvezda. At 23:10:08 Moscow time the vehicle came
into contact with the docking port. The vehicle rendezvous
with the ISS Orbital Complex, fly-about and docking were
performed in the automatic mode.
The Expedition crew 10 (ISS-10) consisting of Russian cosmonaut
Salizhan Sharipov (flight engineer, Yu.A. Gagarin GCTC
RGNII) and U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao (commander, NASA),
who have been working aboard the station, monitored the
implementation of the approach and docking processes.
Progress M-52 delivered 262 kg of propellant to resupply
the ISS propulsion system, 75 kg of oxygen, 34 kg of air,
312 kg of foodstuff, 420 kg of potable water, 78 kg of
payloads for experiments, including the European Space
Agency ENEIDE program. Equipment for different Orbital
Complex systems and ATV integration, medical support aids
and individual protection gear, flight data files and parcels
for the crew were brought up to the Station. Three hundred
and forty one kilograms of cargoes are intended for the
ISS USOS.
The ISS-10 crewmembers are to unload the vehicle and accommodate
the delivered cargoes on the Station, and transfer the
wasted materials and equipment to the vehicle.
The ISS Orbital Complex of about 183.2 tons performs a
near-orbit flight with the following parameters: maximum
altitude of 376.7 km, minimum altitude of 355.2 km, period
of revolution of 91.6 min.
The Russian Segment is made up of the Functional Cargo
Module Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking module Pirs,
transport vehicles Soyuz TMA-5 and Progress M-52. The US
On-Orbit Segment is made up of modules Unity and Destiny,
airlock Quest and multi-link truss structure with deployed
solar arrays. The vehicles and Station modules onboard
systems operate in a design mode.
The ISS flight is under control of the Lead Operational
Control Team (LOCT) of the Mission Control Center in Moscow
(MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow area in interaction with the US
Mission Control Center in Houston (MCC-H). The Flight is
directed by V.A. Soloviev, RSC Energia Deputy General Designer,
pilot-cosmonaut.
Upon completion of the docking Flight Director V.A. Soloviev
answered the questions put by journalists of the Russian
and foreign information agencies and TV companies who were
present at MCC-M.
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