October 3, 2005. Korolev, Moscow Region.
The Russian Soyuz TMA-7 manned transport spacecraft docked
to the Orbital Complex of the International Space Station
(ISS).
Following a two-day free flight in near-earth orbit
and having performed all final required rendezvous operations
until the station-keeping and subsequent berthing in an
automated mode, Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft approached the ISS
Orbital Complex.
At 9:27 Moscow Daylight
Saving Time the spacecraft docking assembly came into contact
with the docking port of the docking compartment/module
Pirs, when the spacecraft and Station were within the Russian
ground site coverage.
The spacecraft rendezvous and berthing operations were
monitored by the Expedition Eleven Crew (ISS-11), staying
onboard the station, and Russian and U.S. Mission Control
Centers personnel, using the trajectory measurements, telemetry
and television information including information coming
from the onboard TV cameras located on the ISS Russian
and U.S. On-orbit Segments.
The transfer hatches between the spacecraft and Pirs module
were open at 12:36 upon completion of the mechanical capture,
retraction and pressure integrity check. The joint International
crew consisting of Russian cosmonauts: S. Krikalev (ISS-11
commander), V. Tokarev (ISS-12 flight engineer), U.S. astronauts:
John Phillips (ISS-11 flight engineer), William McArthur
(ISS-12 commander), Gregory Olsen (spaceflight participant,
VC-9) are staying onboard the Orbital Complex.
The return of the ISS-11 crew and G. Olsen to the Earth
by Soyuz TMA-6 is scheduled on October 11, 2005 with landing
at 5:12 Moscow time.
At present the ISS Orbital Complex of about 193.2 tons
is operating in orbit in the following configuration: Functional
Cargo Block Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, Docking Module/Compartment
Pirs, manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-6, Soyuz TMA-7, cargo
vehicle Progress M-54 (Russian Segment), as well as modules
Unity, Destiny, airlock Quest and multi-link truss structure
with the deployed solar arrays (U.S. On-Orbit Segment).
The ISS Complex is flying in a near-earth orbit with the
following parameters: maximum altitude of 367.0 km, minimum
altitude of 347.8 km, orbital period of 91.4 min.
The onboard systems of the transport spacecraft and station
modules operate normally. The ISS joint crew is performing
in-orbit activities per the flight program.
The ISS Russian Segment flight is commanded by the Lead
Operational Control Team (LOCT) from Moscow Mission Control
Center (MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow region. (The Flight Director
is V.A. Soloviev, Vice-president of RSC Energia, Deputy
General Designer, Pilot-Cosmonaut). The control is provided
in interaction with the U.S. Mission Control Center (MCC-H)
in Houston.
The final flight operations during the spacecraft rendezvous
and docking to the station were performed under control
of N.N. Sevastiyanov, RSC Energia President, General Designer
for Manned Space Complexes and Technical Manager of Flight
Tests, who worked in the MCC-M control room.
During these operations MCC-M was attended by A.N.Perminov,
Director of the Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos), W.Gerstenmaier,
NASA Associate Administrator, V.A. Grin, co-chairman of
the State Board, A.B. Krasnov, Head of Piloted Programs
Department of Roskosmos, V.V.Tsibliev, Director of Yu.A.
Gagarin CTC RGNII, N.A. Anfimov, General Director of TSNII
of machine-building, responsible representatives of Roskosmos,
NASA, S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, allied space enterprises
and organizations, participating in the realization of
the ISS Project.
Upon completion of the docking a press conference for representatives
of the Russian and foreign information agencies and TV
companies took place. A.N. Perminov, Director of Roskosmos,
W. Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator, A.B. Krasnov,
Head of Piloted Programs of Roskosmos, N.N. Sevastiyanov,
RSC Energia President, General Designer answered the questions
of journalists related to the program of further ISS-related
activities.
During the first TV communication pass between MCC-M and
the International Station V.A. Grin, co-chairman of the
State Board, W. Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator,
N.N. Sevastiyanov, RSC Energia President, General Designer,
A.B. Krasnov, Head of Piloted Programs of Roskosmos and
N.A. Anfimov, General Director of TSNII of machine-building,
congratulated the Soyuz TMA-7 crew with their arrival to
the station and wished a successful completion of the program
for the next milestone to the joint crew.
Key data on the experiment program to be performed during
the flight of the Expedition twelve Crew ISS-12 and visiting
crew VC-9 is presented in Internet at RSC Energia site
at addresses:
www.energia.ru/eng/iss/iss12/res.html,
www.energia.ru/eng/iss/soyuz-tma-7/iss-ninth_russian.html.
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