 ATV-2 docked with the ISS.
On February 24, 2011 at 15:59 UTC the European ATV-2 "Johannes Kepler” unmanned supply spacecraft docked to the ISS.
The approach and docking were performed in automatic regime closely monitored by ESA and French space agency (CNES) teams at the ATV Control Centre in Toulouse, France, as well as the Russian Mission Control Centre and the cosmonauts aboard the Station.
The spacecraft docked with the Russian "Zvezda” module. ATV-2 will remain docked with the Station until June 2011. "Johannes Kepler” delivered to the ISS 1760 kg of cargo, including food, clothes and equipment; 860 kg of propellant and 100 kg of oxygen. |
Progress M-07M undocking and deorbiting.
On February 20, 2011 at 13:12 UTC the "Progress M-07M” unmanned supply spacecraft was undocked from the ISS. At the same day the spacecraft was deorbited and burnt down in atmosphere.
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“MIR” station – The 25th Anniversary.
25 years ago on February 20, 1986 the first module of the"Mir” space station was launched from Soviet Baykonur Cosmodrome.
In according to UTC, the launch was performed on February 19.
The "MIR” station was in flight during 15 years.
104 cosmonauts (astronauts) from 12 states worked aboard the station.
31 "Soyuz” type piloted spacecraft, 64 "Progress” type unmanned supply spacecraft and 9 American Space Shuttles docked with the MIR space station. |
ATV-2, Johannes Kepler, launch.
On February 16, 2011 at 21:50 UTC the Ariane 5 rocket-carrier was launched from the Kourou space center in French Guiana.
photo by ESA
The rocket orbited ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle, Johannes Kepler. The unmanned supply spacecraft is expected to dock directly and autonomously with the Russian Zvezda module of the ISS to deliver cargo, propellant and oxygen to the orbital station.
During the coming week, ATV-2 will adjust its orbit to rendezvous with the ISS for docking on February 24.
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Russians Completed EVA - Again Ahead the Schedule!
On February 16, 2011 Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratiev and Oleg Skripochka (ISS Expedition 26 flight engineers) performed a spacewalk.
D.Kondratjev installs the Molniya-Gamma experiment.Photo by NASA.
The EVA was performed via the Earth-facing "Pirs” Docking Compartment. This was the second spacewalk for Kondratiev, EV1, who was wearing an Orlan-MK spacesuit with red stripes and the third for Skripochka, EV2, who was wearing the blue-striped Orlan-MK suit.
Kondatiev and Skripocka beat their own record of January 21's
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The ISS News.
On February 04, 2011 at 10:58 UTC the "Zarya” module, the first module of the International Space Station, completed its 70 000th orbit around the Earth.
The "Zarya” module (FGB) was launched on November 20, 1998 by a Russian "Proton” rocket-carrier. |
Russian Progress M-09M docked to the ISS.
On January 30, 2011 at 02:38 UTC the Progress M-09M unmanned supply spacecraft docked to the ISS.
photo NASA TV
The space vehicle delivered to the station 2600 kilograms of oxygen, fuel, food, etc.
The spacecraft also delivered to the space station a "Kedr” mini-satellite designed to transmit greeting messages in 15 languages, Earth photos and telemetry data from its service systems. The satellite's name is derived from Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's call sign. In Russian Kedr means Cedar. |
Russia launched Progress M-09M.
On January 28, 2011 at 01:39 UTC the Russian "Progress M-09M” unmanned supply spacecraft was launched from Baykonur Cosmodrome. The space freighter will deliver fuel, oxygen, food, books, letters, etc. for Expedition 26 crew.
The spaceship is to dock with the space station on January 30 at 5:40 Moscow time (02:40 UTC).
Progress-family freighters have been the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet for decades. In addition to their main mission as cargo spacecraft, they are used to adjust the ISS's orbit and conduct scientific experiments. |
HTV-2 / ISS docking.
On January 27, 2011 at 14:45 UTC the Japanese HTV-2 (Kounotori - Japanese for "white stork"), unmanned supply spacecraft was docked to the ISS.
The spacecraft approached the International Space Station, flying close enough for the station’s robot arm to grapple the free-flying satellite and move it to a docking port for two months of cargo transfers. Space station flight engineer American astronaut Coleman deftly guided the outpost's mechanical arm to grab the HTV-2 at 11:41 UTC as the vehicles flew 220 miles over the southern Indian Ocean.
phono NASA
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Progress M-08M udocking and deorbiting.
On January 24, 2011 at 00:42 UTC the Progress M-08M unmanned supply spacecraft was undocked from the ISS. In several hours the spacecraft was deorbited and burnt down over a remote area of the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.
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