Posted on 12/25/2004 8:56:23 PM PST by anymouse
An unmanned Russian supply ship docked with the International Space Station on Saturday, delivering food, water and Christmas presents to astronauts running low on supplies.
Progress M-51 linked up with the station at 6:58 p.m. (2358 GMT), bringing 2.5 tonnes of supplies for American astronaut Leroy Chiao and Russian Salizhan Sharipov, including letters, videos and photographs from their families.
The supply ship completed "a flawless two-day Christmas pilgrimage to the International Space Station," said a commentator on NASA TV, which relayed live Russian images of the rendezvous.
"Docking occurred 225 statute miles above Central Asia -- a flawless approach and docking."
Chiao and Sharipov were scheduled to enter Progress for the first time just after 1 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Sunday.
The two, on the station since October, were asked two weeks ago to cut their daily calorie intake by around 10 percent because they only had enough food for a balanced diet for another month.
Russian officials accused the previous crew of overeating during their 6-month mission, leaving a deficit of meat and milk and a surplus of juice and confectionery.
The cargo includes "propellant, oxygen and air to help maintain the station's atmosphere, water and spare parts and experiment hardware," according to NASA's Web site.
NASA said it was carrying about a 112-day supply of food and holiday presents for the crew.
The presents include printers, compact discs, exercise equipment and clothing, according to NASA TV.
If the fresh supplies had failed to make it to the space station, the crew would have had to cut short its 6-month mission and return to Earth on the Soyuz capsule that is docked there.
Progress M-51 had blasted off two days ago from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which Russia rents from its former Soviet neighbor.
After the crew removes the cargo, it fills Progress with trash and unneeded equipment, which will burn up with the spacecraft when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.
The orbiting laboratory was opened to long-duration crews in 2000 by NASA and partners in Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
The station depends entirely on Russia to launch all manned and cargo flights since the United States grounded its Shuttle fleet after the fatal Columbia accident almost two years ago.
Russia, with a space budget only a fraction the size of the United States', has often complained of its financial struggle to keep the $95 billion station serviced single-handedly. Shuttle flights could resume in May, officials have said.
space ping
Can someone explain to me the science they are doing up there besides human endurance in space? That in of itself is a worthy goal as we'll need to do that to travel in space, but what experiments are they doing? Is there a website?
This bothers me. We've got some work to do.
Liberalism is a disease and it permeates all layers of society.
I sure would like a few weeks in that space station. Seems it would do wonders for a bad back...:o)
BTTT
I would too, but if its a bad back that ails you, try hanging from some inversion boots. Its a lot cheaper than a space ride. :^)
I just read your home page, LOL. What a riot!
....
The supply ship completed "a flawless two-day Christmas pilgrimage to the International Space Station," said a commentator on NASA TV, which relayed live Russian images of the rendezvous.
I did leave a disclaimer......!!
My back is trashed....low mileage yet a lot of sudden stops.....:o)
Stay safe !
Calpernia,Thanks for the ping.
Anything to do with round canopies?
Disposing garbage in the atmosphere...where are the greens on this.....?
Just a ping,I did not know I was in space:)
Yep thin air PLF's had some to do with it....but not all. Just used up all my discs too early.....degenerative I am told. Couple of compression fractures have developed spurs in a few places. Cutter is looming on the horizon if it don't get better. Lots of swimming and bike riding and 3 fingers of Meyer Rum on ice now and then works wonders.
Hope ya had a Merry Christmas.......Stay safe !
>>>where are the greens on this.....?
It would cause extinction to the space mites.
(hee hee)
Don't think they are doing much science. The crew of two is pretty much up there to keep the thing running until the shuttle fleet is available.
Here is the ISS website.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/
Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you.
They see how many times they can twiddle their thumbs in one day...and the next day, they try to BEAT that record!
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