Cargo Ship From Europe Joins Station in Space
Europe??s new Jules Verne cargo ship made a nearly flawless first docking at the International Space Station on Thursday, carrying tons of needed supplies and expanding Europe??s role in space.
The robotic spacecraft, gingerly approaching the station at one-tenth of a foot per second, docked with the space station at 10:45 a.m. Eastern time while the two vehicles flew more than 200 miles above the Atlantic Ocean. Seven minutes later, a series of clamps firmly secured the vehicles.
??We have contact,? the Russian astronaut Col. Yuri I. Malenchenko said from inside the space station, where he and the American commander of the station, Peggy A. Whitson, were monitoring the operation. The comment brought applause and cheers from the cargo craft??s European control center in Toulouse, France.
The Jules Verne, named after the visionary French science fiction author, is the first of a new class of station supply ships called Automatic Transfer Vehicles. The craft was built by the nations of the European Space Agency as one of Europe??s major contributions to the international station.
??The docking of the A.T.V. is a new and spectacular step in the demonstration of European capabilities on the international scene of space exploration,? said Jean-Jacques Dordain, director general of the European Space Agency.
Michael D. Griffin, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also praised the development, noting that the arrival at the space station of the Jules Verne and, in February, Europe??s Columbus science laboratory made Europe a major player in the station project.
??Only Russia has previously achieved a successful automated docking in space,? Dr. Griffin said in a statement. ??This accomplishment showcases yet again the progress which has been made by the international partnership in bringing this incredible program to fruition.?
The docking occurred at the end of a four-hour ballet in space as the A.T.V. maneuvered to approach the station, automatically using G.P.S. navigation and a new optical guidance system to close the gap. A twin laser system fired pulses of light at reflectors positioned on the end of the station??s Russian-built Zvezda service module to determine the Jules Verne??s orientation, distance and closing rate.
The automatic operation was monitored from the control center in France, in cooperation with the Russian space station control center near Moscow and the NASA center in Houston.
The Jules Verne, launched on March 9, spent 26 days in space checking out its systems and awaiting the departure last week of the space shuttle Endeavour before trying to dock with the station. It conducted a series of successful approach and avoidance tests with the station last Saturday and Monday.
The cargo craft is carrying 7.5 tons of fuel, oxygen, food, clothing, equipment and other essentials for the station. Astronauts are to open the hatch of the A.T.V. on Friday to take air samples and set up an air cleaner, mission officials said, before entering the vehicle on Saturday. On Monday, the crew will begin transferring cargo from the craft.
Also aboard are two original manuscripts handwritten by Verne and a 19th-century illustrated edition of his novel ??From the Earth to the Moon,? which will be returned to Earth.
The Jules Verne is to spend about four months docked to the station, with astronauts removing its cargo and depositing tons of waste material that will burn up in the atmosphere with the spacecraft when it departs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/sc...html?ref=space
Watched this on tv yesterday.......pretty amazing when you think about it.
Have a good one!:jointsmile:
Cargo Ship From Europe Joins Station in Space
This is really cool. The space station is amazing and the European cargo ships are going to be a big help in keeping it running --- it's great to have a backup to the Russian system.
