The
International Space Station (ISS) is in a higher orbit after a weekend boost
from one of two unmanned cargo ships docked at the orbital platform.
A
Russian-built Progress spacecraft fired its engines for eight minutes and 42
seconds to raise the space station's orbit up to about 215 statute miles, an
increase of about one statute mile, NASA officials said. The maneuver will help
place the ISS in position for the arrival of ISS Expedition
13 commander Pavel Vinogradov, flight engineer Jeffrey Williams and
Brazilian astronaut Marcos
Pontes in late March, they added.
Russian ISS
flight controllers said the reboost maneuver, which occurred at 5:20 p.m. EST (2020
GMT) on Feb. 11, also allowed them to test techniques to dodge space debris in
orbit, according to the Interfax News Agency.
"Experts
from flight control have analyzed data collected Saturday night when engines of
a Progress resupply ship docked with ISS were test fired. The experiment was
conducted to check a technique for dodging space junk," Yevgeny Melnikov,
head of the team responsible for the movements of the Russian segment of ISS told
Interfax.
Two
Progress vehicles are currently docked at the ISS, with Progress
19 berthed at the aft end of the station's Zvezda service module while Progress
20 sits at the Pirs docking components. The resupply ships carried fresh
food, clothes and equipment to the station, which is currently home to ISS
Expedition 12 commander Bill McArthur and flight engineer Valery Tokarev.
Progress 19
is slated to be jettisoned from the station in early March, NASA officials said,
adding that the Expedition 12 crew and Pontes will return to Earth in early
April.
advertisement
