Two
astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) welcomed the orbital
arrival of a Russian cargo ship laden with fresh food, water and some
freeloading crustaceans during a flawless Wednesday docking.
The
unmanned Progress 21 cargo ship docked at the ISS at 1:41 p.m. EDT (1741 GMT)
after a two-day
spaceflight that ended at the aft end of the space station's Zvezda service
module. The two spacecraft were flying 220 miles (354 kilometers) above and
northeast of Greece at the time, NASA officials said.
"We have
capture," Russian ISS flight controllers told ISS
Expedition 13 commander Pavel
Vinogradov and flight engineer Jeffrey
Williams via radio. "We'd like to congratulate you on an excellent job."
Vinogradov
and Williams are expected to open hatches between the Zvezda module and
Progress 21 just before 5:00 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT), but will wait until Thursday
to begin unpacking the space freighter, NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said.
Progress 21
delivered 5,040 pounds (2,286 kilograms) of cargo to the ISS for the Expedition
13 crew. That shipment includes nearly 2,360 pounds (1,070 kilograms) of dry
supplies, more than 1,900 pounds (861 kilograms) of propellant, 661 pounds (299
kilograms) of water, and over 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of air and oxygen.
Cheeses,
fruits, vegetables, Easter gifts and assorted books, movies and music CDs are
stocked aboard as well, Russian space officials said.
Also tucked
aboard the Progress supply ship are live crustaceans launched toward the ISS as
part of a Russian experiment called Aquarium, which is aimed at studying the performance
of a closed ecosystems in orbit. The data gleaned from the experiment may aid
future long-duration space missions, NASA officials have said.
A golf tee
and bag, to hold a golf ball
and club, also rode to the ISS aboard Progress 21, NASA officials added.
The supplies will allow an ISS astronaut to whack a golf ball from the space
station's exterior during an upcoming
spacewalk in Russian spacesuits.
Vinogradov
and Williams are completing the 28th day of the six-month mission
aboard the ISS. Progress 21's arrival brings the total number of Russian
spacecraft docked at station to three following the Expedition 13 crew's Soyuz
vehicle - which parked
at a Zarya module port on April 1 - and an older Progress vehicle.
That older
cargo ship, Progress 20, docked
at the ISS on Dec. 23, 2005 and will be discarded in mid-June, Navias said.