Astronauts
aboard the International Space Station thanked the world for its concern over
their safety following the Tuesday collision of two satellites, but said they
were confident the collision poses little risk to their spacecraft.
Space
station commander Michael Fincke of NASA told Mission Control today that his
crew appreciated the concern and was glad to hear that the satellite collision
has not affected the planned early-morning arrival of a new
Russian cargo ship at the station on Friday.
"We
understand that a lot of people around the planet were worried for our health
and safety," Fincke radioed down. "We were touched by that and we'd like to say
thank you."
Analysts
have assured the station crew that the two clouds of debris created in Tuesday's
collision between a U.S. Iridium 33 communications satellite and a
non-operational Russian military communications satellite dubbed Cosmos 2251 poses
a relatively minor risk to the space station. The collision occurred as the
two satellites were flying 490 miles (790 km) above Siberia. The International
Space Station typically flies in a much lower orbit of about 220 miles (354 km)
above Earth.
"We've also
been informed that we're quite okay and we believe that because we're in very
good hands," Fincke said.
NASA
officials have said that only a minor amount of debris created in the unprecedented
accidental collision between the 1,234-pound (560-kg) Iridium 33 satellite
and Russia's 1,984-pound (900-kg) Cosmos 2251 is expected to descend across the
space station's orbit.
Analysts
and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network are keeping a close eye on the debris
clouds to determine what risk they may pose to higher unmanned satellites, such
as Earth-observation spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope. The risk of
secondary collisions from the debris is relatively remote, but more time is
needed to measure the extent of the debris clouds, NASA officials told SPACE.com
late Wednesday.
Meanwhile,
Fincke and his space station is crew are preparing for the planned Friday
arrival of a new Russian cargo ship hauling more than 2 1/2 tons of fresh food,
clothing and vital equipment to the orbiting laboratory.
The
unmanned Progress 32 spacecraft launched toward the station on Tuesday and is
due to dock at the outpost's Earth-facing Pirs docking port at 2:19 a.m. EST
(0719 GMT) on Friday. It replaces an older space freighter, Progress 31, which
undocked from the space station last week and intentionally burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on Sunday.
Packed
inside Progress 32 are more than 1,910 pounds (866 kg) of propellant for the
space station's engines, 110 pounds (50 kg) of oxygen and air and 2,860 pounds
(1,297 kg) of dry cargo, including food, clothing, experiment hardware and
other supplies. Russian wire reports also stated that the spacecraft is
carrying a new Russian-built spacesuit.
Space
station flight
engineer Sandra Magnus of NASA told SPACE.com last week that she and
her crewmates also requested a fresh supply of chocolate, instant coffee and a
tasty Russian cream cheese-like dessert.
"It sounds
like the Progress is still on schedule and we're ready to meet it," Fincke told
Mission Control.
NASA
will broadcast the docking of Progress 32 at the International Space Station
live on NASA TV on Friday beginning at 1:30 a.m. EST (0630 GMT). Click here for a link to SPACE.com's live
NASA TV feed and space station mission updates.
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