New Russian Cargo Ship Docks at Space Station

New Russian Cargo Ship Docks at Space Station
The ISS Progress 32 cargo craft (center) docked to the International Space Station on Feb. 13, 2009. (Image credit: NASA TV)

An unmannedRussian space freighter docked at the International Space Station early Fridaywith a fresh delivery of chocolate and coffee for the orbital outpost?s three-astronautcrew.

The automatedcargo ship Progress 32 docked smoothly at a berth on the station?s Earth-facingPirs docking compartment at 2:18 a.m. EST (0789 GMT) as both spacecraft flew 215miles (346 km) above southwestern China near the border of Mongolia.

?Today?s aspecial day,? space station commander Michael Fincke, of NASA, called down toMission Control after Progress 32?s arrival. ?Thank you.?

The dockingoccurred nearly three days after two satellites - one American, the otherRussian - accidentally slammedinto each other 490 miles (790 km) above Siberia in anunprecedented collision. NASA and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network aretracking two large debris clouds from the impact, but currently believe theyrepresent only a slightincrease in risk to the space station.

To makesure Friday?s docking went as planned, Russian cosmonaut and flight engineerYury Lonchakov watched over the cargo ship?s arrival from a terminal inside thespace station, where he floated at the ready to take remote control of theunmanned spacecraft should it veer off course. Lonchakov had to manually guidein the last cargo ship that arrived at the station, Progress 31, during itsNov. 30 docking.

But Friday?srendezvous appeared to be flawless, with the two spacecraft linking up withoutthe need for human intervention.

?Thank youfor the spacecraft and thank you for Progress,? Fincke radioed down to thestation?s Mission Control Center in Russia.

Progress 32launched into space on Tuesday to deliver more than 2 1/2 tons of fresh suppliesfor the space station crew. The astronauts were eagerly awaiting the spacecraft?sarrival, since it was carrying a new batch of chocolate, instant coffee andother special requests in addition to its normal shipment.

?We usuallylike to get fresh fruit, onions and garlic,? station flight engineer SandraMagnus of NASA told SPACE.com last week. ?It?s like Christmas all overagain when you get a vehicle docking to the space station because they alwayshave special treats for us.?

Also packedaboard Progress 32 are more than 1,910 pounds (866 kg) of propellant for thespace station's engines, 110 pounds (50 kg) of oxygen and air and 2,866 pounds(1,298 kg) of dry cargo, which includes food, clothing, experiment hardware anda brand new Russian-built Orlan spacesuit, NASA officials said.

Fincke andhis crewmates are expected to open the hatches between the station and Progress32 later today at about 5:15 a.m. EST (1015 GMT).

With Friday?sdocking of Progress 32 complete, the space station astronauts can turn theirfull attention to preparations for the planned arrival of NASA?s space shuttleDiscovery this month.

Discoveryis currently slated to launch toward the International Space Station noearlier than Feb. 22 and dock two days later, though an official launchdate for the mission remains unsettled due to ongoing fuel control valveconcerns. Top NASA officials plan to review the valve test data later today andmeet on Feb. 18 to revisit plans for the Feb. 22 launch target.

Commandedby veteran shuttle flyer Lee Archambault, Discovery?s seven-astronaut crew isgearing up for a two-week mission to deliver the final set of U.S. solar arraysto the International Space Station. The shuttle is also bringing up Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, who will replace Magnus aboard the station as a memberof the outpost?s Expedition 18 crew.

Magnus haslived aboard the space station since last November and is due to return toEarth aboard Discovery.

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.