[sarex] ISS Report 2004 #69

[K1ELA@xxxxxxx]

Date:    Sat, 25 Dec 2004 18:27:15 -0600
From:     info@JSC.NASA.GOV
Subject: International Space Station Status Report  #69

2004
Report #69
6:15 p.m. CST, Saturday, Dec. 25,  2004
Mission Control Center, Houston

An unpiloted Russian cargo ship  linked up the International Space Station
this evening, completing a two-day  Christmas journey to deliver 2.5 tons of
food, fuel, oxygen, water, supplies and  holiday gifts to the crew.

The ISS Progress 16 craft automatically docked  to the aft port of the Zvezda
Service Module at 5:58 p.m. CST (2331 GMT) as the  spaceship and the Station
flew 225 statute miles over Central Asia. Within  minutes, hooks and latches
between the two ships engaged, forming a tight seal  between the two vehicles.
The docking occurred about 30 minutes later than  planned so that the linkup
could occur over Russian ground stations with the  benefit of television from
the cargo ship and real-time data.

As the  Progress moved in for its linkup, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer
Salizhan  Sharipov was at the controls of a manual docking system in Zvezda,
ready
to take  over the Progress’ final approach in the unlikely event its
automated
docking  system encountered a problem. But the docking was flawless. Station
Commander  and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao was nearby, taking video and
still photos  of the Progress arrival.

Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in  Kazakhstan on Thursday, the
Progress is loaded with 1,234 pounds of propellant,  110 pounds of oxygen and
air to
help maintain the Station’s atmosphere, 926  pounds of water and more than
2,700 pounds of spare parts, life support system  components and experiment
hardware. The manifest also includes 69 containers of  food, about a 112-day
supply.

After an extended sleep period this  evening, the crew will be awakened
Sunday morning to conduct leak checks at the  hatch interface between the
Progress
and Zvezda. They will open the Progress  hatch shortly after noon CST (1800
GMT) Sunday to begin unloading its  cargo.

Among the new items that arrived at the Station are laptop  computers, new
spares for U.S. spacesuits and components for the arrival next  year of the
European Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo craft.

Information  on the crew's activities aboard the Space Station, future launch
dates, as well  as Station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth,
is available on  the Internet  at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/



###

NASA Johnson  Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are
available  automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to
listserv@listserver.jsc.nasa.gov.  In the body of the message (not the
subject
line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes).  This will  add the
e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release  distributi
on list.  The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail  of each
subscription.  Once you have subscribed you will receive future  news releases
via
e-mail.


73 Ernie  K1ELA
Check out my web page _LINK_ (http://members.aol.com/k1ela/index.html)
----
Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe sarex" to Majordomo@amsat.org