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Jules Verne Gives ISS A Lift

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 June 2008, 16:05 CDT

The “Jules Verne” fired its engines for 20 minutes this week, lifting the orbit of the 800-ton International Space Station (ISS) a record-setting additional 7km into orbit. 

The move was the second time the Jules Verne had boosted the ISS since arriving in April with over five tons of supplies. The boost was necessary as the 345km-high ISS is constantly drifting down as it pulls through the top of the Earth’s atmosphere, requiring periodic re-boosts to maintain proper altitude.

The European-built Jules Verne, which has the generic name of Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), performed its first re-boost on April 25, and is expected to remain at the station until September. At the end of its mission the vehicle will be loaded with up to 6.5 tons of material no longer needed by the ISS. The “space trash” will then be taken into a controlled burn-up over the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to the Jules Verne, the station’s re-boost activities are also performed by visiting U.S. space shuttles and Russian Progress freighters.   The ISS can also use its own thrusters to raise its orbit.  Indeed, the Jules Vern has already transferred 530 kg of oxidizer and 280kg of hydrazine propellant fuel to the ISS expressly for this purpose.

European Space Agency officials are elated with the performance of their freighter, which has now successfully completed all its mission objectives with the exception of its return to Earth.

Astronauts aboard the ISS are reportedly using pressurized space in the Jules Verne as sleeping quarters, finding the area less noisy than some other parts of the ISS that experience the constant hum from its ventilation system.

Yi So-yeon, the South Korean nanotechnology engineer and recent ISS visitor, also used the space to perform experiments during her 11-day mission.

The Jules Verne cost approximately $1.3 billion and contains 7.6 tons of cargo capacity, according to BBC News.   Four 490-Newton thrusters and 28 220-Newton thrusters power the vehicle, which at launch has a mass of about 20 tons depending on its cargo load.  Its dimensions are 10.3m long by 4.5m wide, and once unfolded the solar wings span a distance of 22.3m.

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Image Caption: Backdropped by the darkness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-124 and Expedition 17 crews concluded almost nine days of cooperative work on board the Shuttle and Station. (11 June 2008) Credits: NASA/JSC

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On the Net:

Esa: Automated Transfer Vehicle

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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