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Russian Cargo Space Vehicle Reached Calculated Orbit

Posted on: Friday, 29 August 2003, 06:00 CDT

MOSCOW. Aug 29 (Interfax) - A Russian Progress-M cargo spacecraft, launched from the Baikonur space center to serve the International Space Station program early on Friday, reached its calculated orbit at 5:56 a.m. Moscow time.

The vehicle's delivery into orbit and its separation from the third stage of the Soyuz-U rocket went according to plan, the space mission control center in Korolyov outside Moscow has told Interfax.

The cargo ship is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 7:45 a.m. Moscow time on August 31.

Progress-M will deliver fuel, water, food and other materials for the station crew.

The psychological service of the Russian Institute of Medical and Biological Problems sent a number of old Russian movies, new French comedy films and compact discs with classical music for the crew.

At the present time, Expedition 7, made up of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Edward Lu, is working in space.

Expedition 8, made up of NASA astronaut Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, are to be launched to the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz space vehicle on October 18. They will be joined by European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque, who will fly as part of a contract between the ESA and the Russian Aerospace Agency Rosaviacosmos. Foale and Kaleri will relieve Malenchenko and Lu and will stay in orbit for about half a year, while Duque will return to Earth with Malenchenko and Lu.

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