Russian Cargo Spacecraft Launched to ISS
Posted on: Thursday, 12 August 2004, 06:00 CDT
Russian cargo spacecraft launched to ISS
MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A Russian cargo spacecraft blasted off on Wednesday en route to the International Space Station (ISS), bringing supplies and equipment to a two-men crew serving in the orbiting space hub.
The Progress M-50 ship, launched by the Soyuz-U carrier rocket from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:03 a.m. Moscow time (0503 GMT), is expected to dock with the station Saturday morning, Interfax news agency cited mission control as saying.
The spacecraft's journey to the ISS will take 24 hours longer than usual as it will not use its engines when it docks with the station, in an experiment to try to save fuel.
The supply ship is carrying about 2.5 tons of cargo, including fuel, water, food and clothes, to Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and American astronaut Michael Fincke who have been working at the floating station since April 21.
Padalka and Fincke are scheduled to finish their six-month expedition in October.
The 16-nation ISS used to rely heavily on US shuttle flights. But Russian spaceships have been the only links with it since the Columbia space shuttle disaster on Feb. 1, 2003, which killed all seven crew members.
Related Articles
- Russian Cargo Spacecraft Leaves International Space Station
- Russian Cargo Spacecraft Nearing ISS
- Cargo Spacecraft Lost in Pacific Ocean
- Russian Cargo Spacecraft Lifts ISS
- Progress Spaceship, Iss Space Suit Will Be Sunken
- Russia to launch two manned, four cargo spacecraft in 2004
- Russian Cosmonaut Calls Space Mission A Success
- Launch Of Russian Cargo Spacecraft To Iss Being Prepared
- Russian cargo spacecraft docks with ISS
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds