NASA: ATV ready to dock with ISS:
April 3, 2008
Update 10:55 am
TOULOUSE, France, April 3 (UPI) — The European Space Agency’s Jules Verne automated transfer vehicle spacecraft was successfully docked Thursday with the International Space Station.
The incremental docking procedure was completed at 10: 45 a.m. EDT, the first for an ESA spacecraft and the most demanding of seven planned ATV missions to resupply the space station, the ESA said.
The spacecraft’s automated movements were ordered by controllers at the ESA’s ATV control center in Toulouse, France, with assistance from National Aeronautics and Space Administration ISS controllers in Houston and Russian space agency controllers near Moscow.
Source: upi.com via politisite
Update 10:47 am or 1407 hrs GMT – Will will update as events dictate
update 10:46 am – ISS is near the Equater, a text book docking, clapping at NASA
update 10:45 am – contact
Update 10:44 am – standby for contact 2 meters
Update 10:44 am – ATV within 9 feet
Update 10:43 am – the ISS has control until 3 feet then ATV automatically docks. There is an abort and destroy in place in case of accident
Update 10:42 am – Russian say go, NASA says Go
Update 10:41 am – NASA TV online is broacasting this event live, European says go
Update 10:39 am – all three space agencies are going through, Go or no-go procedure
update 10:36 am – All is nominal, ATV is at 36 feet or 11 meters from ISS. Final step
Update 10:34 am – This writer has noticed that an aditional step has been added, as the ATV will stop at 36 feet rather than 17 feet. This next step is two mintues away
Update 10:33 am – European Space Agency states all is go. The scheduled time for docking is a guideline. Since this is the first docking of this vehicle, they are taking extra precautions.
Update 10:31 am – Final checklist through the Russian Space Agency
Update 10:30 am – ATV will come within 17 feet from Vehicle, The ISS is over the southern tip of South America
Update 10:28 am – ATV is in next to last phase. Thrusters will be used here.
Update 10:21 am- all go for final. Will continue 7 minutes from now
Update 10:18 am – ATV is 62 Feet away from the ISS in a short hold. ATV is 21 minutes from scheduled docking. will begin moving again in 11 minute
Update 10:15 am – ISS audio, “all systems are nominal”
Update 10:13 am – the ISS is above the S. Pacific as the ATV is 70 Meters away in a hold
Update 10:07 am – The ATV is 7 minutes from it’s next hold point
The Automated Transfer Vehicle is about 14 minutes to docking with the International Space Station. The docking procedure is a bit dangerous so the Flight Crew has a destruct mechanism close in hand in case anythng goes wrong.
Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) “Jules Verne” is in the final stages of docking with the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for 14:41 GMT – though this may be delayed 15 minutes.
Following nearly a month of on orbit operations – including two successful demonstration days, controllers in France, the United States and Russia will carefully monitor the unmanned vehicle, along with its five tons of cargo, as it docks with the Station for the first time.
Source: nasaspaceflight.com via politisite
Automated Transfer Vehicle
The International Space Station Mission Management Team has given the official “go” for Thursday’s docking of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the aft port of the station’s Zvezda Service Module at 10:41 a.m. EDT.
However, Russian controllers may request a slightly longer stationkeeping by the ATV at the 62-foot-point from the Service Module. This will enable specialists to assess lighting conditions after what was seen during Monday’s practice maneuvers.
Jules Verne is the first fully automated resupply spacecraft to travel to the station. It will bring eight tons of cargo and remain docked until August.
To prepare for the coming of the ATV, Expedition 16 crew members spent time Wednesday reviewing their procedures associated with any off-nominal occurrences during docking.
Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko also began packing for their upcoming departure from the station in just over two weeks.
Source: nasa.gov via politisite
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