ISS dodges satellite
Posted: Sat, May 31, 2003, 11:30 AM ET (1530 GMT)
The International Space Station maneuvered Friday to avoid any possibility of a collision with a small Italian satellite. The Progress cargo spacecraft attached to the station fired its thrusters for seven minutes Friday to raise the orbit of the ISS by about 1.8 kilometers to avoid MegSat 0, an experimental Italian communications satellite launched in 1999. Had the maneuver not been performed, the 35-kg spacecraft would have passed through a "zone of avoidance" surrounding the station at distances of between 4 and 50 kilometers. The maneuver was the sixth time the ISS has had to move to avoid a close approach by another satellite; NASA officials said they previously forecast that two such maneuvers would be required each year.
The International Space Station maneuvered Friday to avoid any possibility of a collision with a small Italian satellite. The Progress cargo spacecraft attached to the station fired its thrusters for seven minutes Friday to raise the orbit of the ISS by about 1.8 kilometers to avoid MegSat 0, an experimental Italian communications satellite launched in 1999. Had the maneuver not been performed, the 35-kg spacecraft would have passed through a "zone of avoidance" surrounding the station at distances of between 4 and 50 kilometers. The maneuver was the sixth time the ISS has had to move to avoid a close approach by another satellite; NASA officials said they previously forecast that two such maneuvers would be required each year.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, August 22
NRO Awards Operational Commercial Radio Frequency Capabilities Augmentation
NRO — 3:23 pm ET (1923 GMT) ‘Hidden’ stars make first galaxies much more massive than previously thought
Univ. of Leiden — 3:15 pm ET (1915 GMT) Asteroid impact shaped the appearance of Mars’ moon Deimos
Univ. of Bern — 3:07 pm ET (1907 GMT) HawkEye 360 Awarded NRO Commercial RF Capability Augmentation Contract
HawkEye 360 — 3:04 pm ET (1904 GMT) All Points Logistics Awarded NASA Spacecraft Processing and Operations Contract (SPOC) On-Ramp, Building on Recent 2026 Wins and Milestones
All Points — 2:58 pm ET (1858 GMT) |
