spacetoday.net: Progress docks manually with ISS

Posted: Sun, Jun 19, 2005, 10:44 AM ET (1444 GMT)
Progress spacecraft in orbit (NASA)

A Progress spacecraft docked safely with the ISS Saturday night, but only after the crew on the space station took over control of the unmanned cargo spacecraft when an automated system malfunctioned. The Progress M-53 spacecraft docked with the aft port on the Zvezda module of the station at 8:42 pm EDT Saturday (0042 GMT Sunday). Such dockings are normally handled by an automated system, but in this case ISS cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev took over the approach and docking after communications between the ground and the Progress failed, apparently because of a problem on the ground. The spacecraft is carrying over two tons of food, water, propellant, and other supplies, including both oxygen and solid fuel oxygen-generation canisters to supplement the station's oxygen supplies given the failure of the station's Elektron oxygen generator. Also on board the progress is a new digital camera that the station crew will use to inspect the space shuttle Discovery when it arrived at the station next month on the first post-Columbia mission.