Progress M-06M (38P) (Soyuz-U launched June 30, 2010)

[JonClarke]

2nd attempt at docking successful (as expected)

Making it 130 for 130 successful primary dockings for Progress!

 

[MarkStanaway]

2nd attempt at docking successful (as expected)

Making it 130 for 130 successful primary dockings for Progress!

Yes and that really is 'Progress'!

 

[EarthlingX]

I don't know how you could be amazed, since it has been clear for a while the media doesn't understand the first thing about science

Unfortunately, it's just business as usual

I wish (not for the first time) there was a sarcasm emoticon....

Please, take your pick :

http://www.freesmileys.org/ :

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.spaceref.com : NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 4 July 2010

STATUS REPORT
Date Released: Sunday, July 4, 2010
Source: NASA HQ

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. U.S. Independence Day.

Sunday – Crew sleep cycle is shifting left to return to nominal: Wake – 7:00am (reg. 2:00am), Sleep – 8:30pm (reg. 5:30pm) EDT.

Yest kasaniye! At 12:17pm EDT, Progress M-06M(38P) docked successfully to the SM (Service Module) aft port under KURS autopilot control, followed by a final DPO post-contact thrusting burn, docking probe retraction and hook closure (“sborka”) after motion damp-out while the ISS was in free drift for ~20 min (12:17pm-12:37pm). At “hooks closed” signal, the SM returned to active attitude control, maneuvering the ISS to LVLH TEA (local vertical/local horizontal Torque Equilibrium Attitude) at ~12:37pm. Control authority returns to US Momentum Management at ~2:10pm. Russian thrusters will be disabled temporarily during clamps install and leak check (2:10pm-4:10pm). [This was the second docking attempt after yesterday’s aborted linkup, now traced to an interruption of the TORU radio signal by the SM’s Klest/Simvol television system. The dropout of the TORU teleoperated rendezvous & docking system then generated the command “cancel dynamic operations” which aborted KURS automatic rendezvous mode and switched Progress to a safe, passive flightpath, as designed. For today’s docking, TORU, which is usually in “hot standby” mode during Kurs-controlled dockings, was not activated.]

For monitoring 38P rendezvous & docking, CDR Skvortsov & FE-2 Caldwell-Dyson had set up the Ku-band video “scheme” for covering the Progress docking, activating the FGB-based A31p SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop for the TV conversion to NTSC & Ku-band of the RS (Russian Segment) video signal from the SONY HDV camera via the MPEG-2 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 2) encoder from FGB & SM, in order to downlink “streaming video” packets via U.S. OpsLAN and Ku-band.

Approach & docking as seen from the +X (backward facing) SM TV camera was monitored by Alexander as always on the SSC1 (Station Support Computer 1) laptop using the NVIEWER (NASA Viewer) software application.

Before docking, FE-4 Wheelock shut down the amateur/ham radio equipment (~9:05am) to prevent RF interference with the Progress KURS radio control system. [The protective shutters of the Lab, Kibo & Cupola science windows were already closed last night.]

Tracy Caldwell-Dyson worked with Alex to tear down and remove the MPEG-2 “schemes” streaming video downlink setup, then deactivated the conversion A31p laptop in the FGB.

At ~2:10pm-3:25pm, the crew conducts the standard one-hour leak checking of the docking vestibule and fuel/oxidizer transfer line interface between Progress and SM/aft.

http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud4Pm_DCUrM[/youtube]

 

[trailrider]

Now, if there had been a live pilot on board, it would simply have been a "missed approach". Of course the media would call it "pilot error". At least the Russians can't court-martial the autopilot!

 

[scottb50]

Now, if there had been a live pilot on board, it would simply have been a "missed approach". Of course the media would call it "pilot error". At least the Russians can't court-martial the autopilot!

I would think the pilots would be depending on the autopilot, and flight director, and in this case it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Why is that a bad thing?

 

[EarthlingX]

www.federalspace.ru : RSC-Energia Concluded about Interruption of Progress M-06M Rendezvous to the ISS

:: 31.07.2010

Accident commission of RSC-Energia completed investigation of the failure caused interruption of Progress M-06M rendezvous to the International Space Station on July 2, at 20:20:42.
The commission concluded that the rendezvous failed due to unauthorized command “Dynamical mode abort” in the backup manual approach control loop of the Progress.
The command was generated because of interference in the TORU metric wave signal link and pressed button “Operation” on the TORU panel in the ISS Zvezda module.
To avoid similar situation in the future, relevant updates have been implemented for Progress M-07M slated for launch in Sept.
For the next cargo vehicles to fly, additional blocking for this command has been introduced.

RSC-Energia PAO

 

[EarthlingX]

spacefellowship.com : Station Crew Prepares Cargo Craft for Undocking

Published by Klaus Schmidt
on Sat Aug 28, 2010 9:11

The ISS Progress 38 cargo craft currently docked with the International Space Station will undock from the aft end of the Zvezda service module on Tuesday. Progress 38 will be deorbited and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere on Sept. 6. The Expedition 24 crew members have been loading the Progress 38 with trash and other discarded items for disposal and burn up over the Pacific Ocean. The unmanned Progress 39 cargo craft will automatically dock and resupply the station crew on Sept. 10.

 

[EarthlingX]

en.rian.ru : Russian space freighter undocks from ISS

16:54 31/08/2010

Russia's Progress M-06 cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday to begin a seven-day independent scientific mission, a Mission Control spokesman said.

The spacecraft will remain in orbit well away from the station to conduct several scientific experiments before being deorbited on September 6.

"The departure command was issued at 15:22 Moscow time [11:22 GMT]. Some three minutes later the space freighter left Russia's Zvezda module and started its autonomous flight," the spokesman said.

During the flight, scientists will continue the Radar-Progress experiment, aimed at defining the density, sizes and reflectivity of the ionosphere environment around the spacecraft, which is caused by the operations of its liquid propellant engines.

The spacecraft, loaded with trash and other items for disposal, will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere as soon as the experiment is over. Its fragments will fall in remote areas of the Pacific Ocean.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBZFxBewVA[/youtube]

Kowch737 | August 31, 2010

An unpiloted Russian Progress resupply craft undocked Tuesday from the International Space Station to set the stage for the arrival of a new Progress cargo vehicle on Sept. 10. The ISS Progress 38 cargo craft, loaded with trash and other items for disposal, undocked from the aft end of the station's Zvezda service module at 4:22 a.m. PDT. Russian flight controllers will conduct thruster tests with the Progress to gather engineering data before sending it to a fiery descent Monday over the Pacific Ocean.

 

[EarthlingX]

www.federalspace.ru : Progress-40 Mission is Over

:: 06.09.2010

On Sept. 6, Progress M-06M was deorbited over the defined unpopulated area of the Pacific.
The retroburn was initiated at 16:13:50 Moscow time. Remaining parts of the Progress, which had not burnt during the reentry, fell down in the south area of the Pacific ocean at about 16:53 MSK. Coordinates of the splashing-down center are: 42°07` s.l., 138°25`w.l.

Progress M-06M was the 40th Russian cargo vehicle flown to the International Space Station. The next Progress is to start its mission to the ISS in two days.

Roscosmos PAO