Progress M-06M
Encyclopedia
Progress M-06M, identified by NASA
as Progress 38P, is a Russia
n Progress spacecraft which was launched in June 2010 to resupply the International Space Station
. It was the 38th Progress to dock with the space station and the third of year 2010.
in early March 2010. The rocket was manufactured by TsSKB-Progress
at Samara
.
The Progress was launched successfully on 30 June 2010 at 15:35 UTC. The cargo ship was loaded with 870 kilograms (1,918 lb) of propellant, 50 kilograms (110.2 lb) of oxygen and air, 100 kilograms (220.5 lb) of water and 1210 kilograms (2,667.6 lb) of equipment, spare parts and experiment hardware.
The spacecraft reached a preliminary orbit of 193 by. A series of precise engine firings over two days guided the craft towards a docking with the International Space Station's aft Zvezda port originally scheduled for 2 July.
A RSC Energia accident commission completed an investigation into the docking failure and concluded that a "dynamical mode abort" command in the spacecraft's backup manual approach control loop had caused the anomaly. The command was generated because of interference in the TORU metric wave signal link and pressed button “Operation” on the TORU panel in the space station's Zvezda module.
Flying on autopilot using the KURS automated system, the spacecraft docked to the aft docking port of Zvezda. The Expedition 24 crew members monitored the arrival of the spacecraft and as a precautionary measure TORU was not activated for the second attempt. The docking occurred over four-corner border of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia. Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes later and the crew members entered the Progress around 19:30 UTC.
. Following the commands from the space station Russian Segment Central Computer, the engines of the Progress M-06M spacecraft were started at 06:42:30 UTC. The operation lasted 1065 seconds raised the orbit of the space station by 3.7 km to 355.2 km.
Following undocking, Progress M-06M remained in orbit to conduct an experiment designation Radar-Progress. It was deorbited over the Pacific Ocean on 6 September 2010, with debris falling into an area known as the spacecraft cemetery
. The retroburn was initiated at 16:13:50 Moscow time and the remaining parts of the Progress, which had not burnt during the reentry, fell down in the area of 42°07'S 138°25'W at about 16:53 Moscow time.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as Progress 38P, is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Progress spacecraft which was launched in June 2010 to resupply the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. It was the 38th Progress to dock with the space station and the third of year 2010.
Launch
The Soyuz-U rocket used to launch the Progress M-06M spacecraft was delivered to the Baikonur CosmodromeBaikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in early March 2010. The rocket was manufactured by TsSKB-Progress
Progress State Research and Production Rocket Space Center
The Progress State Research and Production Space Centre is a Russian "Federal State Unitary Enterprise" under the jurisdiction of Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency responsible for space science and aerospace research...
at Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
.
The Progress was launched successfully on 30 June 2010 at 15:35 UTC. The cargo ship was loaded with 870 kilograms (1,918 lb) of propellant, 50 kilograms (110.2 lb) of oxygen and air, 100 kilograms (220.5 lb) of water and 1210 kilograms (2,667.6 lb) of equipment, spare parts and experiment hardware.
The spacecraft reached a preliminary orbit of 193 by. A series of precise engine firings over two days guided the craft towards a docking with the International Space Station's aft Zvezda port originally scheduled for 2 July.
First docking attempt
While approaching the ISS on 2 July 2010, the spacecraft aborted the docking procedure after a critical communications error. The spacecraft bypassed the station at a safe distance. According to the official statement of the Moscow mission control, the approach to the ISS went normally until the distance of around 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) when the ship's KURS automated rendezvous system issued a command prohibiting further "dynamic operations". The telemetry between the spacecraft and the ISS was lost about 25 minutes before planned docking. According to NASA, the most likely cause of the aborted docking was traced to the activation of the TORU "Klest" TV transmitter, which created interference with TORU manual rendezvous system, causing a loss of the TORU command link between spacecraft and the ISS that triggered the abort of the Progress docking. The Russian flight control team later confirmed that the KURS system operated normally during the aborted docking attempt and did not fail, as was initially believed.A RSC Energia accident commission completed an investigation into the docking failure and concluded that a "dynamical mode abort" command in the spacecraft's backup manual approach control loop had caused the anomaly. The command was generated because of interference in the TORU metric wave signal link and pressed button “Operation” on the TORU panel in the space station's Zvezda module.
Docking
Shortly after the abort, the situation was evaluated and a second attempt at docking on 4 July was planned and subsequently succeeded.Flying on autopilot using the KURS automated system, the spacecraft docked to the aft docking port of Zvezda. The Expedition 24 crew members monitored the arrival of the spacecraft and as a precautionary measure TORU was not activated for the second attempt. The docking occurred over four-corner border of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia. Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes later and the crew members entered the Progress around 19:30 UTC.
ISS reboost
An ISS reboost assisted by the attitude thrusters of Progress M-06M was initiated on 16 July 2010 to improve conditions for the landing of Soyuz TMA-18 and the docking of Progress M-07MProgress M-07M
Progress M-07M , identified by NASA as Progress 39 or 39P, is a Progress spacecraft which was used to resupply the International Space Station. It was the seventh Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, the fourth for the year 2010 and has the serial number 407. The spacecraft was...
. Following the commands from the space station Russian Segment Central Computer, the engines of the Progress M-06M spacecraft were started at 06:42:30 UTC. The operation lasted 1065 seconds raised the orbit of the space station by 3.7 km to 355.2 km.
Undocking and deorbit
The Progress M-06M spacecraft loaded with trash and other items for disposal, undocked from the International Space Station at 11:25 UTC on 31 August 2010. This was slightly behind schedule: the command for the spacecraft to undock was intended to have been issued from the ISS at 11:19 UTC, resulting in undocking three minutes later.Following undocking, Progress M-06M remained in orbit to conduct an experiment designation Radar-Progress. It was deorbited over the Pacific Ocean on 6 September 2010, with debris falling into an area known as the spacecraft cemetery
Spacecraft cemetery
The so-called Spacecraft Cemetery is an area in the southern Pacific Ocean 3900 km southeast of Wellington, New Zealand,where spacecraft, notably the defunct Mir space station and waste-filled Progress cargo ships are and have been routinely deposited. It has been chosen for its remoteness, as...
. The retroburn was initiated at 16:13:50 Moscow time and the remaining parts of the Progress, which had not burnt during the reentry, fell down in the area of 42°07'S 138°25'W at about 16:53 Moscow time.