Progress M-17
Encyclopedia
Progress M-17 was a Russia
n unmanned cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1993 to resupply the Mir
space station. The thirty-fifth of sixty four Progress spacecraft to visit Mir, it used the Progress-M
11F615A55 configuration, and had the serial number
217. In addition to delivering cargo, Progress M-17 was also used to demonstrate extended duration Progress missions; remaining in orbit for almost a year with a docked phase lasting 132 days.
carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. It docked with the aft port of the Kvant-1
module at 05:16:18 GMT on 1 April, less than 26 hours after launch. The rocket had the serial number
N15000-069.
The spacecraft carried supplies including food, water and oxygen for the EO-13 and EO-14 crews aboard Mir, as well as equipment for conducting scientific research, and fuel for adjusting the station's orbit and performing manoeuvres. In all, Progress M-17 delivered 2604 kilograms (5,740.8 lb) of cargo to Mir. It carried the seventh VBK-Raduga
recoverable capsule, however due to the extended duration mission this was returned by Progress M-18
.
had docked with the Kristall
module in order to test the APAS-89 docking system ahead of its use in the Shuttle-Mir program
me, leaving the forward port free for Progress M-18, whose docking marked the first time two Progress spacecraft had been docked to a station simultaneously. It undocked from Mir at 15:36:42 GMT on 11 August.
Due to its extended mission, the spacecraft did not have sufficient fuel remaining to deorbit, and it was therefore kept in orbit for 205 days of free flight, until its orbit had decayed
sufficiently for a deorbit burn to be conducted with what fuel remained. During this time, Progress M-17 was used for further tests of the spacecraft's longevity. After being manoeuvred into an orbit away from the station, its systems were deactivated and it was kept in a low-power configuration. On 2 March the spacecraft was reactivated and successfully completed a series of manoeuvres to prove that it could still operate after having been in orbit for so long. The next day, Progress M-17 was deorbited and reentered the atmosphere over the South America
, breaking up at around 03:28 GMT.
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 unmanned cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1993 to resupply the Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
space station. The thirty-fifth of sixty four Progress spacecraft to visit Mir, it used the Progress-M
Progress-M
Progress-M , also known as Progress 7K-TGM, is a Russian, previously Soviet spacecraft which is used to resupply space stations. It is a variant of the Progress spacecraft, originally built in the late 1980s as a modernised version of the Progress 7K-TG spacecraft, using new systems developed for...
11F615A55 configuration, and had the serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
217. In addition to delivering cargo, Progress M-17 was also used to demonstrate extended duration Progress missions; remaining in orbit for almost a year with a docked phase lasting 132 days.
Launch and docking
Progress M-17 was launched at 03:34:13 GMT on 31 March 1993, atop a Soyuz-U2Soyuz-U2
The Soyuz-U2 was a Soviet, later Russian, carrier rocket. It was derived from the Soyuz-U, and a member of the R-7 family of rockets...
carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur 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...
. It docked with the aft port of the Kvant-1
Kvant-1
Kvant-1 was the second module of the Soviet space station Mir. It was the first addition to the Mir base block and contained scientific instruments for astrophysical observations and materials science experiments....
module at 05:16:18 GMT on 1 April, less than 26 hours after launch. The rocket had the serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
N15000-069.
The spacecraft carried supplies including food, water and oxygen for the EO-13 and EO-14 crews aboard Mir, as well as equipment for conducting scientific research, and fuel for adjusting the station's orbit and performing manoeuvres. In all, Progress M-17 delivered 2604 kilograms (5,740.8 lb) of cargo to Mir. It carried the seventh VBK-Raduga
VBK-Raduga
The VBK-Raduga capsule is a reentry capsule that was used for returning materials to Earth's surface from the space station Mir. They were brought to Mir in the Progress-M cargo craft's dry cargo compartment...
recoverable capsule, however due to the extended duration mission this was returned by Progress M-18
Progress M-18
Progress M-18 was a Russian unmanned cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1993 to resupply the Mir space station. The thirty-sixth of sixty four Progress spacecraft to visit Mir, it used the Progress-M 11F615A55 configuration, and had the serial number 218...
.
Extended mission
Progress M-17 was originally scheduled to conduct a normal length mission, however it remained docked with Mir for 132 days because of a longer than usual gap between missions requiring its docking port. Soyuz TM-16Soyuz TM-16
-Crew:-Mission highlights:16th expedition to Mir.First Soyuz without a probe and drogue docking system since 1976. It carriedan APAS-89 androgynous docking unit different from the APAS-75 unit used for ASTP in 1975, yet similar in general principles. Soyuz-TM 16 used it to dock with an androgynous...
had docked with the Kristall
Kristall
The Kristall module was the fourth module and the third major addition to the Mir space station. As with previous modules, its configuration was based on the 77K module, and was originally named "Kvant 3". It was launched on May 31, 1990 on a Proton rocket...
module in order to test the APAS-89 docking system ahead of its use in the Shuttle-Mir program
Shuttle-Mir Program
The Shuttle–Mir Program was a collaborative space program between Russia and the United States, which involved American Space Shuttles visiting the Russian space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the shuttle and an American astronaut flying aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to engage in...
me, leaving the forward port free for Progress M-18, whose docking marked the first time two Progress spacecraft had been docked to a station simultaneously. It undocked from Mir at 15:36:42 GMT on 11 August.
Due to its extended mission, the spacecraft did not have sufficient fuel remaining to deorbit, and it was therefore kept in orbit for 205 days of free flight, until its orbit had decayed
Orbital decay
Orbital decay is the process of prolonged reduction in the altitude of a satellite's orbit.This can be due to drag produced by an atmosphere due to frequent collisions between the satellite and surrounding air molecules. The drag experienced by the object is larger in the case of increased solar...
sufficiently for a deorbit burn to be conducted with what fuel remained. During this time, Progress M-17 was used for further tests of the spacecraft's longevity. After being manoeuvred into an orbit away from the station, its systems were deactivated and it was kept in a low-power configuration. On 2 March the spacecraft was reactivated and successfully completed a series of manoeuvres to prove that it could still operate after having been in orbit for so long. The next day, Progress M-17 was deorbited and reentered the atmosphere over the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, breaking up at around 03:28 GMT.