14 DAY TRIAL // The Automated Transfer Vehicle Jules Verne has completed successfully the both demonstration maneuvers scheduled to provide with a preview of the spacecraft's capabilities, and is expected to dock with the International Space Station today at 10:41 ET, without any intervention form the crew on board the space station or of the command centers on Earth. The ATV is carrying five tons of supplies for the crew of the space station, was built to replace the Russian freighter Progress, and is at its first flight into space.
The spacecraft named after the French science fiction writer 'Jules Verne' cost 2 billion dollars to build and is hopped to provide with new opportunities for the European space exploration program. "The link-up must be made with extreme precision. We must get this technology absolutely right if we are to go further to the Moon or Mars," said ESA astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy just before the launch of the ATV.
The Jules Verne ATV was built under the supervision of the EADS aerospace group, has the capability of carrying three times the cargo of the Progress freighters and is expected to become the sole re-supply ship of the space station. While in progress, the docking procedure will be overseen by control stations based in the US, Russian and France, and will take place as the two vehicles travel at a velocity of 27,200 kilometers per hour in orbit around Earth.
However, ESA officials say that they are confident that everything will go according to the plan. "It was a perfect dress-rehearsal for Thursday," said John Ellwood of the ESA. Although the ATV was launched into space on 9 March with the help of an Ariane-5 rocket, it had to wait until the departure of the Endeavor space shuttle before beginning its approach to the ISS.
After the space shuttle left for home on 26 March, the ATV was set to go through two demonstration flights on 29 and 31 March, respectively Demoday 1 and Demoday 2. Since the two demonstration flights were carried out successfully, the ATV was cleared for the scheduled docking that will take place today.
Unloading of the supplies will begin immediately, however the ATV will remain attached to the space station for another six months, while it will be filled with garbage. At the end of these six months, the ATV will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere where it will burn up, along with the trash. According to NASA, the space station is decaying its orbit with about 2.4 kilometers per month due to residual gravity, but Jules Verne is set to lift the space station at higher altitudes with the help of its thrusters.