14 DAY TRIAL // Since space shuttles cannot be flown into space whenever it is necessary, as we all saw during the Atlantis liftoff attempts early this month, which was scheduled to take the European module Columbus to the International Space Station, and due to the fact that NASA does not own a freight transport vehicle that could take that role, the Russian cargo ship, Progress 26, was sent to the ISS and successfully arrived on Wednesday, in order to deliver gifts and bring fresh supplies.
Developed from the Soyuz spacecraft original design, which was supposed to take the first Russian astronauts to the surface of the Moon, the Progress spacecraft is currently classified as a manned vehicle, although it is functioning as unmanned spacecraft. After a three-day-chase in order to catch up with the ISS, Progress 26 finally docked on the Russian built Pirs docking module, on Wednesday.
The Russian veteran astronaut, Yuri Malenchenko, stood guard to monitor the vehicle's docking procedure, ready to take manual command of Progress 26, if its automated systems had failed. However, the spacecraft performed flawlessly docking to the ISS at 3:14 a.m. EST over the regions of southern Europe.
Usually, the Progress spacecrafts make about two to three journeys to the ISS every year, in order to deliver supplies. It has been calculated from previous space experiences that an astronaut uses about 30 kilograms of consumables every day, which is automatically translated in about 5.4 tonnes for a six-month period in space. After they deliver their cargo, the Progress vehicles are filled with waste resulted from the ISS, disconnected from the docks, re-orbited into Earth's atmosphere and destroyed during re-entry.
Progress 26, the spacecraft that arrived to the ISS on Wednesday, carried about 2.5 tonnes of rocket propellant, fresh oxygen, food and vital equipment needed on the space station. Along with that cargo, there were presents for the Russian astronaut Yuri Malenchenko, who turned 46 on Saturday, amongst which: favorite movies and shows, and congratulations from his family.
After taking on the waste from the ISS, Progress 26 disconnected from the station yesterday and was sent falling into Earth's atmosphere.