|
Dock (spacecraft)
Docking and berthing of spacecraft is the joining of two spacecraft, space vehicles. This connection can be temporary, or wiktionary:semipermanent, partially permanent such as for space station modules. ''Docking'' specifically refers to joining of two separate free-flying space vehicles. ''Berthing'' refers to mating operations where a passive module/vehicle is placed into the mating interface of another space vehicle by using a robotic arm. Because the modern process of un-berthing requires more crew labor and is time-consuming, berthing operations are unsuited for rapid crew evacuations in the event of an emergency. History Docking Spacecraft docking capability depends on space rendezvous, the ability of two spacecraft to find each other and orbital station-keeping, station-keep in the same orbit. This was first developed by the United States for Project Gemini. It was planned for the crew of Gemini 6A, Gemini 6 to rendezvous and manually dock under the command of Wally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Progress (spacecraft)
The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked to a space station, hence it is classified as ''crewed'' by its manufacturer. Progress is derived from the crewed Soyuz spacecraft and launches on the same launch vehicle, a Soyuz rocket. Progress has supported space stations as early as Salyut 6 and as recently as the International Space Station (ISS). Each year there are between three and four Progress flights to the ISS. A Progress remains docked until shortly before being replaced with a new one or a Soyuz (which will use the same docking port). Then it is filled with waste, disconnected, and de-orbited, at which point it burns up in the atmosphere. Due to the variation in Progress vehicles flown to the ISS, NASA uses its own nomenclature where "ISS 1P" means the first Progress spacecra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
