ISSCOM 22 August 2001 (018) Launch Progress-M45: The freighter Progress-M45 was launched from Baykonur on 21.08.2001 at 09.23.54UTC. During the 3rd orbit Pr-M45 came into range of the Netherlands. The Telemetry could be monitored between 1359 and 1401UTC via the frequencies 166.140 and 922.755 mc. During the next pass in orbit 4 these signals were very strong between 1530 and 1536UTC and enabled me to determine the TCA (Time Closest Approach) at 1532UTC when the beacon frequency was exactly 922.755 mc. The Pr-M45 estimated docking time on 23.08.01 is 0959UTC. Pr-M45 has to approach and dock in the automatic mode with the system Kurs, but Dezhurov can take over the approach and docking by TORU to conclude the operation manually if Kurs fails. If so we can hear the TORU signals via the VHF-2 channels 130.167 and 121.750 mc. These are very lovely sounding tones. Communications with the Russian section of the ISS: During the period in which Discovery was docked at the ISS the Russian section used the VHF-1 (143.625 mc) for communications with TsUP Moscow. This contrary to the use of VHF during all previous Shuttle missions. During those docking missions they only used the VHF-2 (130.165 mc). After the departure of the crew of the 2nd ISS mission, one of the board engineers of the new mission uses the VHF more often than the previous commander Usachov used to do. Thus far I only heard Dezhurov in the normal routine voice communications about technical matters when he needed advice by Russian experts. During the 1st EVA of the Americans, Dezhurov told TsUP Moscow that they opened the hatch and had started the EVA. He regularly reports the pressure and the condition of the air inside the ISS. The routine to check now and then the so called form 14 is back. TsUP transmits these forms to the ISS with the service Packet Radio system. The form contains the times of the Ugli Posadki (Angles of Attack) to enter the earth’s atmosphere when an emergency evacuation of the crew might be necessary. (To be clear: as far as there are no other vehicles for this purpose available, the only rescue ship is the Russian Soyuz-TM.) As soon as on 21.08.01 the crew was sure that the Progress-M45 was underway Dezhurov reported that they started training with the TORU system. When Dezhurov was executing physical training on the tred mill and prepared himself for the TORU training, Culbertson and Tyurin were loading discarded things (for instance garbage) into the old freighter Progress-M1-6. The previous crew already loaded a lot of such items into that ship. Service Packet Radio transmissions between the Russian section and TsUP Moscow: The last time that the VHF-1 (143.625 mc) was used for P/R traffic was on 10.08.01. The stream of messages between TsUP and the ISS goes on, possibly with the use of the Russian system Regul. Radio amateur traffic: Regularly Packet Radio can be monitored on the amateur channels 145.800 mc and 145.990 mc uplink. Telemetry from the Zvezda module: The BITS telemetry signals can be heard on 628.125 mc. The fate of the old freighter Progress-M1-6: This ship undocked from the aft docking port of Zvezda on 22.08.01 at 06.01.36UTC and decayed over the for that purpose designated area in the Pacific East of New Zealand at 09.51.04 UTC. So this docking port is now free to receive the Progress-M45. Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202