ISSCOM 24 December 2004 (044)

Progress-M51:
The launch of this for the continuation of the ISS operations so crucial freighter took place from Baykonur on 23.12.04 at 22.19.34UTC. Start and the first phases of the flight took place according to plan.

Communications:
The telemetry transmissions of the Pr-M51 in the 165 and 166 mc bands could be heard loud and clear between 060100 and 060442UTC of Dec 24. The docking at the aft port of the Service Module Zvezda is on schedule for 25.12.04 at 2331UTC.
To be sure that the operations with the ISS can be continued undisturbed this docking has to be a success. The foodsupplies for the 2 crewmembers are almost exhausted and if the docking will fail the crew has to return to earth on 30.12.04.
The approach and eventual docking of Pr-M51 at the ISS take place before both objects come in range of Western Europe. A short time later both objects (possibly 1 object if the docking had been successful) in our range in ISS orbit 34875 between 2347 and 2354UTC. During this pass radio traffic might be possible about the beginning of the necessary air seal checks.
So the purpose of this flight is the delivery of fuel, food, water and other materials indispensable for the exploitation of the manned station.
But there is more for next to the supplies will also be a German robot delivered. This robot has been developed in a German-Russian cooperation project with the name ROKVISS (Robotic Components Verification on ISS). The robot-manipulator, which has to be installed at the outside of the station in the second half of January 2005, has to ease the work of the crews. The equipment and programmatic needs have been worked out by the Institute for Robot Technics and Mechanotronica in Oberpfaffenhofen. This mission resulted from agreements with Roskosmos and RKK Energiya. (Message derived from Novosti Kosmonavtiki)

Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202