Progress M-51 transport cargo vehicle docks with International Space Station

December 26, 2004. Korolev, Moscow Area.

Following a two-day free flight in near-earth orbit Russian Progress M-51 cargo vehicle launched on December 24, 2004 from Baikonur cosmodrome docked to the International Space Station (ISS).
At 02:57:47 Moscow time the vehicle came into contact with the station axial docking port of the Russian Service Module Zvezda. The vehicle rendezvous with the on-orbit complex ISS, fly-about and docking were performed in the automatic mode. During the vehicle closing to the station, i.e. final approach, the vehicle and Space Station were within the Russian ground site coverage.
The Expedition crew ISS-10 consisting of Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov (flight engineer) and US astronaut Leroy Chiao (commander) monitored the implementation of the approach and docking processes.

Progress M-51 delivered about 2.55 kg of various cargoes including propellant components, water supplies, as well as 1.35 kg of dry cargoes consisting of foodstuff, parcels for the crew, structural elements, payloads for the USOS, hardware and materials for space experiments.
The ISS-10 crew will have to unload the vehicle and accommodate the delivered cargoes on the Station, and load the wasted materials and equipment to the vehicle.
The on-orbit complex ISS of more than 183.8 tons performs a near-orbit flight with the following parameters: maximum altitude of 372.9 km, minimum altitude of 351.6 km, period of revolution of 91.5 min.

The Russian Segment is made up of the Functional Cargo Module Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking module Pirs, transport vehicles Soyuz TMA-5 and Progress M-51. The US On-Orbit Segment is made up of modules Unity and Destiny, airlock Quest and multi-link truss structure with deployed solar arrays. The vehicles and Station modules onboard systems operate in a design mode.
The ISS flight is under control of the Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) of the Mission Control Center in Moscow (MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow area in interaction with the US Mission Control Center in Houston (MCC-H). The Flight is directed by V.A. Soloviev, RSC Energia Deputy General Designer, pilot-cosmonaut.

During the cargo vehicle docking to the ISS the MCC-M was attended by:

Yu.P. Semenov, Technical Manager of Russian Piloted Space Programs, Academician of RAS (General Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia), V.A. Grin’, co-chairmen of the State Board, A.B. Krasnov, Head of Piloted Programs Department, Roskosmos, and other representatives of the Russian Federal Space Agency, representatives of NASA, allied space enterprises and organizations, which took part in the manufacturing, prelaunch processing and launch of Progress M-51 and control of the Russian Segment of the Station.

Upon completion of the docking Yu.P. Semenov, A.B.Krasnov, V.A. Soloviev answered the questions of journalists of the Russian and foreign information agencies and TV companies who were present at MCC-M.