Fragments of a Russian Progress cargo vessel carrying space trash plunged into the Pacific Ocean early Tuesday after a three-hour flight after undocking from the International Space Station.
Progress 20 fell into designated waters in the Pacific about 5,700 kilometers (3,500 miles) east of New Zealand at 9:53 p.m. Moscow Time, after undocking from the space station nearly three hours before its descent to Earth, a Roskosmos mission-control spokesman told Russian news agencies.
The vessel, which lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, almost six months ago with supplies for the station, was carrying more than a ton of trash, but most of the ship burned up during its fiery descent after entering Earth's atmosphere.
Discarding Progress 20 allows room for the arrival of Progress 22, due to launch from Baikonur on Saturday and reach the station on Monday. Currently, Progress 21 and the Soyuz TMA-8 spaceship remain docked to the orbiting facility.
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Station Deemed Ready For Next Progress And Shuttle
Houston TX (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
The crew of the International Space Station continued their preparations for two incoming missions in as many weeks: the next Russian Progress 22 automated supply spacecraft, due to arrive next Monday, and the NASA shuttle Discovery, scheduled to dock with the station July 3.
