THERE was something not so routine about the unmanned Russian supply ship that lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday. Besides the usual supplies for the crew of the International Space Station, the Progress craft is carrying a few items to prepare the ISS for the return of the space shuttle.
Since the shuttle was grounded two years ago, Progress cargo ships have been shouldering the burden of restocking the space station. But this may be the last such trip if NASA鈥檚 plans to fly the shuttle again sometime in May go ahead. The latest Progress is carrying digital cameras and lenses so that the space station crew can take pictures of the shuttle as it nears the ISS before docking. The photos, to be taken when the shuttle is at distances of 800 and 400 metres from the ISS, will help determine whether the shuttle鈥檚 heat shield was damaged during launch 鈥� the fault that doomed Columbia in February 2003.
This week, NASA plans to hold the final 60-hour simulation of shuttle Discovery鈥檚 return to flight mission, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
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鈥淭he photos will help reveal whether the heat shield was damaged during launch鈥�
