ISS Orbit To Be Corrected After Emergency

Russia's Mission Control Center may correct the International Space Station's orbit once again, following an emergency situation involving a space vehicle that is currently docked with it, an expert at the center said Wednesday, reports RIA Novosti.

"The emergency that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday was caused by an engine shutoff of the Progress M-54 cargo vehicle during initial ISS orbit correction maneuvers," he said. "The decision to perform a second ISS orbit correction will most likely be made today."

According to the expert, the shutoff was not spontaneous but executed by a special computer system that controls the engines' synchronous operation.

The expert said the first orbit correction, aimed at raising the station's orbit by 10 kilometers, had been performed to prepare the station to dock with another cargo vehicle, the Progress M-55, which is set to be launched from Earth December 21.

The situation is therefore not a cause for concern since the center has plenty of time to complete an orbit correction and the current ISS orbit parameters are satisfactory.

Copyright 2005 by Space Daily, Distributed United Press International