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The Russian cargo vessel Progress M-51 carrying urgently needed water, oxygen and food to the International Space Station (ISS) lifted off successfully overnight Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Russian space authorities. A Soyuz rocket took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan bearing the cargo vessel at 2219 GMT, and placed it into orbit nine minutes later, Interfax said. Progress, carrying more than two tonnes of water, oxygen, food, fuel and scientific materials -- as well as Christmas presents for the two-man ISS crew -- is expected to arrive at the space station on Sunday. If the Progress flight had been annulled or aborted, Russian Salijan Sharipov and American Leroy Chiao would have required emergency evacuation, because they currently have enough supplies to last only until mid-January. The space station, which had been supplied by US space shuttles until the February 2003 Columbia disaster, is now supplied only by Russian craft, which have a much smaller cargo capacity. All rights reserved. © 2004 United Press International. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by United Press International. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of United Press International. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Expedition 10 Faces Half Rations As Resupply Mission Countdown
Moscow (UPI) Dec 20, 2004International Space Station mission controllers have cut the astronauts' food ration in half, Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov told a local newspaper. |
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