Progress docks with ISS
As expected a Russian Progress freighter docked with ISS yesterday, on schedule and with no mishaps.
I report this non-news story simply because of the Russian claim yesterday that a SpaceX Starlink satellite and Falcon 9 upper stage threatened a collision with that freighter as it maneuvered in orbit prior to docking.
Not surprisingly, there was no collision. The Russians knew this, or they would never have launched as they did. They made a stink about it as a ploy to stain SpaceX, a company that has taken almost all their commercial launch business by offering cheaper and more reliable rockets.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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As expected a Russian Progress freighter docked with ISS yesterday, on schedule and with no mishaps.
I report this non-news story simply because of the Russian claim yesterday that a SpaceX Starlink satellite and Falcon 9 upper stage threatened a collision with that freighter as it maneuvered in orbit prior to docking.
Not surprisingly, there was no collision. The Russians knew this, or they would never have launched as they did. They made a stink about it as a ploy to stain SpaceX, a company that has taken almost all their commercial launch business by offering cheaper and more reliable rockets.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
It’s time to cast adrift the Russian communist’s modules from our ISS.
Who needs them?
Vlad can build his own.
After all, he enslaves the world’s eleventh largest economy (right behind Italy).
It’s time to cast adrift the Russian communist’s modules from our ISS. Who needs them?
We do. The ISS cannot maintain orbit without the Service Module’s propulsion system.
Oh, and Russia hasn’t been communist for about 30 years now.
I believe that the US technically owns the Zaria module, which does have it’s own propulsion system. We paid for it’s construction and launch from my understanding. It is in fact the oldest, on orbit segment of the station, being launched first, followed by a shuttle launch which brought up the first node. It in fact maintained the fledgling station’s orbit for quite a long time while the Russians delayed in launching Zvesda. So in theory, Zaria could once again act as the propulsion module for the international section of the station.
So in theory, Zaria could once again act as the propulsion module for the international section of the station.
Gealon: The rest of what you say is true but not this part. Zarya’s propulsion section was disabled and Zarya’s functions replaced by the Zvezda module — not just the propulsion function but the communications, command and control, and telemetry functions as well. In addition, Zarya’s solar panels had to be retracted when the P1 and S1 thermal radiators were deployed, so Zarya can no longer even power itself.
The best hope for an ISS independent of Russia is that the upcoming Axiom hub module can take over the orbital reboost and propulsive attitude control of the Service Module. Until that happens, the ISS is very much dependent on Russia.
Interesting, I was not aware that Zaria’s propulsion system had been disabled. The power problem I did know about but that should be fairly easy to address with supply from the main solar panels. I don’t suppose the Russians would cooperate in re-enabling Zaria’s engines if they can be reactivated at all. Might be time to dust off the plans for the Interim Propulsion Module.
In any case, thanks for the correction. I now have my weekend reading planned so as to get back up to date on station matters.
Surely it is better to play nice in the only sandpit Russia and the west actually play nice in? A bit of bullcrap propaganda that surely comes from politicians and not from the engineers is no reason to break up the ISS.
I’m pretty sure that I will be universally disagreed with here, but if China, the US, Russia and Europe could cooperate on manned space exploration it might just help relations on the ground, and for sure smooth future inevitable landgrabs on the moon, astroids, Mars and beyond.
Lee–
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
“Russians don’t take a dump, son…”
https://youtu.be/FIjnTKr8FS0
2:47
Gealon wrote: “I believe that the US technically owns the Zaria module,”
Technically, the U.S. does not own Zaria. Dan Goldin gave Russia the option of being a contractor for NASA and NASA owning the Russian modules, but Russia chose otherwise. At that time, it had become too publicly obvious that Russia was spending on other things the money that NASA was sending them to build their part of ISS. The U.S. was sending money, but the Russian modules were not being built. The only face-saving move for NASA was to change the conditions of the agreement or to force Russia to build their ISS modules. Technically, Russia owns its modules, but the U.S. paid Russia more money than they cost to construct and launch. Russia remains a partner rather than a mere contractor, like Boeing, which built under contract, but does not own, several ISS modules.
It is yet another example of the world taking advantage of the U.S. and its largess.
I don’t suppose the Russians would cooperate in re-enabling Zaria’s engines if they can be reactivated at all.
Gealon: Unlike the Service Module, Zarya cannot be refueled, so it can no longer perform the attitude control function it did 22 years ago. In addition, its engines are not powerful enough or situated properly to perform an orbital reboost. Before the Service Module arrived, ISS orbital reboost was performed by visiting Shuttles. Russia really is indispensable to the ISS at this point in time.
Technically, the U.S. does not own Zaria.
Edward: This is incorrect. The U. S. does technically own Zarya, otherwise known as the FGB. This was done to so that the space station’s first element launch was an American launch, not a Russian launch.
The remaining modules built in Russia — the Service Module, Docking Compartment 1 (DC-1)*, Docking Compartment 2 (DC-2)*, and the Docking and Stowage Module* — are all owned by Russia as you say. The Russians also own the Progress and Soyuz capsules they launch to the station. But Zarya was and is an American-owned module.
Now it is true that the Russians have never provided the control codes for it as they were required to do under the international agreement, so NASA could not take control of the module even if they wanted to, but it’s a moot point now. It’s all but a dead module now. It draws power from the American side to run its lights and fans but is otherwise just used for storage. It’s only remaining function is to connect the American and Russian sides of the station together.
*These modules were renamed several times during and since development. I’m not sure what they are called today.