The International Space Station (ISS) is flying just a bit higher today thanks to a handy robotic space freighter docked at the orbital laboratory.

Russia’s unmanned ISS cargo ship Progress 23, which is currently berthed at the aft end of the space station’s Russian-built Zvezda service module, fired eight thrusters for 12 minutes and 32 seconds to boost the space station’s orbit into the proper position to meet a new batch of astronauts next month.

The result: A 6.3-mile (10-kilometer) boost for the ISS.

So now, instead of orbiting the Earth in a 214-mile by 199-mile (344-km by-320 km), the space station has evened itself out a bit to reach a 214 by 205-mile (344 by 330-km) orbit.

While it seems like a relatively minor shift, the orbital reboost is a landmark for two astronauts aboard the ISS. The maneuver means the space station is now in position to receive the relief crew for Expedition 14 commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin, who have lived aboard the ISS since late September.

Expedition 15 commander Fyodor Yurchikin and flight engineer Oleg Kotov – not to mention U.S. space tourist Charles Simonyi – are due to launch towards the ISS on April 7, then dock two days later. Expedition 14 flight engineer Sunita Williams will join the Expedition 15 crew, while Simonyi will return to Earth with Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin around April 17 or so.

So hooray for orbital mechanics. It means the Expedition 14 crew is one step closer to coming home.

 In other news, how bout that new Node 2 name Harmony?

This entry was posted on Friday, March 16th, 2007 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Space & Astronomy, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.