Next Progress Mission Will Carry Extra Supplies

When the next Progress supply ship launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 2nd, it'll carry an extra big load of food, water, air and gear. The idea is to not only keep the station stocked for its resident crew, but to make ready for a possible emergency when the US space shuttles begin to fly again later this year.

As ANN reported over the weekend, NASA has given a green light to Discovery for the shuttle's return to flight, now slated for May 15th. But one of the conditions set by the panel that investigated the 2003 Columbia disintegration is that the International Space Station must be prepared to host the shuttle crew if there's an emergency that prevents the space plane from returning to Earth.

Ideally, NASA officials would like to ensure the shuttle crew, along with the crew already onboard the station, has enough food, water and air for at least 33 days. During that time, a rescue shuttle would be prepared to make an emergency trip to the ISS.

But we also remember the situation aboard the ISS last month, when Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and US Astronaut Leroy Chiao were on the verge of running out of food. They ended up having to supplement their reduced caloric intake with candy bars before a Progress drone was able to deliver ample supplies of real food.

With that in mind, the Russian space agency is sending 486 liters of water, 258 meal packs, oxygen candles and spare parts for the station's toilet (well, we can't have THAT break down, can we?) aboard the Progress flight scheduled for next week.

NASA is sending a special cargo aboard the supply ship: two high resolution cameras that will be used to take pictures of the shuttle while it's in the proximity of the station. The digital cameras will be used to send images back to Earth. The pictures will then be carefully checked for shuttle damage -- anything that might cause problems on re-entry.

FMI: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/station