|
A Russian cargo spacecraft, making the first space shot since the US Columbia disaster on Feb. 1, successfully pushed the International Space Station into higher orbit Tuesday, Russian mission control said.
The Progress M-47 cargo ship raised the station's orbit by 10.5 kilometers to about 396 kilometers, said the control center.
In the past, both Russian supply ships and US shuttles have regularly adjusted the station's orbit, which gradually decreases under the impact of the earth's gravity.
But with shuttle missions suspended during the investigation into the Columbia disaster on Feb. 1, the Russian ships have become the sole link to the outpost.
The Progress M-47 hooked up to the ISS a week ago, bringing fuel, food, water and other supplies for the ISS's three-member crew.
Russia and the United States are currently engaged in tense negotiations over how to best utilize Russia's limited financial resources to help keep the ISS operating following the Columbia shuttle disaster.
(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2003)
|
