A supply spacecraft was launched to the space station for the first time - the equipment and in particular the fresh food will arrive at the station on the same day and not more than 48 hours later as is customary
A Progress robotic supply spacecraft was launched tonight (August 1, 2012) to the International Space Station.
The spacecraft, Progress 48, carries fresh supplies, equipment and oxygen. The uniqueness of this launch is that instead of two days of maneuvers until arriving at the station, it should perform the process within a book of hours.
The spacecraft was launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan at 22:35 Israel time. The spacecraft is supposed to reach its destination six hours later, and more precisely at 04:24 Israel time. It is supposed to automatically dock at the Pierce Dock in the Russian part of the space station.
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Totem, I don't know about all the considerations but what I can think of is:
1. She should not take food, water and air to the team.
2. Secondly, much smaller parts of it should be sealed.
3. If it is a cheap enough spaceship, it may not even be necessary to land it safely, thus saving more heavy equipment that is on it.
Avi: I would love to hear *why* the procedure is faster. What are "maneuvers"? Is the spaceship faster? Faster dispatch procedures? Faster connection?