April 24, 2006<br /><br />Allard Beutel<br />Headquarters, Washington<br />(202) 358-4769<br /><br />James Hartsfield<br />Johnson Space Center, Houston<br />(281) 483-5111<br /><br />STATUS REPORT: SS06-019<br /><br />INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-019<br /><br />A shipment of supplies is on its way to the International Space <br />Station. The ISS Progress 21 cargo spacecraft was launched today from <br />the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.<br /><br />The new resupply ship lifted off at 12:03 p.m. EDT (10:03 p.m. <br />Baikonur time). Less than 10 minutes later, the cargo ship reached <br />orbit, and its solar arrays and navigational antennas were deployed <br />for its two-day trip to the orbital outpost.<br /><br />Two pre-programmed firings of the Progress' main engine are scheduled <br />today to fine-tune the ship's path to the space station. Additional <br />rendezvous maneuvers are planned Tuesday and Wednesday.<br /><br />When the Progress launched, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov <br />and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams were flying 219 miles over the <br />Earth off the northeast of Australia. This is their 26th day in space <br />and their 24th day on the complex.<br /><br />Carrying 2.5 tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen, air, spare parts and <br />other supplies, the new Progress is scheduled to automatically dock <br />to the aft port of the station's Zvezda Service Module at 1:40 p.m. <br />EDT Wednesday. The older ISS Progress 20 supply ship, which arrived <br />at the station just before Christmas, will remain at the Pirs Docking <br />Compartment until mid-June. It will be used to stow trash, and its <br />supply of oxygen will help replenish the station's atmosphere.<br /><br />Live coverage of the docking of ISS Progress 21 to the space station <br />begins 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday on NASA Television.<br /><br />NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are available on an <br />MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 <br />degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical <br />polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they're on AMC-7 at 137 degrees <br />west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal <br />polarization. For digital downlink information and links to streaming <br />video, visit:<br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/ntv<br /><br />For more on the crew's activities aboard the station and opportunities <br />to see the station fly overhead from anywhere on the Earth, visit:<br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/station<br /><br />The next station status report will be issued on Wednesday, April 24, <br />after the ISS Progress 21 docking, or earlier, if events warrant.