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Russian specialists carry out special adjustment of ISS orbit to duck space junk

As a result, the station received an additional burst of one metre per second. The average altitude of its orbit increased by 1.7 km, totaling 396.6 km

MOSCOW, January 29 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Mission Control Centre carried out a special adjustment of the ISS orbit for the station to duck space junk.

Adjusting jets of the Zvezda service module of the station were switched on Sunday at 03.50 MT; they worked 64 seconds, the Centre reported.

As a result, the station received an additional burst of one metre per second. The average altitude of its orbit increased by 1.7 km, totaling 396.6 km.

“The burst value of the ducking maneuver is calculated with an account for a planned orbit adjustment on February 2, which will be unnecessary now,” the Centre emphasized.

Operations on adjusting the ISS orbit is made automatically in compliance with a programme, recorded aboard the station by the Mission Control Centre in the city of Korolyov, Moscow Region.

A similar operation was carried out on January 13 last time when the station was uplifted by 1.5 km in connection with a threat of the station’s collision with fragments of the American Iridium-33 satellite. This was the 14th adjustment of its orbit throughout the entire history of the ISS operation over the danger of its collision with space junk. A similar maneuver was done last September.

The 30th main mission now works at the ISS: Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronauts Daniel Burbank and Donald Pettit as well as astronaut of the European Space Agency Andre Kuipers.

The Russian ferry Progress M-14M, the first this year, docked to the station on Saturday at 04.09 MT. It brought to the station over 2.6 tonnes of cargoes, including foodstuffs, water, hygienic goods, fuel, various equipment and gifts for the crew. Besides, it brought new equipment for new experiments.

Cargoes include a parcel from psychologists, fresh fruit as well as presents for the birthday of flight engineer of the ISS-30 Shkaplerov who will mark his 40th birthday in February in orbit.