Russian Cargo Spacecraft Fails to Dock with ISS

A Russian Progress spacecraft failed to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) today. According to tweets by NASA, the spacecraft lost its telemetry lock on the space station and safely flew past at a distance of 3 kilometers. NASA and the Russian space agency are examining options, but NASA says no further docking attempts will be made today.

In 1997, a Progress spacecraft collided with Russia’s Mir space station while two Russians, Vasily Tsibliyev and Alexandr Lazutkin, and American Michael Foale were aboard. The Mir crew successfully secured the space station, although the module that was impacted, Spektr, could never be used again.

The near-catastrophe caused great anxiety especially in the United States and led to questions in Congress about whether the “shuttle-Mir” program should continue. At that time, U.S. astronauts were serving as members of long-duration Mir crews, and Russian cosmonauts were serving on U.S. space shuttle missions that visited Mir. The program did continue despite the collision and an unrelated fire aboard Mir earlier the same year. The incidents illustrated both the dangers of spaceflight and the skill, resilience and determination of the crews.