(A news flash from our friends at OMSI)
The ATV Jules Verne is scheduled to dock with ISS at 7:41 am PDT Thursday morning. They will be visible over Portland this coming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. For more information, check out the links below. Sighting times are subject to change by NASA and ESA. Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 2
The ISS will be visible at 9:31 pm followed by ATV Jules Verne 9:36 pm moving from N to NE at altitude of 24 degrees. (subject to change)
Thursday, April 3
The ISS and ATV Jules Verne will be visible at 8:18 pm moving from WNW to NE at altitude of 24 degrees. Again at 9:53 pm moving from NW to NNW at altitude of 26 degrees. (subject to change)
Friday, April 4
The ISS and ATV Jules Verne will be visible at 8:40 pm moving from NW to NE at altitude of 23 degrees. Again at 10:14 pm moving from NW to NW at altitude of 21 degrees. (subject to change)
Sighting source: http://www.heavens-above.com/?lat=45.524&lng=-122.675&alt=0&loc=Portland&TZ=PST
ISS Main page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
ATV: http://www.esa.int/esaMI/ATV/SEMDQL5QGEF_0.html
FROM NASA (4/2/08):
The Expedition 16 crew of the International Space Station returned to science and station maintenance activities Tuesday after Monday’s successful test approach of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).
Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman worked together to set up equipment for a periodic physical fitness evaluation. Reisman exercised on the station’s cycle ergometer while wearing a heart rate monitor. Whitson collected data from this session, which exercise physiologists and flight surgeons will use to assess Reisman’s health and make adjustments to his exercise regimen if needed.
Later, Reisman worked in the Quest airlock, performing maintenance on the cooling loops of the U.S. spacesuits.
In preparation for the ATV docking on Thursday, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko checked the hardware needed to perform leak checks in the event of a failure in the power unit of the cargo carrier’s depress valve.
The Jules Verne approached the station on Monday for its “Demo Day 2″ practice maneuvers. It moved to within 36 feet of the Zvezda Service Module in a rehearsal for docking on Thursday.
The ATV reached its closest point to the station at 12:38 p.m. EDT, at which time it was commanded by the crew to retreat to a point 62 feet away. From there it executed an “escape” command to depart the station for its three-day phasing prior to final approach and docking around 10:41 a.m. Thursday.