Flight Of The ATV

The Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is a 22-ton unmanned cargo carrier that will ferry almost 8 tons of equipment and spare parts as well as food, air, water and Russian resupply fuel to the station. It will use its thrusters to control the attitude of the space station and its main engines to reboost it.

The first ATV launch is set for 9th March 2008, from ESA's Arianespace launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, along the northern coast of South America. The Jules Verne will ride atop an Ariane 5 rocket, the largest payload ever carried by that rocket.

On board the ATV is a high-precision navigation system that will be used to guide the craft to a rendezvous with the station. The docking with the station will be automatic, with the ATV slowly approaching and mating to the aft port of the station's Russian Zvezda living quarters module.

"The ATV, with its large cargo capacity as well as its ability to bring fuel, air and water to ISS will be a significant enhancement to the ISS cargo transportation capability," said Kirk Shireman, deputy program manager for the International Space Station. "The ATV, together with the Shuttle, Progress, and Soyuz vehicles, gives the ISS cargo transportation options and redundancy which is important for long term success."

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ATV
• Automated
• Transfer
• Vehicle
• ESA

[Yagharekthedead]

why does the ATV part have to be dumped? seems like a waste to me. they could just keep it connected and that way make the station bigger and bigger as time goes on.

[BrunoTheQuestionable]

The ISS has to put out their garbage eventually, so the plan is to dump it in the ATV and burn it up in the atmosphere.

[RoadRunnerLaser]

Nice one, Bruno.

Am I correct in my interpretation that the footage was speeded up to a factor of about x10 or even x20 ? All the maneuvres, docking etc. seemed speeded up as well as the orbit of the ATV and ISS (the surface of Earth doesn't whizz by quite as quickly in LEO as that animation indicates).

[BrunoTheQuestionable]

I have no info on the actual rate, but I would say at least X20. Normal docking approach velocity is around 0.1 ft/s and it looks much faster than that.

There's a video of the launch coming up when YouTube gets through processing it !

[homousios]

I was wondering about the ATV and this video answered my question. thanks!

[BrunoTheQuestionable]

Glad to help :)

[BlisterHiker]

Great animation! Thanks for posting it Bruno.

International Space Station is a beautiful example of what people can achieve as mankind when working constructively and in peace.

I hope this example continues as we plant to build permanent base on the Moon, explore Mars and beyond!

[Jmcenanly]

It fit. If I hadn't seen the James Bond movie, I wouldn't have made the mental association.

[kidclumsy]

Hi bruno, thanks a lot for all your vids!!

I missed the launch so i'll be tuning in to see your vid, all the best

[RoadRunnerLaser]

Oh aye, it sure is much faster than that in the anim but I was basing much of my guestimate on the way Earth looked. You may remember that I'm an 'Orbiteer' and quite familiar with views from LEO.

Looking forward to seeing that launch vid. Keep it up Bruno. Excellent material as usual. :)

[BrunoTheQuestionable]

It seemed to fit somehow. Oh well :(

[mistaspot1]

I thought it was apt.