MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Russian space controllers have agreed to a U.S. request to prepare the International Space Sration for a U.S. shuttle docking.
A Russian Federal Space Agency official told the RIA Novosti news agency Friday that Russia's Mission Control would take the necessary steps to "adjust the International Space Station's orbit on NASA's request, to prepare for the docking of a U.S. space shuttle.
"On the request of NASA, the ISS orbit will be raised on December 5, at 00.36 Moscow time [9.36 p.m. GMT, December 4]," Federal Space Agency spokesman Igor Panarin told the news agency.
Russia's Mission Control for the ISS, which is located in the Moscow oblast, or region, "aborted an attempt to correct the orbit last Thursday after an engine malfunctioned on a Progress M-58 cargo vehicle," RIA Novosti said.
The Federal Space Agency "had said Friday the docking could take place without changing the ISS position, but agreed to alter the orbit following NASA's request," RIA Novosti said.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration had said the next scheduled date for a launch of one of the three remaining U.S. space shuttles is this Thursday. The Russians plan to send up a Progress M-59 cargo vehicle next month, RIA Novosti said.
"Before the malfunction, the cargo ship's engines had raised the ISS only 1.5 kilometers (1 mile), instead of the desired 7.3 kilometers (5 miles)," it said.
