PARIS, April 26 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency's Jules Verne ATV was used for the first time Friday to raise the orbit of the International Space Station.
A 740-second burn of the Automated Transfer Vehicle's main engines lifted the ISS nearly 2.8 miles to a height of more than 212 miles above Earth, the space agency said Friday in a release.
ESA Mission Director Alberto Novelli said the space station's altitude naturally decreases with atmospheric drag.
The re-boost sets up the International Space Station for the arrival of NASA's Discovery space shuttle, which is targeted for a May 31 launch.
The Jules Verne, an unmanned cargo re-supply space vehicle, is scheduled to remain docked to the International Space Station until early August when it will undock and then burn up completely during re-entry over the Pacific Ocean, ESA said.
| Additional News Stories | |
FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 23 (UPI) --
U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, is paralyzed from the chest down, doctors said.
|
CADIZ, Spain, Nov. 23 (UPI) --
The escape of seven bulls from the Spanish set of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's new big-screen action-comedy has halted production, officials said.
|