Russia Mission Control to adjust ISS orbit

MOSCOW, May 5 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Mission Control Centre (MCC) on
Thursday will adjust the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) in
order to create favourable conditions for the landing of the Soyuz
spacecraft with the ISS crew on board.
The MCC outside Moscow told Itar-Tass that "the operation is aimed at
the formation of a working orbit for the station to ensure the conditions
for the return of Soyuz TMA-20 crew at the intended landing area." The
landing of the spaceship on which Russian Dmitry cosmonaut Dmitry
Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman and Italian astronaut Paolo
Nespoli will return to Earth is scheduled for May 24.
The main propulsive thrust during the manoeuvre will be two engines of
the European cargo spacecraft Johannes Kepler (ATV-2) docked to the
accessory bay of the Russian Zvezda Service Module. The space station's
orientation in space will be ensured by engines of Zvezda and the Russian
cargo ship Progress M-10M, which is at the nadir unit of the Pirs docking
module.
The engines are to be switched on at 15:20 MSK, the MCC specified.
During 239 seconds of the engines' work the ISS will rise by about one
kilometre.
The ISS orbit adjustment manoeuvres are usually carried out in order
to bring the station to the desired orbit for docking with the cargo or
manned spacecraft, to create conditions for a successful landing, and to
avoid collision with space "garbage."
Under the influence of Earth's gravity and other factors, the ISS
orbit is lowered daily by 150 - 200 metres.
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