International Space Station Status Report: SS05-060

A holiday delivery arrived at the International Space Station today for the Expedition 12 crew. An unpiloted Russian Progress cargo craft linked up automatically to the station’s Pirs Docking Compartment at approximately 2:46 p.m. EST. The Progress was launched Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev will open the hatch to Progress, when leak checks are completed later today. The crew begins unloading cargo this weekend.

The Progress holds 1,940 pounds of propellant for the station’s Russian thrusters; 183 pounds of back up oxygen and air for the Russian Elektron system; and 463 pounds of water to augment onboard supplies. More than 3,000 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware, life support components and holiday gifts round out the cargo.

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