PROGRESS Ml-8

The seventh Progress was launched towards ISS at 15: 13 March 21, carrying the usual combination of water, propellant, and dry goods. Following a standard Soyuz rendezvous Progress M1-8 docked to Zvezda’s wake port at 15: 58 March 24. Pressure and leak checks were completed before the hatches between the two vehicles were opened. The Expedition-4 crew began unloading the new cargo the following day.

Bursch wrote,

“I was amazed at how much I anticipated the arrival of this Progress. I thought that because we had e-mail and the ‘phone,’ that I wouldn’t think the Progress was such a big deal… but it was! I underestimated how much I would anticipate the arrival of fresh fruit and care packages… something from Earth… something from home… that my friends and family had touched not too long ago!! … Everything went well, and after pressure checks we opened the hatch about midnight. I felt as if it was Christmas morning! Everything was tightly packed, but we managed to get to our care packages after about an hour. I honestly forgot that we hadn’t been visited for the past three months… and something ‘fresh’ from home was VERY welcome! We got new books on CD, cards, letters, pictures and some new DVDs.’’

On March 29, Walz performed hammer tests on the ARIS-ICE.

EUROPEAN COMMERCIALISATION

ESA signed an agreement on March 22 with 11 companies to promote commercial­isation of ISS in Europe by making access to the station easier for those companies. ESA agreed to assist the companies in question to promote awareness of the com­mercial possibilities of ISS within Europe, while supporting projects for such use made by the companies in question. With almost 33% of ESA space on ISS allocated to commercial use rented through the Agency, a spokesman said of the agreement,

‘‘The co-operation agreement between ESA and our strategic partners in industry forms the foundation of a true partnership between the public and private sectors. With the complementary skills of ESA and our partners we are now in a very good position to optimise the services we can offer to those customers who recognise the unique utilisation opportunities of the International Space Station.’’