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ATV recovers from propulsion glitch |
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Written by Derek Kessler on
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
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 After the dissapointing failure of a propulsion system controller aboard the ESA's Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle, the dedicated cargo ship is now back on its metaphorical feet. The unmanned craft launched on March 8th into orbit and soon afterwards a computer controlling one of the four maneuvering thruster packages died. Even though the ATV is designed to function with three operational thruster packs, for this shakedown cruise the mission controllers wanted everything to be online before they attempted to boost its orbit.
The ATV's maneuvering thrusters were brought back online today, giving mission control full control over the autonomous craft. Jules Verne started performing orbital maneuvers to raise its orbit up 85 km to the 345 km altitude orbit of the International Space Station. It is expected to complete the maneuvers tomorrow. A planned demonstration of the ATV's automatic collison avoidance system was postponed 24 hours so engineers could be certain that the thrust issue was sorted. The demonstration is to confirm that the ATV can safely dock with the ISS, and is part of a series of tests and trials the craft will have to perform before it is allowed to do so.
Jules Verne is also suffering a problem with its main propulsion engine, which indicated an imbalance between the fuel and stabilizer. As a precaution, the primary drive electronics control system automatically shut down and switched to a backup propulsion assembly. In an effort to trace the origin of the problem - whether the fuel mixture really is off or if the control system is giving a faulty reading - the primary drive electronics will be brought back online. Mission managers admit that the problem might have been caused by vibrations during the ATV's launch.
Either way, Jules Verne won't be able to dock with the ISS for a while. The space shuttle Endeavour is currenly en route to the station and will be docked there for two weeks to perform extensive contruction. After the shuttle departs on March 24, the ATV will move in and perform demonstration maneuvers on March 29 and 31, followed by docking no earlier than April 3rd. Aboard are food, supplies, equipment, and clothing for the ISS crew, as well as two original manuscripts by famed science fiction author Jules Verne.
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