Cargo spacecraft "Progress-M 55"

Mission Report:

• 20th cargo to ISS - flight 20P, to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.
• Progress M-55 was launched as mission ISS flight 20P, on a Soyuz-U from Baykonur. The 7-tonne craft docked with the Station's Pirs module at 1946 UTC on Dec 23, 2005.
• On 11 Feb 2006, the Progress's altitude thrusters were used to reboost the Station's altitude. This was the first time that the trusters of a Progress craft, which was docked to Pirs, had been used for a reboost.
  The test served as "training for fire figters" and, if there were no problems, the technique would allow for future such manoeuvres to change the orbit and avoid space debris.
  The 521.7 second burn of the engines began at 20:21 GMT on 11 Feb and increased the mean altitude of the Station by 700 m. The Russian TsUP control centre reported the new orbit of the Station was 358.8 x 346.4 km with a period of 91.39 minutes ans an inclination 51.66 degrees.
• The Progress M-55 cargo ship undocked from the Pirs module at 14:06 UTC on Jun 19, 2006. It fired its engines at 17:06 UTC to lower its orbit into the atmosphere, and re-entered at 17:41 UTC over the Pacific.