Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science

ISS Docking

Have any of you seen the video from the recent Soyuz docking with the ISS.

Two things caught me buy suprise.

1) The US solar arrays looked like it was flapping about like crazy - I thought they turned the arrays edge-on to the approaching craft to limit rcs-array forces - this thing was flapping around like a sail in a strong wind.

2) The actual docking was spot on in terms of targetting (one of the smallest post-contact nudges to one side I've seen) - but in terms of rotation, after initial capture, the spacecraft rotated about 15 - 20 degrees about what I guess would be called its Z axis? (the axis of the docking probe)

Everything has gone fine - but both of those things really caught my eye and seemed unusual compared to previous Soyuz and/or Progress dockings.

Doug

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