The International Space Station crew was to jettison a cargo spacecraft loaded with trash Tuesday, allowing it to incinerate in the Earth's atmosphere.
The Progress 25 spaceship was to undock at 8:37 p.m. EDT and then burn during re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. National Aeronautics and Space Administration controllers in Houston had been considering maneuvering the station before the undocking to avoid an old Strela rocket body orbiting close by. That maneuver, however, was canceled.
The space station is scheduled to undergo an orbital reboost next Monday to maximize rendezvous and docking opportunities for an upcoming Soyuz launch, as well as the launch of space shuttle Discovery on mission STS-120 in late October.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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