This is what trash day looks like from the International Space Station (ISS)!
On Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5:04 a.m. EDT, a Progress Cargo Module undocked from the ISS and drifted away with a full haul of space station trash.
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It gradually slowed, deorbiting and dropping into the atmosphere at 8:48 a.m. EDT, leaving a blazing trail in its wake.
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The video above was taken by Expedition 29 crew members as the Progress Cargo Module entered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. It was posted on The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth yesterday, Nov. 2.
"This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken October 29, 2011 from 12:49:23 to 12:54:07 GMT, on a pass starting about 900 miles east of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean traveling southeastward. This brief video was compiled from a sequence of shots taken after the Progress 42P vehicle undocked from the ISS." –- Original caption.
Most of the trash inside the Progress module were incinerated during re-entry. Any remains of the vehicle impacted the Pacific Ocean, far from any populated areas.
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The Progress resupply vehicle is an automated, unpiloted version of the Soyuz spacecraft that is used to bring supplies and fuel to the ISS. A Progress Cargo Module can hold 1,000 to 1,700 kilograms (2,205 to 3,748 pounds) of trash.
Just yesterday, Nov. 2, another Progress 45P vehicle successfully docked with the ISS, delivering much-needed supplies (including food, water and oxygen) to the Expedition 29 crew. It was the first time since July 10 that the ISS received a resupply, and was vital to continuing manned operation of the Station.
Video courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. Progress image credit: NASA.
Tags: Earth, Space Station
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