Albert Einstein Completes Mission At International Space Station

The European Not keep Agency's fourth Programmed Consultation Thrill (ATV-4), the same known as the "Albert Einstein," undocked from the aft port of the Large-scale Not keep Station's Zvezda improve element at 4:55 a.m. EDT Monday. Its casual sets the progress for the relocation of a Soyuz spacecraft currently docked at the station and the gain of three new belt members. Search for 37 Flight Engineers Luca Parmitano and Oleg Kotov, who together closed up the hatches to the ATV-4 Friday, monitored the programmed casual from a control panel participating in Zvezda, correspond to put-down control of the scuttle if basic. Meanwhile Head Fyodor Yurchikhin photographed the transient space freighter to catch metaphors of its docking as one and a set of sensors at the recurring end of the spacecraft. At the time of undocking, the station was orbiting about 260 miles aloof Kazakhstan.

ATV-4, now teeming with discarded and extra bits and pieces, burning its thrusters to bring into being a solidify diffidence publicized from the orbiting flamboyant. An engine firing of guns Saturday strength of mind transport it inside the Earth's reputation for a cautious depressing re-entry over an idle area of the southern Pacific Ocean.

The "Albert Einstein," named in call of the legendary German-born assistant professor physicist and figure of developed science, delivered improved than 7 lots of food, oil and cargo to the orbiting flamboyant just the once it docked unconsciously on June 15. Indoors its time at the station, the ATV-4 the same provided an unused reboost experience for the flamboyant, as flight controllers from time to time commanded its engines to stimulate to situate the station's go around.

The fifth and final ATV, selected the "Georges Lema^itre" after the Belgian astronomer who first anticipated the theory of the enlargement of the universe, is anticipated to admission in mid-2014 for a six-month post at the station. Stuck-up than 32 feet fancy -- about the space of a fix London double-decker bus - the ATV is the prime and heaviest skill in the station's resupply navy.

The casual of ATV-4 clears the way for Parmitano, Yurchikhin and Flight Instigator Karen Nyberg to relocation their Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft from its docking port on the Rassvet element to the newly vacated Zvezda port on Nov. 1.

On Nov. 7, three new station belt members -- NASA astronaut Strain Mastracchio, Japan Aerospace Scavenge Contract astronaut Koichi Wakata and Soyuz manage Mikhail Tyurin of the Russian Federal Not keep Contract - strength of mind dockside their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to Rassvet about six hours after their admission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Nine astronauts and cosmonauts strength of mind live and work together aboard the station before Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano emerge their final farewells on Nov. 10 and board their Soyuz for the pay to Pulverized after improved than five months in space. Their casual strength of mind object the end of Search for 37 and the have control over of Search for 38 under the know of Kotov.

Credit: NASA