A giant leap
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
The soon-to-be commander of the International Space Station sent this picture today of the supply ship launched from Kazakhstan yesterday, heading for the ISS. In the foreground is the Soyuz capsule that will take the returning astronauts back to the planet at some point.
Usually, it takes two days for robot ships to reach the ISS, but this one did it in six hours.
From aboard the ISS, astronaut Oleg Novitsky guided the ship in.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Question to ponder: Who won the "space race"?
Earlier this month, a NASA official insisted space is still a "top priority" for the United States.
"If you total up every other space agency on the planet today -- Russia, China, Japan, all of Europe, Canada, South America -- they equal three-quarters of NASA's budget," Lori Garver, the agency's deputy administrator said. "So don't believe that America has turned its back on our civil space program."
The U.S. is turning much of its orbital business to private groups while it works on technology to land on an asteroid.