Johannes Kepler freighter approaches space station
 

Europe's sophisticated space freighter, Johannes Kepler, is set to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).

The unmanned robotic truck is delivering new supplies of fuel, food, air, and equipment to the orbiting platform's astronauts.

Kepler is totally automatic - it will use its own computerised systems to make the attachment.

Ground controllers and the station's astronauts will not intervene unless there is a problem.

Contact with the Zvezda module on the rear of the ISS is timed for about 1549 GMT.

A successful docking will clear the way for the American space shuttle Discovery to lift off from Earth.

It, too, has a date with the ISS, and will carry up six visiting astronauts and a smart humanoid robot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12554470

Note: 24 February 2011 Last updated at 15:00 GMT

I've been hankering to fire up Orbiter again... now I just might have another reason to do so. :DL

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first fully automated passenger flight. State-of-the-art multiple-redundant computer systems guarantee that this modern aircraft is safer than any flown by human pilots. We are confident in our assertion that nothing can go wrong...can go wrong...can go wrong...can go wrong..."

This is very interesting. I did not know there was such a freighter. To me it is really science fiction.

Another damn robot freighter! :damn:

Another manned space freighter crew unemployed...
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3...fireflyblu.jpg
... and what if they turn to crime?


The Russians have been flying automated freighters since 1978.

I see nobody's asking the important questions, namely, what's the tonnage on that baby and how much renown do I get for taking her out?

She weighs in at only 7 tons... hardly worth a torpedo. :O:

Deck gun FTW! :woot: :rock:

This I knew. I did not know the UK also had automated craft. Still all science fiction to me.

Exactly. It's all science fiction. All done on sound stages and miniatures.


:D

I think you're a little late on that one.

"Honey, we're crooks. If things were fair we'd be in jail."

And there is even something more that seems to be SiFi to you: It's European, not just British.;)
:O:

If it works, it's British, if it doesn't, it's European :O:

The Russians didn't just send up automated freighters, they sent up an automated shuttle just before the wall came down, the Buran went up, orbitted and came back down all without a crew. It survived the rigours of space and re-entry...then the hangar it was housed in collapsed and destroyed it... :damn::damn:

In other shuttle news, Discovery goes up tonight 9:50 GMT.

Well, one of the prototypes is in the technology museum in Spyer here in Germany.;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK-GLI

Yes, thank god, and your ceilings are somewhat better than the ones in Kazakhstan! :yeah: