Progress M-62 acts as Santa: brings gifts to space station crew

William Atkins
Saturday, 29 December 2007 18:14

Science - Space

A Russian cargo ship, Progress M-62, docked at the Space Station on Wednesday, December 26, 2007, bringing supplies including Christmas and New Year gifts to the three crew members. They must have been good little boys and girls to get two tons of gifts.

The unmanned, expendable Russian freighter spacecraft, which lifted off on Sunday, December 23, is used to resupply the International Space Station. Although normally, unmanned, it has the capability to hold astronauts if an emergency situation arise. It was manufactured based on the Soyuz spacecraft. Progress M-62 was launched by a Soyuz-U launch vehicle (rocket).

This unmanned mission to the space station is the 30th mission by unmanned Russian spacecraft. Its mission to the space station is designated: ISS-27P. It was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. Progress M-62 will remain at the ISS for approximately six months—and will be used in case the crew needs to vacant the station under an emergency situation.

The Progress series of spacecraft was originally intended to resupply the Russian space station, but transferred its mission to the ISS after the Russian station, Mir, was abandoned and deliberately de-orbited on March 23, 2001.

The Russians traditionally give gifts on New Year’s Day, and they celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7 of each year. In Russia, as in many eastern European countries, Santa Claus, as he is called in the United States, goes by the name “Grandfather Frost.” He travels across the land in a magical sleight pulled by reindeer in order to deliver gifts to children.

The religious celebration of Christmas is celebrated on January 7th in the Julian calendar, which corresponds to December 25th in the Gregorian calendar. It includes the “Holy Supper” on Christmas Eve, which involves twelve servings to represent the twelve apostles of Jesus. After many years of suppression of religious holidays by the Soviet communist government, the celebration of Christmas has been allowed since about 1992.

It is unknown whether Grandfather Frost was unable to deliver gifts to the astronauts and cosmonaut on the space station, or just transferred that duty to the Progress spacecraft.

Any way, the spacecraft was loaded with sweets, fruits and vegetables, honey, drinking water, fuel, oxygen, various equipment, and Christmas and New Year’s gifts for the three crew members: ISS commander and U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISS engineer and U.S. astronaut Daniel Tani, and ISS engineer and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchendo.

Besides these gifts and supplies, Malenchendo also received a birthday gift, who became 46 years old on Saturday, December 29, 2007. It is reported by a spokesperson for Russian Mission Control that his wife sent him some of his favorite movies and music.

Also among the supplies for the ISS crew were new pants that were of a different design from those currently worn onboard the orbiting station. The new pants are made of a thinner fabric and are being tested "on-the-job" to see if they are more comfortable than the currently worn pairs.