Space rendezvous

A space rendezvous between two spacecraft, often between a spacecraft and a space station, is an orbital maneuver where the two arrive at the same orbit, make the orbital velocities the same, and bring them together (an approach maneuver, taxiing maneuver); it may or may not include docking.

Related Topics:
Spacecraft - Space station - Orbital maneuver - Orbit - Orbital velocities

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Examples:

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• A visit to the International Space Station (manned) by:
• Soyuz spacecraft (manned)
• Space Shuttle (manned)
• Progress spacecraft (unmanned)
• Visit to the Hubble Space Telescope (unmanned), for servicing, by Space Shuttle (manned), and possibly in future by the Hubble Robotic Vehicle (HRV) to be developed (unmanned)
• Moon landing crew returning from the Moon in the ascent stage of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM), to the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) orbiting the Moon (Project Apollo) (both manned)
• The STS-49 crew attached a rocket motor to the Intelsat VI (F-3) communications satellite to allow it an orbital maneuver

Alternatively the two are already together, and just undock and dock in a different way:

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• Soyuz spacecraft from one docking point to another on the ISS
• in the Apollo spacecraft, an hour or so after Trans Lunar Injection of the sequence third stage of the Saturn V rocket/ LM inside LM adapter / CSM (in order from bottom to top at launch, also the order from back to front with respect to the current motion), with CSM manned, LM at this stage unmanned:
• the CSM separated, while the four upper panels of the LM adapter were disposed of
• the CSM turned 180 degrees (from engine backward, toward LM, to forward)
• the CSM connected to the LM while that was still connected to the third stage
• the CSM/LM combination then separated from the third stage

Another kind of "rendezvous" was in 1969, when the Apollo 12 mission involved a manned landing on the Moon within walking distance of the unmanned Surveyor 3, which had made a soft landing in 1967. Parts of the Surveyor were brought back. Later analysis showed that bacteria had survived their stay on the Moon.

Related Topics:
Apollo 12 - Surveyor 3

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On August 12, 1962 Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 were placed into adjacent orbits and passed within several kilometers of each other, but did not have the orbital maneuvering capability to perform a space rendezvous. This was also the case on June 16, 1963 when Vostok 5 and Vostok 6 were launched into adjacent orbits.

Related Topics:
August 12 - 1962 - Vostok 3 - Vostok 4 - June 16 - 1963 - Vostok 5 - Vostok 6

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The first space rendezvous took place on December 15, 1965 when Gemini 6 came within 30-cm of Gemini 7. The spacecraft were not equipped to dock and no physical contact took place.

Related Topics:
December 15 - 1965 - Gemini 6 - Gemini 7

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The first space rendezvous and docking took place on March 16, 1966 when Gemini 8 rendezvoused and docked with the uncrewed Agena 8 target vehicle.

Related Topics:
March 16 - 1966 - Gemini 8 - Agena 8 target vehicle

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An example of an undesired rendezvous in space is an uncontrolled one with space debris.

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Anti-satellite weapons partly fall under the category of hostile rendezvous. "Non-energy weapons" are those which do not use explosives or radiation, but just collide.

Related Topics:
Anti-satellite weapon - Collide

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