Iss Resupply Mission?

[Hypognosis]

Diring the flyby just now (24/07/14 03:24 UK time) I saw a second, fainter, object which was moving at the same rate and following the same curvature of path through the sky but lower and further to the right (less than the span of an outstretched hand).

Astronomy site Heavens-above.com lists no other orbiting craft within 5km and usually mention resupply missions in a prominent place.

Does anyone know of any other rendezvous missions, due today.

This is the first time I've seen the ISS go by with a separate companion object.

[Buenchico]

It's a Russian Progress cargo vehicle.

Answer originally sourced from here:
http://spider.seds.org/shuttle/iss-sche.html
(which you might care to bookmark for future reference)
but there's confirmation (and lots more info) on the NASA website:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/07/russian-progress-m-24m-iss-run/

[Hypognosis]

Thanks, 'Chico, I will.

I shouldn't ask why you're up at this time of night but can't help myself. In my case it's a circadian rhythm problem.

[Buenchico]

I'm a natural night owl. I often don't go to bed until around now (or later) and I'll then get up at lunchtime (or later). You'll sometimes see me on here at around 6am but that's nearly always because I've still not gone to bed -not because I've got up early!

Anyway, I really am off to bed now (so that I'll actually be able to enjoy some of the sun tomorrow), so I'll wish you 'Goodnight'!

[Hypognosis]

Saw two successive flybys tonight. On the 4:10 one, some thing else went haring by, this time on a differently angled orbit. It was almost twice as fast as ISS, catching up and converging with its path but faded out first and well above the horizon. Presumably it was dipping into earth shadow and therefore much lower altitude.

I'm wondering if that was the previous Progress craft which is destined for a
burn-up re-entry? As I say, the orbital angle was a mismatch with ISS itself.

Months of 'routine' flybys and suddenly two unusual ones in two nights! ;-)

[Hypognosis]

fwiw, the secondary item this morning was probably this
BREEZE-M DEB (TANK)
Mag 2.4
Rises 04:11:48 elev 15° Direction SW
Azimuth 04:13:32 elev 29° Dir SSE
Sets 04:15:30 elev 10° Dir E

[Hypognosis]

Hello night owls :)

Check your favourite tracking site. Due 02:35ish, for me, but popping out of shadow in the S or SSE part of the sky.

Next orbit appears 04:08.

[Hypognosis]

Doh! That was tomorrow's time. Clicked on the wrong line. Next pass 03:21, for me.