This freighter blasted off from Baykonur on 25.10.1998 at 04.14.57 UTC. The first telemetry signals in the 166 and 165 mc bands could be monitored between 0850 and 0852 UTC. This was during the pass for the Hague in orbit nr. 3.

During the following pass in orb. 4, 1019-1026 UTC, the elevation for my position was 79 degrees and so the signals in the 166 and 165 mc bands and the transmitter on 922.755 mc were loud and clear. TCA (Time Closest Approach) was at 10.21.34 UTC.

Progress-M39:

Today ( UTC) this old freighter has to leave the aft docking port (Kvant-1, -X-axis) to free this port for Progress-M40. The undocking is scheduled for 25.10.1998 at 2300 UTC. Progress-M39 will not immediately fly away from Mir, but will remain for a while and execute a number of manoeuvres. During this operation the cosmonauts will execute experiments and make video images via a porthole. This will take place on 26.10.1998 between 0103-0108 UTC when the distance between Mir and Progress-M39 is shortest. After 0108 UTC the Progress-M39 will get the fly away impulse and after a few orbits she will decay over a designated area of the Pacific east of New-Zealand.

Docking Progress-M40 at Mir:

The docking at the aft (Kvant-1, -X-axis) port of Mir is scheduled for 27.10.1998 at 0539 UTC. This will be 4 minutes after both objects disappeared behind our (the Hague's) eastern horizon and after LOS (Loss of signal) of the pass in orbit 72476, between 0503 and 0535 UTC, with an elevation of only 2 degrees.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.