ATV Rendezvous
ESA TV Exchanges
Europe's Automatic Transfer Vehicle, the ATV is soon taking the road up into space. The un-manned vehicle to be launched by Ariane 5 was conceived as a cargo resupply vessel and space tug for the International Space and is the first ever spacecraft capable of automatic rendezvous and docking. The A-Roll recalls the major moments of docking in space, and describes the way the ATV will meet and lock onto its target. The video includes interviews with John Ellwood, ATV Mission Manager ESA, Nicolas Chamussy, Programme Manager for the prime contractor EADS, and Jean-François Clervoy, ESA astronaut and Senior advisor for the ATV programme.The video also includes some new 3D graphics of the ATV mission.
For more info on this subject please check the script that is online as a PDF file under :http://television.esa.int/photos/EbS55932.pdf
A WMV preview clip is online under :http://esatv-movies.e-vision.nl/videos/mphi/ATV_RDV_TV_11-02-08_wmphigh.wmv

ATV #1 : Rendezvous in space
A-Roll start 00 :01 :00
00 :01 :40 From spaceflight's earliest days, the need has arisen to rendezvous and dock several vehicles. Extremely delicate manoeuvres at walking pace whilst orbiting at absolute speeds of close to 28,000 km/h.
00 :01 :55 In the early 60s, Vostok and Gemini spacecraft flew in tandem. The first ever docking occurred in 1966, Gemini-8 with an un-crewed Agena rocket stage.
00 :02 :08 This paved the way for the Apollo programme, six landers blasting off from the Moon for crucial rendezvousing with their mother ship to return astronauts to Earth.
00 :02 :18 Soyuz craft allowed cosmonauts to permanently occupy the Salyut and Mir space stations.
00 :02 :25 In 1975 East and West made headlines when their Apollo and Soyuz craft docked, with historic handshakes... a landmark in international space cooperation.
00 :02 :38 From 1998, the International Space Station has required regular visits - to-date 58 dockings - of the Shu