This 3-minute video shows excerpts of how ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sasha Skvortsov monitored the docking of ATV Georges Lemaître with the International Space Station on August 12.
An ATV docking is a mix of high-tech and low-tech. Lasers on ATV Georges Lemaître give extremely accurate distance readings but these readings are double-checked by Alexander and Sasha using a simple ruler placed over the monitoring screen.
Speaking in Russian, you should hear the astronauts say “Системы в норме” and “Мишень внорме” meaning “all systems are nominal” and “target is nominal” (this editor’s Russian is admittedly not spaceflight-worthy).
After docking the two largest spacecraft around, Alexander has time to record a quick soundbite before a well-deserved congratulatory hug with Sasha.
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