science

Progress M-UM

Progress M-UM is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Progress M-UM rather than just read about it. In short: Progress M-UM (Russian: Прогресс М-УМ), was a specially modified Progress M, Russian production No.303, used to deliver the Prichal module to the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of the International Space Station (ISS). It was launched on 24 November 2021 at 13:06:35 UTC.

Key takeaways

Progress M-UM belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Progress M-UM to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Progress M-UM from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Progress M-UM (Russian: Прогресс М-УМ), was a specially modified Progress M, Russian production No.303, used to deliver the Prichal module to the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of the International Space Station (ISS). It was launched on 24 November 2021 at 13:06:35 UTC. The spacecraft consisted of a Progress M propulsion compartment, with the pressurized cargo section of the spacecraft removed to accommodate Prichal. This was the 171st flight of a Progress spacecraft. It was the final flight of a Progress M and the first launch of a Progress spacecraft on a Soyuz 2.1b.

Development On 15 January 2011, RKK Energia announced that its Scientific and Technical Council (NTS) had reviewed and approved the preliminary design of the Node Module and associated hardware, including a special version of the Progress cargo ship designated the Progress M-UM spacecraft module, intended for the delivery of the Node Module to the station. The space payload section for the Progress M-UM was dubbed KGCh. The Soyuz-2 launch vehicle was adapted for the launch of the Progress M-UM spacecraft module, originally envisioned to take place in 2012, then 2019. It was eventually signed off as completed in 2014 and kept in storage until processing and attachment with Prichal began for a launch in 2021. It is attached to the Prichal module by means of a newly developed transition compartment. The Prichal module was the second addition to the ROS in 2021. Earlier modules were delivered and added in a similar manner. Progress M-UM is similar in design to Progress DC-1, which delivered Pirs in 2001 and Progress M-MIM2, which delivered Poisk in 2009, but with navigational systems and avionics hardware taken from the Progress MS variant.

Launch A Soyuz-2.1b launched Progress M-UM to the International Space Station from Baikonur Site 31/6 on 24 November 2021, at 13:06:40 UTC for delivery of the Prichal module. Due to the larger diameter of the Prichal module, the Progress M-UM was launched in a 4.1 m (13 ft) wide ST-type fairing.

Docking Two days after launch, Progress M-UM automatically docked Prichal to the re-configured nadir (or Earth-facing) port of the Nauka module after removal of the module's nadir docking adapter by Progress MS-17. Progress M-UM, was later undocked and deorbited after 28 days and 15 hours in space.

Expansion of Russian Orbital Segment The ISS flight manifest drafted by Roscosmos at the end of summer 2020 set the launch of the Prichal module for 6 September 2021, with the docking to Nauka's nadir port two days later. However, on 1 December 2020, the launch of Prichal slipped to three and four months after the Nauka. The planned launch date was on 24 November 2021. One port on Prichal is equipped with an active hybrid docking port, which enables docking with the Nauka module. The remaining five ports are passive hybrids, enabling docking of Soyuz and Progress vehicles, as well as heavier modules and future spacecraft with modified docking systems. Eight spacewalks will follow in 2022 to complete the integration of the Nauka and Prichal modules into the Russian Orbital Segment.

Undocking The Progress M-UM propulsion section remained docked at the station for 26 days. The propulsion section then undocked, revealing Prichal's nadir docking port for future Russian spacecraft.

Atmospheric entry The propulsion section re-entered the atmosphere of Earth for destruction over the South Pacific Ocean, on 23 December 2021, at 04:30:54.

Gallery

See also Prichal (ISS module) Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex - proposed complex (scrapped in September 2017) Universal Docking Module - former name Uzlovoy Module (eventually Prichal)

References

Russian Launch Manifest dated 23 July 2014

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Progress M-UM

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Progress M-UM claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Progress M-UM before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Progress M-UM ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Progress M-UM

In research: Progress M-UM appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Progress M-UM in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Progress M-UM is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2021 in Russia, Progress (spacecraft) missions, Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-2 rockets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Progress M-UM outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Progress M-UM in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Progress M-UM means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Progress M-UM out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Progress M-UM in simple terms?

Why does Progress M-UM matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Progress M-UM?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Progress M-UM.