science

Progress MS-18

Progress MS-18 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 MS-18 rather than just read about it. In short: Progress MS-18 (Russian: Прогресс МC-18), Russian production No. 447, identified by NASA as Progress 79P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 170th flight of a Progress spacecraft.

Key takeaways

Progress MS-18 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 MS-18 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Progress MS-18 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Progress MS-18 (Russian: Прогресс МC-18), Russian production No. 447, identified by NASA as Progress 79P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 170th flight of a Progress spacecraft.

History The Progress MS is an uncrewed freighter based on the Progress-M featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements:

New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First time installed on Progress MS-03. Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism. Improved Micrometeoroid (MMOD) protection with additional panels in the cargo compartment. Luch Russian relay satellites link capabilities enable telemetry and control even when not in direct view of ground radio stations. GNSS autonomous navigation enables real time determination of the status vector and orbital parameters dispensing with the need of ground station orbit determination. Real time relative navigation thanks to direct radio data exchange capabilities with the space station. New digital radio that enables enhanced TV camera view for the docking operations. The Ukrainian Chezara Kvant-V on board radio system and antenna/feeder system has been replaced with a Unified Command Telemetry System (UCTS). Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.

Launch On 3 February 2021, Roskosmos approved the updated flight program to the International Space Station for 2021, highlighted with the addition of two permanent modules to the Russian Segment of the outpost. A short tourist visit to the ISS at the end of the year also got the green light. A Soyuz-2.1a launched Progress MS-18 to the International Space Station from Baikonur Site 31 on 28 October 2021 on a two-day, 36 orbit rendezvous profile. If the air leak repairs planned for Zvezda's PrK chamber (delivery of sealing patches aboard Progress MS-16 in February 2021) were successful, then 3 hours 20 minutes after the launch Progress MS-18 would have attempted to automatically dock to Zvezda's aft port. The vehicle docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module (SM), on 30 October 2021, at 01:31:19 UTC, and was planned to remain in orbit for 215 days, supporting the Expedition 66 mission aboard the ISS.

Cargo The Progress MS-18 spacecraft was loaded with 2,439 kg (5,377 lb) of cargo, with 1,509 kg (3,327 lb) of this being dry cargo.

Dry cargo: 1,509 kg (3,327 lb) Fuel: 470 kg (1,040 lb) Oxygen: 40 kg (88 lb) Water: 420 kg (930 lb)

Means of attachment of large payloads It delivered LCCS part of MLM Means of Attachment of Large payloads (Sredstva Krepleniya Krupnogabaritnykh Obyektov, SKKO) work platform to ISS. Coupled with SCCS part of this MLM outfitting, delivered to ISS by Progress MS-21, during VKD-55 spacewalk, it was transferred over to Nauka and installed it at the ERA base point facing aft where ERA used to be, when it was launched, where it will be used to mount payloads on the exterior of Nauka module.

Undocking and decay The Progress MS-18 remained docked at the station until 1 June 2022, when it departed with trash and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere for destruction over the South Pacific Ocean.

See also Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Progress MS-18

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Progress MS-18 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 MS-18 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 MS-18 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 MS-18

In research: Progress MS-18 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 MS-18 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 MS-18 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 MS-18 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 MS-18 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Progress MS-18 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 MS-18 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Progress MS-18 in simple terms?

Why does Progress MS-18 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 MS-18?

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 MS-18.