ESA Cargo Capsule Albert Einstein Completes Five-Month Mission (Video)

The European Space Agency (ESA) cargo capsule Albert Einstein just finished its mission on Saturday after a quick resupply trip to the International Space Station.

Known for being Europe's heaviest-ever cargo carrier, the five-month mission was filled with close to six tons of garbage and waste that was produced on board the ISS.

"Albert Einstein performed a series of delicate manoeuvres to reenter below the Station in order for the astronauts to observe the spacecraft's fragmentation in the upper atmosphere, providing unique information on reentry physics," said a statement, according to the AFP.

The vehicle delivered 2,480 kilograms of cargo to the crew aboard the orbiting lab. More than 1,400 individual items on board were supplied, enabling experiments on emulsions researchers hope might yield foods and pharmaceuticals with longer shelf-lives. The cargo also included clothes, food and spare parts.

Six reboosts were performed while the cargo capsule was docked so that the station could counteract effects of atmospheric drag and remain in orbit. Without this help, the ISS would eventually fall back to earth.

Fortunately, before the crew left, they loaded the capsule with a record amount of waste material for an ATV, freeing up some room in the orbiting lab to help with a smoother ride.

"The mission went perfectly, which for me and the ATV team or any space mission is a great thing," Alberto Novelli, ATV-4 mission manager, said in a statement. "The smooth running of this fourth mission shows the maturity of the ATV [program] and puts ESA's successful track record on the map for future projects."

Next year, the capsule will be followed by the last in the ESA's ATV series-the George Lamaitre, which is named for the father of the Bing Bang theory, according to the ESA.

"ATV Georges Lemaitre, has already arrived by boat at the European spaceport in French Guiana," the agency noted, via SciTech. "Loading cargo into the pressurised module will start in March next year. ATV-5's modules will then be combined and placed on its Ariane launcher for launch at the end of June."

Want to check out this cargo capsule? Watch this video, courtesy of YouTube.

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