Fyodor Spacecraft Prepares to Dock with ISS

Humanoid robot Fyodor prepares for the Soyuz MS-14 orbital flight to the International Space Station. (Getty Images)
Humanoid robot Fyodor prepares for the Soyuz MS-14 orbital flight to the International Space Station. (Getty Images)
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Fyodor Spacecraft Prepares to Dock with ISS

Humanoid robot Fyodor prepares for the Soyuz MS-14 orbital flight to the International Space Station. (Getty Images)
Humanoid robot Fyodor prepares for the Soyuz MS-14 orbital flight to the International Space Station. (Getty Images)

Fyodor, the first humanoid robot to partake in a space mission, lost a chance to be named "the first robot to join the International Space Station crew" after the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carrying it, failed to dock with the station.

Fyodor was preparing for a second docking attempt scheduled on Tuesday morning, stated the NASA and Roscosmos.

On August 22, the Soyuz spacecraft embarked on a mission to the ISS, carrying Fyodor and its small companion.

Once it arrives to the ISS, the humanoid robot is supposed to start its tasks including sending measures remotely, determining the mission's safety signals and taking part in experiments that will be used while working in open space.

Two days after the launch, Soyuz reached the right orbit to dock with the ISS. However, a malfunction stopped it when it was only 60 meters away and prompted astronauts to keep it at a safe distance.

Three astronauts - Russian, Italian and American - have completed the necessary training before the second docking attempt.

The astronauts on board the station have relocated some of their units as part of preparations for the operation, which is supposed to end with Fyodor moving from Soyuz to the International Space Station, becoming the first robot to carry out missions within the station crew.

The Russian robot is supposed to stay there until September 7 before returning to Earth.

The manufacture of the robot Fyodor started in 2014. At the request of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, it was later decided to train and develop it to be the first robot to partake in a space flight. Fyodor will also be used in the missions of the Federatsiya spacecraft being manufactured as part of the program of lunar manned flights.



Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Heat Wave Forces Iran to Shutter Government Offices and Banks

 An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
An Iranian taxi driver checks his car during the heat surge in Tehran, Iran July 21, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day as hospitals receive over 200 people for heatstroke treatment.

The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports.

State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

Babak Yektaparast, Spokesman for the country’s emergency department told the semi-official Mehr news agency 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalized.

Mehr also cited Sadegh Ziaian, an official at the National Meteorological Organization, as saying Saturday that the temperature reached over 45 C (113 F) in 10 Iranian provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 C (about 121 F) recorded in the last 24 hours in Delgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He added a drop in temperature was expected Monday, with the heat letting up a bit, but still, he warned that “this does not mean that the air will cool down.”

Authorities also cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat, IRNA reported, adding that high temperatures, over 40 C (104 F), have been registered in Tehran since Friday. Iranian media also warned people to stay indoors until 5 pm local time.

Authorities also said electricity consumption reached record levels of 78,106 megawatts on Tuesday, as the scorching heat persisted and people tried to stay cool.

Nournews, close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that Iran’s temperature is rising at twice the pace of the global temperature which has increased by more than one degree compared to the long-term average. Meanwhile, Iran has become warmer by 2 degrees over the past 50 years, the agency said.

Last year, Iran ordered a two-day nationwide holiday due to increasing temperatures.