Spacecraft Spins Out Approaching Space Station

A Russian spacecraft lost control and missed docking with the International Space Station today, floating past the station and into space. Progress 38 is an unstaffed cargo ship filled with stores of fresh food, clothes, and equipment for the ISS crew. Progress' autopilot somehow lost its navigational lock on the orbital lab, and "the Progress literally flew past the station, but at a safe distance from the outpost," a NASA rep tells Space.com.

"The station crew reported seeing the Progress drift beyond their view, as they worked to reestablish telemetry with the spacecraft," the rep continued. The space station crew may have to wait until tomorrow to try to dock the ship, but officials remain confident the astronauts will get their clean clothes.
(More International Space Station stories.)