An unmanned European space ship as big as a double-decker buswill leave the International Space Station tomorrow, signaling the end of a line of cargo ships that had delivered supplies to astronauts since 2008.

Packed with astronaut trash, the European Space Agency's (ESA) fifth and last Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5) will undock from the orbiting outpost Saturday morning (Feb. 14) at 8:41 a.m. EST.

You canwatch the undocking live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV. The space agency's coverage will begin at 8:15 a.m. EST. [Europe's ATV-5 Space Cargo Ship Mission in Pictures]

At first, ATV-5 will be steered to a safe distance from the space station. Then on Sunday (Feb. 15) the cargo ship will slip out of its orbit and make a steep dive into Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific.

ATV-5 was originally supposed to test out a more daring, shallow dive back to Earth so that ESA and NASA officials could get a taste of what might happen when it comes time to retire the International Space Station and safely guide it to its deorbited demise. (NASA and the White House last year committed to keep thespace station operating through at least 2024.)

Entering the atmosphere at a shallower angle would result in a larger dispersion of debris and a longer reentry over Earth's surface, according toESA's ATV blog. But this plan was abandoned after one of the ATV-5's four power chains failed last week.

Instead, the ATV-5 will go ahead with the standard steep dive that's brought its predecessors safely out of orbit.

"While teams are sincerely disappointed not to conduct the planned shallow reentry, the revised plan doesnt alter the program's overall success," ATV-5 mission manager Massimo Cislaghi,said in a statement from ESA.

"The ATVs are large and complex spacecraft and they have achieved every goal," Cislaghi added.

ATV-5launched for its final missionon July 29, 2014, from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, atop an Ariane 5 rocket. It was carrying more than 7 tons of scientific experiments and other supplies, including food, drinking water, spare parts and clothing, for the astronauts living on board the space station. The spacecraft arrived at the space station in August and spent six months attached to the Zvezda Service Module.

Link:

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