We've posted a series of cool screenshots taken during today's hugely successful activities. Click on 'Full story' to access. -- Daniel

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The Escape command ends today's Demonstration Day 2. ATV is now quite some distance from ISS. 72 hours of phasing will now transfer Jules Verne ATV to the S-1/2 point, 39 km behind the International Space Station, ready for the first rendezvous and docking attempt on Thursday.

This screenshot from NASA TV shows ATV when it had withdrawn a considerable distance from the ISS, at about 19:02 CEST.

 

 

 

ATV has reacted and has moved away from ISS. Orbital manoeuvres will eventually return ATV to S-1/2, 39 km behind ISS; this will take some 72 hours.

Waiting for the Escape command. ATV and ISS are passing over Brasil.

The ISS astronauts have issued the Retreat command, commanding ATV to return to its last station keeping point, S4 (19 m from the ISS).

S41 is 11 m from the Russian module; ATV will confirm under automated guidance that it can track the docking port. Once confirmed, the astronauts will send the Retreat command, ATV will back away towards S4. Once at S4, the astronauts will send the Escape command to send ATV away from the ISS. -- Daniel

ATV now at S4, 19 m from the ISS.

ATV has arrived at S3, 249 m away from the ISS. Jules Verne has just performed a slew manoeuvre to orient its docking port towards the ISS.

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16:30 CEST - ATV has performed the first burn to start departure from S2. This includes a 270-second thruster burn (forecast), with a target delta-V (change in  velocity) of 1.7 m/sec. More details after the jump... -- Daniel

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