|
|
May 25, 2007
International Space Station Status Report: SS07-28
HOUSTON - Expedition
15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov
prepared this week for two spacewalks while Flight Engineer
Suni Williams prepared for her return to Earth. In
preparation for her successor's arrival, Williams' downlinked a 10-minute
video tour for Clayton Anderson, who will travel to
the station on the upcoming space shuttle flight.
Mission managers
gave a "go" for a May 30 Russian spacewalk
to install orbital debris protection panels on the Zvezda
service module and a GPS antenna cable associated with
Automated Transfer Vehicle navigation systems. This will be the
18th Russian spacewalk in support of station assembly and
maintenance. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 1:20
p.m. CDT and last approximately six hours. NASA Television
coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m.
First-time spacewalkers Yurchikhin and
Kotov checked out the spacesuits and the Pirs airlock,
prepared their tools, and closed the hatch to the
Progress resupply vehicle docked to Pirs. Williams, who will
help coordinate the spacewalk from inside the station, also
prepared U.S. tools that will be used. During the
spacewalk, the cosmonauts will retrieve a package, known as
the "Christmas tree," which contains three bundles of debris
panels. They were temporarily stowed on Pressurized Mating Adapter
3 during the STS-116 mission last December. After transferring
the panels to Zvezda, Yurchikhin and Kotov will install
the panels from one bundle. The others will be
installed during their June 6 Russian spacewalk. Mission managers
this week conducted a preliminary review of that spacewalk.
Williams
this week installed updated software on the station's laptop
computers, replaced the elastic "flex packs" in two Resistive
Exercise Device canisters used to simulate weightlifting in the
absence of gravity, and worked out on a stationary
bicycle while medical experts on the ground measured her
oxygen intake as part of a periodic fitness evaluation.
The
crew members also prepared for the arrival of space
shuttle Atlantis, targeted to launch on June 8. Yurchikhin
and Kotov reviewed a recent digital photography practice session
with shuttle imagery specialists, and Williams assembled a spacewalk
tool to be used by shuttle astronauts who will
retract the P6 starboard solar array. Along with filming
the station video, Suni Williams also spoke with Clayton
Anderson to help him prepare for his mission. It
will begin officially when his specially-fitted Soyuz seat liner
is transferred from Atlantis to the station during the
STS-117 mission.
On Wednesday, Russian flight controllers executed an orbit
adjustment burn, increasing the station's speed about one mile
an hour and putting it in the proper orbit
for Atlantis' arrival.
The Expedition 15 crew also participated
in interviews with WBZ Radio, CBS Radio, ABC News
and MSNBC.
All news and press releases
Top
See Those Fingers? Do the Math
Marching Single File Toward Qubits
AT&T Announces New Contract with OKS-Ameridial
AT&T Secures New Contract with Champion Energy
Toyota Awards Contract to Local Mississippi Firms
Forza Motorsport 2 Races Into Living Rooms on Xbox 360 Worldwide
International Space Station Status Report: SS07-28
NASA TV Sets Interviews for Next Shuttle Mission Flight Director
NASA Spacecraft Aids in Forecast of Solar Radiation Storms
|
|
|
