[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #04-9

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Submitted by Arthur - N1`ORC

    International Space Station Status Report #04-9
    4 p.m. CST, Friday, Feb. 13, 2004
    Expedition 8 Crew

    The Expedition 8 crew aboard the International Space Station spent
    the week on early preparations for a spacewalk; training and
    positioning the robotic arm; conducting experiments; and ‘educating’
    school children on long duration life in space.

    Approaching four months in space, Commander and NASA Science Officer
    Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri this week finished
    unloading their supply ship and performed some maintenance and
    repair work on the station’s oxygen and air purification system and
    reviewed preliminary procedures for the first station-based
    spacewalk since spring 2003.

    The spacewalk is set to begin about 3 p.m. CST on Feb. 26 with a
    scheduled duration of 5½ hours. The crew begins shifting its sleep
    schedule this weekend to accommodate the start time of the spacewalk
    and to optimize near continuous communications with the crew through
    both U.S. and Russian communications resources.

    Earlier this week, Foale moved the robotic arm – Canadarm2 – to a
    strategic position so that its cameras can provide the best video
    coverage of the spacewalk. Additionally, the arm operations provided
    Foale some proficiency training from the workstation within the
    Destiny laboratory.

    Foale this week also prepared the lab’s window for installation of a
    new flex hose used to prevent condensate buildup between panes of
    the high fidelity optical window. The new hose was delivered in the
    Progress after the previous hose was determined to be the cause of a
    small pressure degradation aboard the station a few weeks ago. In
    advance of the installation of the hose, which has not been
    scheduled, the inner panes of the window will be vented this weekend
    to remove residual condensation that has built up over the past few
    weeks.

    Foale and Kaleri Thursday joined school children in California for a
    long-distance “interview” answering questions ranging from how a
    yo-yo works in space, to the engineering challenges of keeping the
    ISS and its systems updated over its lifetime.

    The week wrapped up with the two crewmembers preparing for their
    spacewalk by reviewing detailed procedures with flight controllers
    at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow.
    The spacewalk, or Extravehicular Activity, will begin and end from
    the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment with the crew wearing Orlan
    spacesuits.

    Next week the crew focuses more intently on the spacewalk by
    checking out the spacesuits and procedures in addition to continuing
    to slowly adjust their sleep/wake schedule to match the time of the
    EVA.

    Information on the crew's activities aboard the Space Station,
    future launch dates, as well as Station sighting opportunities from
    anywhere on the Earth, is available on the Internet at:

    http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

    Details on Station science operations can be found on an Internet
    site administered by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's
    Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., at:

    http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/

    The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, Feb. 20, or
    earlier, if events warrant.

    END




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