[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #SS04-013

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat #31468

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington                         June 4, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-4769)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS04-013

     The crewmembers aboard the International Space Station 
(ISS) are busy getting ready for their spacewalk this month 
to replace a faulty circuit breaker. They also spent this 
week unpacking a Russian resupply spacecraft.

Gennady Padalka, Expedition 9 commander, and Mike Fincke, the 
NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, spent several 
days unloading about 2.5  tons of food, water, spare parts and 
supplies. The supplies were on board the Progress spacecraft 
that docked to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module at 
9:55 a.m. EDT May 27. Flight controllers will transfer fuel 
from the Progress tanks to the ISS Russian modules.

Preparations for the upcoming spacewalk (EVA) began in 
earnest yesterday. The crew began configuring the Russian 
spacesuits they'll use for the excursion, charging suit and 
cordless tools' batteries.

The spacewalk is scheduled for no earlier than June 15. The 
status of preparations and planning for the spacewalk will be 
reviewed during regular Station management meetings next 
week. The goal of the EVA is to replace a power controller 
that failed April 21, resulting in the temporary loss of one 
of three operational Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) that govern 
the orientation of the orbiting complex.

Although the two functioning CMGs are sufficient to control 
the Station's attitude without the use of Russian chemical 
thrusters, Station managers and flight controllers would like 
to have the additional backup CMG available for attitude 
control during the expedition's two scheduled spacewalks 
later this summer. A fourth CMG failed two years ago and is 
scheduled to be replaced when Space Shuttles resume flights.

This will be the first bilaterally coordinated spacewalk in 
history, with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow taking 
turns as the primary ground support team. Russian ground 
experts will coordinate as Padalka and Fincke don their 
Russian Orlan spacesuits, exit the Pirs airlock and use the 
Strela cargo crane to travel to the U.S.-built section of the 
Station.

Once there, U.S. flight controllers will assume primary 
responsibility for the replacement of the faulty Remote Power 
Control Module (RPCM) and assist with routing power through 
the new RPCM to the gyroscope. After power is restored to the 
CMG, Houston flight controllers will assist the spacewalkers 
in their hand-over-hand return to the Russian crane and pass 
responsibility back to the Russian ground team.

Last week, Fincke and Padalka took turns moving the Station's 
Canadarm2 robotic arm to a position along the S0 Truss for 
camera views of the spacewalk worksite. Late next week, they 
are scheduled to climb into their spacesuits for a dress 
rehearsal of the suit up and systems checkout that will clear 
the way for the spacewalk.

Padalka and Fincke also conducted Russian hand movement 
studies as part of a series of biomedical experiments and 
routine housekeeping tasks that filled up the remainder of 
their workdays.

For information about NASA and agency missions on the 
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Information about crew activities on the Space Station, 
future launch dates, and Station sighting opportunities from 
Earth, is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

Details about Station science operations are available 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/

-end-





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