[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #04-29

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat #31468

*International Space Station Status Report #04-29*
*4 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 4, 2004*
*Expedition 9 Crew*

The Expedition 9 crew aboard the International Space Station spent the 
week unpacking a Russian resupply ship and getting ready for a June 
spacewalk to replace a faulty circuit breaker.

Gennady Padalka, the Station commander, and Mike Fincke, the NASA 
science officer and flight engineer, spent several days unloading about 
2 ½ tons of food, water, spare parts and supplies from the Progress 14 
vehicle that docked to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module at 8:55 
a.m. CDT May 27.

Flight controllers later will transfer fuel from the Progress’ tanks to 
those in the Russian modules of the Station.

Preparations for the upcoming spacewalk began in earnest Thursday, when 
the orbiting duo began configuring the Russian spacesuits they will use 
for the excursion, and charging batteries that will be used in their 
suits and cordless tools.

The spacewalk is scheduled for no earlier than June 15 Houston time. The 
status of preparations and planning for the spacewalk will be the 
subject of further review during regular Station management meetings 
next week. The goal 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 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 slated to be replaced when Space Shuttles 
resume flights next year.

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, 
American 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 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 slated 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.

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, June 11, or 
earlier, if events warrant.




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