[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #04-41

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat A/C #31468

*International Space Station Status Report #04-41*
*3 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 23, 2004*
*Expedition 9 Crew*

The International Space Station’s Expedition 9 crewmembers passed the 
halfway point of their six-month mission this week as they prepared for 
a third spacewalk and joined the world in observing the 35th anniversary 
of the first landing of humans on the moon.

July 19 was the midpoint of the flight for ISS Commander Gennady Padalka 
and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, who launched Apr. 19 and are targeted 
to return Oct. 19. On Monday Fincke spoke with Charles Gibson of 
ABC-TV’s “Good Morning, America” about the birth of his daughter, 
Tarali, in June while he was in space. Fincke’s wife and children joined 
the discussion from Houston.

This week the crew continued packing unneeded equipment and trash in the 
Progress vehicle, scheduled to undock July 30. Undocking the Progress 
from Zvezda’s aft docking port will clear the area for the next 
spacewalk, targeted for Aug. 3. Wearing Russian spacesuits and exiting 
from the Pirs Docking Compartment, Padalka and Fincke are to install 
retroreflectors and communications equipment needed for the docking of 
the Automated Transfer Vehicle, a European Space Agency cargo ship 
slated to make its first flight next year. Yesterday Padalka and Fincke 
maneuvered the Station’s Canadarm2 into position so its cameras can view 
the spacewalk, and today they wrapped up a thorough review of the 
spacewalk timeline with specialists in Moscow.

Meanwhile, flight controllers in Houston continue to investigate why two 
U.S. spacesuits are not providing the proper cooling. This week 
spacesuit engineers monitored as Fincke conducted troubleshooting of a 
motor in the water pump of one of the spacesuits. An analysis of photos 
and video from that work is underway. Two spare water pumps will be 
launched in the next Progress supply ship, due to liftoff Aug. 11 from 
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The failure on Monday of a computer on the Station’s inactive starboard 
thermal radiator has no significant impact on current operations. The 
radiator is not in use in the present Station configuration, although 
the computer had assisted flight controllers with monitoring of 
temperatures and pressures of the unused equipment. The radiator is not 
scheduled to be used until several missions after the Space Shuttle's 
return to flight.

Tuesday Padalka and Fincke recognized the anniversary of the Apollo 11 
moon landing and discussed both the past as well as the present and 
future of space exploration — and the role to be played by the 
International Space Station in future exploration — in an interview with 
CBS News.

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 July 30 or sooner if events 
warrant.
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