[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #05-14

["ARTHUR Z. ROWE" <N1ORC@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur N1ORC - Amsat A/C #31468

*International Space Station Status Report #05-14*
*3 p.m. CST, Friday, March 18, 2005*
*Expedition 10 Crew*

The crew aboard the International Space Station turned its attention to 
spacewalks this week with repair and preparatory work in two airlocks.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao spent the beginning of the week 
installing a new heat exchanger in Quest, the U.S. airlock. Working 
meticulously with stubborn bolts and attachments, Chiao swapped out the 
faulty heat exchanger with a new unit delivered earlier this month.

The job sets the stage to restore use of Quest as a base for spacewalks 
using U.S. spacesuits. The heat exchanger unit provides cooling for the 
U.S. spacesuits while they are connected to the airlock. Chiao finished 
the repair ahead of schedule and had spare time to work on several other 
tasks around the Station, such as replacing a hard drive in a laptop 
computer.

Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov began preparing the Russian Pirs 
Docking Compartment, which also serves as a Russian airlock, for the 
second and final spacewalk the pair will conduct. Chiao assisted by 
gathering U.S. tools, such as helmet lights and a tool caddy, which they 
will use in conjunction with the Russian equipment. They also gathered 
antennas and cabling they will install during the spacewalk. Sharipov 
and Chiao are scheduled to step outside March 28 for nearly six hours to 
continue the external outfitting of the Space Station and deploy a 
German satellite experiment.

Sharipov did further troubleshooting on the Elektron oxygen-generating 
system, which ran intermittently throughout the week. Its periodic 
shutdowns have caused no concern for the replenishment of oxygen in the 
Station cabin. Russian experts will continue to monitor its condition. 
The Elektron, which converts water into oxygen, is one of several 
methods that can be used to provide oxygen in the Station cabin.

Two control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) are maintaining the Station’s 
orientation after a third gyroscope lost power on Wednesday. A circuit 
breaker, called a Remote Power Controller, failed and removed power from 
that gyroscope. Attempts to reset the breaker were unsuccessful. There 
is no impact to current Station activities. Two gyros are adequate to 
maintain the orientation of the complex.

Specialists are continuing to evaluate the condition of the circuit 
breaker. The circuit breaker could be replaced by conducting a spacewalk 
to perform that work, but the plans and timing of that activity remain 
to be determined. A fourth gyroscope that failed in June 2002 is set to 
be replaced on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight mission, STS-114, 
this spring.

Also this week, the Station crew slid into their seats inside the 
attached Soyuz spacecraft to check their fit. The Soyuz seats are 
outfitted with customized cushions to protect the riders during landing. 
The fit of the cushions is checked periodically throughout the mission 
to ensure a comfortable and safe seat home for the crew. Chiao and 
Sharipov have about five weeks remaining until their return to Earth, 
with their undocking and landing in Kazakhstan scheduled for April 25.

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

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

The next International Space Station Status report will be issued on 
Friday, March 25, or earlier if events warrant.
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