[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #05-24

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

Submitted by Arthur N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*International Space Station Status Report #05-24*
*3 p.m. CDT, Friday, May 6, 2005*
*Expedition 11 Crew*

Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips moved full 
speed ahead into their Expedition 11 maintenance and science work aboard 
the International Space Station during their third week in space.

Krikalev replaced a liquid processing component of the Russian Elektron 
oxygen generation system on Thursday, but it failed almost immediately 
prompting additional troubleshooting Friday. The system separates 
hydrogen and oxygen molecules from water, and injects the oxygen into 
the Station’s atmosphere. Late Friday systems experts in Russia reviewed 
information gained from the earlier efforts. Oxygen is being supplied as 
needed from tanks in the Progress cargo ship, one of several oxygen 
supplies available.

Phillips was called upon to do some on-the-spot maintenance of a balky 
treadmill on Friday. It had stopped working, so he inspected electrical 
connections and prepared to downlink data from his last run so that 
biomedical engineers on the ground can try to track down the problem. 
Resistive exercise equipment and stationary bicycles will be used to 
provide the 2 1/2 hours a day of exercise prescribed for each crew member.

Also Friday, both crewmembers used the Robotics Work Station in the 
Destiny laboratory module to guide the Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm 
through movements designed to enable later remote operation by ground 
controllers. The hour-long session also served as proficiency training 
for the crew.

Earlier in the week, Krikalev fixed the Russian dehumidifier by clearing 
blockage from one of the system’s lines. Krikalev also transferred 
wastewater from the Station into the Progress cargo ship’s storage 
tanks. Phillips packed items that will be returned to Earth on the Space 
Shuttle Discovery, and did routine checks of emergency medical 
equipment. Scientific investigations for the week focused on work with a 
kidney stone experiment. Both crew members took pills – either a placebo 
or potassium citrate, which has been proven effective in reducing the 
formation of kidney stones in patients on Earth – recorded what they ate 
and drank and collected urine specimens for 24 hours. The samples will 
be returned to doctors on the ground for analysis and correlation with 
the dietary intake information.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan 
Sharipov remained at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, 
Russia, undergoing medical examinations and debriefings following their 
landing in a Soyuz spacecraft after six-months on orbit. They are 
expected to return to Houston in mid-May.

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/

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, May 13, or earlier 
if events warrant.

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