[sarex] ISS STATUS SCIENCE REPORT SS05-049

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

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

NASA News wrote:

>October 21, 2005
>
>Katherine Trinidad
>Headquarters, Washington 
>(Phone: 202/358-4769) 
>
>James Hartsfield
>Johnson Space Center, Houston
>(Phone: 281/483-5111) 
>
>STATUS REPORT: SS05-049
>
>INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS05-049
>
>The 12th international space station crew turned its attention this 
>week to experiment work aboard their microgravity home and 
>laboratory. They captured spectacular images of Hurricane Wilma 
>(available on the Web and NASA TV) and prepared for a spacewalk. 
>
>Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery 
>Tokarev began reviewing procedures for the first station-based 
>spacewalk using U.S. suits since 2003. 
>
>During the November 7, five and one half hour spacewalk, they will 
>install a new video camera on the far end of the station's P1 (port) 
>truss. They also will remove a probe that measured the electrical 
>potential around the station from the top of the P6 truss. 
>
>Yesterday, the station's atmosphere was repressurized with oxygen from 
>storage tanks on the docked Progress supply ship. Russian specialists 
>are preparing a troubleshooting plan for the Elektron, the primary 
>oxygen generation system on the station. It stopped working late last 
>week. 
>
>Russian technical specialists are examining what caused the abort of a 
>planned altitude reboost Tuesday using Progress fuel and thrusters. 
>Mission managers believe Russian navigation computers properly shut 
>down the thrusters when they lost information about how they were 
>performing. A planned test firing of the thrusters Wednesday will 
>gather more data for Russian engineers.
>
>McArthur checked out a system to analyze exhaled gases inside the 
>station. The Pulmonary Function System took more than eight years of 
>design, development and testing on Earth by U.S. and European Space 
>Agency scientists. It was delivered to the station by the shuttle 
>Discovery in July. McArthur and Tokarev conducted the first of three 
>sessions with the Renal Stone experiment. They collected urine 
>samples for return to Earth and logged all food and drink consumed 
>during a 24-hour period.
>
>This ongoing experiment investigates whether potassium citrate can be 
>used to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation for space 
>travelers. The citrate minimizes kidney stone development on Earth.
>
>Since urine calcium levels are typically much higher in space, 
>astronauts are susceptible to an increased risk of developing kidney 
>stones. An understanding of the crew's diet during the urine 
>collection timeframes will help researchers. They will determine if 
>the excess calcium in the urine is due to diet or a response to the 
>microgravity environment. The payload operations team at NASA's 
>Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. 
>science activities on the station. 
>
>During their six-month mission, McArthur and Tokarev will conduct at 
>least two spacewalks and oversee the arrival of the next Progress 
>supply vehicle in December. They also will relocate their Soyuz 
>spacecraft to free the Russian Pirs docking port for a later 
>spacewalk. Pirs doubles as an airlock and docking module.
>
>For information about crew activities, future launch dates, and 
>station sighting opportunities on the Web, visit: 
>
>http://www.nasa.gov/station  For information about NASA and agency 
>programs on the Web, visit: 
>
>http://www.nasa.gov/home 
>

> NASA TV's Public, Education and Media 
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>downlink information for each NASA TV channel, and access to NASA 
>TV's Public Channel on the Web, visit: 
>
>http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 
>
>	
>-end-
>
>
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