ISS-11 JSC Status Reports

• 05-19
• 05-20
• 05-21
• 05-22
• 05-23
• 05-24
• 05-25
• 05-26
• 05-27
• 05-28
• 05-29
• 05-30
• 05-31
• 05-32
• 05-33
• 05-34
• 05-35
• 05-36
• 05-37
• 05-38
• 05-39
• 05-40
• 05-41
• 05-42
• 05-43
• 05-44
• 05-45
• 05-46
• 05-47
• 05-48
• 05-49
• 05-50

Here on one page are all the ISS Status Reports for Expedition 11, as issued (usually weekly) by the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I have not included the STS-114 Status Reports. The reports cover the months from April to October 2005.

Note: CDT – Central Daylight Time (GMT/UTC −05 hours).

International Space Station Status Report #05-19

8 p.m. CDT, Thursday, April 14, 2005

The 11th crew of the International Space Station rocketed into space tonight, beginning a six-month mission.

The ISS Soyuz 10 spacecraft carried Station Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer and Flight Engineer John Phillips to orbit along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori.

The Soyuz launched at 7:46 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. At the time, the Station was flying in a northeasterly direction about 230 miles above the South Atlantic Ocean. With Krikalyov at the controls, the Soyuz is on course to catch up and dock with the Station at 9:19 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

The hatches between the arriving Soyuz 10 spacecraft and the Station will be opened at about 12:05 a.m. Sunday. Live NASA Television coverage of the docking and hatch opening will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Krikalyov and Phillips will stay aboard the Station until October, while Vittori will spend eight days there conducting experiments. The Station residents will open the door for the Space Shuttle Discovery’s crew on their STS-114 mission to ISS in May or June.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov have been doing research and maintaining Station systems since October. With Vittori, they will undock from the Station and return to Earth April 24.

International Space Station Status Report #05-20

11:55 p.m. CDT, Saturday, April 16, 2005

New residents arrived at the International Space Station tonight to begin a six-month mission and to prepare for the arrival of the first Space Shuttle crew to visit the complex since November 2002.

With Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov at the controls, the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft automatically linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 9:20 p.m. CDT as the Soyuz and the Station flew over eastern Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two vehicles joined together to form a tight seal.

Aboard the Soyuz with Krikalyov were NASA Expedition 11 Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy.

Hatches between the Soyuz and the Station were opened at 11:45 p.m. Saturday. The two crews greeted one another with handshakes and hugs. The first activity scheduled for the five crewmembers was a safety briefing to familiarize the newly arrived trio with emergency escape procedures.

Krikalyov and Phillips will remain on board the Station until October. Vittori will return to Earth next week after eight days of scientific experiments on the complex under a commercial agreement between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. The trio launched at dawn Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for their two-day journey to the outpost.

Aboard the Station at the time of docking were Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, who are wrapping up their six-month mission and who will ride home on their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule with Vittori on April 25 for a pre-dawn landing in central Kazakhstan. Saturday marked the 185th day in space for Chiao and Sharipov and their 183rd day on the Station.

Krikalyov and Phillips will relocate the new Soyuz from Pirs to the Zarya module docking port this summer.

On hand for the docking activities at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow were NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Craig Steidle and ISS Program Manager William Gerstenmaier along with Russian and European space officials.

On Sunday before they begin an extended sleep period, the new crew will transfer their custom-made Soyuz seatliners as well as cargo carried aloft on the Soyuz for the complex. Later in the day, initial briefings on the handover from the current residents to their replacements will be conducted and the new Soyuz’ systems will be deactivated.

Over the next week, Krikalyov and Phillips will familiarize themselves with Station systems and stowed equipment, conduct robotics training with the Canadarm2 robot arm, and receive detailed briefings on scientific payloads. Phillips and Chiao will also continue the maintenance and repair work on the cooling systems in the U.S. airlock Quest for the resumption of spacewalk capability from the Station this summer.

In addition, they will pack discarded gear and equipment for return to Earth on the Raffaello cargo module that will be brought to the Station on the Space Shuttle’s Return to Flight mission, STS-114, targeted to arrive next month on the Shuttle Discovery.

International Space Station Status Report #05-21

4:00 p.m. CDT, Friday, April 22, 2005

Aboard the International Space Station this week, one crew counted down its final days in space, headed toward a return to Earth on Sunday, while another crew began a six-month journey in orbit.

The five crewmembers aboard the Station had a busy week of briefings for the new crew, preparations for the old crew’s departure and preparations for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-114, the Shuttle’s Return to Flight targeted for next month.

The 11th Station crew, Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips, docked to the Station at 9:20 p.m. CDT Saturday. With them was European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy. He is spending almost eight days on the Station working through 22 scientific experiments and activities.

Vittori is to return to Earth on Sunday with the two members of the Expedition 10 crew, Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov. They are scheduled to leave the Station at 1:41 p.m. CDT Sunday and to land in Kazakhstan at 5:08 p.m. Chiao and Sharipov will then travel to Kustanai, Kazakhstan, and on to Star City, Russia, about eight hours after their return to Earth, where they will be reunited with family.

The landing is about two hours before local sunrise. The area weather forecast calls for a chance of rain with near-freezing temperatures.

Sharipov will undock the Soyuz manually as a precautionary measure to conserve energy. Although the Soyuz’ backup battery charge is thought to be adequate if it were required for the undocking, that battery has shown signs of a reduced charge since the Soyuz was relocated among Station docking ports in November 2004. The primary battery is healthy.

The manual undocking is a practiced backup procedure for Soyuz operations, and is being done to ensure adequate backup battery power is available if it were needed for deorbit and landing. The manual procedures allow Sharipov to reduce the amount of time the Soyuz is on internal power before undocking. The undocking is routinely performed automatically by the onboard computer. Landing will occur as is normal on the second orbit after undocking.

Extensive briefings by Chiao and Sharipov helped settle Krikalyov, who was a member of the first station crew launched in late 2000, and Phillips, who visited the Station as a Shuttle crewmember in April 2001, in their new home. They also trained on the Canadarm2, the Station’s robotic arm, and were briefed on science activities as well as locations of equipment and supplies.

On Monday, Phillips trained with the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment. He conducted his first experiment with the equipment on Thursday.

Tuesday the crew activated the Microgravity Science Glovebox and later in the week certified its readiness for use. Wednesday’s focus was the U.S. airlock Quest, with crewmembers flushing a cooling system and replacing a service and cooling umbilical, restoring the airlock to usable condition. Chiao and Phillips were back in the airlock on Thursday, resizing spacesuits to make sure the right equipment will remain aboard the Station after Discovery’s departure from its future mission.

A three-hour Soyuz descent training session kept Chiao, Sharipov and Vittori busy on Friday. All five crewmembers later participated in a change of command ceremony that formally passed command of the outpost from Chiao to Krikalyov.

International Space Station Status Report #05-22

6:00 p.m. CDT, Sunday, April 24, 2005

After traveling more than 78 million miles aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov returned to Earth today. With them was European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, who had spent eight days aboard the orbiting complex doing research.

After a flawless descent by the ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft, Chiao, Sharipov and Vittori landed on target in north-central Kazakhstan, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) northeast of Arkalyk, at 5:08 p.m. CDT. Recovery forces arrived at the site within minutes of the touchdown. The area was saturated from recent rains and melting winter snow, so the first members of the recovery team to reach the scene decided to fly the crew to Arkalyk to meet with remaining members of the recovery team.

The crew’s friends and families are expected to greet them upon their arrival at Star City, Russia, about eight hours after landing. Chiao and Sharipov will remain in Star City for a few weeks of post-flight debriefings and medical exams before returning to Houston in mid-May.

Chiao and Sharipov spent 192 days, 19 hours and 2 minutes in space. They launched on Oct. 13, on the same Soyuz spacecraft that brought them home. For six months, the pair maintained systems and conducted scientific research onboard the Station.

Among their accomplishments on the Station was replacing critical hardware in the Joint Quest Airlock, repairing U.S. spacesuits, submitting a scientific research paper on ultrasound use in space and voting for the first time in an American Presidential election from space. They completed two spacewalks, including experiment installation and tasks that prepared the Station for the arrival of a new European cargo ship next year.

Aboard the Station, the Expedition 11 crew, Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA Station Science Officer John Phillips, are beginning a six-month mission that will include the resumption of Space Shuttle flights and two spacewalks from the Station. Expedition 11 is scheduled to return to Earth on Oct. 7, 2005.

Krikalyov and Phillips will have light duty for the next three days as they rest after completing a busy handover period. For the past week, they have been learning about Station operations from the two men who called the ship home since October. Chiao and Sharipov briefed Krikalyov and Phillips on day-to-day operations and gave them hands-on opportunities at Station maintenance: Chiao and Phillips restored functionality of the Quest for future spacewalks and practiced operating the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

International Space Station Status Report #05-23

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, April 29, 2005

The new crew members of the International Space Station completed their first full work week today as they conducted routine maintenance, continued to settle in and practiced photography to be used when the Space Shuttle returns to flight.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips were given time each day to orient themselves with the Station and where items are stowed. They also completed an emergency evacuation drill, a standard procedure for all new crews. The practice helps them learn the location of emergency equipment and departure routes.

Both crewmembers kept busy with Station maintenance and upkeep. Krikalyov conducted troubleshooting of the Russian Elektron oxygen generation system and the condensate removal system. The Elektron remains off-line, with oxygen being supplied from tanks in the Progress cargo ship, one of several oxygen supplies available. The next infusion of oxygen into the Station’s atmosphere from Progress will take place early next week.

Krikalyov also completed the transfer of water from the Progress cargo ship to storage tanks in the Zvezda module. Phillips updated the Station’s computer system with software specifically designed for this crew’s mission. He also installed a remote-controlled camera at the Destiny Lab’s Earth-facing window for a week’s worth of imagery from the EarthKAM experiment, which enables middle-school students around the world to take photos of selected sites on Earth. Thousands of students from more than 100 schools took part in this week’s operations.

Early today Krikalyov and Phillips were informed that NASA managers rescheduled the launch of the Shuttle Discovery to no earlier than July 13 on the STS-114 Return to Flight mission. The additional time is needed to complete a thorough analysis of the potential risks posed by several areas of possible ice debris from the Shuttle’s external fuel tank as well as an evaluation of several concerns found during recent launch preparations.

Today the crewmembers practiced with digital cameras the photographs they will take of Discovery as it approaches the Station for docking on the third day of the STS-114 mission. Phillips and Krikalyov will have about 93 seconds of time available to use the cameras and high-power lenses to capture two sets of images of the Shuttle’s heat shield. Discovery Commander Eileen Collins will guide the Shuttle through a slow back flip to allow the Station crew to image both the top and bottom of the vehicle. The images will be quickly transmitted to the ground for analysis.

Krikalyov and Phillips performed another step in preparations for the Shuttle visit this week as they cleared cargo from a hatch in the Unity module where a cargo container will be attached during that mission. The Station crew also conferred via space to ground communications with Discovery’s crew about the planned transfer and stowing of supplies.

Meanwhile, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy, arrived at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia Monday morning. They rested, reunited with their families and went through medical tests following their landing in a Soyuz spacecraft. Chiao and Sharipov are expected to return to Houston in mid-May.

International Space Station Status Report #05-24

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, May 6, 2005

Commander Sergei Krikalyov 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.

Krikalyov 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, Krikalyov fixed the Russian dehumidifier by clearing blockage from one of the system’s lines. Krikalyov 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.

International Space Station Status Report #05-25

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, May 13, 2005

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips continued routine maintenance and science experiments aboard the International Space Station this week as they wrapped up their first month in space.

The crew began the week observing Victory Day – the Russian holiday that this year marked the 60th anniversary of the end of fighting in the Soviet Union during World War II. The rest of the week kept Krikalyov and Phillips busy with maintenance and research activities.

The crew continued using the treadmill for exercise this week as engineers closely monitored data from the exercise sessions. However, after a broken restraint cable was found during a routine inspection today, the crew was asked to use other exercise equipment for the time being.

The treadmill stopped working for a time last Friday when a circuit breaker tripped inside the device. During a routine monthly inspection today, Phillips reported a broken restraint cable on the treadmill’s gyroscope. The treadmill, which is specially outfitted to isolate the vibrations caused by exercise from the rest of the Station, is equipped with a gyroscope to maintain the system’s stability.

Engineers will analyze photos of the restraint cable to determine if it can cause problems with the treadmill’s operation. Other exercise equipment aboard that is available to the crew includes two stationary bicycles.

The Station’s atmosphere was pressurized with oxygen from the ISS Progress 17 vehicle’s reserve tanks once again this week. The Station’s Elektron oxygen generation system, which can convert water into oxygen for the air onboard, is not operating. Russian engineers plan to send a new electronics box for the system on a Progress supply ship that will arrive in June.

Plentiful supplies of oxygen remain available aboard the Station from multiple sources. In total, oxygen supplies already aboard the Station coupled with those that are planned to be delivered by upcoming cargo craft could sustain the crew for at least the rest of this year, without use of the Elektron.

Through next week, the remaining oxygen supplies aboard the currently docked Progress will be used. Once those are depleted, Solid Fuel Oxygen Generation canisters may be used. 84 such canisters are aboard. Those canisters alone could supply the crew for at least 42 days if necessary. A large quantity of oxygen, enough to supply the crew for nearly 100 days, also is stored in tanks on the Quest airlock aboard the Station.

The Progress spacecraft now docked to the Station, Progress 17, will undock at about 3:10 p.m. CDT June 15. ISS Progress 18 is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 6:09 p.m. CDT June 16 and dock to Station on at 7:10 p.m. CDT June 18. The Station’s altitude was boosted on Wednesday to line up its orbit for the arrival of the new cargo craft. The Station’s orbit was raised by 1.5 miles at the perigee, or portion closest to Earth, to 226.1 by 214.2 statute miles. The new Progress also is planned to deliver even more oxygen supplies. Another Progress craft is planned to arrive at the Station in late August.

This week, both crewmembers worked on preparing excess equipment for return on the Space Shuttle Discovery in July on the STS-114 Return to Flight mission. They also performed routine maintenance on ventilation and life support systems in the Russian segment and verified a VHF radio communications link used during Shuttle rendezvous operations. Krikalyov continued work throughout the Russian modules with audits of various supplies and equipment.

Phillips’ work focused on some of the laptop computers aboard. He refreshed a Portable Computer System (PCS) laptop by deleting and then reloading information on the hard drive, which recovered its corrupted hard drive to serve as a backup. The PCS laptops are used by the crew to monitor the Caution and Warning system and manage the Station operating modes and the Command and Control System. Two required PCS computers are functional onboard with three additional hard drives now available as spares.

Phillips also worked with three Station Support Computers (SSCs) that were experiencing problems booting up. After the troubleshooting, two of the computers turned on, but the screens remained blank. They can be used for routing data in applications where a computer monitor is not necessary. The third laptop did not boot up and engineers are working on further troubleshooting procedures. There are enough operating computers available onboard for the crew to access e-mail, perform word processing and view the daily schedule of activities. Phillips also replaced an old battery in the laptop computer used at the Robotics Work Station that controls the Station robotic arm, Canadarm2.

Serving as the NASA Station Science Officer, Phillips began participating in the “Journals” experiment after completing his orientation to Station life. The investigation records crew members’ perceptions though the mission to obtain information to assist in the design of future spacecraft. Phillips also prepared for his first session next week with the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment. For the experiment, he will wear an instrumented garment called the Lower Extremity Monitoring Suit (LEMS) and shoes with force sensor attached. The experiment records 12 hours of data to help researchers better understand forces imposed on the lower body and muscle activity in weightlessness.

International Space Station Status Report #05-26

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, May 20, 2005

The Expedition 11 crew, now into the second month of its stay on the International Space Station, had a varied week highlighted by repair of an exercise treadmill, tests of an oxygen supply and preparations for the Space Shuttle’s Return to Flight.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips began the week with the repair of a faulty restraint cable on the Station exercise treadmill. The broken cable, which is used to hold the treadmill’s gyroscope in place, had been detected during a routine inspection by the crew last week. The treadmill is one of three exercise options for the Space Station crew and has been operational since the repair.

On Wednesday, after removing contents from Pressurized Mating Adapter No. 2, which also serves as the forward docking port for Space Shuttles on the U.S. segment, and the Quest Airlock, Phillips depressurized the modules. This was done to rehearse procedures that will be employed during the STS-114 mission to conserve Shuttle nitrogen supplies during the spacewalk.

Throughout the week, Phillips set up and performed his first session of the FOOT (Foot Reaction Forces During Space Flight) experiment. He wore specially-designed leggings that allow researchers to capture data regarding forces and use of the lower extremity muscles. The data will help scientists design effective muscle and bone loss countermeasure programs for crewmembers involved in long duration spaceflight. The crew also worked with a variety of other U.S. and Russian biomedical experiments.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Station’s atmosphere was repressurized with air and oxygen from the remaining supplies in the tanks of the docked Russian Progress cargo ship. The Progress tanks were depleted in preparation for its undocking next month.

The crew conducted test ignitions of two Solid Fuel Oxygen Generators (SFOG) canisters on Friday to verify their performance and activation procedures. Beginning Monday, two SFOGs will be burned each day to produce oxygen. There are more than 80 usable SFOGs currently on board, which can provide 6 weeks worth of oxygen for the two-person crew. Another Progress cargo ship is set to arrive on June 18 with additional oxygen in tanks and more solid-fuel canisters. Oxygen supplies onboard and those manifested on upcoming cargo vehicles can accommodate the crew into next year. The Station’s Elektron oxygen generation system, which converts water into oxygen, remains inoperable.

Earlier in the week, the crew performed routine inspections of emergency fire extinguishers and portable breathing apparatus as well as the routine monitoring of carbon dioxide and formaldehyde levels.

During the week, Krikalyov and Phillips were given information on possible photography of Earth sites including the Toshka Lakes in Egypt, the Florida coasts, Mexico City, and Hurricane Adrian as it passed over Central America.

International Space Station Status Report #05-27

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, May 27, 2005

The Expedition 11 crew entered its seventh week in space today, wrapping up a week highlighted by research, maintenance and training for photography tasks to be done during the Space Shuttle’s Return to Flight mission in July.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips spent several days conducting examinations of each other using an ultrasound device that provides data on the ability of crewmembers to conduct detailed medical exams in space. The experiment could have future applications for telemedicine or rural health care.

Phillips also conducted work with a viscosity measurement experiment that collects information on the behavior of liquids in microgravity that have different thickness, or viscosity. The experiment may provide insight to researchers designing new hardware for space travel and could have industrial applications on Earth.

Phillips and Krikalyov spent part of Tuesday practicing photography techniques with digital cameras in the Zvezda Service Module. The techniques will be used to capture high resolution imagery of the condition of Discovery’s heat shield at a distance of 600 feet as the Shuttle approaches for docking on the third day of the STS-114 mission.

The crewmembers will use 400 millimeter and 800 millimeter lenses from two windows in Zvezda to focus on Discovery’s thermal protection tiles and the reinforced carbon-carbon shield.

Discovery Commander Eileen Collins will fly Discovery through a backflip as it approaches the Station, allowing Krikalyov and Phillips to document all sides of the vehicle. They will shoot as many frames as possible during the minute and a half Shuttle flip. Those images will be transmitted to the ground for analysis.

For the second week, the crew activated solid fuel oxygen generating canisters in Zvezda to replenish the cabin atmosphere. The canisters, one of multiple oxygen supplies that remain available onboard, are being used following the depletion of oxygen reserves in tanks in the Progress cargo vehicle and in the absence of an operating Elektron oxygen-generation system.

The next Progress cargo ship to launch to the Station in mid-June will carry new supplies of oxygen tanks and solid fuel canisters as well as electronic components for the Elektron. Oxygen supplies onboard and those on upcoming cargo vehicles can accommodate the crew into next year.

Earlier today, Krikalyov tested the voltage of some of the Elektron’s existing components to help Russian specialists in their ongoing troubleshooting efforts. Krikalyov confirmed that the electrolyzer unit, part of a system that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, showed no voltage readings and is presumed to have failed.

Krikalyov also worked on a procedure to bypass one of the cables in the Russian segment condensate removal system that has developed a blockage.

The crew is scheduled for a light duty weekend, including routine housekeeping tasks and family conferences.

International Space Station Status Report #05-28

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 3, 2005

A new capability was added to the operation of the International Space Station this week as a final round of tests to commission remote control of the Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm from the ground was completed.

The 60-foot-long arm was maneuvered by ground control Friday to move in, latch onto a fixture on the exterior of the Station, then release and move back out. The tests were the second and most complex remote control operations of the arm performed by the ground. A first set of tests, completed earlier this year, involved only basic movements. Completion of these two phases of commissioning will qualify the ground control capability to be considered for use during future Station operations if needed.

During the tests, the arm was controlled by the robotics officer, or ROBO, in the Space Station Flight Control Room of Mission Control. Aboard the Station, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips monitored the activity. Normally, the arm is controlled by the Station crew using a robotics workstation in the complex’s Destiny Laboratory.

Other activities this week for the Expedition 11 crew included some brief additional troubleshooting of the Elektron oxygen generation unit on the Station. At the direction of Russian flight controllers, Commander Sergei Krikalyov tightened a valve in the unit, attempted to pressurize the system and checked for leakage. Similar attempts may continue in the future using other Elektron components and additional monitoring. The Elektron, a system that can derive oxygen from water for use in the Station atmosphere, remains inoperable.

The crew continues to replenish oxygen aboard the Station each day using two solid fuel oxygen generation canisters, canisters that contain chemicals that release oxygen when heated. Plentiful supplies of oxygen remain aboard the Station, and more is set to arrive on the next supply ship later this month. With reserves onboard the complex now plus those planned to arrive on future supply ships, oxygen is available to provide for the crew until at least January 2006 even without use of the Elektron. In addition, new Elektron components and spares also are planned to be launched aboard future supply ships later this year.

Phillips worked this week with an experiment that studies the forces involved as fluids of different thicknesses are mixed. The Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG) investigation may provide insight into how fluids dissolve, and, in particular, the role played by surface tension in that process. On Earth, gravity makes it difficult to study the role of surface tension during mixture. Information from the experiment may be useful in many processes on Earth and in space science experiments that deal with mixing fluids, among them are investigations that grow protein crystals of use in medical research.

Next week, the crew will begin packing trash and unneeded equipment in the Progress supply ship currently docked to the Station. The current Progress will be undocked from the complex on June 15. The next supply ship, ISS Progress 18, will launch on June 16 and dock to the Station June 18.

The crew is scheduled for a light duty weekend, including routine housekeeping tasks and family conferences.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, June 10, or earlier if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-29

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 10, 2005

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition 11 crew is spending the latter part of its second month in space preparing for the arrival of new cargo. The Station commander quietly slipped into second place on the all time human space endurance list.

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov and astronaut John Phillips conducted scientific research this week, while troubleshooting the station’s oxygen generator, stowing trash and other unneeded items into the Progress supply spacecraft for disposal next week.

Krikalyov, on his sixth voyage into space and third long duration mission (one on Mir and two on the ISS), surpassed fellow cosmonaut Valerii Polyakov on the space duration record list. He will become number one in August, passing cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev (747 days).

This afternoon, the Station passed over the Gulf of Mexico offering flight controllers an opportunity to capture video of Arlene, the Atlantic hurricane season’s first tropical storm, as it tracked northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.

During the week, Krikalyov swapped the large liquid unit component in the Station’s Elektron oxygen generation unit in preparation for an attempt in two weeks to restore its use. New filters for its gas lines will arrive aboard the next Progress cargo spacecraft late next week. They will be installed before the crew attempts to reactivate the unit.

In the meantime, the crew continues to replenish the cabin atmosphere daily using two solid fuel oxygen generation canisters. The canisters introduce oxygen into the pressurized compartment by a chemical process. A plentiful supply of canisters is on board the Station, and more will arrive on the next supply ship June 18.

The onboard supply combined with future shipments can provide oxygen for the crew until at least January 2006, even without use of the Elektron. New Elektron components and spare parts are planned for delivery aboard supply spacecraft later this year.

Phillips put on his customized Lycra cycling tights this week for his second session of the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment. FOOT investigates the differences between use of the body’s lower extremities on Earth and in space, and changes in the musculoskeletal system during spaceflight.

Phillips wore the instrumented Lower Extremity Monitoring Suit, which measured his joint angles, muscle activity and forces on the feet during a typical day on the Station. FOOT could help explain the reasons for bone and muscle loss during spaceflight and aid in the design of exercise countermeasures. This experiment also has significance for understanding, preventing and treating osteoporosis on Earth.

Focused human physiological and biological Space Station research on astronaut health and the development of countermeasures to protect crews from the space environment will allow for long duration missions to explore beyond low Earth orbit.

Early next week, the crew will wrap up stowage of trash and unneeded equipment in the Progress docked to the Station, prior to its undocking Wednesday. The Progress departure clears the docking port on the aft end of the Zvezda module for the arrival of the next supply craft. The next Progress is scheduled to launch June 16 and dock the evening of June 18. NASA TV will cover the arrival live. This will be the 18th Progress to dock with the Station.

The crew is scheduled for a light duty weekend, including routine housekeeping tasks and family conferences.

International Space Station Status Report #05-30

6:30 p.m. CDT, Thursday, June 16, 2005

Carrying more than two tons of supplies, a Russian cargo spacecraft began a two-day trip to the International Space Station today after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The ISS Progress 18 resupply ship launched at 6:09:34 p.m. CDT (5:09:34 a.m. Baikonur time Friday). Less than 10 minutes later, it settled into orbit and automatic commands deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas.

Shortly after the Progress launched, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips were informed of its arrival on orbit before beginning their sleep period. The Station was flying over Manchuria near the Russian-Chinese border at an altitude of 225 statute miles at the time of liftoff.

Engine firings are scheduled later today and tomorrow to raise and refine the Progress’ orbit and its path to the Station for an automated docking at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module on Saturday at 7:44 p.m. CDT. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the linkup beginning at 6 p.m. CDT.

The Progress is carrying food, fuel, oxygen, water, spare parts and personal items for the crew, including 397 pounds of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water, and more than 3,097 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. In addition, the Progress is carrying 40 more solid fuel oxygen-generation canisters as a supplemental source of oxygen, if required.

Also in the Progress is an additional digital camera that will be used by the Expedition 11 crew to capture images of the thermal protection system on the Shuttle Discovery during its docking approach during the STS-114 mission in July. The new camera replaces a similar camera that is no longer operable. The photos will be part of imagery-gathering efforts to determine whether the Shuttle has incurred damage to its tiles or the reinforced carbon-carbon coating on its wings during ascent.

Krikalyov and Phllips are scheduled to open the hatch to the Progress a few hours after docking Saturday to begin unloading its contents.

The Progress spacecraft that had been at the Station since March was undocked yesterday at 3:16 p.m. CDT as the two vehicles flew over Manchuria, near the Russian-Chinese border. Filled with discarded items, the ship fired its engines after undocking to move to a safe distance away from the Station and was deorbited, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, June 17, with an additional status report to be issued on Saturday, June 18 after the ISS Progress 18 docking.

International Space Station Status Report #05-31

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 17, 2005

After a busy week of preparations, the Expedition 11 crew on the International Space Station is ready for Saturday’s arrival of a Progress cargo craft bearing more than two tons of supplies and equipment.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips spent the week packing up and disposing of the previous cargo ship and making room for the new ISS Progress 18 spacecraft, scheduled to dock with the Station at 7:44 p.m. CDT on Saturday. It will dock at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module.

Krikalyov and Phillips devoted Monday and Tuesday to filling the departing ISS Progress 17 with unneeded equipment and trash, and closed its hatch Tuesday afternoon. The spacecraft, which had been at the Station since March 2, was undocked at 3:16 p.m. Wednesday. It was commanded to deorbit and burned on re-entry about four hours after undocking. Friday was a light duty day for the crew in preparation for the new cargo ship’s arrival.

Progress 18 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:10 p.m. CDT Thursday. The cargo includes food, fuel, air, oxygen, 40 solid fuel oxygen generation (SFOG) cartridges and parts for the Elektron oxygen generation system. The air, oxygen and SFOGs will add to the existing supplies of oxygen aboard the Station. Flight control teams in Houston and Moscow hope the new parts will enable the crew to reactivate the Elektron, which has been out of service for several weeks. A new liquids unit that circulates water to be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen is to be launched later this year.

Crewmembers plan to open the Progress hatches Saturday, but won’t begin unloading the cargo until Sunday. Beginning Monday, they plan to use oxygen from the Progress to replenish the Station’s atmosphere instead of using the SFOGs.

Krikalyov and Phillips also worked this week packing equipment and scientific experiments and samples for return to Earth aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on its STS-114 Return-to-Flight mission. Discovery is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 13.

On Tuesday, Phillips became the first person to testify before Congress from space. He testified via satellite before the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, telling Representatives what it is like to live and work in space. Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Mike Fincke, who previously served on the Space Station, testified before the subcommittee in person. Phillips found time to work with the Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement experiment, designed to use microgravity to provide insight into behavior of how fluids, including molten materials, flow. Krikalyov worked with several Russian experiments.

The next Station status report will be issued on Saturday, June 18, after Progress docking, or earlier if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-32

8 p.m. CDT, Saturday, June 18, 2005

An unpiloted Russian cargo ship linked up to the International Space Station today to deliver more than two tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water, supplies and spare parts.

The ISS Progress 18 craft docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 7:42 p.m. CDT as the Station flew 225 statute miles near Beijing, China. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two ships engaged, forming a tight seal. The docking completed a two-day journey for the cargo ship since its liftoff Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

As the Progress approached the Station, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov had to take over manual control of the docking of the Progress due to a Russian ground station problem that prevented commands to be uplinked to the cargo ship for its final approach for an automated docking. Nonetheless, Krikalyov executed a flawless linkup. NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips took video and still photos of the arrival.

The Progress is loaded with 397 pounds of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water and more than 3,000 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. In addition, the Progress carries 40 new solid-fuel oxygen generating canisters as a supplemental source of oxygen, if required. The crew will open the Progress hatch later today but will not begin to unload the ship’s cargo until Sunday.

Among the items on the Progress is a new digital camera to be used by the Expedition 11 crew to capture images of the thermal protection system on the Shuttle Discovery during its approach to the Station during the STS-114 mission in July. The camera replaces a similar one that is no longer operable. The photos are part of the imagery-gathering effort to ensure that the Shuttle has no threatening damage to its heat shielding.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, June 24, or earlier if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-33

3:00 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 24, 2005

The International Space Station crew spent much of the week unpacking and using supplies from the newly docked Progress cargo craft.

The crew members also began preparing the Station for a visit by the Space Shuttle on its Return to Flight mission that is targeted to launch in a window that opens in less than three weeks.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov completed integrating the systems of a new Progress supply ship into those of the Russian section of Space Station. Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips also unpacked portions of the more than two tons of supplies on the cargo craft. The craft docked to the Station Saturday evening.

Along with food, fuel, clothing and new hardware, the Progress contained about 80 days worth of oxygen in tanks and solid fuel oxygen generators, plus supplies for further repair efforts on the Elektron oxygen generation system. The Elektron, one of multiple sources of oxygen available on the Station, derives oxygen from water. The system has been inoperable for a few months.

This week, Krikalyov installed a new supply of electrolyte in the Elektron’s liquids unit and a new set of aerosol filters. During initial test activation, the unit started up but immediately shut down. After a second activation it operated for less than half an hour before shutting down once again. Russian specialists at Mission Control Moscow are evaluating further troubleshooting. With the Progress oxygen supply and other supplies aboard the Station, enough oxygen is available to supply the crew for at least the remainder of this year without an operating Elektron unit. A new Elektron liquids unit also is planned to be shipped to the Station later this year.

The Station’s Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 was opened for the first time in four years this week to be used as storage space. The operation is part of the effort to prepare for cargo transfer operations during the Space Shuttle’s return to the complex. The Return to Flight Space Shuttle mission, STS-114, remains on track for launch in a window that extends from July 13-31. The Flight Readiness Review for STS-114 is set for June 29-30 at the Kennedy Space Center, and will conclude with the establishment of a target launch date.

One priority for the mission on Discovery is the delivery of supplies and removal of material that has accumulated on the Station since the grounding of the Shuttle fleet more than two years ago. The majority of that material will be moved on and off of the Station in a pressurized cargo module that will be docked to the nadir side of the Unity connecting module. This week, the Station crew verified the proper operation of the berthing mechanism at that docking port, which had not been operated in two and a half years. Phillips also began installation of a camera in the window of that docking port that is used to align the cargo module when the Shuttle is docked. Phillips halted the camera installation, however, when a circuit breaker tripped. Flight controllers have postponed his completion of the task pending further evaluation.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, July 1, or earlier, if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-34

3:00 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 1, 2005

The residents of the International Space Station were informed today that they may welcome visitors arriving on a Space Shuttle in two weeks.

Senior NASA managers yesterday set a July 13 launch date for the Space Shuttle’s Return to Flight, a mission that will see the Shuttle Discovery fly to the Station. Commander Eileen Collins and her crew are scheduled to lift off at 2:51 p.m. CDT on the first U.S. space flight since the February 2003 loss of the Shuttle Columbia. Discovery will dock to the Space Station two days later, July 15 at 11:27 a.m. CDT.

The Space Station’s Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips spent time this week preparing the outpost for the first joint Shuttle and Station mission since Endeavour departed in December 2002.

In preparation for docking, Phillips continued installation of a camera used to align the Shuttle and Station during the link up. A circuit breaker had tripped during an installation attempt last Friday. Engineers determined a power supply was at fault. Once the power supply was replaced, Phillips completed the installation and checkout procedure Tuesday.

Krikalyov and Phillips also practiced taking photographs from windows in the Zvezda living quarters module in preparation for Discovery’s arrival. In two weeks, they will use two digital cameras with high-powered lenses to shoot the thermal tiles on the orbiter during its approach. The pictures will be sent to Mission Control to help engineers assess the health of Discovery’s heat shield.

The crew also operated the Station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, as a checkout before Discovery arrives. In addition to verifying the system’s operation, the activity served as training for Krikalyov and Phillips. The arm was commanded to walk off the Destiny lab’s operating base to the Mobile Base System (MBS) on the truss Wednesday, and then back again Thursday. A similar procedure will be done during the Shuttle mission.

The arm will be positioned on Destiny’s base to observe the arrival of Discovery, for installation of the Rafaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and to support three spacewalks by the Shuttle crew. From the MBS operating position, cameras on the arm will be used for situational awareness during potential protective tile inspections the day after docking.

Phillips also prepared for Discovery’s arrival by consolidating equipment to make room for the nine-person joint crew and packing equipment for return to Earth on Discovery.

This week Krikalyov installed and tested equipment for another visiting vehicle. When the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) arrives next year, it will use Proximity Communications Equipment (PCE), or space-to-space communications, to rendezvous and dock to the Station’s Russian segment. The ATV has the capability to bring more than eight tons of equipment and supplies to the crew.

The current cargo spacecraft docked to the Station, a Russian Progress vehicle, was used Wednesday to raise the Station’s altitude. The vehicle’s engines burned for five minutes, 18 seconds to raise the Station’s orbit to 221.5 by 215.9 statute miles. The boost began the adjustments needed for rendezvous with Space Shuttle Discovery. Another burn is scheduled for July 6 at 9:58 a.m. CDT to enhance the rendezvous opportunities during the Shuttle’s July launch window that extends from July 13 to July 31.

The Progress also was used to pressurize the Station’s cabin atmosphere with additional oxygen. Each day it was required, Tuesday and Friday, eleven pounds of oxygen were added to the atmosphere in the absence of continual oxygen generation by the Elektron system, which is not currently operating. Other supplies aboard the Station could support the crew for the rest of this year, if needed. Additional supplies and a replacement liquids unit, the heart of the Elektron, are scheduled to arrive later this year.

Phillips, serving as NASA’s Station Science Officer, conducted a physiological experiment Wednesday. For the experiment, Phillips wore a special pair of Lycra cycling tights equipped with sensors to study his movements. The sensors will gather data to help researchers better understand how arms and legs are used differently in space. This information could lead to enhanced countermeasures to help astronauts better maintain bone density and muscle mass during long duration spaceflights.

He also wrote in a journal and filled out a questionnaire for the Journals experiment. With this experiment, researchers hope to improve equipment and procedures to help astronauts cope with the isolation encountered during long duration spaceflight.

Monday, Phillips performed a training procedure and used a voice operated computer system for the first time on Station. Called Clarissa, the system was developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in an effort to ease astronaut workload. Clarissa is “hands-free” and responds to astronauts’ voice commands, reading procedure steps out loud as they work, helping keep track of which steps have been completed, and supporting flexible voice-activated alarms and timers.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, July 8, or earlier, if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-35

4:00 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 8, 2005

After a light duty three-day holiday weekend, the International Space Station Expedition 11 crew returned to work for a short, but intense week of science experiments, spacesuit preparations and packing for the upcoming Space Shuttle mission.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips spent much of their time this week gathering and packing items on board to be returned in the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) during Discovery’s visit to the Station next week. The MPLM will weigh 18,166 pounds when it is launched aboard Discovery and 19,745 pounds when it returns, after supplies for the Station have been unloaded and unneeded gear loaded. The crew also made room for additional stowage in the Quest Airlock to be available during the docked operations. With a Wednesday launch, the Shuttle will dock with the Station on July 16.

Three spacewalks are scheduled during the mission using U.S. spacesuits. To maximize the efficiency of the batteries, Phillips conducted a series of charging and discharging cycles of the spacesuit batteries this week.

On Tuesday, the Space Station was raised nearly 4 miles in order to better position the complex for the Space Shuttle rendezvous. Engines on the docked Progress vehicle were fired for just over seven minutes, increasing the amount of days the Shuttle can launch and rendezvous on the third day of the mission.

Station television cameras captured video as it passed over then Tropical Storm Dennis. Late Wednesday, cameras captured views of the storm as the Station passed over the Caribbean, south of Haiti. Additional sighting opportunities for Hurricane Dennis are anticipated over the weekend and will be provided next week.

Throughout the week, the crew had numerous other Earth observation and photo opportunities including sightings of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya, the Nile River Delta in Egypt, and Hong Kong.

Krikalyov repressurized the Station atmosphere using oxygen from the newly arrived Progress vehicle. He also transferred water from tanks on the Progress to tanks in the Service Module.

Phillips and Krikalyov conducted the second of three sessions with the Renal Stone experiment. The experiment investigates whether potassium citrate can be used as a countermeasure to minimize the risk of kidney stone formation in space.

The crew ended its week with a live news conference with journalists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center. The weekend includes mostly off-duty time as well as routine housekeeping activities and conferences with management and support staff.

ISS status reports will not be issued during the STS-114 Space Shuttle mission. Station activities will be included in the Shuttle mission status reports, which are planned twice daily or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-36

4:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 15, 2005

The International Space Station Expedition 11 crew worked this week on final preparations for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery on its STS-114 Return to Flight mission, now on hold.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips worked to wrap up packing of items to be returned to Earth on Discovery, while continuing their scientific experiments, physical exercises and routine Station maintenance.

On Friday, the crew tested their Soyuz capsule’s motion control system. The test was in preparation for a relocation of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz is the crew’s lifeboat in the event an evacuation of the Station is needed and is the crew’s ride home at the end of its six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory.

With Discovery’s launch delayed, managers now plan to have the crew move the Soyuz next Tuesday from the Pirs Docking Compartment to the Zarya module to clear the way for a spacewalk planned in August. The move, originally planned to take place after Discovery’s mission, will free up the Pirs airlock for use by Krikalyov and Phillips during that spacewalk.

Krikalyov continued to use oxygen from the tanks of the unpiloted Progress cargo craft docked at the rear of the Zvezda Service Module to repressurize the Station’s atmosphere. He also completed transfer to the Station of fuel from the Progress for thrusters of the Russian attitude control system. On Monday the crew held a radio tagup with Discovery’s crew, and continued packing items for return on the Shuttle, an activity that continued throughout the week. On Tuesday Krikalyov and Phillips performed routine smoke detector inspections and on Wednesday made preparations for their Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RPM) photography. They will take pictures of the orbiter’s thermal protection system as Discovery does a slow back flip about 600 feet below the Station.

On Thursday Krikalyov and Phillips enjoyed a relatively light day. Duties included configuring cameras for the RPM maneuver.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Tuesday, July 19, after the proposed relocation of the Soyuz capsule at the Station, if it occurs, or earlier if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-37

6:30 a.m. CDT, Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips left the International Space Station today for a short ride, relocating their Soyuz return craft from one docking port to another to free up a Russian airlock for a future spacewalk.

The quick Expedition 11 foray began with undocking from the Pirs Docking Compartment at 5:38 a.m. CDT while the Station flew above the Atlantic just east of the southern tip of South America. Redocking to the nearby Zarya Module’s nadir, or Earth-facing, docking port occurred at 6:08 a.m. CDT over Central Asia.

Krikalyov, seated in the center seat of the Soyuz descent module, guided the spacecraft as it backed away from Pirs to a distance of about 82 feet. With Phillips on his left, Krikalyov commanded the Soyuz to fly laterally along the Station about 45 feet, then rotated the capsule to align it with the Zarya’s docking port. After 14 minutes of stationkeeping, the crew began final approach and completed the linkup. Minutes later, hooks and latches in the two docking mechanisms established a firm connection between Soyuz and Zarya. After a series of leak checks, the crew was scheduled to re-enter the Station shortly after 8 a.m. to reconfigure its systems for normal operations.

The move clears the Pirs airlock for a spacewalk by Krikalyov and Phillips in August. Among the tasks planned for that spacewalk are removal of materials exposure experiments, installation of a television camera for the European Space Agency’s cargo-carrying Automated Transfer Vehicle and relocation of a cargo boom adapter.

The Soyuz is the crew’s ride home at the end of its six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory and would serve as a lifeboat in the event of a Station evacuation.

The crew will begin its sleep period at mid-afternoon today and wake up early Wednesday for a day off, with only exercise and a few routine housekeeping activities scheduled.

International Space Station Status Report #05-38

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 22, 2005

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips got ready this week for two upcoming Space Shuttle launches and a Space Station spacewalk, and supported two different continuing science investigations.

With the 100th day of their six-month mission coming up on July 23, the International Space Station crew members reported in a Friday interview that they are eagerly anticipating Discovery’s arrival next week with tons of supplies, a new experiment rack and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) for the Station’s navigation system. They have been packing equipment that will return home on Discovery to free up much-needed space inside the outpost, and this week they began packing for the STS-121 mission of Atlantis that will follow.

Earlier in the week, Krikalyov and Phillips made a short foray in their Soyuz return craft, moving it from the Pirs docking port, which doubles as an airlock for Russian-suit spacewalks, to a Zarya docking port to configure the Station for an August excursion. The pair undocked from Pirs at 5:38 a.m. CDT Tuesday, and smoothly redocked at the nearby Zarya control module’s Earth-facing port at 6:08 a.m. CDT.

The post-Discovery spacewalk by Krikalyov and Phillips will involve retrieval of materials exposure experiments, installation of a television camera for the European Space Agency’s cargo-carrying Automated Transfer Vehicle and relocation of a cargo boom adapter.

Phillips supported research this week by setting up a digital still photo camera in the Destiny Laboratory’s window for the continuing EarthKAM student experiment. After the crew mounts the window camera, middle school students research requests for specific geographic targets, and with the help of university students, uplink commands to a laptop computer connected to the camera. The camera takes pictures at specified times, and the images are downlinked to the ground to be posted on the Internet for the public and participating classrooms around the world. The current EarthKAM run has taken photo requests from 43 schools.

Krikalyov spent time setting up and activating a plasma crystal experiment so that it could conduct automated experiments using radio frequency waves to affect crystal formation in microgravity. The experiment is a joint project of the Russian and German space agencies.

The next Station status report will be issued after STS-114, or on Friday, July 29, if there is a launch delay.

International Space Station Status Report #05-39

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 12, 2005

After saying goodbye to the visiting Space Shuttle Discovery Saturday, International Space Station Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips spent much of this week preparing for a spacewalk they will conduct next week.

On their upcoming spacewalk, Krikalyov and Phillips will change out a Russian biological experiment, retrieve some radiation sensors, remove a Japanese materials science experiment, photograph a Russian materials experiment, install a television camera and relocate a grapple fixture. The six-hour spacewalk begins at 1:55 p.m. CDT Thursday. Live coverage on NASA TV will begin at 12:30 p.m. CDT.

At 12:44 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Krikalyov’s time spent in space will surpass that of any other human being. Krikalyov’s record will pass the one now held by Cosomonaut Sergei Avdeyev, who spent 748 days in orbit. Krikalyov is a veteran of six space flights, two long-duration flights to the Soviet Union Space Station Mir; two flights on the Space Shuttle; and, counting this mission, two flights to the International Space Station. Krikalyov was aboard the Space Station Mir when the Soviet Union disintegrated. He became the first Russian to fly on the Space Shuttle in 1994. He was a member of the Shuttle crew that began assembly of the International Space Station in 1998. In 2000, he was a member of the first resident International Space Station crew.

Krikalyov and Phillips had an off duty day on Sunday. On Monday they worked to unpack and prepare spacewalk tools and to ready the Pirs docking compartment, from which the spacewalk will be conducted. They continued spacewalk preparations for the rest of the week, checking the Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear and talking with spacewalk experts in the Russian Mission Control Center and in Houston.

On Thursday, the Russian Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system shut down aboard the Station. The system is one of multiple systems that can be used to scrub the Station cabin air. Flight controllers in Houston have activated a U.S. Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly to perform that function while the Vozdukh is not operating. Russian specialists are continuing to analyze the problem.

The next Station status report will be issued on Thursday, Aug. 18, after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #05-40

8 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005

More milestones met on the International Space Station this week, with the Expedition 11 crewmembers completing a spacewalk just days after the Commander became the most experienced space traveler in history.

The 4 hour 58 minute spacewalk by Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips was the 62nd EVA in support of ISS assembly and maintenance, the 34th conducted from the Station itself, the 16th from the Pirs docking compartment.

The first job once Krikalyov and Phillips opened the hatch on Pirs at 2:02 pm CDT was retrieval of one of three canisters from the Biorisk experiment, a biomedical study of the impact of spaceflight on bioorganisms. Biorisk was installed on the Pirs module by Expedition 10 spacewalkers Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov in January of this year; the other canisters will be retrieved on later EVAs.

Next the spacewalkers moved to the large diameter section of the Zvezda module and prepared two experiment payloads for removal. MPAC, the Micro-Particles Capturer, uses aerogels and foam to collect natural and human-made orbital debris outside ISS; its companion experiment pallet, SEED (Space Environment Exposure Device), exposes samples of possible spacecraft materials like paint, insulation and lubricants, to the environment of low Earth orbit. Matroshka is a biomedical experiment collecting data on radiation absorption by crewmembers on long-duration missions, especially when spacewalking.

From there Krikalyov and Phillips moved to the aft of Zvezda to install a backup television camera to assist in docking of the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle, a new unmanned supply craft for ISS slated to make its first flight next year. While in the area the spacewalkers photodocumented the condition of an experiment called Kromka, which measures residue from the firing of the nearby jet thrusters, and exchanged sample containers in the materials exposure experiment SKK, the Russian initials for replaceable cassette container.

By the time the spacewalkers gathered together Matroshka, MPAC and SEED and their cluster of tools and transported them all back for stowage inside Pirs, they were about 45 minutes behind the timeline for today’s spacewalk. That delay, combined with an estimated two hours it would take to complete the last planned task—relocation of a Strela cargo crane adapter from Zarya to Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 on the Unity node—caused Russian mission managers to decide to forego the last planned task until a later spacewalk. The hatch to Pirs was closed at 7 p.m. for an official spacewalk duration of 4 hours, 58 minutes.

Today’s spacewalk was the first in Phillips’ career and the eighth for Krikalyov, who collected 36 hours and 10 minutes spacewalking experience on seven EVAs during his two missions to the Russian space station Mir.

On Tuesday, at 12:44 a.m. CDT, Krikalyov’s total time in space surpassed the record of 747 days, 14 hours and 14 minutes set by Cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev. Krikalyov flew two long-duration flights to the Mir space station, two Space Shuttle missions, and was Flight Engineer on the first Expedition to ISS before this flight as Commander of Expedition 11.

The Russian Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system has been shut down since last Thursday, and Russians specialists are working on a recovery plan. Meanwhile, the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the U.S. portion of the Station, which has been scrubbing the Station’s air since Vozdukh’s shut down, failed early this morning due to a stuck check valve, the latest instance of a known and understood problem. It is being managed back to operation by flight controllers in Houston, who reported to the crew that carbon dioxide levels on board ISS are well below the levels that would pose any danger. Plans call for Krikalyov to do troubleshooting on Vozdukh starting tomorrow.

International Space Station Status Report #05-41

8:30 a.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 26, 2005

The residents of the International Space Station this week unloaded cargo delivered to them last month by Discovery’s astronauts, prepared for the arrival of more supplies and repaired a key component of the outpost’s environmental control system.

In the fifth month of their six-month mission, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips completed the unpacking of cargo bags transferred to the Station’s Zarya module from the Shuttle Discovery three weeks ago. They planned to unload other bags stowed in the Unity and Zvezda modules in the days ahead. All of the unpacked items were entered into the Station’s computerized inventory system.

On Friday, the crew will begin to fill the ISS Progress 18 resupply craft docked at the aft end of Zvezda with trash and unneeded gear. The Progress craft will undock from the complex at 5:23 a.m. CDT Sept. 7. It will be commanded to fire its engines to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up over the Pacific Ocean.

That will set the stage for the 8:08 a.m. CDT Sept. 8 launch of the ISS Progress 19 cargo vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. EDT. Filled with more than 2.5 tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water and spare parts, Progress 19 will automatically dock to the Station at 9:50 a.m. CDT Sept. 10. The docking will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

Among the items to be carried aboard Progress 19 is a new liquids unit for the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system that failed several months ago. The liquids unit circulates water through the Elektron, separating it into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. The hydrogen is then vented overboard and the oxygen is circulated into the atmosphere for breathing.

While Elektron has been inactive, oxygen from the Progress 18 tanks has been used to repressurize the cabin atmosphere. Multiple sources of oxygen are available for use by the crew with ample supplies available.

On Tuesday, Krikalyov repaired the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system by replacing a faulty valve. Vozdukh shut down late last week, prompting the temporary use of another air-scrubbing system, the U.S. Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in the Destiny Laboratory.

Also on Tuesday, Krikalyov and Phillips took time to discuss life and work aboard the Station with students gathered at the Cincinnati Museum Center in Ohio. The educational event was broadcast to schools in the Ohio Valley.

On Wednesday, Phillips replaced a failed laptop computer used to house inventory and information about the Station’s medical supplies. The computer experienced problems three weeks ago during Discovery’s visit.

They also spent 90 minutes Wednesday practicing emergency procedures during an exercise that simulated the rapid depressurization of the Station’s cabin. Rehearsals of this nature are conducted periodically to maintain proficiency for the crew and flight controllers.

In addition to exercise and routine maintenance, the crewmembers stowed spacewalking tools they used last week during their excursion outside the Pirs Docking Compartment to retrieve experiments and hardware. The spacewalk was the only one planned for Expedition 11.

International Space Station Status Report #05-42

4 p.m. CDT, Thursday, September 1, 2005

The International Space Station’s Expedition 11 crewmembers completed 20 weeks in space this week and focused on an upcoming cargo ship exchange and computer software transition.

Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips spent time packing the docked ISS Progress 18 supply ship with items no longer needed on the Station. The unpiloted cargo craft will be undocked from the Zvezda module’s aft port at 5:23 p.m. CDT Wednesday. The Progress will later burn up in Earth’s atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean.

A new supply ship, ISS Progress 19, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8:08 a.m. CDT Thursday. It will dock to the Station at 9:50 a.m. CDT Sept. 10. Food, water, fuel, clothing and other supplies will be among the two-and-a-half tons of cargo aboard. The craft will deliver a new liquids unit for the Station’s Elektron, a primary oxygen-generating system, as well as spare parts for the Station’s Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system.

Also this week, Krikalyov and Phillips prepared new laptop computers for a software upgrade that will be performed later this month. They also conducted a routine rehearsal of emergency response procedures, simulating an emergency departure from the Station in the Soyuz; and checked out new blood pressure and electrocardiograph equipment that was delivered by the Space Shuttle last month.

On Monday, Phillips, who says he was inspired as a boy by history’s great explorers, took time Monday to discuss his mission in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting. Phillips talked about the similarities and differences of space exploration and the journey of Lewis and Clark for a series celebrating the bicentennial of that exploration of the American West.

International Space Station Status Report #05-43

9:00 a.m. CDT, Thursday, September 8, 2005

A new shipment of supplies is on its way to the International Space Station. The ISS Progress 19 resupply vehicle lifted off today from its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 8:08 a.m. CDT (7:08 p.m. Baikonur time). Less than 10 minutes later, the cargo ship reached orbit, and its solar arrays and navigational antennas were deployed for its two-day trip to the orbital outpost.

At the time of the Progress launch, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips were flying 220 statute miles over the south Pacific Ocean.

Carrying more than 2 ½ tons of food, water, fuel, clothing, spare parts and other supplies, the new Progress is scheduled to automatically dock to the Station’s Zvezda Service Module on Saturday at 9:50 a.m. CDT. The craft will also deliver a new water circulation device called a “liquids unit” for the Station’s Elektron oxygen-generating system that has been inoperative for months. The new unit will be installed late next week to try to bring Elektron back into service.

Nearing the end of their fifth month in space, Krikalyov and Phillips completed packing the old ISS Progress 18 supply ship with items no longer needed on the Station and closed its hatch Tuesday. The unpiloted cargo craft undocked from the Zvezda module’s aft port at 5:26 a.m. CDT Wednesday. The Progress and its contents were commanded to deorbit and burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific.

Also this week, Krikalyov and Phillips replaced parts inside their treadmill exercise machine that is mounted in Zvezda. New components were delivered aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in late July for a routine upgrade of the system. After two days of maintenance work, Phillips activated the treadmill machine and is testing it today. He reported that it is operating normally and is available for daily use by the crew.

International Space Station Status Report #05-44

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005

A 2½-ton delivery arrived at the back door of the International Space Station today as an unpiloted Russian cargo ship linked up to the Zvezda module’s docking port at 9:42 a.m. CDT, filled with supplies for Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer John Phillips and spare parts for repair to some Station systems.

The crewmembers were inside Zvezda monitoring the automated docking as ISS flew 220 statute miles above Central Asia near northern Kazakhstan at the time of contact and capture. Once leak checks are completed, Krikalyov and Phillips will open the hatch to Progress later today and will begin to unload its contents on Sunday.

The supplies include food, fuel, oxygen and air, clothing, experiment hardware, and Russian spacesuit components. The more than 2,700 pounds of dry cargo contained in this supply ship also include a new water circulation device called a liquids unit for the Station’s Elektron, the primary system for supplying oxygen for the crew to breathe and spare parts for the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system. Time is set aside in the crew’s schedule Sept. 15 for installation of the new liquids unit to attempt to bring Elektron back into service, months after it failed.

The remainder of the Progress payload includes 1,763 pounds of propellant for the Russian thrusters, 242 pounds of oxygen and air in tanks as a backup supply for the oxygen generated by Elektron and 463 pounds of water to augment the supplies left by The Space Shuttle Discovery during the recent STS-114 mission.

Some of the clothing and personal effects delivered to the Station today include items for the next resident crew of the Station, Expedition 12 Commander and NASA Science Officer Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valerii Tokarev. They are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Oct. 1 on the Soyuz TMA-7 capsule.

International Space Station Status Report #05-45

1 p.m. CDT Friday, September 16, 2005

The installation of a replacement part for an oxygen-generating system, unpacking a recently arrived cargo carrier and the disassembly of a radiation-detection experiment highlighted this week’s activities aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips are scheduled to activate the Elektron oxygen-generation system with its new liquids unit on Monday. The Elektron breaks down water into oxygen for use in the station’s atmosphere. The Elektron has not functioned for several months. Adequate oxygen supplies are available on the station from tanks and Solid Fuel Oxygen Generators.

The new liquids unit arrived aboard the ISS Progress 19 cargo craft, which docked to the complex at 9:42 a.m. CDT Saturday. The Progress craft brought 2.6 tons of cargo to the station. Krikalyov and Phillips began unloading the cargo on Sunday.

The Progress brought more than 2,700 pounds of dry cargo to the station, including food, equipment, supplies, clothing and components of scientific experiments. The rest of the cargo included fuel for the station’s thrusters, water and oxygen. Unloading continued intermittently through the week.

After a light-duty day Monday, the crew transferred Progress cargo and entered the items into the station’s computerized, bar-coded inventory management system on Tuesday. Much of Wednesday was devoted to disassembly of the Matroshka radiation experiment, retrieved from the exterior of the station during an August spacewalk, for return to Earth.

A major part of the European Space Agency Matroshka experiment, developed and built in Germany and operated through the German Space Agency’s Microgravity User Support Center in Cologne, is a human-torso-like device. It was launched on a Progress in January 2004 and installed on the outside of the Zvezda Service Module the following month.

Its interior is similar in density to a human’s, and 20 radiation detectors are mounted in positions of major human organs. Other detectors inside the station also gathered data for transmission to Earth and station computers. The experiment is designed to better understand the exposure of astronauts, including those making spacewalks, to radiation.

In addition to the Elektron liquids unit replacement, Thursday work included setup of hardware for the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Spaceflight (Foot) experiment. Phillips put on customized Lycra cycling tights for his fifth and final session of the experiment. Foot investigates the differences between use of the body’s lower extremities on Earth and in space, as well as changes in the musculoskeletal system during spaceflight.

During the session, Phillips wore the instrumented Lower Extremity Monitoring Suit, or LEMS, which measures joint angles, muscle activity and forces on the feet while exercising. During the final run, a special exercise protocol was used to measure forces Phillips experiences on the cycle ergometer and the Resistive Exercise Device.

Taking force measurements while running through the range of settings with each piece of exercise equipment helps determine the settings necessary to match the forces that bones experience during exercise on Earth. Matching those forces during exercise is critical to reducing the amount of bone lost while in weightlessness.

Also this week, flight controllers and engineers in Houston assisted with the transition aboard the station to a faster advanced portable computer software. The transition was completed Wednesday. Flight controllers also maneuvered station cameras to capture images of Hurricane Ophelia several times this week as it approached the Carolina coast.

International Space Station Status Report #05-46

9 a.m. CDT Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

Preparations for arrival of the next crew of the Space Station, scientific activities and maintenance highlighted this week’s activities aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Science Officer John Phillips also spent some time packing up for their own return home, readying their launch and entry suits. They checked out the Soyuz spacecraft that brought them to the station April 16 to make sure it is ready to take them back to Earth.

The 12th crew of the station, Commander and NASA Science Officer William McArthur and Valerii Tokarev, flight engineer and Soyuz commander, are scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tonight at about 10:55 p.m. CDT. NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 10 p.m.

The new crew is scheduled to dock with the station a little after 12:30 a.m. on Monday. NASA Television coverage of the docking will begin at 11p.m. Sunday.

With the Expedition 12 crew will be spaceflight participant Gregory Olsen, an American businessman traveling to the station under a contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He will spend about eight days on the station and return to Earth with Krikalyov and Phillips. Their landing is scheduled for about 8:10 p.m. CDT Oct. 10 on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Thursday managers at Mission Control Moscow said launch preparations were moving along flawlessly. Managers at Mission Control Houston said the station was ready to receive the new crew.

McArthur and Tokarev will spend the eight days they will share with their predecessors aboard the station in intensive handover briefings, learning about the spacecraft’s systems, processes, procedures, scientific experiments, the location of equipment and supplies. In short, they will be trying to learn all they still need to know before they begin their months in orbit alone.

Krikalyov and Phillips began the week with NASA flight controllers in Moscow exercising primary mission control. Mission Control Houston and the rest of Johnson Space Center were closed because of the threat of Hurricane Rita. Houston flight controllers resumed normal operations at 9 a.m. Monday.

On Tuesday Krikalyov and Phillips each spent more than an hour familiarizing themselves with Olsen’s scientific experiments. On Wednesday they continued preparations for arrival of the new crew, and on Thursday did predocking tests and more preparation for their own departure. Phillips regenerated METOX carbon dioxide absorbing cartridges for U.S. spacesuits. McArthur and Tokarev have a spacewalk scheduled in those suits in November.

Today’s schedule includes maintenance of the Elektron oxygen generating system, functioning again after Krikalyov replaced its liquids unit two weeks ago.

International Space Station Status Report #05-47

11:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

The 12th crew of the International Space Station rocketed into space tonight, beginning a six-month mission.

A Soyuz spacecraft carried Expedition 12 Commander and NASA Science Officer William McArthur and Flight Engineer Valerii Tokarev to orbit. Gregory Olsen rode with them, beginning a 10-day space mission as part of a commercial contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

The Soyuz launched at 10:55 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. At the time, the station was flying in a southeasterly direction about 230 miles above the South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile. With Tokarev at the controls, the Soyuz is on course to catch up and dock with the station at 12:32 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3.

The hatches between the arriving Soyuz spacecraft and the station will be opened at about 3:25 a.m. Monday. Live NASA Television coverage of the docking will begin at 11 p.m. Sunday.

Tokarev and McArthur will stay aboard the station until the spring, while Olsen will spend eight days there conducting experiments.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips have been doing research and maintaining station systems since April. With Olsen, they will undock from the station and return to Earth Oct. 10.

International Space Station Status Report #05-48

4 a.m. CDT, Monday, Oct. 3, 2005

New residents arrived at the International Space Station this morning to begin a six-month mission that will carry them through the new year into next spring.

With Expedition 12 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Valerii Tokarev at the controls, the Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft automatically linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 12:27 a.m. CDT as the Soyuz and the station flew over eastern Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two vehicles joined together to form a hard mate.

Aboard the Soyuz with Tokarev were NASA Expedition 12 Commander and Science Officer Bill McArthur and U.S. Spaceflight Participant Gregory Olsen, who will spend eight days on the complex under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

After two orbits worth of systems checks, hatches between the Soyuz and the station were opened at 3:36 a.m. CDT. Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips greeted their colleagues with handshakes and hugs and the traditional offering of bread and salt. The first activity scheduled for the five crewmembers was a safety briefing to familiarize the newly arrived trio with emergency escape procedures. For Krikalyov and Phillips, today marked their 171st day in space and their 169th day on the station since they arrived in April.

McArthur and Tokarev will remain on board the station until April 2006. Olsen will return to Earth next week after eight days of scientific and photography experiments with Krikalyov and Phillips in the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft that is docked to the Zarya module. The new crew launched Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for its two-day journey to the outpost.

McArthur and Tokarev are scheduled to relocate the new Soyuz from Pirs to Zarya on Nov. 18.

Among the NASA officials on hand for the docking activities at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow were William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, and Bob Cabana, the deputy director of the Johnson Space Center.

Later today, before beginning an extended sleep period, the new crewmembers will transfer Olsen’s custom-made Soyuz seatliner to the older Soyuz he will ride home in as well as cargo carried aloft on the new Soyuz for the complex. In addition, initial briefings on the handover from the current residents to their replacements will be conducted and the new Soyuz’ systems will be deactivated.

Over the next week, McArthur and Tokarev will familiarize themselves with station systems and stowed equipment, conduct robotics training with the Canadarm2 robot arm, and receive detailed briefings on scientific payloads.

International Space Station Status Report #05-49

3 p.m. CDT, Friday, Oct. 7, 2005

Following the docking of the Soyuz spacecraft early Monday morning, the space station is now home to a new crew. Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valerii Tokarev, joined by spaceflight participant Gregory Olsen, spent the week on board with the Expedition 11 crew performing handover and transfer activities.

McArthur, Tokarev and Olsen arrived at the Space Station at 12:27 a.m. CDT Monday, Oct. 3, and entered the orbital laboratory at 3:36 a.m. For McArthur and Tokarev, the station will serve as home for the next six months.

The crews began joint activities with safety briefings and a review of emergency escape procedures. The remainder of the first day together for the two crews included initial handover briefings, deactivation of the Soyuz spacecraft and drying and stowage of the Russian Sokol spacesuits worn during launch.

Handover activities continued throughout the week. On Tuesday, Expedition 11 Flight Engineer John Phillips and McArthur reviewed robotic arm software that provides graphical depictions of the station’s exterior to aid in arm operations. The following day, the two performed several maneuvers using the Canadarm2 to acquaint the new crew with how the robotic arm behaves in the space environment.

The crews also conducted experiments. The studies included the Intercellular Interactions experiment, a Russian study of the effect of microgravity on cell surfaces and intercellular interactions, and an experiment that studies the process of genetic material transmission in bacteria. Other experiment work included a study of the growth and development of higher plants in space, a study of changes in the human cardiovascular system in orbit and an investigation designed to help researchers understand the effect of radiation exposure on human organs.

The crews also fielded questions from media during a news conference and several interviews and received a special phone call from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Fradkov congratulated the crews on their work and discussed his country’s commitment to the International Space Station program.

Also this week, the crews installed radiation monitors and temperature sensor switching units, inspected U.S. emergency power supplies and smoke detectors, and replaced a laptop computer.

The crews will have some brief off-duty time this weekend, but will focus on completing handover and preparations for Expedition 11’s return home. Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and Phillips are scheduled to undock from the station at 4:43 p.m. CDT and land at 8:09 p.m. CDT on Monday in Kazakhstan.

NASA Television coverage of the crew’s farewells will begin at 1 p.m. CDT Monday as they say their goodbyes and close the hatches between the station and the Soyuz spacecraft. NASA TV coverage of the undocking will begin at 4 p.m. CDT. Coverage of the deorbit burn will begin at 6:45 p.m. and continue through landing. The deorbit burn is scheduled for 7:19 p.m.

For continental North America, NASA TV is carried on an MPEG-2 digital signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. It’s available in Alaska and Hawaii on an MPEG-2 digital signal accessed via satellite AMC-7, transponder 18C, 137 degrees west longitude, 4060 MHz, vertical polarization. A Digital Video Broadcast compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder is required for reception. For information about NASA TV, including digital down link information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

International Space Station Status Report #05-50

8:30 p.m. CDT, Monday, Oct. 10

After traveling 75 million miles during six months on the International Space Station, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalyov and NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips returned to Earth today. With them was American Greg Olsen, who spent eight days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

The Soyuz spacecraft with Krikalyov, Phillips and Olsen landed in north-central Kazakhstan, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) northeast of Arkalyk, at 8:09 p.m. CDT. The crew’s families will greet them at Star City, Russia, near Moscow, early tomorrow. Krikalyov and Phillips will remain in Star City for post-flight debriefings before returning to Houston in late October. Krikalyov and Phillips launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, April 14. They spent 179 days, 23 minutes in space. During their mission, they welcomed the Space Shuttle Discovery crew as it returned the shuttle to flight on STS-114.

While on the station, Krikalyov amassed more time in space than any human. He is a veteran of six spaceflights, including two to the Russian space station Mir, two shuttle flights, and the first International Space Station expedition. Krikalyov has 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes of time in space. On Aug. 16, he surpassed the previous record set by Cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev of 747 days, 14 hours and 14 minutes.

The new station crew, Expedition 12 Commander and NASA Science Officer Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valerii Tokarev, will have light duty for the next few days as they rest from a busy handover. They will remain in orbit six months, during which they are planned to perform at least two spacewalks. The first spacewalk will occur in early November.

Links

• 2005 ISS Status Reports (ISS 05-19 to 05-50).
• STS-114 MCC Status Reports.
• CDT: Central Daylight Time (GMT/UTC −05 hours).

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