Mon, May 10, 2004
Getting Ready For Spacewalk
The new crew of the International Space Station spent its first
full week alone concentrating on life science research, spacewalk
preparations, and becoming comfortable with their new home in
orbit.
Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science
Officer Mike Fincke took part in a variety of experiments that
focus on learning how the human body responds to extended periods
without gravity. The crewmembers completed the first sessions of a
series of Russian biomedical experiments measuring body mass and
calf volume and drawing blood to measure red blood cell mass. They
also performed operations with two European Space Agency
experiments looking into adaptation of the vestibular system, which
provides the body's sense of balance.
Padalka and Fincke launched with plans to conduct two
spacewalks, but they learned last weekend that a third had
officially been added. The planned June 10 spacewalk calls for the
crewmembers to replace a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM), a
type of remote controlled circuit breaker, on the Station's truss.
The RPCM failed April 21, cutting power to one of the Control
Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) which provide attitude control for the
Station. There are still two CMGs operating well and controlling
the Station's orientation. As managers continue to evaluate the
spacewalk plans, Padalka and Fincke will conduct a fit check of the
U.S. spacesuits next week. This week, Fincke completed maintenance
work with the spacesuit battery chargers and batteries and began a
procedure to regenerate canisters which remove the carbon dioxide
spacewalkers exhale from the suits.
The previous Station crew, Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and
Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center in Star City, Russia, this week for post-flight
debriefings and checks. Foale is expected to return to Houston
later this month.
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