ISS Status Report #60, 9 a.m. CST, Friday, Dec. 9, 2005
Expedition 12 Commander Bill
McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev focused on keeping the
International Space Station in good working condition this week as
managers reviewed plans for the change out of cargo vehicles at the
complex.
On Monday, McArthur finished repairing an atmospheric
contaminant monitor, called a Volatile Organic Analyzer (VOA), in
the Destiny Lab. He replaced thermal fuses in the device, which
measures amounts of gases in the cabin air. He is scheduled to
replace a circulation fan for the rack the unit is housed in on
Friday. He will activate and check the apparatus next week.
In the Russian segment, the crewmembers performed routine
cleaning of the smoke detectors in the Zarya module. Tokarev
repaired air ducts to improve airflow into the U.S. segment. In
addition, Tokarev installed an adjustable fan with mufflers in the
sleeping quarters to reduce the amount of noise the fan
produces.
McArthur recorded a brief explanation of the space station's
solar panels as part of NASA's educational programs. The
curriculum-based activities in space by the crew are planned to
demonstrate the basic principles of science, math, physics,
engineering and geography. The programs show students how familiar
objects on Earth may behave differently in weightlessness. The
videotaped session will be incorporated into educational products
that NASA will make available for use in classrooms.
McArthur updated the operating software of the five racks
designed to house science experiments in the Destiny lab. He also
prepared the canisters of a materials exposure experiment for
installation on the outside of the complex during the next Space
Shuttle mission.
Both crewmembers spent time this week rounding up unneeded
equipment and trash for disposal in the ISS Progress 19 cargo craft
now docked to the aft port of the Zvezda module. They also removed
the Progress vehicle’s Kurs automatic docking system. The
unit will be returned to Earth for refurbishment and reuse.
Station managers are reviewing a proposed change in the plan to
undock the Progress Dec. 20. The new plan would leave the Progress
attached to the station for a few more months, allowing the crew
additional time to use it for trash disposal and to use up its
oxygen and fuel supplies.
The next cargo vehicle, ISS Progress 20, launches Dec. 21 from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. If the new plan is approved,
Progress 20 would dock to the Pirs Docking Compartment Dec. 23. It
will bring almost three tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen, air,
spare parts and holiday gifts to the outpost.