Report #41, 8:30 a.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 26, 2005, Mission
Control Center, Houston
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 Krikalev 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, Krikalev 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, Krikalev 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.