Even Astronauts Have To Take Out The Trash

The International Space Station is set to take out the garbage after Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka closed the hatch on a trash-filled ISS Progress 32 (P32) cargo craft. The P32 was scheduled to undock Wednesday at 11:18 a.m. EDT and burn up over the Pacific Ocean 12 days later. Prior to deorbit, ground controllers will perform a series of engine firings and study their effect on plasma in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Before closing the hatch, Padalka removed lights from the P32, stowed them in the station and updated the Inventory Management System. The cosmonaut also replaced a laptop computer in the Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.

On Thursday, the ISS Progress 33 (P33) will launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:37 p.m. The P33 is delivering food, fuel, oxygen, supplies and hardware. Docking will take place at 3:23 p.m. on May 12 at the Pirs docking compartment.

Flight Engineers Michael Barratt and Koichi Wakata spent some time Tuesday morning answering questions from students. The students took part in the event from Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Ga., which is a part of NASA’s Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy, or SEMMA. SEMMA is a national program designed to increase participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented youth in grades kindergarten through 12, in science, technology, engineering and math.

FMI: www.nasa.gov