Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri returned to their regular workload aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday as flight controllers continued the investigation into the slight decay of Station air pressure. The crew used ultrasound equipment Tuesday to detect the source of a tiny decay in air pressure, which was first noted two weeks ago. Foale reported that he and Kaleri could not locate the origin of the minute pressure loss. The pressure on the ISS has stabilized over the last 24 hours with no further decay detected by sensors and other atmospheric monitoring equipment. The ISS is operating in excellent shape with the slight pressure decay posing no concern.

The engineers and scientists for NASA's Spirit are eager to get the rover off its lander and out exploring the terrain that Spirit's pictures are revealing, but caution comes first. An added "lift and tuck" to get deflated airbag material out of the way extends the number of activities Spirit needs to finish before it can get its wheels onto martian ground. "We'll lift up the left petal of the lander, retract the airbag, then let the petal back down," said Art Thompson, rover tactical uplink lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. This and other added activities have pushed the earliest scenario for roll-off to Jan. 14, and it could be later. The first stereo image mosaic from Spirit's panoramic camera provided new details of the landscape's shapes,