ISS Status Report #37
This week on the International Space
Station crew members refurbished their exercise treadmill, prepared
areas inside and out for an imminent expansion of their home and
took a couple of special calls to discuss soccer and food in
space.
Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams and
European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter are gearing up for
the second space shuttle visit to the station during Expedition 13.
The shuttle Atlantis, targeted to launch in a window that opens
Aug. 27, will resume major orbital construction of the complex.
During its mission, designated STS-115, Atlantis will deliver and
install a 17.5-ton, bus-sized segment of the station's girder-like
truss that includes another set of solar arrays, batteries and
associated electronics.
The station crew started out the week with two days of standard
maintenance work on the treadmill vibration isolation system, a
special exercise treadmill located on the floor of the Zvezda
living quarters module. Crews perform the maintenance task every
six months to inspect the treadmill's components, replace worn
items and install new bearings. The treadmill is a complex system
that uses gyroscopes to stabilize itself and isolates the
vibrations created by exercise from being transmitted to the
station's structure, where they could disturb sensitive
experiments. Extensive exercise is a daily regimen for all station
crew members as one method of counteracting the effects of long
exposure to weightlessness.
The crew had time set aside each day this week to pack up and
prepare items that will be moved from the station to the shuttle
during Atlantis' flight. In addition, ground controllers worked
with the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to prepare for the
upcoming shuttle flight.
On Thursday, they moved the arm to position cameras to view
markings on the station used for a graphical computer alignment aid
when new components are attached. That aid, called the space vision
system, will be used during Atlantis' flight to help with the
attachment of the new truss section.
On Friday, controllers moved the arm to perform an early
checkout of its systems, ensuring it is ready for the shuttle
mission.
The station crew greeted special guest calls this week. On
Tuesday, the coach and players from the FC Barcelona soccer team
talked with the crew as they visited NASA's Johnson Space Center
prior to an exhibition game in Houston. Reiter, a soccer fan,
showed the team a space soccer move during the call. On Thursday,
the crew members spoke with Chef Emeril Lagasse about space food
and their mission. Lagasse sent NASA several recipes that were
prepared and delivered to the station aboard the last shuttle
flight. The Expedition 13 crew tried the dishes this week.