Maneuvers Close To ISS, No Need For Abort Button

The Expedition 16 crew of the International Space Station returned to science and station maintenance activities Tuesday after Monday’s successful test approach of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman worked together to set up equipment for a periodic physical fitness evaluation. Reisman exercised on the station’s cycle ergometer while wearing a heart rate monitor. Whitson collected data from this session, which exercise physiologists and flight surgeons will use to assess Reisman’s health and make adjustments to his exercise regimen if needed.

Later, Reisman worked in the Quest airlock, performing maintenance on the cooling loops of the US spacesuits.

In preparation for the ATV docking on Thursday, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko checked the hardware needed to perform leak checks in the event of a failure in the power unit of the cargo carrier’s depress valve.

The Jules Verne approached the station on Monday for its "Demo Day 2" practice maneuvers. It moved to within 36 feet of the Zvezda Service Module in a rehearsal for docking on Thursday.

"All of today's activities went by the book. No issues," NASA spokesman Rob Navias told Florida Today. "All of that activity functioned as advertised."

The ATV reached its closest point to the station at 1238 EDT, at which time it was commanded by the crew to retreat to a point 62 feet away. From there it executed an "escape" command to depart the station for its three-day phasing prior to final approach and docking around 1041 EDT Thursday.

Should Jules Verne fail to perform as planned during Thursday's docking, astronauts onboard the ISS may hit a prominent "Abort" button intended to signal the ATV to move away from the station, and park itself in sleep mode until the problem can be found and corrected. Fortunately, Monday's test showed the ISS crew, and controllers on the ground in Houston, Russia, and the EU, that button likely won't be needed.

FMI: www.nasa.gov