[sarex] ISS Status Report: SS07-09

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

> Feb. 16, 2007
>
> John Yembrick
> Headquarters, Washington
> 202-358-0602
>
> James Hartsfield
> Johnson Space Center, Houston 
> 281-483-4934
> STATUS REPORT: SS07-09
>
> INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS07-09
>
> HOUSTON - This week, the Expedition 14 crew continued to focus on 
> preparation for their final planned spacewalk ahead of the space 
> shuttle Atlantis' arrival in March. This comes following Sunday's 
> unexpected circuit breaker trip on the International Space Station 
> and subsequent resetting of affected equipment. 
>
> As Atlantis was moved to the launch pad this week, station Commander 
> Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin conducted leak 
> checks of the Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear for their Feb. 
> 22 venture outside the station. They installed some additional 
> equipment on the suits, including lights that will assist in their 
> tasks. 
>
> Friday, the crew verified the suits' readiness by conducting telemetry 
> and communications checks with flight controllers in Russia at the 
> Mission Control Center in Korolev. 
>
> The spacewalk will be the fifth by the Expedition 14 crew, a record 
> for a station crew. It will be the fourth spacewalk conducted from 
> the space station in the past three weeks. The spacewalk, scheduled 
> to begin at approximately 4 a.m. CST, is expected to last six hours. 
> NASA Television and www.nasa.gov will broadcast the event live, 
> beginning at 3 a.m. 
>
> The spacewalkers will attempt to free a stuck antenna on the Progress 
> 23 cargo craft that is docked at the aft end of the station. The 
> antenna did not properly retract when the supply vessel docked in 
> October. Securing or removing the antenna is necessary to allow the 
> Progress to undock in April. 
>
> Additionally, they will survey docking navigation systems for the 
> European Automated Transfer Vehicle, a cargo spacecraft scheduled to 
> make its maiden voyage this summer. 
>
> The spacewalk will be the 10th for Lopez-Alegria, a record for a U.S. 
> astronaut. 
>
> Also this week, robotics ground controllers in Houston commanded the 
> station's mobile transporter rail car to move to the starboard side 
> of the station's truss in preparation for the arrival of Atlantis, 
> which will bring a new, school bus-sized truss segment with a third 
> set of U.S. solar arrays for the complex, and batteries and other 
> electronics. 
>
> The crew will spend Monday inside the Destiny laboratory training on 
> the operation of the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. 
>
> For more about the crew's activities and station sighting 
> opportunities, visit: 
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/station 
>
> 	
> -end-
>
>
>
>
>