[sarex] ISS Crew Moves Station Robotic Arm

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Crew Moves Station Robotic Arm*

Space station robotic arm
Image above: Canadarm2, the space station's robotic arm, is maneuvered 
into place by Flight Engineer Clay Anderson. Image credit: NASA TV

TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

The Expedition 15 crew aboard the International Space Station continued 
preparations Thursday for the arrival of a Progress cargo vehicle and 
space shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-118 in August.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson conducted a "walk off" of the station's 
robotic arm, moving it into position in advance of Endeavour's arrival. 
During STS-118, the crew will use the robotic arm to install the newly 
delivered S5 truss to the S4 solar array truss.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov conducted a 
test of the TORU manual docking system. TORU serves as a backup for the 
Kurs automated docking system, which is the primary docking system for 
Progress cargo crafts.

The Progress 24 cargo craft will undock from the Pirs docking 
compartment on Aug. 1, burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere as it 
deorbits. Progress 26 is scheduled for launch on Aug. 2 and will reach 
the station on Aug. 5. Two days later on Aug. 7, space shuttle Endeavour 
is targeted for launch with a station rendezvous and docking planned for 
Aug. 9.

On Monday, Anderson and Yurchikhin conducted a 7-hour, 41 minute 
spacewalk. Anderson jettisoned a 1,400 pound, refrigerator-size ammonia 
reservoir known as the Early Ammonia Servicer by pushing it opposite of 
the station's direction of travel. Anderson and Yurchikhin also 
installed a television camera support or stanchion, reconfigured a power 
supply for an antenna assembly, and performed several get-ahead tasks.

+ Read more about the spacewalk 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/e15_eva_072307.html> 


+ Read more about Expedition 15 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html>
+ View crew daily timelines 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>