| |
CX2SA > ISS 01.10.05 00:35l 75 Lines 3278 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 40714_CX2SA
Read: GUEST OE7FMI
Subj: ISS STATUS REPORT #05-46
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<I0TVL<CX2SA
Sent: 050930/2330Z @:CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA #:40714 [Minas] FBB7.00e $:40714_CX2SA
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA
To : ISS@WW
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*International Space Station Status Report #05-46*
*9 a.m. CDT Friday, Sept. 30, 2005*
*Expedition 11 Crew*
Preparations for arrival of the next crew of the space station,
scientific activities and maintenance highlighted this week's activities
aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science Officer John
Phillips also spent some time packing up for their own return home,
readying their launch and entry suits. They checked out the Soyuz
spacecraft that brought them to the station April 16 to make sure it is
ready to take them back to Earth.
The 12th crew of the station, Commander and NASA Science Officer William
McArthur and Valery Tokarev, flight engineer and Soyuz commander, are
scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tonight
at about 10:55 p.m. CDT. NASA Television coverage of the launch will
begin at 10 p.m.
The new crew is scheduled to dock with the station a little after 12:30
a.m. on Monday. NASA Television coverage of the docking will begin at
11p.m. Sunday.
With the Expedition 12 crew will be spaceflight participant Gregory
Olsen, an American businessman traveling to the station under a contract
with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He will spend about eight days on
the station and return to Earth with Krikalev and Phillips. Their
landing is scheduled for about 8:10 p.m. CDT Oct. 10 on the steppes of
Kazakhstan.
Thursday managers at Mission Control Moscow said launch preparations
were moving along flawlessly. Managers at Mission Control Houston said
the station was ready to receive the new crew.
McArthur and Tokarev will spend the eight days they will share with
their predecessors aboard the station in intensive handover briefings,
learning about the spacecraft's systems, processes, procedures,
scientific experiments, the location of equipment and supplies. In
short, they will be trying to learn all they still need to know before
they begin their months in orbit alone.
Krikalev and Phillips began the week with NASA flight controllers in
Moscow exercising primary mission control. Mission Control Houston and
the rest of Johnson Space Center were closed because of the threat of
Hurricane Rita. Houston flight controllers resumed normal operations at
9 a.m. Monday.
On Tuesday Krikalev and Phillips each spent more than an hour
familiarizing themselves with Olsen's scientific experiments. On
Wednesday they continued preparations for arrival of the new crew, and
on Thursday did predocking tests and more preparation for their own
departure. Phillips regenerated METOX carbon dioxide absorbing
cartridges for U.S. spacesuits. McArthur and Tokarev have a spacewalk
scheduled in those suits in November.
Today's schedule includes maintenance of the Elektron oxygen generating
system, functioning again after Krikalev replaced its liquids unit two
weeks ago.
For information on the crew's activities aboard the station, future
launch dates, and station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the
Earth, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
The next station status report will be issued this evening, after the
Expedition 12 launch.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
