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CX2SA > ISS 18.02.06 04:25l 82 Lines 3959 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: ISS STATUS REPORT#06-7
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Sent: 060218/0214Z @:CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA #:33094 [Minas] FBB7.00e $:33094_CX2SA
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA
To : ISS@WW
SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR BN1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
International Space Station Status Report #06-7
4 p.m. CST, Friday, Feb. 17, 2006
Expedition 12 Crew
The International Space Station crew members completed a semiannual
treadmill overhaul this week and began readying for a first-ever station
"camp out" planned next week. Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and
Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev spent several days replacing worn
components on the treadmill. They inspected and cleaned others. The
device, called the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System, floats in a pit
in the floor of the station's Zvezda living quarters module. A complex
system prevents the crew's running from shaking the station's structure
and experiments.
Following a final test run and inspection on Wednesday, the crew was
given a go to return to normal use of the treadmill. It is one of
several exercise options available aboard the station. Other equipment
includes a stationary bicycle and a resistive exercise device that uses
tension to simulate weights. Exercise is important to counteract the
physical effects of long durations in weightlessness.
A special activity is planned next week to test procedures that could
shorten the preparation time required in future spacewalks. The crew and
Mission Control refer to this as a "camp out" since McArthur and Tokarev
will shut themselves in the Quest Airlock overnight.
They will lower the air pressure to 10.2 pounds per square inch (psi), a
pressure equal to about 10,000 feet high on Earth. The station is kept
at 14.7 psi, near sea-level pressure.
Spending the night at the lower air pressure helps flush nitrogen from
the body faster, preventing decompression sickness, commonly called "the
bends." The new procedure can reduce the amount of time spacewalkers
must breathe pure oxygen before a spacewalk to complete that purge.
For the test, McArthur and Tokarev will follow many of the same measures
as if they were to perform a spacewalk, but they will not don their
spacesuits. McArthur and Tokarev are set to enter the airlock around the
start of their sleep period Thursday afternoon, Feb. 23. They will
return to the main station modules when they awaken early Friday
morning, Feb. 24.
In preparation for the camp out, McArthur worked in the Destiny
Laboratory to replace a faulty component in a device that can measure
the composition of the station's air. On Thursday, he installed a new
spectrometer in the device, called the Mass Constituent Analyzer. An
attempt by Mission Control to power up the unit early Friday was
unsuccessful, and McArthur was asked to do further troubleshooting.
Engineers suspect the problem may be electrical connectors within the
device that are not seating properly. They are continuing to analyze the
problem, and McArthur may conduct further troubleshooting this weekend.
In science work this week, the EarthKAM experiment completed its most
recent session on Saturday. EarthKAM uses a camera to take photos of
Earth through the station window as selected by school students.
A total of 118 schools and more than 1,900 students participated in the
most recent session. Schools participated from: the United States,
Canada, Argentina, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Japan,
and, for the first time, New Zealand. More than 1,900 images were taken
and will be used in a wide-range of studies, including coastline
erosion, deforestation and environmental impacts. To date, almost 1,000
schools have participated in EarthKAM with students taking nearly 20,000
photos.
For more information about EarthKAM and to view images, visit:
http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu
For information about crew activities, future launch dates and station
sighting opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
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