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Waspie_Dwarf
May 12 2007, 11:55 PM
Progress Launches to Space Station
05.11.07


A new Progress freighter launched to the International Space Station at 11:25 p.m. EDT Friday with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment aboard.

The station's 25th Progress unpiloted cargo carrier is bringing to the orbiting laboratory more than 1,050 pounds of propellant, almost 100 pounds of air, more than 925 pounds of water and 3,042 pounds of dry cargo – a total of 5,125 pounds.

P25 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is scheduled to dock with the station Tuesday at about 1:10 a.m.

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Image above: A Progress cargo spacecraft approaches
the International Space Station prior to docking on
Jan. 19, 2007.
Photo credit: NASA

The spacecraft will use the automated Kurs system to dock at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin will be at the manual Toru docking system controls, should his intervention become necessary.

Expedition 15 crew members, Yurchikhin and flight engineers Sunita Williams and Oleg Kotov, will continue to use oxygen from the Progress 24 at the Pirs Docking Compartment. It is scheduled to remain there until mid-August.

Once its cargo is unloaded, P25 will be filled with trash and station discards. It is scheduled to be undocked, deorbited and incinerated on re-entry on July 20.

The Progress is similar in appearance and some design elements to the Soyuz spacecraft, which brings crew members to the station, serves as a lifeboat while they are there and returns them to Earth. The aft module, the instrumentation and propulsion module, is nearly identical.

But the second of the three Progress sections is a refueling module, and the third, uppermost as the Progress sits on the launch pad, is a cargo module. On the Soyuz, the descent module, where the crew is seated on launch and which returns them to Earth, is the middle module and the third is called the orbital module.

John Ira Petty
NASA's Johnson Space Center

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
May 13 2007, 12:02 AM
May 12, 2007. Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia.
Soyuz-U LV launch Progress M-60 transport cargo vehicle was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) at 07:25:38 Moscow time.
The launch is aimed at delivering more than 2.5 tons of various cargo items to the ISS (oxygen, water and food supplies, propellant, consumables, scientific hardware and equipment, required to continue the station manned operation, and support crew living and working conditions).

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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - News
Waspie_Dwarf
May 14 2007, 02:27 PM
PRESS-RELEASE
about the launch of Progress M-60 logistics spacecraft
to the International Space Station


May 12, 2007. Baikonur launch site,
branch office of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia


Space transportation logistics vehicle Progress M-60 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur launch site at 07:25:38 Moscow Time.
The launch objective is to deliver to ISS more than 2.5 tons of various cargoes (supplies of oxygen, water and food, propellant, consumables, scientific equipment and hardware that are necessary to maintain the space station operation in manned mode and to provide conditions for the crew living and working on-board the station).
The spacecraft was put into a low-Earth orbit with 51.66° inclination, 192.9 km minimal altitude, 245.0 km maximum altitude, and 88.5 min orbital period.
The on-board systems of the spacecraft operate properly.
Present at the Baikonur launch site during the launch were representatives of Roskosmos, NASA, managers and specialists from S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, its subcontractors, and other organizations in the industry.
According to telemetry data and the crew of ISS Expedition 15, the on-board systems of the space station operate in normal modes. The space station is ready for the docking with the spacecraft, which is scheduled to be performed at 9:10 on May 15, 2007.
Working on-board ISS is a crew consisting of Fyodor Yurchikhin (RSC Energia cosmonaut tester, the crew commander), Oleg Kotov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center cosmonaut tester, a flight engineer) and Sunita Williams (NASA astronaut, a flight engineer).

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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - Press Release
Waspie_Dwarf
May 14 2007, 04:59 PM
Station Crew Joins Jamestown Celebration; Resupply Craft Launches

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Image above: The ISS Progress 25 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Image credit: NASA/Mark Bowman

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, along with Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, delivered a special message on Sunday from the space station to Jamestown, Va., as part of the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin introduced the space explorers to a crowd that included President George Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

+ Read more about NASA and the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend
+ View video

A new Progress freighter launched to the International Space Station on Friday at 11:25 p.m. EDT with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment aboard.

The station's 25th Progress unpiloted cargo carrier will bring to the orbiting laboratory more than 1,050 pounds of propellant, almost 100 pounds of air, more than 925 pounds of water and 3,042 pounds of dry cargo – a total of 5,125 pounds.

In preparation for the arrival of the cargo craft on Tuesday, the Expedition 15 crew spent some time Friday brushing up on training with the telerobotically operated rendezvous system they would use to manually guide in the Progress 25 cargo craft for docking in the unlikely event its automated system encountered a problem.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 14 2007, 09:32 PM
Resupply Craft Set to Dock With Station Early Tuesday

linked-image
Image above: The ISS Progress 25 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Image credit: NASA/Mark Bowman

A new Progress cargo craft is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Tuesday around 1:10 a.m. EDT. The ISS Progress 25, loaded with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment, launched Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

On Monday, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov participated in one more practice session with the Toru telerobotically operated rendezvous system. The crew would use Toru to manually guide in the Progress 25 cargo craft for docking in the unlikely event its automated system encountered a problem.

Live NASA TV coverage of the Progress docking begins at 12:30 a.m.

+ Watch NASA TV

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, along with Yurchikhin and Kotov, delivered a special message on Sunday from the space station to Jamestown, Va., as part of the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin introduced the space explorers to a crowd that included President George Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

+ Read more about NASA and the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend
+ View video

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 15 2007, 05:27 AM
Resupply Craft Docks With Station

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Image above: The ISS Progress 25 spacecraft approaches the International
Space Station.
Image credit: NASA TV

A new Progress cargo craft docked with the International Space Station on Tuesday at 1:10 a.m. EDT. The ISS Progress 25, loaded with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment, launched Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

On Monday, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov participated in one more practice session with the Toru telerobotically operated rendezvous system. The crew would have used Toru to manually guide in the Progress 25 cargo craft for docking in the unlikely event its automated system encountered a problem.

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, along with Yurchikhin and Kotov, delivered a special message on Sunday from the space station to Jamestown, Va., as part of the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin introduced the space explorers to a crowd that included President George Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

+ Read more about NASA and the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend
+ View video

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 15 2007, 05:32 AM
Progress Docks to Space Station
05.15.07

A Progress freighter with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment aboard docked with the International Space Station at 1:10 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

The station's 25th Progress unpiloted cargo carrier brings to the orbiting laboratory more than 1,050 pounds of propellant, almost 100 pounds of air, more than 925 pounds of water and 3,042 pounds of dry cargo – a total of 5,125 pounds.

linked-image
Image above: ISS Progress 25 cargo spacecraft launches
from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Photo credit: NASA/Mark Bowman

P25 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:25 p.m. Friday.

The spacecraft used the automated Kurs system to dock at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin stood by at the manual Toru docking system controls, had his intervention become necessary.

Expedition 15 crew members, Yurchikhin and flight engineers Sunita Williams and Oleg Kotov, will continue to use oxygen from the Progress 24 at the Pirs Docking Compartment. It is scheduled to remain there until mid-August.

Once its cargo is unloaded, the new P25 will be filled with trash and station discards. It is scheduled to be undocked, deorbited and incinerated on re-entry on July 20.

The Progress is similar in appearance and some design elements to the Soyuz spacecraft, which brings crew members to the station, serves as a lifeboat while they are there and returns them to Earth. The aft module, the instrumentation and propulsion module, is nearly identical.

But the second of the three Progress sections is a refueling module, and the third, uppermost as the Progress sits on the launch pad, is a cargo module. On the Soyuz, the descent module, where the crew is seated on launch and which returns them to Earth, is the middle module and the third is called the orbital module.

John Ira Petty
NASA's Johnson Space Center

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
May 15 2007, 09:25 PM
PRESS-RELEASE
about the docking of Progress M-60 cargo spacecraft
with the International Space Station


May 15, 2007. S.P. Korolev RSC Energia – MCC-M,
Korolev, Moscow region


Cargo transport spacecraft Progress M-60 which was launched from the Baikonur launch site on May 12, 2007, after three days of free flight in a low Earth orbit, has docked with the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecraft rendezvous with ISS, its fly-around, station-keeping and docking were performed in automatic mode. The spacecraft approached the docking port on the Zvezda Service Module of the ISS Russian Segment. The initial contact with the space station docking port took place at 09:10 Moscow Time.
The crew of Expedition 15 to ISS (ISS-15) – cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin (RSC Energia cosmonaut tester, the crew commander), Oleg Kotov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center cosmonaut tester, a flight engineer) and Sunita Williams (NASA astronaut, a flight engineer) – were controlling the rendezvous and docking from the Space Station.
Progress M-60 delivered to the Space Station 2.56 tons of various cargoes, including 815 kg of propellant, 420 kg of potable water, 241 kg of containers with food, 136 kg of cargoes of equipment for various space station systems, 63 kg of equipment for scientific experiments, on-board documentation and parcels for the crew. 377 kg of the cargos are intended for the US segment of the ISS.
The crew is to unload the spacecraft and stow the delivered cargoes on-board the station, while moving into the spacecraft compartments the materials and hardware, which are no longer needed on-board ISS.
The mission of the ISS Russian Segment is controlled by the Lead Operations Control Team (LOCT) from the Mission Control Center near Moscow (MCC-M) in cooperation with the US Mission Control Center in Houston (MCC-H). The on-board systems of the spacecraft and space station modules operate in normal mode.
The Progress M-60 rendezvous, approach and docking with the space station was controlled under the supervision of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia President, general designer and the Technical Manager for flight tests of manned space systems N.N. Sevastianov, and the head of LOCT, and RSC Energia vice president and deputy general designer V.A. Soloviev.

For information:
1. The Russian Segment of the ISS consists of the functional cargo module Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking compartment/module Pirs, transportation spacecraft Soyuz TMA-10, Progress M-59 and Progress M-60. The US orbital segment consists of Unity and Destiny modules, Quest airlock and a multisegment truss structure with deployed solar arrays.
2. ISS with a mass of 218.1 tons is flying in a low Earth orbit with the following parameters: the maximum altitude is 353.8 km; the minimal altitude is 330.2 km; the orbital period is 91.1 min.

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Click images for larger version


Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - Press Release
Waspie_Dwarf
May 15 2007, 10:49 PM
Progress Docking Highlights Busy Day for Crew

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Image above: The ISS Progress 25 spacecraft approaches the International
Space Station.
Image credit: NASA TV

The arrival of a new cargo craft highlighted an extended workday Tuesday for the Expedition 15 crew aboard the International Space Station.

The ISS Progress 25 cargo craft, loaded with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment, docked smoothly at the aft port of the station's Zvezda Service Module on Tuesday at 1:10 a.m. EDT. Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin stood by at the manual Toru docking system controls, but did not need to intervene.

After opening the hatch around 4 a.m., the crew tested the air in the Progress vehicle, installed air ducts and cleared the passageway by disassembling and removing the docking mechanism. The crew then began unloading the cargo craft, keeping track of items with the Inventory Management System.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams later took a break from unloading cargo and working with science experiments to talk by ham radio with students at Barrhaven Public School in Ottawa.

Williams, along with Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, delivered a special message on Sunday from the space station to Jamestown, Va., as part of the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin introduced the space explorers to a crowd that included President George Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

+ Read more about NASA and the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend
+ View video

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 17 2007, 06:47 PM
Crew Continues Unpacking Cargo Craft

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Image above: Flight Engineer Suni Williams builds a special tool for use
during the STS-117 spacewalks.
Image credit: NASA TV

The Expedition 15 crew has been busy unloading items from the ISS Progress 25 cargo craft, which docked at the International Space Station on Tuesday. The craft delivered more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment to the orbital outpost.

On Thursday, Flight Engineer Suni Williams took a break from unloading cargo to build a special tool for the STS-117 crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis, set to arrive in June. Atlantis' spacewalkers can use this tool to assist in folding the solar array blankets while the remaining P6 solar wing is being retracted.

Williams, along with Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, delivered a special message on Sunday from the space station to Jamestown, Va., as part of the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin introduced the space explorers to a crowd that included President George Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

+ Read more about NASA and the Jamestown Anniversary Weekend
+ View video

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 21 2007, 10:34 PM
Crew Unpacks Cargo and Prepares for Spacewalk

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Image above: Astronaut Sunita Williams
conducts a Surface, Water and Air Bio-
characterization (SWAB) air sampling in the
Destiny laboratory of the International
Space Station.
Image credit: NASA

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams gave a tour of the space station for Clay Anderson who will be arriving on the STS-117 flight. Williams also continued unpacking items from the newly arrived ISS Progress 25 cargo craft. She performed laptop status checks on two science payloads – the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS and the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2. Additionally, she held a ham radio session with students at Toyon Elementary School in San Jose, Calif. Toyon is a NASA Explorer School.

The Russian crew members were busy with Russian spacewalk preparations Monday. A spacewalk procedure and preliminary timeline review has been completed. Checks of the spacewalk support panel in the docking compartment and familiarization with spacewalk tasks have also been conducted. Williams configured the camcorder for recording video of the Russian event.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 22 2007, 08:50 PM
Crew Prepares for Next Week's Russian Spacewalk

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Image above: Fyodor Yurchikhin (left), Oleg Kotov (right) and Sunita
Williams photographed during a teleconference in the Zvezda Service
Module.
Image credit: NASA

In preparation for next week's spacewalk, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin collected tools such as tethers, wire ties, bungees, a hammer, cutter, scissors, a pry bar and the spacewalk tool caddy. Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov then assembled the spacewalk tool and equipment carryout bundle.

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams held a teleconference with the next Expedition 15 crew member, Clayton Anderson, who will replace her in June. These exchanges begin the handover process prior to the arrival of the next crew.

Each crew member took the periodic hearing test to assess the effectiveness of acoustic countermeasures. The test involved measurements for each ear over a wide range of frequencies (0.25-10 kHz) and sound pressure levels. The baseline test is required not later than about two weeks after the start of each new expedition and is then generally performed once per month.

The next station reboost is scheduled for May 23 at about 7:30 p.m. EDT, using the ISS Progress 25 thrusters. The purpose of the maneuver is to position the station for the STS-117 launch in June.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 23 2007, 09:51 PM
Space Station Reboost Wednesday Night

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Image above: Fyodor Yurchikhin (left), Oleg Kotov (right) and Sunita
Williams photographed during a teleconference in the Zvezda Service
Module.
Image credit: NASA

The next station reboost is scheduled for May 23 at about 7:30 p.m. EDT, using the ISS Progress 25 thrusters. The purpose of the maneuver is to position the station for the STS-117 launch in June.

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov continue preparations for their upcoming spacewalk. The spacewalkers spent several hours checking out and readying their spacesuits and charging battery packs. Yurchikhin will wear the Russian Orlan suit with red stripes and Kotov will wear the suit with blue stripes. A pre-spacewalk fitness evaluation was conducted on the two cosmonauts, which involved a cardiovascular evaluation using the cycle ergometer.

To check water quality, Flight Engineer Sunita Williams took samples of potable water for chemical and microbial analysis. Some samples will be returned to Earth on STS-117, while a quicker microbial in-flight sampling is done using the Micro Sample In-Flight Analysis Packet.

Williams conducted the status check and filter inspection of the science experiment of seed germination modules and nematode worms housed in the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus incubator. Students in the U.S. and Malaysia are participating in educational activities in their classrooms while monitoring the growth in orbit.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 24 2007, 05:44 PM
May 24, 2007. S.P.Korolev RSC Energia – MCC-M,
Korolev, Moscow Region


On May 24, 2007 at 3:30 Moscow Time the reboost of the International Space Station (ISS) was performed.
The purpose of the reboost operation is to hold the ISS attitude, establish orbital conditions for the US Space Shuttle docking scheduled on June 8, 2007.
The ISS reboost was performed using the approach and attitude control thrusters of Progress M-60 transport cargo vehicle being in a mated flight with the ISS, per command from the Mission Control Center in Moscow Region (MCC-M). To accomplish this, propellant from Progress M-60 integrated propulsion system tanks was used.
Following the scheduled burn, the ISS achieved the following orbital parameters: minimum altitude of 333.9 km, maximum altitude of 349.7 km, period of revolution of 91.2 min, inclination of 51.6 deg.

For information:
RSC Energia is a prime company for development and operation of the ISS Russian Segment and its modules Zvezda and Pirs, as well as vehicles Soyuz TMA and Progress M/M1.
The flight of the ISS Russian Segment and vehicles is commanded by the Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) in the Moscow Mission Control Center. The Flight Director is V.A. Soloviev, Vice-President of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, Deputy General Designer, Pilot-Cosmonaut.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - Press Release
Waspie_Dwarf
May 24 2007, 08:42 PM
Preparations Continue for Next Week's Spacewalk

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Image above: The Niagara River, eastern end of Lake Erie and western
end of Lake Ontario are featured in this image photographed by an
Expedition 15 crew member on the International Space Station.
Image credit: NASA

In the Pirs Docking Compartment, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov continued preparations for the upcoming spacewalk on May 30. Activities included charging an Orlan battery, installing hardware on the spacesuits, preparing auxiliary equipment for the suits, setting up additional portable air repress bottles and separating liquid and gas in the cooling systems.

Using the airlock requires it to be isolated from the ISS Progress 24 cargo ship docked to it. To this end, Yurchikhin and Kotov installed the docking mechanism, closed the hatches and performed leak checks.

Wednesday's station reboost by the ISS Progress 25 thrusters was successful. The purpose of the maneuver was to position the station for the STS-117 launch in June.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 25 2007, 09:26 PM
Expedition 15 Prepares for Upcoming Spacewalks

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Image above: Flight Engineer Sunita Williams took this photo of the
Kennedy Space Center around midday on May 21, 2007. The Space Shuttle
Atlantis, scheduled for a launch no earlier than June 8, sits on Pad A (center
frame) at launch complex 39.
Image credit: NASA

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov are preparing for two spacewalks. The main objectives of the first Russian excursion on May 30 are installing orbital debris protection panels on the Zvezda service module, routing cables associated with the Automated Transfer Vehicle navigation systems and replacing experiments on the module's hull.

Additionally, the two cosmonauts checked out the spacesuits and the Pirs airlock, prepared tools and closed the hatch to the Progress resupply vehicle docked to Pirs. Wednesday's spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 2:20 p.m. EDT and will last about six hours. NASA Television coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 1:30 p.m.

On May 23, Russian flight controllers executed an orbit adjustment burn, increasing the station’s speed about one mile an hour and putting it in the proper orbit for Atlantis’ arrival on the STS-117 mission.

Flight Engineer Sunita Williams is preparing for her return to Earth. Williams conducted a 10-minute video tour of her home on the station and downlinked it to astronaut Clay Anderson, her replacement on Expedition 15.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 25 2007, 10:42 PM
Cosmonauts to Install Debris Panels During Wednesday Spacewalk
05.25.07


Two International Space Station cosmonauts will begin an almost six-hour spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock about 2:20 p.m. EDT Wednesday to install Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda and reroute a Global Positioning System antenna cable.

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Image above: Cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin, Expedition commander
representing Russia's Federal Space Agency, photographed in the
Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station.
Photo credit: NASA

Additional SMDP panels will be installed on a second spacewalk by station by the cosmonauts,Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov on June 6. During that spacewalk they also will install a section of an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin will be the lead spacewalker, EV1, and wear the Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. Kotov, EV2, will wear the suit with blue stripes. The Wednesday spacewalk will be the first for both.

After leaving the Pirs airlock, the spacewalkers will move to the Strela 2, one of the hand operated cranes at the base of Pirs. They will attach an extension to the Strela.

Kotov will attach himself to the extension. Yurchikhin will extend the boom, with Kotov at its end, to a point over Pressurized Mating Adaptor 3 (PMA-3), attached to the Unity Node. The distance is almost 60 feet from the Strela 2 base.

There Yurchikhin, with guidance from Kotov, will maneuver the Strela to a point over a grapple fixture on the SMDP Adaptor, a stowage rack. It is attached to PMA-3 and holds three bundles of SMDP panels, a total of 17 of them. The assembly has been dubbed the "Christmas Tree."

Once the Christmas Tree is attached to Strela and released from PMA-3, Yurchikhin will move Kotov and the Christmas Tree, back to a point on the small diameter of Zvezda. Yurchikhin will join Kotov there, and together they will first tether the Christmas Tree to handrails, then secure it to a grapple fixture on Zvezda.

Next they'll leave the SPDM task and move aft on Zvezda's large diameter. There they'll install a cable for a Global Positioning System to be used with the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The ATV is an unpiloted cargo carrier with almost twice the capacity of the Progress cargo craft. It is scheduled to make its first launch later this year.

That done, they'll move back to the Christmas Tree on the forward end of Zvezda. There they'll open one of the three bundles of debris panels. That bundle, No. 4, contains five panels. The aluminum panels vary in size but are about an inch thick. They typically measure about 2 by 3 feet and weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Initially, the spacewalkers will tether them to handrails.

Yurchikhin and Kotov will install the five panels on Zvezda's conical section, the area between Zvezda's large and small diameters.

Six SMDPs from bundle No. 1 were installed during an Aug. 16, 2002, spacewalk by Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson. Those SMDPs were delivered to the station by Endeavour during STS-111 in June 2002. The remaining three bundles and their adaptor were delivered by Discovery during STS-116 last December and attached to PMA-3 by spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams.

After the installation task, they'll move back to Pirs and into the airlock. Hatch closure marking the end of the spacewalk is scheduled for about 8:20 p.m.

On the June 6 spacewalk, Yurchikhin and Kotov will install the SMDP panels from the remaining two bundles, Nos. 2 and 3. They also will install the section of Ethernet cable along the exterior of the Zarya module. This is the first of two externally routed cable segments. Once both are in place and functioning, the computer capabilities of the station should be substantially enhanced.

On that spacewalk they will install another Russian Biorisk Experiment. The experiment looks at the effect of the space environment on microorganisms.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams will serve as intravehicular officer for both spacewalks, advising and keeping the spacewalkers on schedule and helping with any problems they might encounter.

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
May 29 2007, 08:14 PM
May 28, 2007. S.P.Korolev RSC Energia, Korolev, Moscow Region.
The Russian cosmonauts – ISS-15 expedition crewmembers – Fyodor Yurchikhin (commander, Korolev RSC Energia test-cosmonaut), Oleg Kotov (flight engineer, Gagarin TsPK RGNII test cosmonaut (Cosmonaut Training Center)) – in accordance with the plan of training for operations in the outer space are being trained in spacesuits today.
The purpose of training sessions is to check the operation of all systems of the self-contained support equipment, its pressure integrity, the operation of controls and communication systems; to tailor spacesuits to cosmonauts’ anthropometrical data and to mount replaceable components. For spacewalk the Russian spacesuits of Orlan type will be used.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams works under the plan of preparing the U.S. support equipment for operations in the outer space planned during the next flight of the U.S. Atlantis shuttle to ISS.

Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
Waspie_Dwarf
May 30 2007, 09:33 PM
Station Crew Conducting Spacewalk

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Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on end of the
Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Image credit: NASA TV

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov began an almost six-hour spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock around at 3:05 p.m. EDT today to install Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda and reroute a Global Positioning System antenna cable. The start of the spacewalk was delayed by about 45 minutes as the crew resolved issues with the communication system.

Additional SMDP panels will be installed on a second spacewalk by Yurchikhin and Kotov on June 6. During that spacewalk they also will install a section of an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin is the lead spacewalker, EV1. Kotov is EV2. Today's spacewalk, in Russian Orlan suits, is the first for both.

Live coverage of the spacewalk is available on NASA TV.

+ Watch NASA TV

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 30 2007, 10:03 PM
Cosmonauts Begin Spacewalk to Install Debris Panels
05.30.07


Two International Space Station cosmonauts began an almost six-hour spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock about 3:05 p.m. EDT Wednesday to install Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda and reroute a Global Positioning System antenna cable.

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Image above: Expediton 15 spacewalkers work with Strela 2.
Photo credit: NASA TV

Additional SMDP panels will be installed on a second spacewalk by station by the cosmonauts, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov on June 6. During that spacewalk they also will install a section of an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin is the lead spacewalker, EV1. Kotov is EV2. The Wednesday spacewalk, in Russian Orlan suits, is the first for both.

After leaving the Pirs airlock, the spacewalkers will move to the Strela 2, one of the hand-operated, telescoping cranes at the base of Pirs. They will attach an extension to the Strela.

With Kotov on the extension, Yurchikhin will extend the boom almost 60 feet, to a point over Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 (PMA-3), attached to the Unity Node. Yurchikhin, with guidance from Kotov, will maneuver the Strela to a point over a grapple fixture on the SMDP Adapter, a stowage rack. It is attached to PMA-3 and holds three bundles of SMDP panels, a total of 17 of them. The assembly has been dubbed the "Christmas Tree."

Once the Christmas Tree is attached to Strela and released from PMA-3, Yurchikhin will move Kotov and the Christmas Tree back to a point on the small diameter of Zvezda. Yurchikhin will join Kotov there, and together they will first tether the Christmas Tree to handrails, then secure it to a grapple fixture on Zvezda.

Next they'll leave the SMDP task and move aft on Zvezda's large diameter. There they'll install a cable for a Global Positioning System to be used with the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The ATV is an unpiloted cargo carrier with almost twice the capacity of the Progress cargo craft. It is scheduled to make its first launch later this year.

Then they'll move back to the Christmas Tree on the forward end of Zvezda. There they'll open one of the three bundles of debris panels. That bundle, No. 4, contains five panels. The aluminum panels vary in size but are about an inch thick. They typically measure about 2 by 3 feet and weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Initially, the spacewalkers will tether them to handrails.

Yurchikhin and Kotov will install the five panels on Zvezda's conical section, the area between Zvezda's large and small diameters.

Six SMDPs from bundle No. 1 were installed during an Aug. 16, 2002, spacewalk by Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson. Those SMDPs were delivered to the station by Endeavour during STS-111 in June 2002. The remaining three bundles and their adapter were delivered by Discovery during STS-116 last December and attached to PMA-3 by spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams.

After the installation task, they'll move back to Pirs and into the airlock. Hatch closure marking the end of the spacewalk is scheduled for about 8:20 p.m.

On the June 6 spacewalk, Yurchikhin and Kotov will install the SMDP panels from the remaining two bundles, Nos. 2 and 3. They also will install the section of Ethernet cable along the exterior of the Zarya module. This is the first of two externally routed cable segments. Once both are in place and functioning, the computer capabilities of the station should be substantially enhanced.

On that spacewalk they will install another Russian Biorisk experiment. It looks at the effect of the space environment on microorganisms.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams serves as intravehicular officer for both spacewalks, advising and keeping the spacewalkers on schedule and helping with any problems they might encounter.

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
May 31 2007, 12:49 AM
Spacewalkers Install Debris Panels

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on end of the
Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Image credit: NASA TV

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov successfully completed a 5-hour, 25-minute spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock Wednesday, installing Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels and rerouting a Global Positioning System antenna cable.

Wednesday's spacewalk, which began at 3:05 p.m. EDT, marks the first spacewalk for both Yurchikhin and Kotov.

Additional SMDP panels will be installed on Zvezda during a second spacewalk on June 6. During that spacewalk Yurchikhin and Kotov also will install a section of an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
May 31 2007, 12:56 AM
Spacewalk Complete, Debris Panels Installed
05.30.07


Two International Space Station cosmonauts successfully completed a 5-hour, 25-minute spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment airlock Wednesday, installing Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels and rerouting a Global Positioning System antenna cable.

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on the end
of the Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Photo credit: NASA TV

Additional SMDP panels will be installed on Zvezda during a second spacewalk by the cosmonauts, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, on June 6. During that spacewalk they also will install a section of an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin, the lead spacewalker, EV1, and Kotov, EV2, wore Russian Orlan spacesuits. It was the first spacewalk for both.

After leaving the Pirs airlock at 3:05 p.m. EDT, the spacewalkers moved to the Strela 2, one of the hand-operated cranes at the base of Pirs. They attached an extension to the Strela boom. With Kotov on the end of the extension, Yurchikhin extended the boom to a point over Pressurized Mating Adaptor 3 (PMA-3), on the Unity Node, a distance of about 60 feet.

Expedition 15 spacewalkYurchikhin, with guidance from Kotov, maneuvered the Strela end effector to a grapple fixture on the SMDP Adaptor, a stowage rack. It is attached to PMA-3 and held three bundles of SMDP panels, a total of 17 of them. The assembly has been dubbed the "Christmas Tree."

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Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov guides a bundle of debris
panels.
Image credit: NASA TV

Once the Christmas Tree was attached to Strela and released from PMA-3, Yurchikhin moved it and Kotov back to the small diameter of Zvezda. Yurchikhin joined Kotov there, and together they secured it to a grapple fixture on Zvezda.

They then left the SMDP task and moved aft on Zvezda's large diameter. There they rerouted a cable for a Global Positioning System to be used with the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). The ATV is an unpiloted cargo carrier with almost twice the capacity of the Progress cargo craft. It is scheduled to make its first launch later this year.

That done, they moved back to the Christmas Tree on the forward end of Zvezda, where they removed and opened one of the three bundles of debris panels. That bundle, No. 4, held five panels. The aluminum panels vary in size but are about an inch thick. They typically measure about 2 by 3 feet and weigh 15 to 20 pounds.

Yurchikhin and Kotov installed the five panels on Zvezda's conical section, the area between Zvezda's large and small diameters.

Six SMDPs from bundle No. 1 were installed during an Aug. 16, 2002, spacewalk by Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson. Those SMDPs were delivered to the station by Endeavour during STS-111 in June 2002.

The remaining three bundles and their adaptor were delivered by Discovery during STS-116 last December and attached to PMA-3 by spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams. Williams was intravehicular officer for Wednesday's spacewalk, advising and keeping the spacewalkers on schedule.

After the installation task, the spacewalkers moved back to Pirs and into the airlock. Hatch closure marking the end of the spacewalk was at 8:30 p.m.

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
May 31 2007, 06:34 PM
May 31, 2007 S.P.Korolev RSC Energia – MCC-M,
Korolev, Moscow Region


The Russian cosmonauts, ISS-15 expedition crewmembers Fyodor Yurchikhin (commander, Korolev RSC Energia test-cosmonaut), Oleg Kotov (flight engineer, Gagarin TsPK RGNII test cosmonaut (Cosmonaut Training Center)) conducted the first spacewalk over the station surface planned in the flight program.
The operations were performed under Korolev RSC Energia specialists’ control.
As a result of the extravehicular activity (EVA) they mounted additional anti-debris panels (ADP) to protect the body of the Zvezda Service Module of the ISS Russian Segment (RS) from meteoroid debris and routed a high-frequency cable needed to ensure the RS equipment operation.
The crew working in the Russian Orlan M spacesuits egressed into the outer space from the ISS RS Pirs docking compartment-module. The egress hatch of the module was opened on May 30 at 23:05 Moscow time.
The crew successfully fulfilled all EVA tasks and returned to the station at 4:30 Moscow time. A total duration of the activity in the outer space was 5:25 hours.
ISS-15 crew flight engineer-2 NASA astronaut Sunita Williams staying on board ISS monitored the spacewalk timeline execution, the status of station systems.

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Click images for larger version


Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - News
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 2 2007, 02:08 AM
Cosmonauts to Install More Debris Panels on Wednesday Spacewalk
06.01.07


Two International Space Station cosmonauts will begin a spacewalk of a little over five hours from the Pirs docking compartment airlock about 10:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday. They will install a section of Ethernet cable on the Zarya module, install additional Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda, and deploy a Russian scientific experiment.

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on the end
of the Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Photo credit: NASA TV
Five SMDP panels were installed by station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov on May 30. During that 5-hour, 25-minute spacewalk they also rerouted a Global Positioning System antenna cable. On Wednesday they will install 12 additional panels. They also will install the Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin again will be the lead spacewalker, EV1, and wear the Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. Kotov, EV2, will wear the suit with blue stripes. The Wednesday spacewalk will be the second for both.

After leaving the Pirs airlock the cosmonauts will move forward with a ribbon cable reel holding the Ethernet cable. They will install that section of cable on Zarya. It is the first of two sections. The second will be installed later. Once both are in place and functioning, computer capabilities of the station should be increased considerably.

After the cable installation, they will move aft to the forward end of the Zvezda Service Module. There they will remove one of two SMDP bundles remaining on the "Christmas Tree," an adaptor that initially had three bundles attached. It was stowed at the Unity Node on Pressurized Mating Adaptor No. 3 (PMA-3). Yurchikhin maneuvered Kotov, on the end of the Strela manually operated crane, to the Christmas Tree during the first spacewalk.

Kotov retrieved it and stowed it on Zvezda, where they installed five SMDP panels. The aluminum panels vary in size but are about an inch thick. They typically measure about 2 by 3 feet and weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Initially, the spacewalkers will tether them to handrails.

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov guides a bundle of debris
panels.
Image credit: NASA TV

Yurchikhin and Kotov will open the first bundle and install its panels on Zvezda's conical section, the area between Zvezda's large and small diameters, to join the five they installed Wednesday. Another six panels had been bolted into place there in 2002.

Once that is done, they'll open the remaining bag and install its six panels.

Six SMDP panels were installed during an Aug. 16, 2002, spacewalk by Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson. Those panels were delivered to the station by Endeavour during STS-111 in June 2002. The remaining three bundles and their adaptor were delivered by Discovery during STS-116 last December and attached to PMA-3 by spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams.

With the installation of the SMDP panels completed, Yurchikhin and Kotov will move back to Pirs, where they'll stow tools and pick up the Russian scientific experiment, called Biorisk. It looks at the effects of microorganisms on structural materials used in space. They will attach it to the outside of Pirs.

Then they'll return to the Pirs airlock. Hatch closure marking the end of the spacewalk is scheduled for a little after 3:40 p.m.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams will serve as intravehicular officer for the second spacewalk, as she did for the first.

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 4 2007, 05:50 PM
Crew Prepares for Second Spacewalk, Shuttle Visit

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Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on end of the
Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Image credit: NASA TV

International Space Station cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov spent much of Monday preparing for their second spacewalk in eight days.

On Wednesday, Commander Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Kotov are scheduled to begin their mission’s second spacewalk. They will install cable, install additional debris panels and deploy a scientific experiment. Yurchikhin and Kotov completed their first spacewalk on May 30.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew will visit the International Space Station on June 10 after launching June 8. Atlantis is delivering the S3/S4 truss segment, a new set of starboard solar arrays and batteries. Shuttle crew member Clayton Anderson will replace Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Williams will return home aboard Atlantis.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 5 2007, 03:49 PM
Cosmonauts Ready for Second Spacewalk

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) rides on end of the
Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Image credit: NASA TV

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov are ready for their mission’s second spacewalk on Wednesday about 10:30 a.m. EDT. Tasks include routing and mating an ethernet cable on Zarya, installing 12 more debris shields on Zvezda and installing a science experiment on the Pirs docking compartment. They will wear Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew will visit the International Space Station on Sunday after launching Friday at 7:38 p.m. Atlantis is delivering the S3/S4 truss segment, a new set of starboard solar arrays and batteries. Shuttle crew member Clayton Anderson will replace Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Williams will return home aboard Atlantis when STS-117 completes its mission.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 6 2007, 02:46 PM
Cosmonauts Outside Station for Second Spacewalk

linked-image
Image above: During the May 30 spacewalk, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov
(left) rides on the Strela crane with a bundle of debris panels as Commander
Fyodor Yurchikhin operates the controls.
Image credit: NASA TV

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov began their mission’s second spacewalk today at 10:23 a.m. EDT. Tasks include routing and mating an ethernet cable on Zarya, installing 12 more debris shields on Zvezda and installing a science experiment on the Pirs docking compartment. They are wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew will visit the International Space Station on Sunday after launching Friday at 7:38 p.m. Atlantis is delivering the S3/S4 truss segment, a new set of starboard solar arrays and batteries. Shuttle crew member Clayton Anderson will replace Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Williams will return home aboard Atlantis when STS-117 completes its mission.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 6 2007, 09:13 PM
Station Cosmonauts Complete Second Spacewalk

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) and Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin work outside the International Space Station during their
second spacewalk.
Image credit: NASA TV

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov completed their mission’s second spacewalk Wednesday at 4 p.m. EDT. The cosmonauts attached a science experiment to the Pirs docking compartment, routed and mated an ethernet cable on Zarya and installed more debris shields on Zvezda. They wore Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew will visit the International Space Station on Sunday after launching Friday at 7:38 p.m. Atlantis is delivering the S3/S4 truss segment, a new set of starboard solar arrays and batteries. Shuttle crew member Clayton Anderson will replace Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Williams will return home aboard Atlantis when STS-117 completes its mission.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 6 2007, 10:07 PM
Cosmonauts Wrap Up Debris-Panel Spacewalk
06.01.07


Two International Space Station cosmonauts wound up a spacewalk of 5 hours, 37 minutes from the Pirs docking compartment airlock at 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday. They installed a section of Ethernet cable on the Zarya module, installed additional Service Module Debris Protection (SMDP) panels on Zvezda, and deployed a Russian scientific experiment.

linked-image
Image above: Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov (left) and Commander Fyodor
Yurchikhin work outside the International Space Station during their
second spacewalk.
Photo credit: NASA TV

Five SMDP panels were installed by station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov on May 30. During that 5-hour, 25-minute spacewalk they also rerouted a Global Positioning System antenna cable. On today's spacewalk they bolted 12 additional panels into place. They also installed the Ethernet cable on the Zarya module and a Russian experiment called Biorisk on Pirs.

Yurchikhin again was the lead spacewalker, EV1, wearing the Russian Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. Kotov, EV2, wore the suit with blue stripes. This was the second spacewalk for both.

Out of the airlock, the first task was to install the Russian scientific experiment, called Biorisk. It looks at the effects of microorganisms on structural materials used in space. They attached it to the outside of Pirs.

Next the cosmonauts moved forward with a ribbon cable reel holding the Ethernet cable. They installed that section of cable on Zarya. It is the first of two sections. The second will be installed later. Once both are in place and functioning, computer capabilities of the station should be increased considerably.

After the cable installation, they moved aft to the forward end of the Zvezda Service Module. There they removed one of two SMDP bundles remaining on the "Christmas Tree," an adaptor that initially had three bundles attached. It was stowed at the Unity Node on Pressurized Mating Adaptor No. 3 (PMA-3). Yurchikhin maneuvered Kotov, on the end of the Strela manually operated crane, to the Christmas Tree during the May 30 spacewalk.

Kotov retrieved it and stowed it on Zvezda, where they installed five SMDP panels on May 30. The aluminum panels vary in size but are about an inch thick. They typically measure about 2 by 3 feet and weigh 15 to 20 pounds. Initially, the spacewalkers tethered the first of today's bundles to handrails.

linked-image
Image above: During the May 30 spacewalk, Flight Engineer Oleg
Kotov guides a bundle of debris panels.
Image credit: NASA TV

Yurchikhin and Kotov opened the first bundle and install its panels on Zvezda's conical section, the area between Zvezda's large and small diameters, to join the five they installed May 30. Another six panels had been bolted into place there in 2002.

Once that was done, they opened the remaining bag and installed its six panels.

Six SMDP panels were installed during an Aug. 16, 2002, spacewalk by Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson. Those panels were delivered to the station by Endeavour during STS-111 in June 2002. The remaining three bundles and their adaptor were delivered by Discovery during STS-116 last December and attached to PMA-3 by spacewalkers Bob Curbeam and Sunita Williams.

With the installation of the SMDP panels completed today, Yurchikhin and Kotov moved back to Pirs and returned to the airlock. Closure of its hatch marked the official end of the spacewalk.

Flight Engineer Suni Williams served as intravehicular officer for the second spacewalk, as she did for the first.

Source: NASA - Station - Expeditions
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 7 2007, 03:04 PM
June 6-7, 2007 S.P.Korolev RSC Energia – MCC-M,
Korolev, Moscow Region


International Space Station 15th Prime Crew (ISS-15) members consisting of Fyodor Yurchikhin (Commander, Test-Cosmonaut of RSC Energia after S.P. Korolev) and Oleg Kotov (Flight Engineer, Test-Cosmonaut of RGNII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin) have conducted the second spacewalk on outside of the station Russian Segment scheduled by the Mission Program.
Cosmonauts have made the spacewalk wearing Russian space suits Orlan-M from Pirs docking department-module as part of the ISS Russian Segment. The module egress hatch was open on June 6 at 18 hours 23 minutes 40 seconds Moscow Time. The hatch was closed on June 7 at 00 hours 00 minutes 02 seconds Moscow Time.
Pirs module accommodates the platform carrying the equipment to conduct Biorisk-MSN experiment, Functional Cargo Unit Zarya was used to route and connect broad band link cable for high-rate data transmission between the ISS American and Russian Segments; extra debris panels designed to protect from meteoric debris were mounted on Zvezda Service Module. Cosmonauts took pictures of their work results and the ISS surface.
The works were performed under the lead of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia specialists.
Staying inside the ISS, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (Flight Engineer-2 of ISS-15 crew) maintained support of Russian cosmonauts activities, monitored the ISS onboard system condition.
The Mission Program for the next day foresees crew rest, talks with specialists, downlink transmission of the photographs to the ground, as well as medical examination.

For reference: This spacewalk was the 23rd from the ISS Russian Segment.

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Source: S.P. Korolev RSC Energia - News
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 7 2007, 07:10 PM
The Lockheed Martin press release is reproduced below:


THIRD PAIR OF MASSIVE LOCKHEED MARTIN SOLAR ARRAYS TO BE LAUNCHED TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION


SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 7, 2007 -- The third of four pairs of massive solar arrays and a second Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] at its Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, will be launched aboard the space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as June 8, 2007. During the 11-day STS-117 mission, astronauts will connect the package of giant solar arrays and the rotary joint – incorporated into an integrated truss segment – to the Station.

"This third pair of solar arrays will increase power available to ISS in anticipation of the delivery of international science modules over the next two years,” said Brad Haddock, Lockheed Martin ISS program director. “The first two pairs of arrays have performed superbly, and beyond expectation, and we’re confident that this addition to ISS will provide for increasing power needs as ISS construction continues.”

The Space Systems ISS solar arrays are the largest deployable space structure ever built and are by far, the most powerful electricity-producing arrays ever put into orbit. When the Station is completed a total of eight flexible, deployable solar array wings will generate the reliable, continuous power for the on-orbit operation of the ISS systems. The eight array wings were designed and built under a $450 million contract from the Boeing-Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park, Calif., for delivery to the Boeing Company and NASA.

Each of the eight wings consists of a mast assembly and two solar array blankets. Each blanket has 84 panels, of which 82 are populated with solar cells. Each panel contains 200 solar cells. The eight photovoltaic arrays thus accommodate a total of 262,400 solar cells. When fully deployed in space, the active area of the eight wings, each 107 by 38-feet, will encompass an area of 32,528-sq. ft., and will provide power to the ISS for 15 years.

The SARJ, 10.5 ft in diameter and 40 inches long, will maintain the solar arrays in an optimal orientation to the sun while the entire space station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes. Drive motors in the SARJ will move the arrays through 360 degrees of motion at four degrees per minute. The joints must rotate the arrays smoothly without imparting vibrations to the laboratories and habitation modules on the station that would impact microgravity-processing activities. At the same time, 60 kW of power at 160 volts and multiple data channels are carried across each joint by copper “roll rings” contained within.

In addition to the arrays and SARJ, Space Systems in Sunnyvale designed and built other elements for the Space Station. The Thermal Radiator Rotary Joints (TRRJ) – each five and a half feet long and three feet in diameter – were launched in 2002. The two joints maintain Space Station thermal radiators in an edge-on orientation to the Sun that maximizes the dissipation of heat from the radiators into space.

Space Systems also produced the Trace Contaminant Control System ?– launched to ISS as an element of the U.S. Destiny Laboratory module in 2001 – an advanced air processing and filtering system that ensures that over 200 various trace chemical contaminants, generated from material off-gassing and metabolic functions in the Space Station atmosphere, remain within allowable concentration levels. It is an integral part of the Space Station's Cabin Air Revitalization Subsystem.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) is a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.

Source: Lockheed Martin Press Release
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 8 2007, 09:46 AM
Glenn Guides Electrical Requirements for Space Vehicles


The linked-image/Glenn Research Center press release is reproduced below:

June 7, 2007
Katherine K. Martin
Media Relations Office
216-433-2406
katherine.k.martin@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 07-19

Glenn Guides Electrical Requirements for Space Vehiclesy

Cleveland -- As the only research laboratory orbiting the Earth, the International Space Station is a work in progress, with constantly changing amounts and kinds of electrical power supply and demands.

These challenging tasks rely on expert advice from a team at NASA's Glenn Research Center called the System Power Analysis for Capability Evaluation (SPACE) Team.

SPACE also is the name of the software code developed by the team that predicts the maximum power level that the space station power system can sustain throughout a variety of conditions. The code was developed in the late 1980s to support the design of the precursor to the International Space Station (ISS), Space Station Freedom. Since then, dozens of engineers have contributed to its enhancement, which includes mathematical models of the solar arrays, batteries and power management and distribution equipment. Utilizing this code, the SPACE Team provides analyses that are required to certify space shuttle flight readiness.

The most pressing challenge addressed by the team involves the next shuttle mission, STS-117, during which a fifth and sixth set of solar arrays and batteries, or power channels, will be installed on the station. These new power channels, also called truss segments S3/S4, will become a part of station's electric power system, which was designed under Glenn's guidance in the 1990s. S3/S4 will be added to station's 11-segment integrated truss structure, the space station's backbone, and will provide one-fourth of the total power generation for the completed International Space Station.

Of the four channels already on the station, three are active and one is temporarily not in use, or dormant. The two new power channels added during STS-117 will require retracting a second solar array for the channels to track the sun. Additionally, two of the active channels must constantly send power to the dormant channels to prevent them from freezing or getting too hot.

To enable STS-117's mission to be successful, Glenn's SPACE Team advised NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, that the dormant channels temporarily receive less power and that loads normally shared among two power channels be fed by the more capable power channel.

The team also assessed the station's electric power system performance for joint operations when Atlantis is docked with the station during the STS-117 mission. This includes launch, power channel startup and deployment of solar arrays. With this complicated sequence of events, the station's power system will be transformed from three power channels to four with one channel going dormant and two new channels being used.

Later this year, the SPACE Team will continue its involvement with space electric power needs with the first docking of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to station. The team's analyses will confirm whether the docking can be performed without depleting energy provided by station's batteries. The ATV will bring up supplies, re-boost the station, undock and burn up in the atmosphere six months later with trash from station.

A complex procedure, the ATV analysis takes into account how much solar power the station's arrays capture, including shadowing of the arrays by other parts of the station, vehicle attitude and the behavior of batteries, considering their age and capability, that store energy from the solar arrays.

An analysis is particularly needed because the ATV docking lasts five orbits, or about seven and a half hours. In this period of time, the solar arrays must be positioned to avoid damage from the ATV's thrusters and interference with communication antennas that guide the ATV. Because of these restrictions, the arrays cannot continuously track the sun, resulting in reduced power generation.

Detailed estimates of power availability during critical portions of the ATV flight are provided to Johnson Space Center, the European Space Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA's other partners. This information is used to determine if expected electrical load distribution within station can be supported during ATV docking operations. If the analysis determines there is a shortfall in power needed, changes are made to the choreography of the docking sequence. Another energy balance analysis is then performed, with the result of a docking timeline that balances station's power needs with operational constraints needed for safe and successful ATV docking.

For more information about STS-117, Atlantis' next mission to the International Space Station, visit:


For more information about ATV, visit:


Source: NASA/GRC Press Release 07-19
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 8 2007, 12:49 PM
International Space Station Imagery

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ISS015-E-10854 (6 June 2007) --- During the Russian spacewalk conducted by cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 15 commander, and Oleg Kotov, flight engineer, on June 6, 2007, Yurchikhin commented on damage to a multi-layer insulation (MLI) protective blanket on the Zarya module. The damage, he noted, was apparently from a micrometeoroid impact. The date the damage occurred is unknown but has had no impact to vehicle operations.

Source: NASA - Human Spaceflight Gallery
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 9 2007, 12:11 AM
Expedition 15 Awaits Arrival of Atlantis, New Crew Member

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Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis is pictured separating from its external
tank moments after reaching orbit.
Image credit: NASA TV

With the successful launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, the stage is set for changes at the International Space Station and for its crew.

Atlantis blasted off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.'s Launch Pad 39A at 7:38 p.m. EDT Friday to begin a two-day chase of the station. The STS-117 mission will continue the on-orbit construction of the station with the delivery and installation of the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segments. Also traveling with STS-117 is a new Expedition 15 crew member, astronaut Clayton Anderson, who will replace Flight Engineer Suni Williams. At launch time, the station was flying above the southern Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.

Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov and Williams will make final preparations for STS-117’s arrival. Docking is set for 3:36 p.m. Sunday. Anderson and Williams are scheduled to switch crews later that day.

The addition of the S3/S4 to the station is scheduled for Monday. The segment contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station power-generation capabilities. The STS-117 crew will use the station and shuttle robotic arms and conduct spacewalks to install and activate the truss. Three spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117's stay.

Atlantis is slated to undock from the station on June 17, the day after Williams breaks the record for the longest spaceflight ever by a woman. The record, 188 days and 4 hours, is currently held by NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 10 2007, 08:03 PM
Expedition 15 Awaits Arrival of Atlantis, New Crew Member

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Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis is pictured separating from its external
tank moments after reaching orbit.
Image credit: NASA TV

Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station at 3:36 p.m. EDT today, delivering a new crew member and a new component to the orbital outpost.

The station’s Expedition 15 crew and its visitors will begin joint operations after the hatches open. The station is slated to officially receive its newest crew member, astronaut Clayton Anderson, this afternoon. Anderson traveled to the station with STS-117 and will swap places with Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams.

Anderson becomes a member of the station crew when his custom-made seat liner is swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 17.

Also arriving with Atlantis is the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segments. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities. The new truss will be attached Monday. The STS-117 crew will use the station and shuttle robotic arms and conduct spacewalks to install and activate the truss. Three spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117’s stay.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 10 2007, 10:39 PM
STS-117 Delivers New Crew Member, Truss Segment to Station

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Image above: The International Space Station is viewed from Space Shuttle
Atlantis prior to docking.
Image credit: NASA TV

Space Shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station at 3:36 p.m. EDT today, delivering a new crew member and a new component to the orbital outpost.

The station’s Expedition 15 crew and its visitors began joint operations after the hatches opened at 5:20 p.m. The station is slated to officially receive its newest crew member, astronaut Clayton Anderson, this afternoon. Anderson traveled to the station with STS-117 and will swap places with Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams.

Anderson becomes a member of the station crew when his custom-made seat liner is swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 17.

Also arriving with Atlantis is the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segments. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities. The new truss will be attached Monday. The STS-117 crew will use the station and shuttle robotic arms and conduct spacewalks to install and activate the truss. Three spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117’s stay.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 11 2007, 01:40 AM
Anderson Joins Station Crew, Williams Ends 6-month Expedition Tour

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Image above: The International Space Station is viewed from Space Shuttle
Atlantis prior to docking.
Image credit: NASA TV

NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew Sunday, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ STS-117 crew earlier today. Atlantis docked to the station at 3:36 p.m. EDT.

He and Williams officially swapped crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 17. Anderson is scheduled to leave the station this fall.

Also arriving with Atlantis is the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segments. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities. The new truss will be attached Monday. The STS-117 crew will use the station and shuttle robotic arms and conduct spacewalks to install and activate the truss. Three spacewalks are scheduled for STS-117’s stay.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 11 2007, 07:41 PM
Station Gets New Truss Segment

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Image above: The International Space Station's robotic arm moves the
new truss segment into place.
Photo credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station grew today when STS-117 and Expedition 15 crewmembers attached the Starboard 3 and 4 truss (S3/S4) segment. The new truss was attached at 2:28 p.m. EDT.

The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, was attached to the end of the Starboard 1 truss segment by crew members using the station’s robotic arm. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities.

The STS-117 crew will conduct three spacewalks to activate the S3/S4. The first spacewalk is set for this afternoon and last 6.5 hours. The new solar arrays are slated to be deployed Tuesday.

Late Sunday, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew Sunday, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station at 3:36 p.m. Sunday.

He and Williams officially changed crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 17. Anderson is scheduled to leave the station this fall.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 12 2007, 02:26 PM
Station Gets New Truss Segment

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Image above: STS-117 Mission Specialist Jim Reilly during the mission's
first spacewalk.
Photo credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station grew today when STS-117 and Expedition 15 crewmembers attached the Starboard 3 and 4 truss (S3/S4) segment. The new truss was attached at 2:28 p.m. EDT.

The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, was attached to the end of the Starboard 1 truss segment by crew members using the station’s robotic arm. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities.

The STS-117 crew will conduct three spacewalks to activate the S3/S4. The first spacewalk is set for this afternoon and last 6.5 hours. The new solar arrays are slated to be deployed Tuesday.

Late Sunday, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew Sunday, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station at 3:36 p.m. Sunday.

He and Williams officially changed crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 17. Anderson is scheduled to leave the station this fall.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 13 2007, 10:44 AM
Station Gets New Truss Segment

linked-image
The International Space Station's new S3/S4 truss and solar arrays are
viewed from Space Shuttle Atlantis' robotic arm.
Photo credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station grew Monday when STS-117 and Expedition 15 crew members attached the Starboard 3 and 4 truss (S3/S4) segment. The new truss was attached at 2:28 p.m. EDT.

The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, was attached to the end of the Starboard 1 truss segment by crew members using the station’s robotic arm. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities.

The STS-117 crew will conduct three spacewalks to activate the S3/S4. The first spacewalk occurred Monday, and the new solar arrays were deployed Tuesday.

Late Sunday, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station at 3:36 p.m. Sunday.

He and Williams officially changed crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station.

Source: NASA - Space Station
Waspie_Dwarf
Jun 14 2007, 01:00 PM
Station Gets New Truss Segment

linked-image
The International Space Station's new S3/S4 truss and solar arrays are
viewed from Space Shuttle Atlantis' robotic arm.
Photo credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station grew Monday when STS-117 and Expedition 15 crew members attached the Starboard 3 and 4 truss (S3/S4) segment.

The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, was attached to the end of the Starboard 1 truss segment by crew members using the station’s robotic arm. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities.

The STS-117 crew will conduct three spacewalks to activate the S3/S4. The first spacewalk occurred Monday, and the new solar arrays were deployed Tuesday. The second occurred Wednesday as the spacewalkers assisted with the partial retraction of an older solar array.

Russian flight controllers will be working overnight to resolve a problem with the Russian segment computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital altitude adjustments. For now, the station’s control moment gyroscopes are handling attitude control, with the shuttle’s propulsion providing backup.

Late Sunday, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station at 3:36 p.m. Sunday.

He and Williams officially changed crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station.

Source: NASA - Space Station