 | ISS EO-7
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26 April 2003 03:53 GMT. Landing Date: 2003-10-28 02:40:00 PM. Flight Time: 184.95 days. Alternate Name: Soyuz TMA-2. Other Name: ISS-6S. Flight Up: Soyuz TMA-2. Flight Back: Soyuz TMA-2. Crew: Lu, Malenchenko. Backup Crew: Kaleri, Foale. Program: ISS. Two-man Russian/American crew to provide minimal manning of space station while shuttle is grounded. Replaced three-man crew aboard ISS since before STS-107 disaster. The flight program consisted of the following main activities:
- Launch of the ISS EO-7 crew aboard Soyuz TMA-2;
- Operational support for undocking of Progress M1-10, Progress M-47;
- Operational support for docking of Progress M1-10, Progress M-48 and Soyuz-TMA-3;
- Unloading of Progress and Soyuz spacecraft;
- ISS maintenance and repairs;
- Performance of the science and application research program and experiments (Relaksatsia, Uragan, Molniya-SM, Sprut-MBI, Diurez, Parodont, Farma, Cardio-ODNT, Biotest, Profilaktika, Pulse, Gematologia, Pilot, Polygen, Biorisk, Rastenia-2, Intercellular interaction, Prognos, Brados, Diatomeya, Konjugatsia, Biodegradatsia, MSK, Akustika-M, Meteoroid, Tenzor, Vektor-T, Izgib, Privyazka, Iskazheniye, Identifikatsia, Plasma crystal, Skorpion, Kromka, Platan), as well as contract-based commercial activities (GTS, MPAC&SEED, STARMAIL);
- Performance of work under Visiting Crew (EP-5) program
- Crew handover to the ISS EO-8 crew and return to earth of the ISS EO-7 crew and the ESA Spanish EP-5 astronaut aboard Soyuz TMA-2.
ISS EO-7 Chronology
- 2003 Apr 28 - International Space Station Status Report #03-19
New residents arrived aboard the International Space Station today to take over occupancy of the orbital outpost from the crew that has been aloft for more than five months. Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight Engineer and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu monitored systems as their Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft gently flew to a smooth, automated docking with the station's Zarya Control Module at 12:56 a.m. CDT. At the time of docking, the two space vehicles sailed some 240 statute miles over Kazakhstan, home of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, from where Malenchenko and Lu were launched on Saturday. Within minutes, hooks and latches on the Soyuz and Zarya docking mechanisms were fully engaged to provide a firm mate. On the ISS, Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit watched closely as the first visitors of their increment eased the new Soyuz to its port along side the Soyuz TMA-1 capsule, which has been linked to the Pirs Docking Compartment since November. Three Russian vehicles now reside at the ISS, including a Progress resupply ship. Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit will ride home in on the older Soyuz Sunday (late Saturday CDT) to a landing in Kazakhstan to complete a mission that began with their launch Nov. 23, 2002. It will mark the first time in history U.S. astronauts will have returned from space in a Russian craft. At the time of docking, Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit had been in space for 156 days, 154 days on the station. Shortly before docking, while the new Soyuz sat about 200 meters away from the ISS for a few minutes of stationkeeping and systems checks, Pettit used high-powered digital camera lenses in the Destiny laboratory to document the capsule's arrival at the station. At 2:27 a.m. CDT, after comprehensive leak checks between the newly arrived Soyuz and the Zarya module, hatches swung open and the two crews greeted one another to begin six days of joint handover operations primarily designed to familiarize the new crew with ISS systems and the location of key hardware and consumables. The five crewmembers accepted congratulations from Deputy NASA Administrator Frederick Gregory, Deputy Associate Administrator Michael Kostelnik and ISS Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier in a call from the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow, where they watched the docking with a large contingent of U.S. and Russian space officials.
The crews then began to transfer a small amount of clothes and supplies carried into orbit on the new Soyuz, and are scheduled to conduct a safety briefing later today. Malenchenko, Budarin and Bowersox will have a Soyuz descent and landing training session Wednesday to fine tune techniques Budarin will use on Saturday as he commands the return craft for its trip back to Earth. Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit will undock from the complex at 5:40 p.m. CDT May 3 en route to a landing in Kazakhstan at 9:03 p.m. that day. Malenchenko and Lu will remain aboard the station conducting a series of scientific and educational activities until late October.
- 2003 May 2 - International Space Station Status Report #03-20
International Space Station crewmembers are wrapping up a week largely devoted to handover briefings and activities for the Expedition 7 crew and their Expedition 6 predecessors. The week will culminate with the undocking of the Soyuz TMA-1 from the station at 5:40 p.m. CDT on Saturday. A little over three hours later, at 9:07 p.m., the Expedition 6 crew, Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, is scheduled to land in northern Kazakhstan. Their return will end a mission that began with their launch on Nov. 23 and their docking to the orbiting laboratory two days later. Weather for the landing area is predicted to be acceptable. Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight Engineer and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu spent much of the week learning the ropes aboard their new home, where they are to remain for about the next six months. They also unpacked gear and equipment. On Thursday, the station's file server went down. The event was not a serious impediment to crew activities, though flight controllers and computer experts on the ground and the crew did spend time working to restore the server. The server was up and running again by Friday morning. As a result of the incident, the Expedition 7 crew got a quick review on how the server and the station computers function. Bowersox and Lu did a handover session on Friday with the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in the U.S. laboratory Destiny. Both the CDRA and the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system in the Russian Zvezda Service Module are operating because of five crewmembers being on the station. On Thursday Budarin had temporarily shut down the Vozdukh to install new power cables. Normally only the Vozdukh or the CDRA is running. On Friday the Expedition 7 crew got familiarization training with the Canadarm2, the station's robotic arm. That and the CDRA activity were, in contrast to the rest of the week, among the few familiarization periods today. Much of the day was devoted to stowing materials on the station and packing Expedition 6 gear in their Soyuz.
- 2003 May 4 - International Space Station Status Report #03-21
The Expedition 6 crew touched down in northern Kazakhstan in its Soyuz spacecraft at 9:07 p.m. CDT Saturday, after an undocking from the International Space Station. The Soyuz landed well short of the predicted site and it took almost three hours for a search plane to find the capsule and report that all appeared well. The Soyuz landed about 275 miles west and a little south of its predicted touchdown point. The aircraft found the capsule and established radio contact with the crew at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The plane's crew subsequently reported seeing Expedition 6 crewmembers outside the Soyuz, waving and apparently well. The crew, Commander Ken Bowersox, Soyuz Commander Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, spent about 51/2 months in space, all but two days of it on the station. The landing ended a mission that began with their launch on Nov. 23 and their docking to the orbiting laboratory two days later. It marked the first landing of an advanced Soyuz TMA spacecraft, and it was the first time U.S. astronauts have landed in any Soyuz capsule. Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, who arrived at the station early last Monday, formally began their increment on the station with the departure of their predecessors. A change-of-command ceremony began at 1:15 p.m. Saturday. After farewells, hatches between the station and the Soyuz TMA-1 were closed at 2:38 p.m. Malenchenko and Lu will be aboard the orbiting laboratory for about six months. The undocking procedure began right on time at 5:40 p.m. Saturday, with springs pushing the Soyuz away from the ISS three minutes later. At 5:46 p.m. a separation burn of Soyuz thrusters increased its speed as it moved away. Minutes later, the station began maneuvering itself from the undocking attitude back to the standard "duty attitude." The 4-minute, 18-second deorbit burn began at 8:12 p.m. About 8:40 p.m. the orbital and instrumentation/propulsion modules separated from the crew's descent module, the only one of the three intended to return to Earth. Minutes later that module began to feel the effects of the upper atmosphere. About 8:52 p.m. the first of a series of parachutes deployed to slow the module's rate of descent and six small rocket engines fired just before touchdown to further slow the capsule. Helicopters with ground support personnel had to refuel before flying to the Soyuz to retrieve the crew. The crew will fly today to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan before returning to Star City, the Russian space center near Moscow. There the crew will begin debriefings and physical rehabilitation. Bowersox and Pettit are scheduled to return to Johnson Space Center in a little over two weeks.
- 2003 May 9 - International Space Station Status Report #03-22
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu are wrapping up their first week of independent operations aboard the International Space Station after departure of their Expedition 6 predecessors on May 3. A Russian holiday gave them some time off today. The week began with Sunday and Monday off for Malenchenko and Lu to help them become accustomed to their home for the next six months. An hour of ISS familiarization followed on Tuesday, along with standard maintenance and inspection activities. The station's toilet system underwent three hours of periodic maintenance on Wednesday, with Malenchenko changing out elements, including hoses and filter inserts. Lu also had a three-hour project, inspecting emergency lighting power sources in the station's U.S. segment. The first medical tests for the new crew were a Thursday highlight. The experiments looked at crew body mass, red blood cell count and heart activity. The Resistive Exercise Device (RED) was out of kilter, showing higher than normal resistance and making unusual sounds. Today was the Russian holiday, Victory Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe.The crew had the day off, but they did perform scheduled maintenance and two sessions each of physical exercise. Lu changed out canisters on the RED. The device is functioning well after the canister change out. Meanwhile, the Expedition 6 crew remains at Star City, the Russian cosmonaut training center near Moscow, after its landing in Kazakhstan on May 3. E6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are undergoing debriefings and physical rehabilitation. Bowersox and Pettit are scheduled to return to Johnson Space Center a little over a week from now.
- 2003 May 16 - International Space Station Status Report #03-23
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu have completed their two weeks of orientation on the International Space Station and are ready to start regular operations in earnest. Each ISS crew undergoes orientation sessions to become familiar with its new home during the first two weeks of the mission, as has Expedition 7. This week, Malenchenko and Lu, along with flight controllers on the ground, also went through fire and emergency evacuation procedures. Malenchenko and Lu also did maintenance throughout the station. They focused on the Russian Zvezda Service Module by cleaning out the ventilation duct work and taking inventory of the Russian communication system equipment. Lu also worked with the U.S. defibrillator unit and checked out the system. The E7 crewmembers harvested their first crop on the ISS. The "Red and White" peas harvested were planted by the Expedition 6 crew. They were part of the Russian PLANTS-2 experiment. Lu worked in the U.S. laboratory Destiny on daily science payload status checks and is scheduled to work with the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) next week. Lu will activate the InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) experiment inside the MSG on Monday. InSPACE studies new fluids that may help improve brake systems, robotics, airplane landing gear and vibration damper systems. On Thursday, Lu took digital photos of the lunar eclipse. Meanwhile, the Expedition 6 crew remains at Star City, the Russian cosmonaut training center near Moscow, after its landing in Kazakhstan on May 3. Commander Ken Bowersox, Cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are undergoing debriefings and physical rehabilitation. Bowersox and Pettit are scheduled to return to Johnson Space Center next week.
- 2003 May 23 - International Space Station Status Report #03-24
Four weeks into their mission, the two-man crew of the International Space Station has moved beyond an orientation and familiarization schedule and into an agenda of operations that reflects the range of activities they'll pursue on orbit during the remaining five months of their flight. Each day this week Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu completed a variety of maintenance tasks to keep their home on orbit in good shape, from monitoring the operation of life support systems to testing the quality of air and water. In the coming week mission managers plan to have the crewmembers replace a storage battery in the Zvezda Service Module. As training for a contingency spacewalk, they also will have Malenchenko and Lu get into, and then out of, the American spacesuits. In their pre-flight training Malenchenko and Lu always had help donning and doffing the Extravehicular Mobility Unit. No spacewalks are planned for this increment. The science mission of Expedition 7 picked up this week. Malenchenko took part in Russian biomedical experiments gauging the impact of the microgravity environment on blood cell count and body mass, while Lu began a new series of experiment runs with the InSPACE experiment in the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox (MSG) this week. The MSG is a sealed container in the Destiny laboratory housing experiments involving materials that need to be isolated from the station environment. InSPACE, or Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions, which was started during Expedition 6, studies how particles that are capable of being magnetized respond when a magnetic field is pulsed on and off. Scientists hope to develop better fluids for systems that are routinely exposed to magnetic fields, such as automobile brake fluids and vibration damping systems, and to develop new applications such as vibration damping systems for buildings in earthquake-prone areas. Wednesday morning the Expedition 7 crewmembers discussed the progress of their mission and its scientific research with the BBC Radio's World Service and WHEC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., near Lu's hometown of Webster, N.Y. Thursday they took part in an educational event, answering questions from students gathered at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
- 2003 May 30 - International Space Station Status Report #03-25
Science, maintenance and training for spacewalks was the focus of attention this week for the Expedition Seven crew of Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu as they complete their fifth week in space aboard the orbiting laboratory. The station's Microgravity Science Glovebox is back in action supporting hands-on experiments in a closed/controlled environment after researchers reset the unit's computer to resume activity with the InSPACE experiment (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions), which began during the Expedition Six increment on the station. Scientists hope to develop better fluids for systems that are routinely exposed to magnetic fields, such as automobile brake fluids and vibration damping systems. Experimenters also hope to use data from InSPACE to develop new applications such as vibration damping systems for buildings in earthquake-prone areas. Earlier this week a faulty battery in the Zvezda living quarters module was replaced and the crew practiced techniques for conducting a spacewalk without the assistance of a third crewmember. Portions of the demonstration will be rescheduled due to a problem encountered when the water flow in Lu's undergarment failed to work properly. The Extravehicular Activity team is evaluating the problem. No spacewalk is planned for the six months the Expedition Seven crew is aboard the complex, but the on-orbit training exercise - or dry run - was designed to prepare the crew in the event an unscheduled spacewalk is warranted. Earlier today, trajectory flight controllers planned, and then executed, a slight orbit-raising firing of the Progress resupply ship engines to position the ISS out of the path of an orbiting satellite. The one-meter per second posigrade maneuver lasted a little more than 7 minutes and was conducted at 11:50 a.m. CDT Friday after three days of tracking confirmed the need for the burn. The result of the burn actually raised the station's average altitude by about 1.8 kilometers. The closest approach to the station occurred at 3:55 p.m. CDT Friday. The maneuver was the sixth in the history of the ISS since construction began in November 1998. The ISS Program estimates that about two such maneuvers would be needed each year, but the actual number thus far is fewer than one each year. Thursday, the crew gathered in the Destiny Laboratory to talk about their mission with WABC Radio's "Rambling with Gambling" show in New York City and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. That followed Lu's demonstration of the properties of flight in microgravity using a paper airplane and a small model of the Wright Flyer he brought along in honor of the Centennial of Flight activities of the Wright Brothers' achievement. Preparations continue on track for the launch of a new Progress 11 cargo ship to the ISS June 8, which will dock to the station June 11, delivering more than 5,000 pounds of food, water and supplies for the crew on board.
- 2003 Jun 6 - International Space Station Status Report #03-26
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu completed their sixth week in orbit with a varied slate of science experiments, robotics and preparations for the arrival of a resupply ship next week. Preparations stepped up this week for the launch and docking of a new unmanned Progress spaceship carrying about 5,300 pounds of supplies for the Space Station crew. Today, Malenchenko and Lu reconfigured stowed items in the Pirs Docking Compartment to which the Progress ship will link up next Wednesday. Malenchenko also completed a successful test of a backup docking system that would allow him to manually control the Progress' docking from inside the station in the unlikely event the primary automated docking system was not available. Early this morning, the Soyuz rocket carrying the new Progress resupply vehicle was moved to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for its scheduled launch Sunday. The 11th Progress supply ship destined for ISS is set to lift off Sunday at 5:34 a.m. CDT (1034 GMT) and is scheduled to dock at the Pirs at 6:17 a.m. CDT (1117 GMT) Wednesday. NASA Television coverage of the docking will begin at 5:30 a.m. CDT on Wednesday. Another Progress vehicle is currently docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module, and the crew's Soyuz TMA-2 return craft is docked to the nadir port of the Zarya Module. Lu conducted additional operations with the InSPACE experiment (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) this week and had a conference with the experiment's principal investigator to provide her with a first-hand report on recent activities as well as discuss future experiment runs. Located in the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox in the Station's Destiny Laboratory, the InSPACE experiment investigates how particles capable of being magnetized react to a pulsed magnetic field. The results are hoped to provide insight that will contribute to the development of better fluids for systems that are exposed to such conditions on Earth, such as automobile braking systems and vibration damping systems. On Wednesday, both crewmembers had an opportunity for some hands-on experience flying the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Malenchenko and Lu each guided the 58-foot-long, double-ended arm through the capture and release of a fixture on the exterior of the Destiny lab. The operations served not only as training for the crew but also as a successful test of an adjustment made to the arm's software to improve its grappling procedure. Tomorrow, the crew, on a request from engineers involved with planning for the Space Shuttle's return to flight, will calibrate and focus cameras aboard the Station on several ISS locations to test lighting and imagery capabilities for future inspection of the Shuttle's thermal protection system as the vehicles approach the ISS for docking. Imagery will be downlinked to flight controllers for analysis. The inspection procedures are expected to be included in return to flight requirements being developed for future Shuttle missions to the Station.
- 2003 Jun 8 - International Space Station Status Report #03-27
An unmanned Russian resupply craft successfully blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today, carrying more than two tons of food, fuel, water, supplies and scientific gear for the Expedition 7 crew aboard the International Space Station. The Progress 11 vehicle lifted off on time from its Central Asia launch pad at 5:34 a.m. Central time (1034 GMT, 2:34 p.m. Baikonur time). Less than nine minutes later the Progress settled into orbit, and moments later, its solar arrays and navigational antennas had been deployed. At the time of the Progress launch, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu were flying near the Equator off the west coast of Africa at an altitude of 240 statute miles. After three days of pre-programmed engines firings to reach the ISS, the Progress will link up automatically to the Pirs Docking Compartment on the Station's Zvezda Service Module on Wednesday at 6:17 a.m. Central time (1117 GMT). Within a few hours, Malenchenko and Lu will open the hatch to the ship and begin to unload its cargo. Stowed in the Progress are replacement parts for environmental systems in both the U.S. and Russian segments of the Station, office supplies, two tanks of potable water, and some clothing items for the two crewmembers. Also aboard the Progress are two experiment kits for European Space Agency cosmonaut Pedro Duque, who will launch in October on the Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle with the Expedition 8 crew for about a week's worth of scientific research on the ISS under a contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth with Malenchenko and Lu in the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle currently docked to the Station.
- 2003 Jun 8 - Progress M1-10 Spacecraft: Progress M1. Payload: Progress M1 s/n 259. Mass: 7,270 kg (16,020 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 117.06 days. Perigee: 247 km (153 mi). Apogee: 341 km (211 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 90.40 min.
Resupply of International Space Station. Additional water carried to meet needs of skeleton crew. Successfully docked with the nadir port on Pirs at 1115 GMT on June 11. It undocked from the station on September 4 to clear the port for Soyuz TMA-3 but then unusually spent a month on an autonomous earth observation mission. The deorbit engine ignited at 11:26 GMT on October 3 from a 247 x 340 km x 51.6 deg orbit, reducing the perigee to 69 km. Progress M1-10 reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific at 11:58 GMT and broke up around 12:05 GMT.
- 2003 Jun 11 - International Space Station Status Report #03-28
An unmanned Russian resupply craft successfully docked to the International Space Station this morning, delivering more than two tons of food, fuel, water, supplies and scientific gear to the Expedition 7 crew aboard the complex. The Progress 11 vehicle automatically linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment attached to the Zvezda Service Module over Central Asia at 6:15 a.m. Central time (1115 GMT) three days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. As the Progress neared Pirs for docking, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu were in Zvezda, monitoring its approach. At the time of contact and capture, the ISS was flying over Central Asia at an altitude of 240 statute miles. After conducting leak checks to insure a tight seal between the Progress and the ISS, Malenchenko and Lu will open the hatch to the ship and begin to unload its cargo. Stowed in the Progress are replacement parts for environmental systems in both the U.S. and Russian segments of the Station, office supplies, two tanks of potable water, and some clothing items for the two crewmembers. Also aboard the Progress are two experiment kits for European Space Agency cosmonaut Pedro Duque, who will launch in October on the Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle with the Expedition 8 crew for about a week's worth of scientific research on the ISS under a contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth with Malenchenko and Lu in the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle currently docked to the Station. The arrival of the new Progress puts three Russian vehicles at the ISS. Docked to the aft port of Zvezda is the Progress 10 resupply craft that arrived at the Station on February 4, and docked to the Zarya Module is the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle that brought Malenchenko and Lu to the ISS on April 28.
- 2003 Jun 13 - International Space Station Status Report #03-29
Fresh food, new clothes and more water were among the welcome new arrivals to the International Space Station this week as an unmanned Russian resupply craft docked with the complex. The Progress 11 spacecraft automatically docked to the station's Pirs Docking Compartment Wednesday morning, three days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu began unloading the cargo ship Friday afternoon. The Progress brought replacement parts for environmental systems in both the U.S. and Russian segments of the Station, office supplies, two tanks of potable water, and some clothing items for the two crewmembers. Also aboard the cargo ship are two experiment kits for European Space Agency cosmonaut Pedro Duque, who will launch in October on the Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle with the Expedition 8 crew. Duque will return to Earth with Malenchenko and Lu in the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle, which is currently docked to the Station. On Tuesday, Lu used the Microgravity Science Glovebox to continue the Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE) experiment. InSPACE is investigating a type of 'smart materials' that researchers hope will improve the types of fluids used in braking and vibration damping systems. InSPACE is one of three experiments Lu will do aboard the Space Station using the glovebox. While looking out the window of the Destiny Lab Thursday, Lu noticed an object floating away from the Station. Lu characterized the object as a rectangular-shaped piece of metal that was about 5 cm long. Station flight controllers determined that the object was possibly a small label that may have come loose from an exterior part of the station, and that, because of its low mass and relative velocity, it posed no threat to the complex. However, an analysis of photographs of the object taken by Lu before it drifted away continues.
- 2003 Jun 20 - International Space Station Status Report #03-30
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu donned Hawaiian aloha shirts this week to show off some of the clothing they had unpacked from a newly arrived Russian resupply craft. They wore the red and white, flowered shirts - complete with the Expedition 7 crew patch - in downlink television interviews. Malenchenko and Lu answered questions posed by reporters from CNN, CBS and KCRA-TV, Sacramento, Calif., during breaks in their Progress unloading and scientific research. Lu even took a moment in one interview to play a short rendition of the "Peanuts" theme on a keyboard he has been practicing with on orbit. But for the most part, it was a busy week of work as the pair unloaded about two tons of food, water, clothing, office supplies, environmental system replacement parts and experiment gear from Progress 11. The Russian cargo craft automatically docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment on June 11; the Expedition 7 crew began unloading the cargo ship last Friday. Water transfers were effected using hoses and a portable electric pump that moved about 210 liters of drinking water from the Progress into a bladder in the Zvezda Service Module. Each crewmember uses about 2 liters of water per day. In addition, propellant valves were opened between the Service Module fuel system and the Pirs system to enable fuel to be transferred from the new Progress to Zvezda. Tuesday, Lu slipped his hands into the Microgravity Science Glovebox to continue work with the Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE) experiment. InSPACE is investigating a type of "smart fluids" that researchers hope will help improve braking and vibration damping systems. Lu beamed down video of his setup and deactivation of the experiment, as well as shots of the bright green liquid inside the experiment chamber. Scientists at the Payload Operations Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., monitored the experiment and the associated video. Next week, the crew will continue unpacking the Progress and transferring fuel to Zvezda's tanks. Also on the schedule is a ship-to-ship conversation between the crew and Peggy Whitson, the Expedition 5 science officer who is commanding a 14-day underwater research mission as part of the NASA Extreme Environment Operations (NEEMO) project. That conversation will be broadcast live on NASA TV at 11:25 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 25, between the ISS and the Aquarius underwater lab off the coast of Key Largo, Fla.
- 2003 Jun 27 - International Space Station Status Report #03-31
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu today wrapped up a busy week of station and science activities as they approached the end of their eighth week on the ISS. Lu performed another run of the InSPACE experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox while Malenchenko spent some time loading the Progress 10, docked to the rear of the Zvezda Service Module, with station discards. InSPACE stands for Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions. The experiment, in the U.S. laboratory Destiny, looks at fluids that contain small particles that can be magnetized. The research could result in improved brake or vibration dampening fluids, or even improved systems to make buildings better able to survive earthquakes. Malenchenko spent part of today loading the Progress 10 unpiloted supply craft docked to the aft port of Zvezda with ISS discards. With its load of trash, that progress will be undocked in October and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. A similar craft, Progress 11, arrived at one of the Zarya docking ports on June 11 and crewmembers have worked to unload it. Lu and Malenchenko on Monday and Wednesday replaced the flexpacks in the canisters of the resistive exercise device (RED). The flexpacks provide the resistance as crewmembers exercise major muscle groups. The new flexpacks were brought up on Progress 11. Tuesday Lu calibrated an ultrasound device and downlinked ultrasound images from the instrument in the Human Research Facility, a rack in the U.S. laboratory. Malenchenko did maintenance on the Zarya module's cooling system, replacing a pump in one of the cooling loops. Medical tests continued throughout much of the week. On Wednesday Lu set up and calibrated the Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer (PCBA). The next day each crewmember performed health status checks on one another using a variety of equipment, including the PCBA. The two crewmembers talked on Tuesday with reporter Stephen Young of SpaceflightNow.com. Wednesday they held a ship-to-ship chat with the six-member Aquarius crew of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO). Peggy Whitson, the first NASA ISS science officer, who flew on ISS Expedition 5 from June to November 2002, commands the Aquarius crew. And on Thursday they talked with people from the NASAexplorers website at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Saturday and Sunday will be days off, though exercise and necessary station maintenance will be performed both days. On Sunday they will have a chance to talk with their families in private family conferences. Another InSPACE run is scheduled for Monday, as is data transfer with the EXPRESS Rack 1 in the Destiny laboratory.
- 2003 Jul 3 - International Space Station Status Report #03-32
The International Space Station Expedition 7 crew of Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA Science Officer Ed Lu began their third month aboard the Station this week, wrapping up a week that included a personal milestone and continued experiment work. Lu, who considers Honolulu, Hawaii, one of his hometowns, celebrated his 40th birthday aboard the Station on Tuesday, a milestone that was marked by the observance of "Edward Tsang Lu Day" in Hawaii. Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle read a proclamation of the observance to Lu on Monday. Lu's birthday also was marked by an "Aloha Day" celebration in Mission Control and throughout NASA with ground team members donning Hawaiian garb and shirts such as those Lu has frequently worn in orbit. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe took part in the celebration with a congratulatory call to Lu marking the occasion. Lu completed work this week with the InSPACE experiment in the Destiny Laboratory's Microgravity Science Glovebox. Lu conducted runs of the experiment, which studies the behavior of magnetic particles in a fluid when subjected to a pulsed magnetic field, almost daily during the week. InSPACE stands for Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions. Other activities during the week included standard maintenance inspections of Russian systems, windows, and the Pirs Docking Compartment's docking cone. The Expedition 7 crew took time out of its activities on Monday to field questions from educators gathered in Seattle, Washington, for launch of the NASA Explorer Schools program. The program includes teams of educators from 50 schools who will work with NASA to bring the excitement of space exploration and science into the classroom. Friday, July 4, will be a holiday for the crew. Light activities interspersed with time off also are planned for Saturday and Sunday.
- 2003 Jul 11 - International Space Station Status Report #03-33
The International Space Station's Expedition 7 crewmembers concentrated on Station upgrades and routine maintenance during their 11th week on orbit. Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu also advanced the research in several laboratory experiments during the week and shared their experiences in both formal and informal settings. In the Russian segment of the Station, Malenchenko installed a refurbished component of the Satellite Navigation System and new pipe conduits in the condensate separation and pumping unit; all of that hardware was delivered to the ISS last month on a Russian resupply craft. The crewmembers upgraded a relay unit in the Russian audio system which enables module-to-module "telephone" calls; completed inspections of life support systems, smoke detectors and microbe filters throughout the Station; rebuilt and restored laptop computer hard disk drives; and audited supplies to help mission managers decide what to launch on upcoming Progress resupply ships. The presence of a crew on orbit supplies test subjects for human life sciences research into how people respond to long periods in the absence of gravity, and this week Malenchenko and Lu gathered data for U.S. and Russian experiments gauging their health in microgravity. They also completed two hours or more of exercise each day to maintain their muscle tone and cardiovascular fitness. Last weekend Lu set up an electronic still camera in the Earth-facing window of the Destiny Laboratory for another session of the EarthKAM experiment (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle Schools). In this experiment, students in grades six through eight study Earth geography and orbital mechanics to understand when Station will be over a particular spot on Earth, and then submit requests that are uplinked to the on-board computer that controls the camera. The students later study the photos "they took" of the Earth from an altitude of more than 240 miles; more than 300 such photos were taken during this week's operations. Malenchenko and Lu took time throughout the week to share the experience of ISS. On Monday they used the Station's amateur radio system to answer questions from participants in the Euro Space Center Space Camp in Belgium, and sent a message of greeting and encouragement for a Space Day event at ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of the city of Korolev, home of the Russian Mission Control Center. Tuesday they chatted with Japanese middle school students at the "Tokyo FM" Radio Network station, and on Thursday they discussed the mission with a reporter from the Voice of America. Today they talked with the winners of a Russian school science contest.
- 2003 Jul 18 - International Space Station Status Report #03-34
The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, prepared for a new science experiment and performed maintenance activities this week aboard the International Space Station. Lu completed the installment of, and checkout procedures for the Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2 experiment in preparation for its first scientific run aboard the Space Station next week. The materials science payload is ready for data collection in the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox in the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The experiment will study a process called coarsening during which the strength of a material is reduced. This phenomenon is seen in high-temperature turbine blades and even in the material used in dental fillings. Lu transferred the file server that houses information for the Station Support Computer (SSC) laptops to a Next Generation Laptop to increase the speed and memory of the Station network. The crew uses the six SSC laptops to access daily plans, procedures, the inventory management system and electronic mail. Ultimately all of the SSC laptops as well as the Portable Station Computers that perform command and control functions of the ISS will be upgraded to the Next Generation Laptops. Malenchenko and Lu routinely inspected the Zvezda Service Module and Pirs Docking Compartment windows and took electronic images to downlink to engineers for analysis. Malenchenko also replaced a failed battery in Zvezda with a spare. A troubleshooting procedure performed by Lu to recover the cooling capability in his spacesuit was unsuccessful. A third, larger spacesuit is available to be resized for Lu's use in the event a spacewalk is necessary. The cooling system in Lu's spacesuit did not function correctly during a practice run in the Quest Airlock at the beginning of this mission. The Expedition 7 crew is not scheduled to conduct a spacewalk, but had practiced getting into the U.S. spacesuits in case of emergency. Earlier this week, the Johnson Space Center and the Mission Control Center remained at a concerned level of preparedness but there was no impact to mission operations during the arrival of Hurricane Claudette along Texas Coast. Lu was able to capture video and still images of the storm as it approached the coast on Tuesday.
- 2003 Jul 25 - International Space Station Status Report #03-35
The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, wound up a busy week with a Canadarm2 session that could lead to operation of the Station's robotic arm by controllers on the ground without crew participation. Today's activity, with Lu working with flight controllers in Houston, began a little after 3 a.m. CDT. It was a feasibility study. Lu performed task the ground cannot yet do - operating the latching end effector and initiating joint motion, for example. The task was completed successfully before 7 a.m. Results will be used in validation of the concept and in determining software, hardware or procedural changes that would be needed for arm control from the ground. Lu also spent some time working with the Coarsening in Solid Liquid Mixtures (CSLM) experiment's sample processing units (SPUs) in the Microgravity Science Glovebox of the U.S. laboratory Destiny. One unit Lu installed was found to be distorted, so he reinstalled the previous SPU. The CSLM experiment was delayed from early in the week because of internal humidity and dew point concerns. The experiment is expected to begin next week. It will study "coarsening" during which the strength of a material is reduced. This phenomenon is seen in many materials, including water droplets in rain clouds and dental fillings. It can weaken high-temperature turbine blades. Meanwhile, Malenchenko worked for more than two hours to load discarded items into the Progress 10 unpiloted cargo craft docked at the rear of the Zvezda Service Module. Last Monday the crew focused on medical experiments and an inventory by Malenchenko of 44 Russian medical, food supplement and ointment kits, about a two-hour task. Tuesday saw additional medical tests and Mission Control Moscow continued testing a new satellite navigation system antenna. Both crewmembers took time to answer questions from elementary, middle and high school students relayed to them by educators at Kennedy Space Center. After Soyuz descent training and continued work with the week-long process of space suit batteries conditioning Wednesday, Lu and Malenchenko on Thursday prepared for today's robotic operations and Malenchenko continued participation in a Russian study of bioelectrical heart activity while at rest. Throughout the week both crewmembers continued regular maintenance activities on the Station, and performed their daily exercise sessions, designed to ward off the effects of lengthy exposure to the microgravity environment of the orbiting laboratory. NASA announced on Friday that astronaut Michael Foale and Cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri will be the Expedition 8 crew of the International Space Station. They are scheduled to launch on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain on Oct. 18. Duque will return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew, which arrived at the station April 28. Their Soyuz is scheduled to land in Kazakhstan Oct. 28.
- 2003 Aug 1 - International Space Station Status Report #03-36
The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, spent their 14th week in space performing various science experiments, practicing with the Station's robotic arm and maintaining Station systems. On Tuesday, the crew marked the 1,000th day of human occupancy of the Station with a downlinked video message and a call from the heads of the five global space agencies that represent the 16 nations of the ISS Program. During the week, Lu worked with the Coarsening in Solid Liquid Mixtures (CSLM) experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox in the Destiny Laboratory. That experiment will be continued next week. CSLM is being used to study a physical process called "coarsening" that can reduce the strength of metals, such as those in jet engine turbine blades. Lu also performed a functional check of the Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller, which will be used in a fluid dynamics experiment later in the Expedition 7 mission. Throughout the week, Malenchenko took part in various Russian medical studies to continue gathering data on the effects of microgravity on the human body during a long-duration spaceflight. He also worked with the Russian/German Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) experiment, which is being used to examine fine particles inside an evacuated work chamber that have been charged and excited by radio frequencies. Both crewmembers also took time from their schedules to answer questions from TV Globo's "Fantastico" show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and from teachers participating in the NASA Explorer Schools Program at Ames Research Center, Calif. Throughout the week, Malenchenko and Lu continued regular maintenance activities on the Station and performed daily physical exercises to minimize the long-term effects of living in microgravity. The Expedition 7 crewmembers, who arrived at the station April 28, are scheduled to return to Earth in their Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft on Oct. 28. They will be replaced by the Expedition 8 crew, U.S. astronaut Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri. Foale and Kaleri are scheduled to launch to the Station Oct. 18 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, along with European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain. Duque will then return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew after completing more than a week of science activities aboard the Station.
- 2003 Aug 8 - International Space Station Status Report #03-37
The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, continued work this week with unique microgravity science experiments and maintained the operating systems of the orbiting lab. On Monday, the crewmembers passed the 100-day mark on orbit since their launch to the Station April 26. The crew is scheduled to return to Earth in late October aboard the same Soyuz vehicle they arrived in. The Expedition 8 crew, U.S. astronaut Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, will replace the Expedition 7 crew. Foale and Kaleri are scheduled to launch to the Station Oct. 18 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, along with European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain. Duque will then return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew after completing more than a week of science activities aboard the Station. Foale, Kaleri and Duque will talk to reporters about their upcoming mission during a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, which will be broadcast on NASA TV. Throughout the week aboard the ISS, Lu worked with a run of the Coarsening of Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2) experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox. CSLM-2 is studying how the strength of metals, such as those used in jet engine turbine blades, is reduced during a process called coarsening. Malenchenko worked with Earth observation experiments and wrapped up a Russian agriculture experiment studying the growth of plants in space. He saved the data from the Rasteniya-2 experiment in preparation for its return to Earth. Tuesday, the Station operating system briefly shifted into "survival mode" when the on-board computers did not recognize both thermal system loops in the Russian segment. Nonessential systems were automatically turned off, but flight controllers and payload controllers worked with the crew to reactivate the operating and payload systems without major impacts to operations or science. Lu and Malenchenko resized a spare U.S. spacesuit to fit Lu. Malfunctions in Lu's original suit were found during a test earlier in the mission and the larger modular-designed suit was easily adjusted to fit Lu in the event he needs to conduct a U.S. airlock-based spacewalk. Initially, during the fit check of the suit, the cooling system did not function correctly but began working later in the test. Spacesuit experts will continue to troubleshoot the issues with both spacesuits. This week, Malenchenko used oxygen from the Progress cargo vehicle docked to the aft of the Zvezda Service Module to repressurize the Station. The extra oxygen is being used before the spacecraft is undocked later this month to make room for a new Progress resupply craft scheduled for launch to the Station Aug. 28 (U.S. time).
- 2003 Aug 15 - International Space Station Status Report #03-38
The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, this week conducted science experiments, maintenance activities and prepared for the upcoming departure and arrival of Progress cargo and Soyuz vehicles. Lu talked with former Station Science Officer Don Pettit to help locate hardware for the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) that Lu installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox Monday. Lu was scheduled to begin science operations with PFMI this week, but was unable to locate an essential cable to complete the installation. Pettit's ideas as to where he left the cable were fruitful. With the cable now installed, Lu can begin a run of the experiment next week. Troubleshooting continued this week with the two U.S. spacesuits experiencing cooling system issues onboard. Lu and Malenchenko executed a procedure to closely inspect valves and filters for water circulation in the system of the first suit Lu tried on during the mission. Investigations of the cooling system of the spare suit he re-sized last week are still underway. Even though they are not scheduled to conduct a spacewalk during this mission, Lu and Malenchenko could use the Russian Orlan spacesuits to conduct a spacewalk, if needed, since Lu does not currently have a working U.S. spacesuit to wear. This week, Malenchenko continued to use oxygen from the Progress cargo vehicles docked to the aft of the Zvezda Service Module and to the Pirs Docking Compartment to repressurize the Station. The extra oxygen is being used before the two spacecraft are undocked, taking with them trash and used supplies to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. The Progress docked to Zvezda will undock Aug. 27 to make room for a new Progress resupply craft scheduled for launch to the Station Aug. 28 (U.S. time). The Progress docked to Pirs will undock Sept. 4 to make room for the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft scheduled to arrive Oct. 20 with the Expedition 8 crew and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque. Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, will replace the Expedition 7 crew. Foale and Kaleri are scheduled to launch to the Station Oct. 18 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, along with Duque who will return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew after completing more than a week of science activities aboard the Station on Oct. 28.
- 2003 Aug 22 - International Space Station Status Report #03-39
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA Science Officer Ed Lu studied their first sample in an experiment designed to look at how air bubbles can weaken metals, crystals and other materials as they coalesce on orbit. They also packed a resupply craft full of trash and readied it for departure next week. Today marked the crew's 118th day on orbit. Sample processing for the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) concluded today after beginning Wednesday inside the U.S. laboratory Destiny and the protective environment of the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Processing of the first Expedition 7 sample had been postponed from the previous week due to a missing data cable. Lu found the cable after he talked with former Station Science Officer Don Pettit via cell phone. Plans call for Lu to process seven more samples. Malenchenko participated in his fifth session with a Russian heart experiment, Study of the Bioelectric Activity of the Heart at Rest, with Lu assisting as crew medical officer and administering the electrocardiogram. Lu also performed periodic health tests with a portable clinical blood analyzer. "The crew is in great spirits and looking forward to a busy week of departures and arrivals next week," said Expedition 7 Lead Flight Director John McCullough. As the crew exhausted the supply of oxygen from the Progress 10 cargo vehicle docked to the back of the Zvezda Service Module to repressurize the Station, they continued filling it with trash and worn-out equipment. The old Progress is scheduled to undock from Zvezda at 5:43 p.m. CDT Aug. 27, and later will be commanded to re-enter and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. That undocking will vacate a port for the Progress 12 vehicle that is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:48p.m. CDT Aug. 28, and dock to Zvezda at 10:43p.m. CDT Aug. 30. Progress 12 will deliver about 1,000 pounds of food, supplies and equipment for use on the Station. Early next month, the Progress 11 resupply craft will depart its Pirs docking compartment moorings to make room for the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft that will ferry the Expedition 8 crew and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain to the Station on Oct. 20. Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri will replace the Expedition 7 crew, which will return to Earth Oct. 28 with Duque after he completes more than a week of science activities.
- 2003 Aug 27 - International Space Station Status Report #03-40
An unmanned Russian Progress vehicle successfully undocked from the International Space Station today, heading for a plunge into the Earth's atmosphere with discarded items from the orbital complex. The Progress 10 craft, which arrived at the Station in early February, departed from the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 5:48 p.m. CDT (2248 GMT) after hooks holding the Progress to Zvezda had been commanded to unlatch. As the Progress undocked, the ISS was flying 240 statute miles over eastern China. The Progress was filled with items no longer needed on the Station and trash. The Progress will automatically fire its engines later this evening to drop out of orbit and will burn up in the atmosphere. Aboard the ISS, Expedition 7 NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu was asleep at the time of undocking, but ISS Commander Yuri Malenchenko was allowed by flight controllers to remain awake to monitor the autonomous operation. The departure of Progress 10 sets the stage for tomorrow's scheduled launch of a new Progress resupply ship to the ISS. Progress 12 is due to liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday at 8:48 p.m. CDT (148 GMT Aug. 29). It will dock to the Zvezda aft port on Saturday night at 10:45 p.m. CDT (345 GMT Aug. 31). The new Progress will carry a half ton of food, fuel, supplies and water for Malenchenko and Lu and science gear for European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, who is scheduled to launch October 18 from Baikonur on the Soyuz TMA-3 craft with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Duque will spend eight days aboard the ISS conducting science experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth on Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu. The new Progress is also filled with personal items and hardware for Foale and Kaleri, who are scheduled to spend almost 200 days aboard the ISS. Another Progress vehicle currently docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment will undock from the ISS on September 4 to clear the way for the arrival of Foale, Kaleri and Duque in the Soyuz TMA-3 on October 20.
- 2003 Aug 28 - International Space Station Status Report #03-41
An unmanned Russian Progress vehicle successfully blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tonight to deliver almost three tons of food, fuel, water, and supplies to the residents of the International Space Station. The Progress 12 craft lifted off right on time from its Central Asian launch pad at 8:48 p.m. CDT (148 GMT Aug. 29) as the ISS sailed over the south Atlantic Ocean east of South America at an altitude of 240 statute miles. Less than 10 minutes later, the Progress settled into its preliminary orbit and its solar arrays and navigational antennas were successfully deployed. Aboard the ISS, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu were already in their sleep period as the Progress climbed to orbit. The new Progress is scheduled to dock to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module on Saturday night at 10:45 p.m. CDT (345 GMT Aug. 31). Another Progress ship that arrived at the ISS in February filled with discarded items and trash was undocked yesterday and commanded to deorbit, burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. Progress 12 is loaded with supplies for Malenchenko and Lu and science gear for European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, who is set to launch October 18 from Baikonur on the Soyuz TMA-3 craft with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Duque will spend eight days aboard the ISS conducting science experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth on Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu. Among the supplies aboard the Progress is a satellite phone and Global Positioning System locator hardware which Malenchenko, Lu and Duque would use in the unlikely event they land off-course, as did the Expedition Six crew back in May. The new Progress also carries personal items and hardware for Foale and Kaleri, who are scheduled to spend almost 200 days aboard the ISS. Another Progress vehicle currently docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment will undock from the ISS on September 4 to clear the way for the arrival of Foale, Kaleri and Duque in the Soyuz TMA-3 on October 20.
- 2003 Aug 29 - International Space Station Status Report #03-42
Progress 12, carrying more than 5,000 pounds of fuel, air and water, fresh and prepared foods, clothing, and experiment hardware, is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station tomorrow. The unpiloted cargo spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:48 p.m. CDT yesterday, following Wednesday's undocking of a previous cargo craft from the aft end of the station's Zvezda module. The new supply ship is due to dock to that vacant port at 10:45 p.m. CDT tomorrow. NASA-TV coverage of the Progress 12 docking begins tomorrow at 10 p.m. CDT. The Expedition 7 crew, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, spent part of their week seeing to the proper operation of the Station's systems, as well as completing their regularly scheduled exercise. They also finished preparing the old Progress ship for its departure. After loading the craft with material no longer needed on board and removing hardware that will be refurbished and used on future Progress flights, the Station crew closed the hatch on Progress 10 Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, specialists at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow commanded the ship to release its grip on the ISS and back away from the Station. It was destroyed as it plunged into the Earth's atmosphere. In the Station's Destiny laboratory this week, Lu oversaw completion of the second successful test run inside the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox of the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation, in which samples of a transparent test material are melted so researchers can study the formation of bubbles that might diminish the strength or usefulness of metals or crystals. Two more test sessions of PFMI are scheduled for next week, and three others later in Expedition 7. Supported by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., Lu also activated the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus for use in future fundamental space biology research. He also installed a new laptop computer to function as an interim control unit for the Space Acceleration Measurement System. SAMS, which measures small vibrations on the Station that might impact delicate microgravity science, is now back to full operation. Russian mission managers reported this week that the charge/discharge unit of Battery No. 2 in the Zvezda module has been declared fully failed and will need replacement. The seven other storage batteries in Zvezda are fully operational and provide sufficient electricity.
- 2003 Aug 30 - International Space Station Status Report #03-43
An unpiloted Russian resupply craft successfully docked to the International Space Station tonight, delivering nearly three tons of food, fuel, water, supplies and scientific gear to the Expedition 7 crew aboard the complex and for the next crew to launch in October. The Progress 12 vehicle automatically linked up to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module at 10:40 p.m. CDT (0340 GMT), two days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. As the Progress neared the Space Station for docking, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu were inside Zvezda, monitoring its approach. At the time of contact and capture, the Station was flying over Central Asia at an altitude of 240 statute miles. After conducting leak checks to insure a tight seal between the Progress and the ISS, Malenchenko and Lu will open the hatch to the ship and then begin unloading the supplies. Stowed in the Progress are replacement parts for Station systems, tools, a satellite telephone and Global Positioning System hardware, next generation laptop computers, educational demonstrations, science experiment gear and office supplies. The Progress also carried to the ISS science equipment for European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, who is set to launch Oct. 18 from Baikonur on the Soyuz TMA-3 craft with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Duque will spend eight days aboard the Space Station conducting science experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth on Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu. The new Progress also carries personal items and hardware for Foale and Kaleri, who are scheduled to spend almost 200 days aboard the ISS. Another Progress vehicle currently docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment will undock from the ISS on Sept. 4, to clear the way for the arrival of Foale, Kaleri and Duque in the Soyuz TMA-3 on Oct. 20.
- 2003 Sep 4 - International Space Station Status Report #03-44
An unmanned Russian Progress vehicle successfully undocked from the International Space Station today, heading for a month of scientific benefit before it is commanded to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. Just a week after a twin vehicle was cast away from a different Station port, the ISS Progress 11 craft, which arrived at the Station in mid-June, departed the Pirs Docking Compartment at 2:42 p.m. CDT (1942 GMT) following the unlatching of hooks holding the Progress to Pirs. As the Progress undocked, the ISS was flying 240 statute miles over eastern China. The Progress was filled with items no longer needed on the Station and trash. Aboard the ISS, Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu monitored the autonomous operation and kept tabs as the Progress backed away from the Station. For the next month, Russian flight controllers will conduct several scientific experiments with the Progress, using its television cameras to capture imagery of sites of ecological interest to Russian researchers while maintaining a safe distance away from the Station. Once those experiments are completed, the Progress will automatically fire its engines to drop out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere. A new ISS Progress 12 vehicle arrived at the ISS late Saturday night, U.S. time, ferrying food, fuel, water and supplies for the Station's current inhabitants and those to follow. The departure of ISS Progress 11 sets the stage for next month's arrival of the Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle to the Pirs Docking Compartment delivering the next resident crew to the ISS along with European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain. Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale, Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, and Duque are scheduled to be launched October 18 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, headed for a docking to Pirs on October 20. Duque will spend eight days aboard the ISS conducting science experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. Duque will return to Earth on Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu. Foale and Kaleri will spend almost 200 days on the Station.
- 2003 Sep 5 - International Space Station Status Report #03-45
With a newly arrived Russian Progress cargo vehicle at the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module awaiting unloading and a just-vacated Pirs Docking Compartment awaiting their successors, International Space Station Expedition 7 crewmembers, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, spent much of Friday doing scheduled spacesuit maintenance. The ISS Progress 12 unpiloted cargo vehicle arrived Saturday with about 5,000 pounds of food, water, equipment and fuel for the ISS. Its docking port had been vacated a week earlier by ISS Progress 10. It re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned shortly after its Aug. 27 undocking. The ISS Progress 11 spacecraft left its Pirs berth Thursday at 2:42 p.m. CDT for another month alone in orbit, as part of a Russian scientific experiment. It will then be deorbited with its load of station refuse and burn in the Earth's atmosphere. The docking port it occupied will in October welcome the Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri aboard. With them will be Spaniard Pedro Duque a European Space Agency astronaut who will spend eight days aboard the orbiting laboratory. He will return to Earth with the Expedition 7 crew. The spacesuit work today by Lu and Malenchenko involved what amounted to annual maintenance. The work is called a mid-term checkout and included emptying and refilling the suit's water tank and loops, cycling relief valves, checking sensors and collecting data, a leak check and running the suit's fan for two hours to lubricate it. Such maintenance is required no more than 369 days after the last spacewalk, previous maintenance or a checkout on the ground. Other activities during the week included successful completion by Lu of two more runs of the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox of the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The experiment involves melting a transparent material to see how bubbles form in the molten material and how they interact with one another. Researchers hope to gain understanding of molten materials and the potentially weakening bubbles that can form in them. Malenchenko and Lu also continued regular station maintenance activities and their daily exercise sessions scheduled to mitigate some of the physiological effects of their extended stay in micorgravity.
- 2003 Sep 12 - International Space Station Status Report #03-46
The unloading of nearly three tons of new supplies from a Progress cargo vehicle began in earnest this week aboard the International Space Station. Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu spent time each day unpacking, cataloging and stowing the equipment. The ISS Progress 12 (12P) vehicle brought food, fuel and equipment to the Station Aug. 30,U.S. time. This week, the thrusters on 12P were successfully tested and can be used to increase the Station's altitude when necessary. Also, nitrogen from the cargo vehicle's gas tanks was used to add pressure to the atmosphere inside the Station, while oxygen repressurization from 12P will occur later. Among the new supplies were two canisters for the Resistive Exercise Device weightlifting machine, which Lu installed Friday. Coincidentally, Lu had trouble adjusting the resistance on one of the previous canisters Wednesday. He removed that set and will work to repair the problematic canister next week so that the new ones that arrived on Progress can be reserved for the next crew to live aboard the Station. Friday, flight controllers in Mission Control Houston worked on the communication link between the Space Station and control centers in Houston, Moscow and Huntsville, Ala. The crewmembers noticed they were barely able to hear voice calls from the capcoms, or spacecraft communicators, from each of the centers. The problem was narrowed down to equipment in Houston that relays the audio to the Station from all the control centers. Engineers will continue to troubleshoot the issue with the hardware. In the meantime, the audio link to the Station has been restored to normal levels by temporarily bypassing that specific piece of hardware.
- 2003 Sep 19 - International Space Station Status Report #03-47
Hurricane photography took its place alongside other science, maintenance, and education on the International Space Station this week, where Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu completed a busy week on orbit. This week's Earth Observation research focused on Hurricane Isabel. Starting last Friday morning, and continuing this past Saturday and Monday, cameras on the Station's S1 Truss and Destiny Laboratory, plus a handheld camera operated by Lu, provided an additional perspective on the size and shape of the large storm as it moved through the western Atlantic Ocean on its way to landfall along the North Carolina coast. Lu performed the first operations with the Hand Posture Analyzer this week; it was delivered on the most recent Russian Progress resupply vessel last month. Working at the Human Research Facility rack in the Destiny Laboratory, Lu donned an instrumented glove and performed a series of hand and arm movements. Researchers will study the data to learn how a person in zero-g uses hand and arm muscles to reach and grasp items, and what impact that has on muscle fatigue. Lu also used the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox (MSG) to complete two more experiment runs of the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation, a study of the formation of bubbles in samples of metals or crystals that may weaken the sample's strength or effectiveness. Lu's work inside Destiny this week included two educational activities: his demonstration of how to use MSG will be incorporated into a NASA Educator Guide for teachers of middle school students, who will attempt to build their own gloveboxes and perform simple experiments. He also completed a demonstration illustrating the difference between the scientific concepts of weight and mass. NASA's Office of Spaceflight sponsored both demonstrations. Both Station crewmembers spent time each day looking after the proper operation of Station systems. In particular, Lu completed troubleshooting ISS's Resistive Exercise Device, which affords the crewmembers another option for exerting muscles that don't encounter even routine resistance in the weightless environment of the Station, and Malenchenko performed upgrades in the Russian Service Module Zvezda by installing a replacement 800-amp battery, replacing a failed hard drive in Zvezda's portable computer system, and installing removable handrails on the galley table. Malenchenko and Lu took time Thursday to discuss their mission with reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Crew News Conference was part of a workshop on NASA efforts to meet the recommendations set out by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to return the Space Shuttle to flight after the loss of Columbia and its crew on Feb. 1. Preparation of components for delivery to ISS continues at the Kennedy Space Center, where the Multi-Element Integrated Test between the Japanese Experiment Module-Pressurized Module-Kibo-and NASA's Node-2 has been completed. Node-2 will be attached to the forward end of the Destiny Laboratory after its delivery on assembly mission 10A, and Kibo will later be docked to the port side of Node-2.
- 2003 Sep 26 - International Space Station Status Report #03-48
Checks of robotics and spacesuits along with varied science activities highlighted the past week aboard the International Space Station for Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu. Malenchenko and Lu powered up the Station's 60-foot Canadian robotic arm, named Canadarm2, on Tuesday for some in-flight training and tests. The conducted a series of maneuvers that moved part of the arm into sunlight to characterize how a force and moment sensor on the arm might work differently in sunlight than in shade. Later in the week, they performed systems checks and maintenance work on the two Russian spacesuits aboard the Station. The activities verified that the gear remains in good condition, although there are no plans for Malenchenko and Lu to use the suits. The next Station spacewalk is tentatively scheduled for the next crew, Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, in late February or early March 2004. Science activities this week included a final Expedition 7 run of the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation in the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The experiment studied how air bubbles can weaken metals, crystals and other materials as they form in space. Lu also worked with the Fluid Dynamics Investigation to optimize operations of the Cellular Biotechnology Support System bioreactor equipment that grows three-dimensional tissue samples for biological research. Malenchenko participated in a Russian experiment to improve the equipment and routines used to stay in good physical condition during long-duration spaceflight. Biological readings were taken while Malenchenko exercised on a stationary bicycle and performed weight lifting exercises. For the third part of the experiment, Malenchenko provided blood samples for analysis. In a separate task, Malenchenko used an ultrasound device in the Destiny Lab's Human Research Facility to take echocardiograph measurements of Lu while Lu exercised on a stationary bicycle. The operations were the first time such measurements had been attempted while exercising aboard the station and helped ground medical personnel verify that the equipment could be used for diagnostic purposes if needed. Expedition 8's Foale and Kaleri, along with European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, will hold a prelaunch press conference next week at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow. The press conference will be replayed on NASA TV at 8 a.m. CDT Wednesday. The trio is scheduled to launch at 12:37 a.m. CDT Oct. 18. Duque, who is flying under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, will return to Earth Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu.
- 2003 Oct 3 - International Space Station Status Report #03-49
The week for Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu was filled with work on various science experiments and routine maintenance aboard the orbiting laboratory. Lu spent much of his time inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory setting up and performing science investigations. He installed a protein crystal growth experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox that will be operated by European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, who will arrive at the Station Oct. 20 with the oncoming Expedition 8 crew. Duque, who is flying to the Station on a Soyuz spacecraft under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, will return to Earth Oct. 28 with Malenchenko and Lu. A soldering experiment that is providing insight into how solder connections in space can be improved and an automated Earth observation camera system were also set up by Lu in the lab. This week, Lu worked with the Fluid Dynamics Investigation, which scientists believe will help alleviate problems with mixing samples for tissue growth experiments. Those samples are housed in a bioreactor, which allows three-dimensional tissue cells, like those in the human body, to grow. As part of an educational project to help inspire the next generation of explorers, Lu used well-known objects to videotape center-of-mass demonstrations. Using a screwdriver, a compact disc player, a cassette tape and a ruler, he showed how these objects behave differently without gravity. The video will be distributed to science centers across the country for use in lesson plans and future exhibits. Malenchenko conducted science experiments in the Russian segment of the Space Station. They included biomedical studies of the human body in microgravity as well as observations of thunderstorm activity, the world's ocean biology and studies of how space-based predictions of man-made disasters could be made. The maintenance activities onboard the Station included Malenchenko inspecting fire sensors in the Zarya control module and checking systems in the Pirs Docking Compartment. Both Lu and Malenchenko did monthly maintenance on the treadmill and resistive exercise equipment. Lu also configured the U.S. laptop computers so the Expedition 8 crew can begin using them when it arrives. The oncoming resident crew, Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, along with Duque, are set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:37 a.m. CDT Oct. 18.
- 2003 Oct 10 - International Space Station Status Report #03-50
Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu formally began preparations to come home this week, while continuing to work on several science experiments. Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow began inserting about an hour a day into the crew's timeline to concentrate on preparations for their return to Earth on Oct. 28. Malencheno and Lu will ride home in the Soyuz that delivered them to the Station and is docked to a port on the Zarya control module. Thursday, the duo put on their Sokol launch and reentry suits and measured how well they fit into their custom seat-liners, which help absorb shock during the reentry and brake rocket-aided landing. The fit check is required because astronauts gain additional height during long-duration stays on orbit as the absence of gravity allows their spines to stretch slightly. Similar fit checks were under way at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, for Expedition 8 Commander and Science Officer Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Along with Spaniard Pedro Duque, who is flying to the Station under a commercial contract between the European Space Agency and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. The trio is making final preparations for launch aboard another Soyuz at 12:37 a.m. CDT Oct. 18 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Friday, the two crews had an opportunity to converse by teleconference about the upcoming week of joint operations, handover activities and scientific investigations. The Expedition 7 crew also reviewed computer training lessons on the operation of the Chibis lower body negative pressure device that will be used by Malenchenko as part of his Russian protocol for return to gravity. Lu spent time inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory checking out acceleration sensor systems and monitors, and making electrical connections as part of the In Space Soldering Investigation, or ISSI. That experiment is designed provide information useful to future Station assembly and maintenance work, as well as fundamental scientific information about the role surface tension plays in soldering on Earth. He also exchanged ideas with Dr. Joshua Zimmerberg from the National Institutes of Health about a Fluid Dynamics Investigation, about how to alleviate problems with mixing samples for tissue growth experiments in the Station's bioreactor, which allows three-dimensional tissue cells, like those in the human body, to grow. Late in the week, one of the remote power controller modules that is used to route electricity and data throughout the station experienced a failure in one of its circuits. The affected circuit is for the Destiny Laboratory's video switching unit. The failure poses no serious obstacles for the crew or the upcoming Soyuz rendezvous and docking, but does disable a camera port in Destiny and eliminate some redundancy on board. Flight controllers are working on a plan to troubleshoot the failure and possibly replace the module.
- 2003 Oct 17 - International Space Station Status Report #03-51
During their last week alone aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 7 crewmembers focused on preparations to welcome their Expedition 8 successors and for their own return to Earth. Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu worked to prepare their ISS Soyuz 7 spacecraft for their voyage home, checking out its systems and related station equipment, gathering their personal possessions and beginning to pack the spacecraft. They also checked out instrumentation that will be used to dock the ISS Soyuz 8 capsule bringing Expedition 8 Commander and Science Officer Michael Foale and Cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri to the station, along with European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain. Duque is flying to the Station under a commercial contract between the European Space Agency and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. He will return home with the Expedition 7 crew after about a week of conducting science experiments. The Expedition 8 crew and Duque are scheduled to launch at 12:38 a.m. CDT Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their spacecraft will dock to the Station at about 2:17 a.m. CDT on Monday. Hatches between the two spacecraft should open about 5:14 a.m. CDT. On Oct. 27 at about 5:20 p.m. CST, Malenchenko, Lu and Duque are to undock Soyuz 7 and perform a burn to drop out of orbit at about 7:40 p.m. CST. A landing in Kazakhstan will follow at about 8:35 p.m. CST (8:35 a.m. Oct. 28 Kazakhstan time). Malenchenko and Lu continued to work with scientific experiments. On Wednesday, Lu successfully removed and replaced a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) in the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The device routes electricity and data throughout the station. One of its circuits had failed. The replacement RPCM is functioning well. Another highlight of the week was the launch of China's first human space mission. Lu took some time on Wednesday to welcome the single crewmember of the Shenzhou V spacecraft into orbit. Lu, speaking in Chinese and English, wished him a successful mission and a safe return home. On Friday, Lu spent several hours taking a water sample from the cooling system in the U.S. airlock Quest. The system provides cooling to spacesuits. Officials want to confirm the quality of the water with the samples that will be returned with the Expedition 7 crewmembers. Meanwhile, Malenchenko was prepared a workspace for Duque and his scientific experiments.
- 2003 Oct 18 - Soyuz TMA-3 Crew: Foale, Kaleri, Duque. Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA. Payload: Soyuz TMA s/n 213. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Perigee: 376 km (233 mi). Apogee: 384 km (238 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 92.20 min.
The spacecraft carried the Expedition 8 crew of Mike Foale and Aleksandr Kaleri and the EP-5 (Cervantes) mission crewmember Pedro Duque. During the flight to the station spacecraft Commander was Aleksandr Kaleri . Soyuz TMA-3 docked with the Pirs module at 07:16 GMT on October 20. Once the EO-7 crew aboard the ISS was relieved, the roles switched, with Foale becoming the ISS Commander. Duque carried out out 24 experiments in the fields of life and physical sciences, Earth observation, education and technology. The experiments were sponsored by the European Space Agency and Spain. After ten days in space, Duque returned to earth with the EO-7 crew of Malenchenko and Lu aboard Soyuz TMA-2.
- 2003 Oct 28 - Landing of Soyuz TMA-2
The spacecraft returned with US astronaut Edward Lu, Russian Yuri Malenchenko and Spaniard Pedro Duque. The three astronauts aboard Soyuz TMA-2 landed at 02:14 GMT, 35 kilometers south of Arkalyk. Transfer of the astronauts was delayed when a snowstorm in Kazakhstan's capital Astana and heavy fog forced all of the rescue party's helicopters.
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