ISS Status Report No. 48 - 2003

International Space Station Status Report #03-48
4 p.m. CDT, Friday, Sept. 26, 2003
Expedition 7 Crew

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.

Information on the crew's activities aboard the Space Station, future launch
dates, as well as Station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth,
is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

Details on Station science operations can be found on an Internet site
administered by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., at:

http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/

The next ISS status report will be issued Oct. 3 or sooner if events
warrant.



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Jacques :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info