Re: ISS : événements à venir

[nikolai39]

Après l'amarrage de Progress M-56, la Station avait une masse de 191,991 tonnes. On peut imaginer qu'elle n'a aps beaucoup diminuer depuis...

Nicolas

[vp]

Demain : desammarrage de progress M55 pour laisser la place au progress M57.

[Patrick]

Après l'amarrage de Progress M-56, la Station avait une masse de 191,991 tonnes. On peut imaginer qu'elle n'a aps beaucoup diminuer depuis...

Nicolas

C'est fort peu probable, en effet

[vp]

19 juin - Progress M-55 desammarrage de Pirs
24 juin - Progress M-57 lancement
26 juin - Progress M-57 ammarrage à Pirs
1 juillet - Discovery (STS-121) lancement [Lindsey, M. Kelly, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson, Sellers, Reiter]
3 juillet - Discovery (STS-121) ammarrage à PMA-2
5, 7 et 9 juillet - 3 Evas depuis Quest [Sellers, Fossum]
12 juillet - Discovery (STS-121) desammarrage
14 juillet - Discovery (STS-121) atterrissage [Lindsey, M. Kelly, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson, Sellers]
3 août - Eva depuis Quest [J. Williams, Reiter]
28 août - Atlantis (STS-115) lancement [Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, Stefanyshyn-Piper, MacLean]
30 août - Atlantis (STS-115) ammarrage à PMA-2
Septembre - 3 Evas depuis Quest [Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper, Burbank, MacLean]
6 Septembre - Atlantis (STS-115) desammarrage
8 Septembre - Atlantis (STS-115) atterrissage [Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, Stefanyshyn-Piper, MacLean]
13 septembre - Progress M-56 desammarrage dpuis Zvezda
14 Septembre - Soyuz TMA-9 lancement [Tyurin, Lopez-Alegria, Enomoto]
16 septembre - Soyuz TMA-9 ammarrage à Zvezda
24 septembre - Soyuz TMA-8 desammarrage depuis Zarya) & atterrissage[Vinogradov, J. Williams, Enomoto]

[vp]

STATUS REPORT: SS06-029

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-029

The International Space Station crew this week bid farewell to one
cargo craft and prepared for the arrival of another. The crew also
continued to prepare for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery,
which is set for launch July 1.

On Monday, Pavel Vinogradov and Jeff Williams watched as the ISS
Progress 20 cargo vehicle automatically backed away from the
station's Pirs docking port, making room for the next one's arrival.
The new Progress is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
at 11:08 a.m. EDT June 24 and dock to the station at about 12:30 a.m.
EDT June 26. It will bring about 2.5 tons of equipment and supplies
to the orbiting outpost.

Vinogradov took a refresher course on the Toru manual docking system
Monday. Vinogradov would use the system to guide the cargo craft in
the event its primary automated docking system did not function
properly.

Throughout the week the station crew also prepared for Discovery's
anticipated arrival. On Tuesday, Vinogradov and Williams reviewed the
timeline of activities for the shuttle mission and held a conference
with mission experts on the ground. On Friday, the crew continued to
prepare U.S. spacesuits that will be used during the shuttle visit.

They also continued to pack equipment that will be returned to Earth
on Discovery. On Wednesday, Williams installed the centerline
berthing camera system in a window of the station's Unity connecting
module. The camera view will assist with the attachment of a
pressurized logistics module named Leonardo, which will be carried
aboard Discovery to that module's port. The Leonardo module will be
attached to Unity for unloading and reloading during the mission. It
will be loaded in Discovery's cargo bay for the trip home.

Also on Wednesday, Vinogradov worked with the Russian experiment that
studies self-propagating combustion materials. The investigation
looks at mechanisms for forming high-porosity, heat-resistant,
thermal insulating materials for spacecraft.

Williams spent more than three hours Thursday on station robotic arm
activities, first training with a simulation program on a laptop
computer and then exercising the arm itself. Supported by flight
controllers on the ground, he moved the Canadarm2 in much the same
way he will during Discovery's visit. He left it parked in position
for Discovery's arrival.

While Williams worked with the robotic arm, flight controllers noted
elevated spin motor command currents and vibrations on one of the
station's four control moment gyroscopes, "CMG 3." The indications
returned to normal several hours later, and the gyroscope has
continued to perform normally.

The next station status report will be issued on Saturday, June 24
following the ISS Progress 22's launch. For more about the crew's
activities and station sighting opportunities, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Admin Steph : je mets en post-it.

[vp]

L'ammarage c'est bien déroulé :
http://fr.rian.ru/science/20060627/50506089.html

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-31
11 a.m. CDT, Saturday, June 24, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

A shipment of supplies began its journey to the International Space Station Saturday as the ISS Progress 22 cargo ship was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The new resupply ship, the 22nd Progress to visit the station, lifted off at 10:08 a.m. CDT (9:08 p.m. Baikonur time). Less than 10 minutes later, the cargo ship reached orbit, and its solar arrays and navigational antennas were deployed for the two-day trip to the orbital outpost.

Two pre-programmed firings of the Progress’ main engine are scheduled Saturday to fine-tune the ship’s path to the space station. Additional rendezvous maneuvers are planned Sunday and Monday.

When the Progress launched, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams were flying 220 miles over the Earth off the west coast of Chile. Saturday was their 106th day in space and their 104th day on the station.

Carrying 2.5 tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen, air, spare parts and other supplies, the Progress is scheduled to automatically dock to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 11:27 a.m. CDT Monday.

The ISS Progress 20 supply ship that arrived at the station just before Christmas was undocked and deorbited last Monday and burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The ISS Progress 21 craft, which arrived in April, remains docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module. That Progress will be used to stow trash and supply oxygen to replenish the station's atmosphere when required. The spacecraft won’t be discarded until mid-September.

Live coverage of the docking of ISS Progress 22 to the space station begins at 11:30 a.m. CDT Monday on NASA Television.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-32
Noon CDT, Monday, June 26, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

New supplies arrived at the International Space Station Monday as an unpiloted Russian cargo spacecraft linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment.

Filled with 2.5 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the station's Expedition 13 crew, the ISS Progress 22 automatically docked to the Pirs airlock at 11:25 a.m. CDT as the spacecraft and the station sailed 220 miles above northern Africa. The 22nd Progress to visit the station was launched Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams will open the hatch to the supply ship once leak checks are completed later Monday. The crew will begin unloading items Tuesday.

The supplies include food, fuel, oxygen and air, clothing, experiment hardware and spare parts, as well as personal items from the crew's families. The new Progress joins an older Progress supply ship that arrived at the station’s Zvezda Service Module in April. Progress 21 will remain docked until mid-September. It will be used to stow trash, and its supply of oxygen will help replenish the station’s atmosphere when required.

ISS Progress 22 holds 1,918 pounds of propellant for the Russian thrusters, 108 pounds of oxygen and air as a backup supply for the oxygen generated by the Russian Elektron system and 264 pounds of water to augment onboard supplies. The new cargo also includes 2,800 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware and life support components.

The experiment hardware includes items that will be used by European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter once he arrives via the Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-121 mission. This flight will return the station to three crew members for the first time since 2003.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-33
4 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 30, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

The Expedition 13 crew welcomed a Russian resupply ship this week and prepared for the arrival of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Discovery’s launch is scheduled for 3:49 p.m. EDT Saturday. Discovery's STS-121 mission will return the station to three crew members for the first time since 2003, when European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter joins crew members Jeff Williams, flight engineer and Pavel Vinogradov, commander. To get ready for upcoming STS-121 spacewalks, the crew flushed cooling loops in the Quest airlock and U.S. spacesuits, configured airlock systems and tools, and reviewed robotic arm procedures. They checked out a ship-to-ship communications system that will be used for conversations with Discovery's crew during rendezvous and disconnected the station’s Common Cabin Air Assembly heat exchanger. That device will be returned to Earth aboard Discovery along with other equipment in the Italian-built Leonardo Multipurpose Logistics Module. Discovery will bring about 5,000 pounds of supplies to the station carried aboard the logistics module.

The crew also completed a mid-mission session of the renal stone experiment by collecting urine samples and logging all of the food and drinks consumed over a three-day period. Each crewmember is taking either potassium citrate, a drug found to be useful in preventing kidney stone formation on Earth, or a placebo. Crews in space are at risk for kidney stones linked to their loss of bone density.

ISS Progress 22, the unpiloted Russian cargo spacecraft, brought 2.5 tons of fresh produce, other foodstuffs, food, fuel and supplies to the station June 26. After the cargo ship was fully connected with station systems, flight controllers in Moscow completed a routine thruster test and Vinogradov removed its Kurs automated rendezvous hardware.

Throughout the STS-121 mission, station activities will be included in the shuttle status reports that will be issued twice a day. Station status reports will resume after the completion of Discovery’s mission.

[Fabien]

Récapitulatif de www.floridatoday.com des vols navettes restants concernant la construction de l'ISS :
Aug. 28: Atlantis. STS-115. Second portside truss segment; second set of U.S. solar arrays and batteries.

Dec. 14: Discovery. STS-116. Third portside truss segment. Single SPACEHAB cargo module. Integrated Cargo Carrier.

Feb. 22, 2007: Atlantis. STS-117. Second starboard truss segment with Photovoltaic Radiator. Third set of U.S. solar arrays and batteries.

June 11, 2007: Endeavour. STS-118. Third starboard truss segment. Single SPACEHAB cargo module. External Stowage Platform 3.

Aug. 9, 2007: Atlantis. STS-120. Node 2. Sidewall Power and Data Grapple Fixture. (Note: Node 2 is a connecting module with several hatches that ultimately will lead to European and Japanese science laboratories.

Sept. 27, 2007: Discovery. STS-122. The European Space Agency's Columbus science laboratory and the Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure.

Nov. 29, 2007: Endeavour. STS-123. The first of three parts that eventually make up the Japanese Kibo science facility at the station.

Feb. 7, 2008: Atlantis. STS-124. The Japanese Kibo Experiment Module and the Kibo Remote Manipulator System.

June 19, 2009: Endeavour. STS-119. Fourth starboard station truss segment; fourth set of U.S. solar arrays and batteries.

Aug. 21, 2008: Atlantis. STS-126. Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. (Note: Last flight of shuttle Atlantis.)

Oct.30, 2008: Discovery. STS-127. Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility; the Kibo Exposed Section and a Spacelab pallet.

Jan. 22, 2009: Endeavour. STS-129. Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Donatello; lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. (Note: Three crew quarters will be added on this flight; crew size will be expanded to six.

April 30, 2009: Discovery. STS-129. Two EXPRESS Logitics carriers loaded with station equipment and spare parts. (Note: Last scheduled flight on Discovery.

July 16, 2009: Endeavour. STS-130. (If needed). Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello; lightweight multi-purpose experiment support eqipments.

Oct. 22, 2009: Discovery. STS-131. Express Logistics Carriers 3 and 4.

Jan. 21, 2010: Endeavour. STS-132. Node 3 with the Cupola.

July 15, 2010: Endeavour. STS-133. (If needed). Two EXPRESS Logistics carriers.

[vp]

Merci pour ce planning très précis.

Mais je serais surpris qu'il n'y ai pas de dérive. :twisted: et ce malgré la volonté de Griffin.

[vp]

26 juillet - réhausse d'ISS par progress M-56
3 août - EVA depuis quest [J. Williams, Reiter]
25 août - réhausse d'ISS par progress M-56
28 août - décollage d'atlantis (STS-115) [Jett, Ferguson, Tanner, Burbank, Stefanyshyn-Piper, MacLean]
30 août - amarrage d'atlantis à PMA-2
31 août - EVA depuis quest [Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper]
1 septembre - EVA depuis quest [Burbank, MacLean]
3 septembre - EVA depuis quest [Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper]
6 septembre - desamarrage d'atlantis
8 septembre - atterrissage d'atlantis
13 septembre - desamarrage de progress M-56 depuis zvezda
14 septembre - décollage de soyuz TMA-9 [Tyurin, Lopez-Alegria, Enomoto]
16 septembre - amarrage de soyuz TMA-9 à zvezda
24 septembre - desamarrage de soyuz TMA-8 depuis zarya et atterrissage [Vinogradov, J. Williams, Enomoto]
8 octobre - transfert de soyuz TMA-9 de zvezda vers zarya
18 octobre - lancement de progress M-58
20 octobre - amarrage de progress M-58 à zvezda
31 october - EVA (une partie de golf !) depuis pirs (?) [Tyurin, Lopez-Alegria]
14 décembre - décollage de discovery (STS-116) [Polansky, Oefelein, Patrick, Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, S.Williams]
16 décembre - amarrage de discovery à PMA-2
17 décembre - EVA depuis quest [Curbeam, Fuglesang]
19 décembre - desamarrage de progress M-57 depuis pirs
19 décembre - EVA depuis quest [Curbeam, Fuglesang]
20 décembre - lancement de progress M-59
21 décembre - EVA depuis quest [Curbeam, S.Williams]
22 décembre - amarrage de progress M-59 à pirs
24 décembre - desamarrage de discovery
26 décembre - atterrissage de discovery [Polansky, Oefelein, Patrick, Curbeam, Fuglesang, Higginbotham, Reiter]
22 janvier - EVA depuis quest [Lopez-Alegria, S.Williams]
26 janvier - EVA depuis quest [Lopez-Alegria, S.Williams]
31 janvier - EVA depuis quest [Lopez-Alegria, S.Williams]
6 février - desamarrge de progress M-59 depuis pirs
7 février - lancement de progress M-60
9 février - amarrage de progress M-60 depuis pirs
22 février - décollage d'atlantis (STS-117) launch [Sturckow, Archambault, Forrester, Swanson, Olivas, Reilly]
24 février - amarrage d'atlantis à PMA-2
25 février - EVA depuis quest [Reilly, Olivas]
26 février - EVA depuis quest [Forrester, Swanson]
28 février - EVA depuis quest [Reilly, Olivas]
3 mars - desamarrage d'atlantis
5 mars - atterrissage d'atlantis
8 mars - desamarrage de progress M-58 depuis zvezda
9 mars - décollage de soyuz TMA-10 [Kotov, Yurchikhin, Simonyi ou Ansari]
11 mars - amarrage de soyuz TMA-10 à zvezda
19 mars - desamarrage de soyuz TMA-9 depuis zarya et atterrissage [Tyurin, Lopez-Alegria, Simonyi ou Ansari]

A noter qu'il y a plusieurs "chevauchements" entre les activités américaines et russes. Ces derniers doivent avoir peu confiance dans la ponctualité des premiers.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-34
3 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 21, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

For the first time since early 2003, the International Space Station is home to three crew members. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter joined Expedition 13 following Space Shuttle Discovery's mission earlier this month.

Reiter, who serves as the expedition flight engineer, Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams got down to business. Their tasks this week included activating a new high-tech freezer; installing additional sound suppression devices; performing a functional check of a new oxygen generation system, which will become active next year; and preparing for the next spacewalk, set for just before 10 a.m. EDT on Aug. 3.

Discovery left behind about three tons of supplies, hardware and experiments as well as 175 gallons (660 liters) of water and 74 pounds (33 kilograms) of nitrogen, leaving the station in excellent condition to support the crew of three.

One of the most anticipated experiment racks, the Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS, was activated. The freezer will allow biological and human research experiment samples to be stored until they are returned to Earth for evaluation.

The recent Discovery mission brought the new oxygen generation system and the freezer to the station. Status checks were performed this week on the newly installed oxygen system to prevent its internal valves from sticking over long periods of dormancy. Once it is activated, the device will augment the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system in preparation for the further expansion of the station crew to six people.

The crew also began preparations for the next spacewalk. The spacewalk by Williams and Reiter will be conducted in U.S. spacesuits. The astronauts will deploy external experiments and prepare station truss components for future assembly work. Additional solar panels and electrical equipment will be delivered by the next two space shuttle missions, scheduled for late August and December. Spacewalk preparations included flushing cooling loops in the Quest airlock and the spacesuits and configuring airlock systems and tools. The astronauts also reviewed station robotic arm procedures.

[Aragatz]

Il y a un dénommé Archambault dans STS-117. Il serait d'ancienne origine française nationalisé américain, ça ferait un peu comme pour Charlie Précourt ?

[vp]

Archambault : biographie NASA

[vp]

Réussite de la réhausse d'ISS, aujourd'hui, par le progress M56 : environ 1,3 km.
novosti

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-35
3 p.m. CDT, Friday, July 28, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

The International Space Station's Expedition 13 crew members are a week away from their first U.S. spacewalk. They spent much of this week preparing themselves and their gear, and they activated a new laboratory super deep-freezer.

Astronauts Jeff Williams and Thomas Reiter will leave the station's Quest airlock hatch at 9:55 a.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 3, for a spacewalk that is scheduled for six hours and 20 minutes. Station Commander Pavel Vinogradov will serve as the spacewalk choreographer from inside the complex. NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 9 a.m. EDT.

Williams and Reiter are both experienced spacewalkers. They will install a device to measure the electrical field around the station's exterior; replace a rotary joint motor controller and a computer for the radiator on the station's truss; deploy two experiments that expose samples of various materials to space for extended periods; and install various other hardware on the station. To get ready, the crew prepared spacesuits and tools, conducted a dry run of egress and ingress procedures, and moved the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm into position. The arm's cameras will provide television views of the spacewalk.

This week the crew also began operations of the new Minus Eighty-degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS. The equipment can reach temperatures as low as minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Provided by the European Space Agency, the freezer was delivered on shuttle mission STS-121 earlier this month and is installed in the Destiny laboratory. It has 300 liters of freezing and storage capacity in four compartments for experiment samples to preserve them for return to Earth.

On Tuesday, Russian flight controllers fired thrusters on the Progress supply ship docked to the aft end of the station to boost the station's altitude. They raised the complex to an orbit of 219 by 203 statute miles. The adjustment optimizes conditions for a docking by the Space Shuttle Atlantis, targeted for a launch window that begins Aug. 27, and by the station's next crew, Expedition 14, set for launch in mid-September on a Russian Soyuz rocket. The next station status report will be issued on Thursday, Aug. 3, following the spacewalk or earlier if events warrant.

[nikolai39]

NK vient de publier des prévisions côtés russe :

Equipage n°15

Fiodor YOURTCHIKHINE - cdt de la station et ingénieur de bord du Soyouz
Oleg KOTOV - ingénieur de bord de la station et cdt du Soyouz
Sunita WILLIAMS, puis Clayton ANDERSON - ingénieur de bord de la station (eux, ils font le voyage en navette)

Doublures :
Roman ROMANENKO - cdt de la station et du Soyouz
Mikhaïl KORNIENKO - ingénieur de bord de la station et du Soyouz
Gregory CHAMITOFF - ingénieur de bord de la station (doblure de C. ANDERSON)

Décollage de l'Expedition n°15 prévu le 9 mars 2007 à bord de Soyouz TMA-10. Le troisième siège du vaisseau sera probablement occupé par Charles SIMONIY, le cinquième touriste spatial.

Equipages n°16 et n°17

Cosmonautes proposés par la Russie pour former ces deux équipages :
LONTCHAKOV, KALIERI, VOLKOV, SOURAÏEV, KONONIENKO

Cosmonautes proposés par les USA :
BARRATT, MAGNUS, COPRA, BENKEN, SCOTT, REISMAN

[nikolai39]

ça ferait un peu comme pour Charlie Précourt ?

PRECOURT est d'origine canadienne, non ?

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-36
5 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

Space station crewmen Jeff Williams and Thomas Reiter worked quickly through scheduled spacewalk tasks Thursday, then completed three get-ahead jobs, or extra tasks, and were ready for more. Mission Control assigned two more jobs, which the astronauts also completed.

Williams and Reiter wrapped up their productive 5-hour, 54-minute excursion and began repressurizing the Quest airlock at 3:58 p.m. EDT.

The astronauts left the airlock in U.S. spacesuits at 9:04 a.m. EDT. Station Commander Pavel Vinogradov helped them with spacewalk preparations and getting into their suits. It was the first time in more than three years a third crewmember had been available for those tasks on the orbiting laboratory.

Williams, designated lead spacewalker, or EV1, wore the U.S. spacesuit with red stripes. Reiter, EV2, wore the all-white suit.

Astronaut Steve Bowen acted as spacewalk intravehicular officer and coached the astronauts from the International Space Station Flight Control Room in Houston's Mission Control Center. Williams and Reiter quickly got ahead of their timeline. First, they installed the Floating Potential Measurement Unit. The device measures the electrical potential of the station so procedures can be devised to minimize arcing hazards, or the jumping of current from a conductor to a ground, as the station grows.

Their second job was to install two MISSE containers, or Materials on International Space Station Experiment. The suitcase-like containers are left open to evaluate the long-term effects of space exposure on a variety of materials. The idea is to identify optimal materials for use in future spacecraft. MISSE 3 went on one of the high-pressure tanks around the crew lock, while MISSE 4 was installed on Quest's outboard end.

The two astronauts then went on to separate jobs. Williams installed a controller for a thermal radiator rotary joint on the S1 truss, while Reiter replaced a computer on the truss.

Williams then began installing a starboard jumper and spool positioning device (SPD) on the S1 truss. Reiter inspected a radiator beam valve module SPD site where one device was already installed and installed an additional one. He then moved on to install a SPD on a port cooling line jumper. The jumpers are designed to improve the flow of ammonia through the radiators once that coolant is installed.

Williams began setup for the final major scheduled task, a test of an infrared camera designed to detect damage in a shuttle's reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) thermal protection. The camera highlights damage by showing variations in temperature between clean and damaged RCC test sections. Reiter operated the experiment while Williams went on to one of the additional tasks.

The first task was installation of a light to help future spacewalkers on the truss railway handcart. Williams then removed a malfunctioning GPS antenna. After Reiter finished the infrared camera experiment, he installed a vacuum system valve on the U.S. laboratory Destiny for future scientific experiments.

Mission control came up with additional tasks. Williams moved two articulating portable foot restraints to prepare for STS-115 spacewalks and then photographed a scratch on the airlock hatch. Reiter went to PMA1, a pressurized "corridor", to retrieve and inspect a ball stack, which holds hardware during spacewalks. The crew also had additional time throughout the spacewalk to photograph the worksites after their tasks were complete and then snap pictures of each other at the end. With no more quick tasks to add, the spacewalkers re-entered the airlock and closed the hatch early.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-37
3:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 11, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

This week on the International Space Station crew members refurbished their exercise treadmill, prepared areas inside and out for an imminent expansion of their home and took a couple of special calls to discuss soccer and food in space.

Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams and European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter are gearing up for the second space shuttle visit to the station during Expedition 13. The shuttle Atlantis, targeted to launch in a window that opens Aug. 27, will resume major orbital construction of the complex. During its mission, designated STS-115, Atlantis will deliver and install a 17.5-ton, bus-sized segment of the station's girder-like truss that includes another set of solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics.

The station crew started out the week with two days of standard maintenance work on the treadmill vibration isolation system, a special exercise treadmill located on the floor of the Zvezda living quarters module. Crews perform the maintenance task every six months to inspect the treadmill's components, replace worn items and install new bearings. The treadmill is a complex system that uses gyroscopes to stabilize itself and isolates the vibrations created by exercise from being transmitted to the station's structure, where they could disturb sensitive experiments. Extensive exercise is a daily regimen for all station crew members as one method of counteracting the effects of long exposure to weightlessness.

The crew had time set aside each day this week to pack up and prepare items that will be moved from the station to the shuttle during Atlantis' flight. In addition, ground controllers worked with the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to prepare for the upcoming shuttle flight. On Thursday, they moved the arm to position cameras to view markings on the station used for a graphical computer alignment aid when new components are attached. That aid, called the space vision system, will be used during Atlantis' flight to help with the attachment of the new truss section.

On Friday, controllers moved the arm to perform an early checkout of its systems, ensuring it is ready for the shuttle mission.

The station crew greeted special guest calls this week. On Tuesday, the coach and players from the FC Barcelona soccer team talked with the crew as they visited NASA's Johnson Space Center prior to an exhibition game in Houston. Reiter, a soccer fan, showed the team a space soccer move during the call. On Thursday, the crew members spoke with Chef Emeril Lagasse about space food and their mission. Lagasse sent NASA several recipes that were prepared and delivered to the station aboard the last shuttle flight. The Expedition 13 crew tried the dishes this week.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-38
3 p.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 18, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

The astronauts aboard the International Space Station spent much of their week preparing for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, set for launch Aug. 27 on the STS-115 mission.

Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany prepared for Atlantis to deliver a new section of the station's girder-like truss. During Atlantis' mission, astronauts will attach the new P3/P4 truss, a segment that includes a huge new set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint that allows the arrays to track the sun. The mission will mark the resumption of station assembly by delivering the first large new component to the station since late 2002.

During the shuttle flight, Atlantis' crew members will conduct three spacewalks to complete the installation and setup of the new segment. The spacewalks will begin from the station's Quest Airlock. Complex robotics work is involved as the 17.5-ton, bus-sized truss section is handed from the shuttle arm to the station arm for installation.

In preparation for Atlantis, the station crew trained on the robotic Canadarm2 and packed items for return to Earth on the shuttle. They also reviewed Atlantis' mission timeline and trained to photograph the shuttle's heat shield as the orbiter does a backflip while approaching the station. The crew also did several physiological and psychological tests and experiments designed to learn more about how humans react to long periods of weightlessness.

Early this week Williams worked with flight controllers and the Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) program on robotic arm activities. DOUG simulates the arm's operation for training.

Williams moved the arm from a base on the U.S. Destiny Lab to a power and data grapple fixture on the mobile transporter, enabling the arm to work at different sites along the main truss' railway. Subsequently, in an inchworm-like maneuver, the arm was moved to a different grapple fixture on the transporter and used to inspect the outboard end of the P1 truss, where the new segment will be attached. The crew also reviewed installation procedures for the new segment and Williams did spacesuit maintenance.

Throughout the week Vinogradov and Reiter worked on the Russian-German Plasma Crystal experiment. The experiment examines the behavior of tiny particles excited by high-frequency radio signals in a vacuum chamber and functions by itself most of the time. It requires a crew member to work with it, however, at some intervals during the day.

The Earthkam experiment was activated this week. Earthkam allows students to request photos from space of specific locations on Earth via email and later receive those photos electronically. The remote-controlled camera has been used since October 2001.

[vp]

Hier, l'ISS a été réhaussée en vue de l'arrivée de STS115
http://fr.rian.ru/science/20060823/53056629.html

[Alpha]

Au 19ème et 20ème siècle il y eu plusieurs périodes d'exode de québécois (presque que tous de descendance française) vers les USA. Précourt n'est pas un nom commun au québec, mais Archambault est par contre très présent chez nous. Je ne parle pas ici de la déportation des acadiens qui furent déporté en Louisiane au 18ème siècle.

Il y de nombreux noms a consonnance française aux USA.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-39
3 p.m. CDT, Friday, Aug. 25, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

With the countdown clock ticking toward the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-115 mission, the International Space Station crew continues to prepare for visitors.

Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany are ready for Atlantis to deliver a new section of the station's girder-like truss. Atlantis is set for a launch on Sunday, which would result in a docking with the station on Tuesday. During Atlantis' mission, astronauts will attach the new P3/P4 truss, a segment that includes a huge new set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow the arrays to track the sun.

To prepare for Atlantis' visit, the station crew members packed items that will be returned to Earth on the shuttle. They also reviewed spacewalk plans, talked with the shuttle crew in a long-distance conference, and trained to photograph the shuttle's heat shield as Atlantis does a backflip while approaching the station.

Flight controllers tested the operation of a U.S. air scrubbing system in advance of Atlantis' arrival. The Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly, or CDRA, was turned on for an extended period of time to test its capability to remove carbon dioxide from the air. The CDRA augments the Russian air scrubber, Vozdukh, which was turned off during the test. Engineers are continuing to evaluate data from the CDRA operations.

The station was raised 2.5 miles by firing the ISS Progress 21 engines Wednesday. The boost places the complex at the optimum position for Atlantis' rendezvous and docking. It also puts the station at the optimum altitude for the launch of the next station resident crew, Expedition 14, from Kazakhstan in September.

Williams replaced filters in part of the station's cooling system. The used filters will be returned to Earth for engineering analysis to confirm their success at removing fine particles from water in the coolant lines.

Williams completed runs of the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test, or DAFT experiment. DAFT is testing the effectiveness of a commercial hand-held air quality monitor called P-Trak that counts ultra-fine dust particles in microgravity. The study provides data that may help in the design of fire detection systems on future spacecraft. Its data also may prove useful for fire detection hardware in extreme environments on Earth, such as submarines or underwater laboratories.

The station crew continued with the set-up and check-out of the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) that was delivered on STS-121. This experiment system contains a centrifuge that can subject a wide range of small plant and animal experiments to partial gravity conditions. The first experiment that will be performed in EMCS is the Analysis of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in Root Phototropism, called Tropi, that seeks to identify the genes responsible for successful plant growth in microgravity. The experiment studies mustard seeds.

Vinogradov and Reiter participated in European Space Agency science experiments that test the cardiovascular system's response to microgravity for long durations.

[vp]

International Space Station Status Report #06-40
12 p.m. CDT, Friday, Sept. 1, 2006
Expedition 13 Crew

With the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis delayed, activities for the International Space Station crew were replanned.

The crew initially expected to greet Atlantis' crew this week. But the shuttle is now set to launch Sept. 6 on mission STS-115 to bring a new truss section to the station, complete with a second set of 240-foot solar wings. The mission was originally planned to launch Aug. 27. It was postponed first to check possible lightning damage and then due to Tropical Storm Ernesto. The delay gave Commander Pavel Vinogradov, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany more time to prepare for Atlantis' mission. They packed items that will be returned to Earth and reviewed plans for the shuttle flight's three spacewalks. They also conducted normal station maintenance, daily exercise sessions and a number of scientific experiments.

Williams spent parts of three days this week working with a cosmic radiation study called the Anomalous Long-Term Effects in Astronauts' Central Nervous Systems. The experiment tracks cosmic radiation while monitoring brain activity and recording the subject's visual perceptions. Williams spent one orbit, about 90 minutes, floating prone with sensor blocks over and beside his head. The experiment's results may help develop ways to protect future space fliers from the effects of cosmic radiation.

Later in the week, Williams worked with the Capillary Flow Effects experiment, studying the dynamics of capillary flow in microgravity. Insight gained from the experiment may help in the developments of fluid transport systems for future spacecraft. Other work included testing a seal the astronauts replaced on an experiment facility called the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The glovebox, in the U.S. laboratory Destiny, provides a contained environment for experiments involving fluid, flame or fumes.