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NASA to Highlight Next Space Station Component
by Arthur Rowe 01 Feb '07

01 Feb '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Feb. 1, 2007 > > John Yembrick > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0602 > > Tracy Young > Kennedy Space Center, Fla. > 321-867-2468 > > > NASA TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT SPACE STATION COMPONENT > > CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Tuesday, Feb 6, at 10:30 a.m. EST, NASA's > Kennedy Space Center in Florida will showcase the next element to be > added to the International Space Station. The starboard 3/4 truss > segment will launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117, > targeted for March 15. > > The element will be added to the 11-segment integrated truss > structure, the station's backbone. The integrated truss structure > eventually will span more than 300 feet. The S3/S4 truss has two > large solar arrays and will provide one-fourth of the total power > generation for the completed station. The S3/S4 truss is expected to > be loaded into a transportation canister on Wednesday, Feb. 7, in > preparation for its targeted journey to the launch pad on Feb. 12. > > NASA and Boeing mission managers involved in processing the element > for flight will be available for a question-and-answer session during > Tuesday's event. > > > For information on the STS-117 mission, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle > > For information on the space station, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > >

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ISS crew completes sucessful spacewalk
by Arthur Rowe 31 Jan '07

31 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Station Crew Completes Successful Spacewalk* Image above: Flight Engineer Sunita Williams (left) and Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria work with the Early Ammonia Servicer on the P6 Truss. Image credit: NASA TV TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The first of three spacewalks in nine days by Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams wrapped up Wednesday at 6:09 p.m. EST. During the 7-hour 55-minute excursion, the spacewalkers reconfigured one of two cooling loops for the Destiny module, rearranged electrical connections and secured the starboard radiator of the P6 truss after retraction. + Read more about Wednesday's spacewalk <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…> Two other spacewalks from Quest will follow. Lopez-Alegria and Williams are scheduled to make the second spacewalk on Feb. 4 and the third for Feb. 8. + Read more about the upcoming spacewalks <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…> On Monday, Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, assisted by Flight Engineer Suni Williams, swore in 16 sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a special live link-up from the space station. Lopez-Alegria and Williams, both U.S. Naval Academy graduates, conducted the long-distance re-enlistment ceremony as the station orbited 220 miles above the Earth. + Read more about this event <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_Na…> + Expedition 14 Mission Status Briefing Materials, Jan. 26, 2007 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ms…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + View crew's daily timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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ISS CREW TO CONDUCT BACK TO BACK SPACEWALKS
by Arthur Rowe 31 Jan '07

31 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Station Crew to Conduct Three Back-to-Back Spacewalks 01.31.07 The first of three spacewalks in nine days by International Space Station Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams began at 10:14 a.m. EST on Jan. 31. The three spacewalks, from the Quest airlock in U.S. spacesuits, and a Russian spacewalk scheduled for Feb. 22 will be the most ever done by station crew members during an increment, said Mike Suffredini, station program manager. ISS014-E-12565 : Mikhail Tyurin with spacesuit Image to right: Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin works with an Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA *EVA 6* + Read more about EVA 6 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…> *EVA 7* The first parts of the Feb. 4 spacewalk are similar to the previous one. Lopez-Alegria and Williams begin the tasks of the second spacewalk by reconfiguring the second of the two cooling loops serving Destiny from the temporary to the permanent system. At the rats’ nest, Lopez-Alegria will reconfigure the fluid loop connections, moving the second pair of the fluid lines of the early system from the lab and connecting them back up to the Z1 panel. That will help enable reactivation of the early cooling system if it should be required. Williams will reconfigure electrical connections. The job, like the similar activity on the first spacewalk, is expected to take about 1 hour, 45 minutes. Next they will watch as the ground retracts the aft radiator of the P6. After retraction they will install another set of six cable cinches and two winch bars to secure the radiator and then install the shroud. Again, those tasks should take about 2 hours, 20 minutes. Lopez-Alegria will then move to the end of PMA-1 to remove a sunshade from the Node Multiplexer-Demultiplexer (MDM), a data relay system. The area was in the sun during the time the station flew in a previous orientation. Now, with the station's orientation putting the lab in the direction of travel and its 18-inch window always facing the Earth, the sunshade is being removed to keep the MDM from getting too cold. Lopez-Alegria will remove a single bolt to free the sunshade, then move with it a short distance on the PMA-1 and jettison it aft and a little to starboard. Meanwhile, Williams will bring tools and cables to the forward end of the lab, where Lopez-Alegria will join her. Together they will finish routing and installation of the SSPTS cables. Get-ahead tasks include photographing a connector on the end of PMA-2. Shuttle-station audio communication difficulties have been reported during recent shuttle missions. Engineers believe the connector might be affected by debris or corrosion. *EVA 8* On Feb. 8 Lopez-Alegria and Williams will move from the airlock out to Crew Equipment Transfer Aid carts on the rails of the main truss. Pushing the cart with their equipment, including a foot restraint, they move to the P3 Truss. Their first job is to remove two thermal shrouds from a Rotary Joint Motor Controller (RJMC) on P3. Next they will remove the two large shrouds from P3 Bays 18 and 20. The shrouds, larger than king-size bed sheets, provide thermal shading. With the station in its present orientation, they are no longer needed. They are being removed to avoid trapping heat. Spacewalkers will work together to fold each into a package a bit smaller than an outdoor garbage can and jettison them, aft and slightly downward. The 2-hour, 40-minute shroud task will be followed by deployment of two Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Assembly Attachment Systems (UCCAS), one on the upper face of the P3 truss and the other on the lower face. The hour-long job is in preparation for attachment of a cargo carrier during a subsequent shuttle mission. While Lopez-Alegria works on the second UCCAS, Williams will move out to the end of the P5 truss to remove two launch locks to prepare for the relocation of the P6 Truss. Get-ahead tasks include removing a final camera stanchion from External Stowage Platform 3 and moving an auxiliary bag containing contingency items – among them tie-down tethers, cabling and connector caps. The bag will be placed near the airlock before the P6 is moved to the end of the port truss. *Russian Spacewalk* On Feb. 22, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin are scheduled to do a spacewalk in Russian Orlan suits from the Pirs airlock. They will work on an antenna of the Progress 23 unpiloted cargo carrier, docked at the aft port of the Zvezda service module. The antenna did not properly retract when that spacecraft docked in October. The spacewalkers will try to secure or remove the antenna to avoid its interfering with the undocking of P23 in April.

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ISS CREW CONDUCTING SPACEWALK
by Arthur Rowe 31 Jan '07

31 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Station Crew Conducting Spacewalk* Image above: Flight Engineer Sunita Williams, as seen through Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria's helmet camera, assists with a task during the spacewalk. Image credit: NASA TV TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The first of three spacewalks in nine days by Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams began today at 10:14 a.m. EST. Tasks scheduled for today's six-hour, 30-minute excursion include reconfiguring one of two cooling loops for the Destiny module, rearranging electrical connections and securing and covering the starboard radiator of the P6 truss after retraction. + Read more about the spacewalk <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…> + Watch spacewalk live on NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html> Lopez-Alegria and Williams completed preparations for the spacewalk on Tuesday, checking out the tools they will use during the spacewalk and conducting a final review of procedures with specialists in Mission Control, Houston. The pair "camped out" in the Quest airlock overnight to minimize preparation time this morning. The reduced air pressure in the airlock protects against decompression sickness as spacewalkers go to the even lower pressure in the spacesuits for the spacewalk. On Monday, Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, assisted by Flight Engineer Suni Williams, swore in 16 sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a special live link-up from the space station. Lopez-Alegria and Williams, both U.S. Naval Academy graduates, conducted the long-distance re-enlistment ceremony as the station orbited 220 miles above the Earth. + Read more about this event <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_Na…> + Expedition 14 Mission Status Briefing Materials, Jan. 26, 2007 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ms…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + View crew's daily timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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Space Station To Grow Faster, Mark Firsts Throughout Year
by Arthur Rowe 31 Jan '07

31 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Jan. 31, 2007 > > Katherine Trinidad > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-3749 > > James Hartsfield > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > > RELEASE: 07-19 > > SPACE STATION TO GROW FASTER, MARK FIRSTS THROUGHOUT YEAR > > HOUSTON - Already spanning an acre in orbit, the International Space > Station this year will grow faster in size, power, volume and mass > than ever before, significantly expanding its capabilities and > setting new records for humans in orbit. > > "This will be a challenging but rewarding year for the station > program," said Kirk Shireman, deputy program manager for the > International Space Station. "The station's operations will grow both > in orbit and on Earth. As we launch new international components this > year, we also will begin new flight control operations from > facilities around the world." > > In addition to control centers in the United States, Russia and > Canada, control centers for the station also will be activated in > France, Germany and Japan, allowing NASA's partners to oversee their > contributions to the station. > > In 2007, NASA and Russia plan to conduct as many as 24 spacewalks, > more than has ever been done in a single year. The first spacewalk > began at 9:14 a.m. CST Wednesday, Jan. 31 on NASA TV and features > Mike Lopez-Alegria, the commander of the current space station > mission, known as Expedition 14. > > By the end of Expedition 14 in April, Lopez-Alegria should lead all > astronauts in the number of spacewalks and the amount of time spent > spacewalking. After returning to Earth in July, Expedition 14 and > Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Sunita Williams will hold the NASA > astronaut record for longest time in space. Lopez-Alegria will have > set that record just months earlier. Williams also will have > completed the most spacewalks by a woman by the end of February. > > Also this year, the electricity generated and used on the station will > more than double. By the end of 2007, the station's solar panels will > extend to almost three-quarters of an acre of surface area. The extra > power and cooling will allow the station's living and working space > to expand by more than one-third. The complex will grow from its > current size of a two-bedroom apartment to the size of a four-bedroom > house by year's end. > > The laboratories aboard will triple, with the addition of the European > Space Agency's Columbus lab and the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo. > A shuttle mission targeted for October will deliver Columbus, while > another mission targeted for December will carry Kibo. The additions > will mark the first time the station's interior space has grown in > more than six years. > > The station's supply lines also will grow. A new European cargo > vehicle, called the Automated Transfer Vehicle, is set to make its > first trip to the station in July. Currently, only the space shuttle > and Russian Progress cargo craft deliver supplies to the orbiting > laboratory. > > This also will be a year of unparalleled robotic operations. For the > first time, the station's robotic arm will be used to assemble large, > pressurized components without a shuttle present. In the fall, the > Canadarm2 will be used to move mating adapters and a large connecting > module, called Node 2, into place on the station. Node 2 will provide > pathways for crew members, air, electricity and water to the new > international laboratories. > > As the station breaks new ground in its use of robotics, its robotics > system also will grow. On the same mission that delivers the first > section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo lab, the > Canadian Space Agency's Dextre robotic system will be delivered. > Dextre, an almost human-shaped two-armed robotic system designed to > work with Canadarm2, will add to the highly sophisticated robotics > aboard the space station. Dextre will enable the robotics to perform > even more intricate maintenance and servicing tasks, which previously > would have required spacewalks. > > For information about the International Space Station, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/station > > > -end- > > > > >

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Station Crew Preps for Wednesday's Spacewalk
by Arthur Rowe 31 Jan '07

31 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Station Crew Preps for Wednesday's Spacewalk ISS014-E-12586 : Michael Lopez-Alegria with pistol grip tool Image above: Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria holds a pistol grip tool as he floats in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TO VIEW PICTURE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html The first of three spacewalks in nine days by Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST. Tasks scheduled for the first six-hour, 30-minute excursion include reconfiguring one of two cooling loops for the Destiny module, rearranging electrical connections and securing and covering the starboard radiator of the P6 truss after retraction. Lopez-Alegria and Williams completed preparations for the spacewalk on Tuesday, checking out the tools they will use during the spacewalk and conducting a final review of procedures with specialists in Mission Control, Houston. The pair are "camping out" in the Quest airlock overnight to minimize preparation time Wednesday. The reduced air pressure in the airlock protects against decompression sickness as spacewalkers go to the even lower pressure in the spacesuits for the spacewalk. + Read more about the spacewalks <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ev…> On Monday, Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, assisted by Flight Engineer Suni Williams, swore in 16 sailors aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a special live link-up from the space station. Lopez-Alegria and Williams, both U.S. Naval Academy graduates, conducted the long-distance re-enlistment ceremony as the station orbited 220 miles above the Earth. + Read more about this event <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_Na…> + Expedition 14 Mission Status Briefing Materials, Jan. 26, 2007 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_ms…> + Read more about Expedition 14 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.ht…> + Read more about Expedition 15 <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.ht…> + View crew's daily timelines <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html>

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-01-30 17:15 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 30 Jan '07

30 Jan '07

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2007-01-30 17:15 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Total number of ARISS school contacts is 267. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, RS0ISS ***************************************************************************** The schedule page has been updated as of 2007-01-30 17:15 UTC. Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.txt The successful school list has been updated as of 2007-01-26 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/ne ws/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction.rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf ***************************************************************************** There has been a rumor that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. ***************************************************************************** Expedition 14 on orbit: Michael Lopez-Alegria KE5GTK Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT Expedition 14/15 on orbit: Sunita Williams, KD5PLB ***************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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NASA Assigns Crew for Japanese Lab and Canadian Robotics Mission
by Arthur Rowe 30 Jan '07

30 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Jan. 29, 2007 > > Katherine Trinidad > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-3749 > > Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > > > NASA ASSIGNS CREW FOR JAPANESE LAB AND CANADIAN ROBOTICS MISSION > > WASHINGTON - NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission > STS-123. The flight will deliver both the first component of the > Japanese Experiment Module Kibo and the new Canadian Dextre robotics > system to the International Space Station. > > Navy Capt. Dominic L. Gorie will command the Space Shuttle Endeavour > on the STS-123 mission, targeted for launch in December 2007. Air > Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson will serve as the pilot. Mission > specialists will include NASA astronauts Richard M. Linnehan; Air > Force Maj. Robert L. Behnken; and Navy Capt. Michael J. Foreman. > Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takao Doi also will > serve as a mission specialist. The mission will deliver a new station > crew member to the complex and return another to Earth. Those > individuals will be announced at a later date. > > Foreman had been assigned to the STS-120 shuttle mission but has been > reassigned to STS-123. Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, who flew on last > year's STS-121 mission, will replace Foreman as a mission specialist > on STS-120, targeted for launch in September 2007. > > STS-123 is the first in a series of flights that will launch > components to complete the Kibo laboratory. The mission also will > deliver the Canadian Space Agency's Dextre robotic system, a smaller > manipulator equipped with two arms and designed to work with > Canadarm2 to perform finer maintenance tasks that normally would be > accomplished with spacewalks by astronauts on the International Space > Station. The mission will include four spacewalks to install the new > hardware. > > STS-123 will be the fourth spaceflight for Gorie and Linnehan, the > second spaceflight for Doi and the first spaceflight for Johnson, > Behnken and Foreman. > > Gorie flew as the pilot of STS-91 in 1998 and STS-99 in 2000. One year > later, he commanded STS-108. He was born in Lake Charles, La., and > graduated from Miami Palmetto High School, Miami, Fla. Gorie has a > bachelor's from the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and a master's > from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He was selected as an > astronaut in 1994. > > Johnson was selected as an astronaut in 1998. He was born in South > Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom, but graduated from Park Hills > High School in Fairborn, Ohio. Johnson has a bachelor's from the Air > Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., and master's degrees from > Columbia University, New York, and from the University of Texas, > Austin. > > Linnehan flew on STS-78 in 1996 and STS-90 in 1998. During STS-109 in > 2002, he performed three spacewalks to service the Hubble Space > Telescope. Linnehan was born in Lowell, Mass. He has a bachelor's > from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H., and doctorate in > veterinary medicine from Ohio State University, Columbus. > > Selected as an astronaut in 2000, Behnken considers St. Ann, Mo., his > hometown. He has a bachelor's from Washington University, St. Louis, > and a master's and a doctorate from the California Institute of > Technology, Pasadena, Calif. > > Foreman considers Wadsworth, Ohio, his hometown and was selected as an > astronaut in 1998. Foreman has a bachelor's from the Naval Academy > and a master's from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. > > Doi was born in Minamitama, Tokyo. He first flew on STS-87 in 1997, a > mission during which he became the first Japanese astronaut to > conduct a spacewalk. Doi has a bachelor's, a master's and a doctorate > in aerospace engineering from the University of Tokyo. He also has a > doctorate in astronomy from Rice University, Houston. > > Assigned to STS-120, Wilson is a Massachusetts native. She operated > both the station and shuttle robotic arms during the STS-121 mission > and oversaw the transfer of more than 28,000 pounds of gear between > the shuttle and station. Wilson has a bachelor's from Harvard > University, Cambridge, Mass., and a master's from the University of > Texas, Austin. > > Video of the STS-123 and STS-120 crew members will air on NASA TV's > Video File. For downlink and scheduling information and links to > streaming video, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/ntv > > For complete astronaut biographical information, visit: > > http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/ > > For more information about NASA's Space Shuttle Program, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle > > > -end- > > > > > >

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ISS STATUS REPORT #07-5
by Arthur Rowe 27 Jan '07

27 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *International Space Station Status Report #07-5* *4 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 26, 2007* *Expedition 14 Crew* The crew aboard the International Space Station focused this week on preparing for an unprecedented series of spacewalks set to begin in a few days. Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Suni Williams will begin a 6.5-hour spacewalk from the station at about 9 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Jan. 31. It will be the first of a record four spacewalks planned during the next month. Lopez-Alegria and Williams will conduct other spacewalks on Feb. 4 and Feb. 8. The first three spacewalks will originate from the station's Quest airlock, and the astronauts will use U.S. spacesuits. Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin will use Russian spacesuits for a Feb. 22 spacewalk originating from the station's Pirs airlock. The three U.S. spacewalks will rearrange the station's cooling system, bringing online new portions of the system that were activated during a shuttle mission in December. The Russian spacewalk will free a stuck antenna on the ISS Progress 23 cargo craft docked to the aft end of the station, ensuring that craft can undock safely in April. The crew began the week unloading some of the more than 2.5 tons of food, fuel and supplies that were delivered to the station on Jan. 19 by the ISS Progress 24 cargo craft. Supplies aboard the 24th Progress to visit the station included fresh produce, gifts from home, new clothing, spare parts, oxygen and water. The crew's attention quickly turned to preparations for the upcoming spacewalks. On Monday, the crew began working with the U.S. spacesuits. Batteries for the suits were charged, and the suit cooling systems cleaned. On Tuesday, Lopez-Alegria and Williams trained using an onboard, laptop computer-based simulation. The training refreshed their skills operating the Simplified Aid For Extravehicular Activity Rescue (SAFER) jetpack that is worn on spacesuits. The SAFER backpack allows spacewalkers to fly themselves back to the station in the event they become untethered and separated from the complex. On Thursday, ground controllers in Houston commanded the station's robotic arm to maneuver into the position it will occupy for the start of the spacewalk. Aboard the station, the crew set time aside to review the plans for the first spacewalk. Lopez-Alegria and Williams continued checks of their spacesuits and checks of the SAFER backpacks Friday. The SAFER backpacks are propelled by compressed nitrogen gas, and, during the checkout, the harmless gas was released, depleting the nitrogen in one unit below the usable quantity. Two other usable SAFER backpacks remain onboard, however, and the loss of the third unit does not affect plans for the upcoming spacewalks. The crew took time out from their work on Monday to speak with television host Martha Stewart. Crew members also took time to field questions from two schools, one in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and another in Winnebago, Neb., by amateur radio. The next station status report will be issued following the spacewalk on Wednesday, Jan. 31, or earlier if events warrant. For more about the crew's activities and station sighting opportunities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

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ISS CREW SPACEWALKS
by Arthur Rowe 27 Jan '07

27 Jan '07

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 TAKEN FROM *************** The ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 04 January 26, 2007 *************** * All-ham ISS crew to undertake "unprecedented" spacewalk series: The all-ham crew of the International Space Station will undertake what NASA is calling "an unprecedented series" of four spacewalks during the next few weeks. Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Flight Engineer Suni Williams, KD5PLB, will kick off the spacewalk string January 31 with a six-and-a-half-hour excursion. Subsequent spacewalks are set for February 4 and 8 using US spacesuits. Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT, will conduct the fourth spacewalk later in February using Russian spacesuits. NASA says the US spacewalks will bring on line new portions of the station's cooling system, expanded with components activated during the December space shuttle mission. Among other tasks, Lopez-Alegria and Williams also will assist in the retraction of heat-rejecting radiators on the station's P6 truss, install some external devices to stow cargo and install cabling for a new power transfer system for future shuttle flights. On the fourth spacewalk, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin will remove a stuck antenna from the Russian Progress 23 cargo spacecraft to ensure it can safely undock in April. NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/ntv> will cover these events. -- NASA

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