SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Crew Continues ‘Jules Verne’ Preps and Station Upkeep*
Automated Transfer VehicleImage above: Artist's impression of the Automated Transfer Vehicle aproaching the completed International Space Station. Credit: ESA TO V IEW IMAGE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Expedition 15 continues to prepare the International Space Station for next year’s visit of the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the European Space Agency’s (ESA) cargo spacecraft. The ATV, named ‘Jules Verne,’ will be ESA’s first cargo vehicle to visit the international space laboratory.
Earlier in the week, the crew tested navigation software and placed the station in the attitude necessary for the ATV to rendezvous and dock automatically. The station was under Russian attitude control at the time. Russian specialists noted the station was slightly off attitude and investigated the problem.
Maintenance continued on an exercise device called the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (TVIS). Flight rules state that the TVIS will be checked out and maintained every six months.
Upcoming events for the station include a crew swap when Expedition 16 launches aboard a Soyuz on Oct. 10 and a new module, the Harmony Node 2, when space shuttle Discovery launches on Oct. 23.
+ Read more about Expedition 16 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html + View Hurricane Felix imagery http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/exp15_hurricane_felix.html + Read about the PMA-3 relocation http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/pma3move.html + Read more about Expedition 15 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html + View crew daily timelines http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html