SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Crew Tests New Oxygen Generator*

ISS015-E-29992 : Astronaut Clay Anderson smiles for photo mage above: Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson smiles for a photo while using a communication system in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA \TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

The Expedition 15 crew members Tuesday began a test of a new oxygen-generating system and continued with preparations for their return to Earth and the arrival of the next crew to the International Space Station.

Flight Engineer Clay Anderson activated the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) in the Destiny lab. He then took readings with a sound level meter to measure its noise levels.

While the OGS operates at 50 percent capacity, flight controllers will evaluate its performance. The OGS is designed to supply oxygen for a full station complement of six crew members.

Anderson, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov continue with preparations for their departure and for the arrival of the next crew. The Expedition 16 crew, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 10 and arrive at the station on Oct. 12.

Accompanying Expedition 16 is Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who will return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Yurchikhin and Kotov. Anderson will remain on the station with Expedition 16 until his replacement, Flight Engineer Dan Tani, arrives on space shuttle Discovery later in October.

+ View crew daily timelines http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html + Read more about Expedition 15 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html + Read more about Expedition 16 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html