SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Expedition 15 Readies for Reboost, Spacewalk* iss015e15644 -- Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson Image above: Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin (left) and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson work with a spacesuit in the Quest Airlock of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA

TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

A docked Progress 25 cargo craft will fire its thrusters on July 21 and 23 raising the International Space Station’s orbit. The reboost provides the proper phasing for an upcoming Progress 26 launch and docking. The Progress firing also clears the station after the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) is jettisoned during a July 23 spacewalk and provides flight day three rendezvous opportunities when space shuttle Endeavour arrives on mission STS-118. In advance of the reboost, the crew is testing the command and data telemetry of the Russian computers.

The Progress 24 cargo craft will undock from the Pirs docking compartment on Aug. 1 and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Progress 26 is scheduled for launch on Aug. 2 and will reach the station on Aug. 5. Two days later on Aug. 7, space shuttle Endeavour is targeted for launch with a station rendezvous and docking planned for Aug. 9.

The Expedition 15 crew is also preparing for the July 23 spacewalk. Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson are familiarizing themselves with the SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) jetpacks they will wear on their U.S. spacesuits.

During the spacewalk one of Anderson’s tasks is to jettison the 1,400-pound EAS. Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov is reviewing Canadarm2 procedures as he prepares to become the first cosmonaut to solely operate the robotic arm during Monday’s spacewalk.

+ 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