ISS Crew Continues Station and Spacesuit Maintenance

The Expedition 17 crew members aboard the International Space Station continued their focus on station and spacesuit maintenance Wednesday.

Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko scrubbed the cooling loops of the Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear during a July spacewalk. During the spacewalk, the two cosmonauts will inspect the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft. Volkov and Kononenko will use the Soyuz as their ride home from the orbital outpost in October.

Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff spent time in the Japanese Logistics Module removing handrails and foot restraints. Chamitoff also had time to complete a crew orientation session. He became the newest member of the Expedition 17 crew when he replaced astronaut Garrett Reisman during the recent STS-124 shuttle mission.

All three crew members participated in regular exercise activities to counteract the effects of long-term exposure to the station’s microgravity environment.

The engines on the European Space Agency’s Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle are scheduled to ignite Thursday in the first of four planned reboosts. The reboosts will adjust the orbit of the station to prepare for the docking of the ISS Progress 30 cargo ship in September.