Expedition 10 Continues Experiment, Works on Spacesuit

Wednesday brought a wide range of activities for the Expedition 10 crew
aboard the International Space Station.

Commander Leroy Chiao began efforts to replace a pump in one of the
Station’s U.S. spacesuits. However, the task was halted before completion
due to a missing part. Mission managers are evaluating the situation.

Chiao also conducted the second session with the Binary Colloid Alloy Test
3, which is studying the long-term behavior of colloids — fine particles
suspended in a fluid — in a microgravity environment, where the effects of
sedimentation and convection are removed. Crewmembers will even out the
samples, photograph the growth and formations of the colloids, and downlink
the images for analysis. He conducted the first part Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov performed routine maintenance
on the Russian Elektron oxygen generation system by replenishing its water
supply.

He also spent time in the Zarya Cargo Module taking photographs. The
pictures will be used by ground controllers to assess storage capability in
Zarya.