Experiments and Maintenance Continue Aboard the International Space Station
Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 14 crew members continued their work this week with scientific experiments, station maintenance and additional clean up following the Feb. 22 Russian spacewalk.
Friday, the three crew members participated in an experiment that tests hand-eye coordination before, during and after the mission to better understand how the brain adapts during spaceflight. The experiment will be performed again with Expedition 15.
A planned altitude reboost for the space station on Friday was cancelled and rescheduled for later this month. With the launch of the STS-117 shuttle mission delayed until no earlier than late April, Russian flight controllers now plan on two separate reboosts for the station.
The first reboost, now planned for around March 16, will position the station for the launch of the Expedition 15 crew and U.S. businessman Charles Simonyi on the Soyuz TMA-10 craft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 7.
A second reboost on March 28 improves rendezvous opportunities for Atlantis’ flight and brings the station into the correct trajectory for the returning Soyuz craft to land in Kazakhstan on April 19 with Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and Simonyi.
Flight Engineer Suni Williams participated in robotics proficiency training with a computer-based simulation Wednesday. This training program maintains the crew’s skill level in using Canadarm2 without actually moving the robotic arm.
On Tuesday, the International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force issued its final report. It was released simultaneously to Congress, NASA and the public.
