International Space Station Crew on Track With Preparations for Arrivals and Departures

The Expedition 17 crew of the International Space Station remained on track Tuesday with hardware repairs and preparations for arrivals and departures.

Commander Sergei Volkov and Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff continued repair work on components of the station’s exercise treadmill, including the belts and roller bearings. The crew found a torn belt in the device during an inspection on Aug. 1.

The crew also spent some time preparing for the departure of the ISS Progress 29 cargo craft on Sept. 2. Volkov tested the Kurs automated rendezvous system on the Progress and the Zarya module to which it is docked. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko continued packing trash and other unneeded items into the cargo craft for disposal.

The engines of the docked “Jules Verne” Automated Transfer Vehicle will ignite at 3:58 a.m. EDT Wednesday for 16 minutes, 35 seconds. It will be another in a series of reboosts to position the station for the arrival of the ISS Progress 30 in September and the Expedition 18 crew aboard the Soyuz TMA-13 in October.