NASA Space Station Status Report 16 December 2005
The International Space Station crew focused this week on preparations for the arrival of a Christmastime supply shipment of fuel, food, water, spare parts and holiday gifts from family.
The unmanned supply ship, ISS Progress 20, is set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:38 p.m. CST Wednesday, Dec. 21. It is planned to dock to the station’s Pirs docking compartment at 1:54 p.m. CST Friday, Dec. 23.
Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev brushed up on the operation of a backup, manual docking system to be ready if needed when the Progress cargo craft reaches the station. The primary system for the craft has it dock automatically.
The new Progress will deliver 5,683 pounds of cargo: 3,097 pounds of dry cargo such as food, clothing, experiment hardware, spare parts and the gifts; 1,940 pounds of propellant; 463 pounds of water; and 183 pounds of oxygen and air.
McArthur and Tokarev spent time this week packing the Progress 19 now docked to the station. Progress 19 is planned to remain docked at the station for several months along with the new Progress. The crew also performed Russian and American biomedical experiments that study the impact to the body of a prolonged stay in space. Maintenance work accomplished this week included upgrading operating software on five equipment racks in the Destiny laboratory, restoring the air conditioner in the Crew Health Care System to full operation, and reactivating an air monitoring system known as the Volatile Organic Analyzer.
Working at a control station in the lab, McArthur completed refresher training with the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm. He also videotaped a demonstration of how station crews recycle supplies. The taped lessons demonstrate basic scientific principles and will be part of NASA educational products made available to schools across the country.
For information on activities aboard the station, future launch dates, as well as station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth, visit:
The next station status report will be issued on Wednesday, Dec. 21, after the launch of Progress 20, or earlier if events warrant.
