Station Crew Prepares Items for Transfer to Progress, Shuttle

The Expedition 22 crew members are preparing the International Space Station for two new vehicles. The ISS Progress 36 cargo vehicle is due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Feb. 3 to resupply the station. Space shuttle Endeavour will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 7 to begin the STS-130 mission.

After the Progress docks, the five station crew members will unload new supplies and gear then reload it with trash and other discarded items. Endeavour will deliver the Tranquility Node, the Cupola and spare items for the station’s Water Recovery System which has been down since fall of last year. Endeavour will also return various station gear and science experiments back to Earth.

The Russian Vozdukh, a carbon dioxide removal system, failed Thursday and was repaired Friday. The system was deactivated and a part replaced. The Vozdukh is now operating normally scrubbing carbon dioxide from the Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.

Spacewalk Preparations and Science for Crew

The Expedition 22 crew aboard the International Space Station focused on spacewalk preparations and science experimentation Wednesday.

Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi configured spacewalking tools and equipment to be used during the STS-130 space shuttle mission, which is scheduled to launch Feb 7. With the assistance of the Expedition 22 crew, the STS-130 crew will conduct three spacewalks to install and outfit the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola that will be delivered by space shuttle Endeavour.

Noguchi, along with Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer, also participated in an in-flight interview, answering questions from students from the Vintage Magnet School in North Hills, Calif.

Meanwhile, Flight Engineers Maxim Suraev and Oleg Kotov worked with the Plasma Crystal-3 Plus experiment, which studies the behavior of electrically-charged dust particles in a space environment.

All five crew members also participated in a periodic emergency fire drill with specialists on Earth.

Flight Readiness Review Held Today

TodayWed, 27 Jan 2010 06:38:22 PM GMT+0530

Space Shuttle and International Space Station Program managers are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today for the Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, where they will discuss space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight.

Following the meeting, NASA will announce an official launch date during a press briefing aired on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Meanwhile, workers at Launch Pad 39A have completed ordnance connections in preparation for Endeavour's liftoff to the International Space Station.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, STS-130 Commander George Zamka and Pilot Terry Virts will continue to practice shuttle landings in their T-38 training jets.

Crew Prepares for Arrivals and Expansions

Science and preparations for the arrivals of space shuttle Endeavour and a Russian cargo craft in February were the focus of the Expedition 22 crew’s activities Tuesday aboard the International Space Station.

After the crew’s daily planning conference with teams in the U.S., Russia, Germany and Japan, Commander Jeff Williams began his workday performing his fourth session with an experiment that studies changes in the astronauts’ aerobic capacity during long-duration spaceflight. NASA is interested in tracking these changes because a reduction in maximum oxygen uptake directly impacts a crew member’s ability to perform strenuous activities such as spacewalks or emergency operations.

Endeavour, Pad and Crew Preps Continue

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:42:19 PM GMT+0530

STS-130 Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, tethered to the pad's payload changeout room, gets some first-hand experience with one of the handrails on the Tranquility node, installed in shuttle Endeavour's payload bay.

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, workers closed space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors for flight during the weekend.

Pad maintenance and checks will be conducted until launch day, which is targeted for Feb. 7 at 4:39 a.m. EST.

The six STS-130 mission astronauts will review flight data and practice in-flight maintenance procedures today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

At the conclusion of the executive-level Flight Readiness Review that will be held at Kennedy on Jan. 27, the official launch date will be announced during a press briefing.

STS-130 Crew Complete TCDT at Kennedy, Mission Training Continues

Space shuttle Endeavour's crew of six returns to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after completing the rigorous prelaunch training for their STS-130 mission to the International Space Station.

The astronauts will continue training for the flight by conducting contingency abort scenarios in the motion base simulator today at Johnson.

During the weekend, ground teams on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will close Endeavour's payload bay doors for flight.

On Jan. 27, an executive-level Flight Readiness Review meeting will be held at Kennedy to assess the readiness of the shuttle, flight crew and payloads to proceed with the countdown.

The official launch date will be set at the review and announced during a press briefing following the meeting.

Crew Completes Soyuz Relocation

Two members of the International Space Station’s Expedition 22 crew successfully delivered the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft to its new location Thursday morning.

Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev undocked the spacecraft from the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 5:03 a.m. EST and docked it to the Poisk module at 5:24 a.m., marking the first docking to the new module. Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams accompanied Suraev.

While Suraev and Williams conducted the brief flyover to Poisk, Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov, T.J. Creamer and Soichi Noguchi looked on from inside the orbital outpost and captured the activity through photo-documentation.

On Jan. 14, Suraev and Kotov set up Poisk for the Soyuz relocation and future dockings during the first spacewalk of the Expedition 22 mission, which lasted five hours and 44 minutes.

Once the Soyuz was moved to its new home, the station crew members returned to their regular science and maintenance duties. They also kept up their daily exercise routine, which helps their bodies combat the effects of long-term exposure to the microgravity environment of space.

On Saturday, Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer and Williams will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to relocate Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 from the port side of the Unity node to the space-facing side of the Harmony node. This will clear the way for the installation of the Italian-built Tranquility node to be delivered by space shuttle Endeavour and the STS-130 crew in February.

Tranquility is a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the space station's life support systems. Attached to the node is the Cupola, a one-of-a-kind work station with six windows around the sides and one on top.

Amongst the Soyuz relocation preparations Wednesday, the crew had some time scheduled for Earth observation and photography. Wednesday’s selected site for observation was the Haiti disaster area.

Final Training Day for STS-130 Crew

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the six STS-130 crew members climbed aboard space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A. They will go through a complete launch countdown simulation right up to the point of liftoff.

The astronauts will complete their prelaunch training at Kennedy this afternoon with a bench review of flight crew equipment and are scheduled to fly back to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston tomorrow.

Launch teams at the pad conducted a walkdown of the shuttle to ensure there was no damage from the unusually icy weather conditions experienced last week. They also will continue testing and maintenance until liftoff.

Endeavour is targeted to launch at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7 to deliver the Italian-built Tranquility with its attached cupola to the International Space Station.

On Jan. 27, an executive-level Flight Readiness Review meeting will be held at Kennedy to assess the readiness of the shuttle, flight crew and payloads to proceed with the countdown.

The official launch date will be set at the review and announced during a press briefing following the meeting.

Crew Ready to Move Soyuz Spacecraft

The International Space Station's Expedition 22 crew members had an abbreviated workday Wednesday, then adjusted their sleep schedule for an early wakeup to begin the work of moving a docked Soyuz spacecraft.

Soyuz Commander and Expedition 22 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev will undock the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft at 5:03 a.m. EST Thursday from the aft port of the Zvezda service module then fly it to the Poisk module for an inaugural docking at 5:25 a.m. Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams will accompany Suraev for the short ride. Live coverage of the move will begin at 4:45 a.m. on NASA TV.

Amongst the Soyuz relocation preparations, the crew had some time scheduled for Earth observation and photography. Wednesday’s selected site for observation was the Haiti disaster area.

On Saturday, Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer and Williams will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to relocate Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 from the port side of the Unity node to the space-facing side of the Harmony node. This will clear the way for the installation of the Italian-built Tranquility node to be delivered by space shuttle Endeavour and the STS-130 crew in February.

STS-130 Crew Train at Launch Pad 39A

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the six STS-130 astronauts continue their prelaunch dress rehearsal at Launch Pad 39A.

At the pad media question-and-answer period, the crew was asked their thoughts about space shuttle Endeavour kicking off a historic last year of launches.

Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson answered by saying, "We're thinking about STS-130 every day. But it occurs to me that when we come back, the reality of what this means to the Space Shuttle Program is going to set in. And it's bittersweet -- we all love the shuttle -- and look what human beings can do!

"But the history of space travel has shown," Robinson continued, "that when one program ends the next program is even more exciting, more motivating, more compelling to go into the future than the one before it."

Other training activities today include slidewire basket evacuation procedures and review of pertinent flight data.

Also, the Tranquility payload will be loaded into space shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay today.

Station Crew Prepares for Soyuz Relocation and Robotics

Tuesday aboard the orbiting International Space Station, the Expedition 22 crew geared up to move a Soyuz spacecraft to a newly-outfitted docking port and prepared for a weekend of intense robotics.

Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Maxim Suraev, who conducted a five-hour, 44-minute spacewalk Thursday to configure the Poisk module to serve as a docking port for Russian vehicles, began their workday stowing tools and equipment used in that excursion.

Later, Suraev tested the thrusters of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft he will command Thursday morning when he and Commander Jeff Williams fly from the aft port of the Zvezda service module to Poisk for an inaugural docking. The Soyuz has been given a go for the relocation, slated to begin with an undocking at 5 a.m. EST Thursday. Live coverage on NASA TV begins at 4:45 a.m.

Meanwhile, Williams and Flight Engineers Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer spent much of their day reviewing procedures and configuring tools for the three spacewalks planned when space shuttle Endeavour and the STS-130 crew arrive in February to install the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola.

To clear the way for the installation of Tranquility, Creamer and Williams will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm on Saturday to relocate Pressurized Mating Adapter-3, currently attached to the port side of the Unity node, to the space-facing side of the Harmony node. Over the weekend, the Dextre robotic manipulator was moved from the Destiny lab to the Mobile Base System, providing the clearance required for Saturday’s robotics work.

Also on Tuesday, Noguchi took a break from his work to answer questions from students at the Kushiro Children’s Museum and the Rikubetsu Astronomical Observatory in Hokkaido, Japan.

NASA Moves Forward Toward Feb. 7 Target Launch

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch officials at the Space Shuttle Program's Flight Readiness Review decided today to move forward with the targeted launch date of Feb. 7.

At the executive-level Flight Readiness Review meeting being held at Kennedy on Jan. 27, NASA managers will evaluate all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of shuttle mission operations -- from the prelaunch phase through post-landing. They also will examine the readiness of the space shuttle, flight crew and payloads to determine if everything is set to proceed with launch.

STS-130 mission

Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his first trip to space.

Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is targeted for February 7, 2010, at 4:39 a.m. EST

Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Endeavour's STS-130 MissionCommander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his first trip to space.

Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.