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.
