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.