The International Space Station crew wrapped up another eventful week, highlighted by the mission’s first spacewalk.
Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov did a spacewalk dry run on Monday. They put on their Russian spacesuits, checked pressures and data streams and then removed them. Tuesday they focused on configuring Station systems for automated operations. Hatches in the U.S. segment were closed to isolate each module, and cameras were set up for ground controllers to monitor the interior.
Sharipov and Chiao stepped outside Wednesday at 2:43 a.m. EST. They completed their planned tasks in 5 hours and 28 minutes and returned to the Pirs Docking Compartment. They closed the hatch at 8:11 a.m. EST.
Primary tasks of the spacewalk included installing a small German robotic experiment, associated cabling and an antenna. They also installed scientific experiments. They inspected and took pictures for downlink of environmental control system vents, looking for any contamination that could cause irregular operation.
With the successful spacewalk under their belts, the crew worked the rest of the week on setting up for normal onboard operations. Yesterday and today, the crew reconfigured Station systems, stored spacesuits and tools and enjoyed some off-duty time.
The next spacewalk for Chiao and Sharipov is scheduled for March 25. They will install the final pieces necessary on the outside of the Station for the arrival later this year of Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle, an unpiloted cargo carrier.
The crew will have the usual light-duty weekend with cleaning and exercise on tap. Chiao, the NASA Station Science Officer, can also choose from various research activities for his optional Saturday Morning Science session.
Information about crew activities on the Space Station, future launch dates and sighting opportunities from Earth, is available at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/