April 21, 2006<br /><br />Katherine Trinidad<br />Headquarters, Washington<br />(202) 358-7239<br /><br />James Hartsfield<br />Johnson Space Center, Houston<br />(281) 483-5111<br /><br />STATUS REPORT: SS06-018<br /><br />INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-018<br /><br />The Expedition 13 crew this week focused on experiments, maintenance <br />and preparations for the arrival of two and a half tons of food, <br />supplies and equipment.<br /><br />Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer and NASA <br />Science Officer Jeff Williams also had time set aside each day to <br />continue to become familiar with their orbiting home.<br /><br />In scientific work, Williams operated the Capillary Flow Experiment, <br />which uses liquid silicone to study how fluids move in a microgravity <br />environment. This portion of the experiment examined the interface <br />between the liquid and the solid surface of the container. The <br />results could be used by designers of systems for future spacecraft.<br /><br />Williams also set up and activated cameras that will be remotely <br />operated by middle school students to take photos of Earth through <br />the station window. Called the Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle <br />School Students (EarthKAM) experiment, it allows students to study <br />the Earth and then control a special digital camera mounted on the <br />station. They photograph coastlines, mountain ranges and other <br />geographic items of interest from the unique vantage point of space. <br />More than 112 schools from eight countries have signed up for this <br />session of the experiment. This is the 22nd time the experiment has <br />been performed aboard the station.<br /><br />Williams and Vinogradov completed the first of three sessions with the <br />Renal Stone experiment, a study of whether potassium citrate can be <br />used to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. Astronauts have an <br />increased risk of developing kidney stones because urine calcium <br />levels are typically much higher in space. The crew recorded all <br />consumed food and drinks and collected urine samples for later return <br />to Earth. An understanding of the crew's diet during the urine <br />collection timeframes will help researchers determine if the excess <br />calcium in the urine is due to diet or a response to the microgravity <br />environment.<br /><br />The Expedition 13 crew also spent several hours practicing the use of <br />a manual docking system for next week's arrival of the ISS Progress <br />21 cargo vehicle. The computer-based training will ensure they're <br />ready to take control of the Progress if the automated system does <br />not work properly. The 21st Progress to visit the station is <br />scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at <br />12:03 p.m. EDT Monday, and dock with the space station at 1:40 p.m. <br />EDT Wednesday. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the docking <br />beginning at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday.<br /><br />A planned reboost of the station was aborted before any engines were <br />fired this week when downlink telemetry showed one of two sunshade <br />covers on the Zvezda Service Module thrusters was not fully open. The <br />station's onboard software detected that the cover was not properly <br />opened and did not ignite the thrusters. The firing was designed to <br />test two thrusters that have not been used since Zvezda docked to the <br />station in July 2000. Zvezda has several other thrusters that could <br />be used if needed. Engineers at the Russian Mission Control Center in <br />Korolev are reviewing data and considering whether additional tests <br />are required.<br /><br />Friday the crew talked with experts in Mission Control, Houston, about <br />an electrical repair procedure planned for Monday. The pair will <br />replace a failed type of circuit breaker called a Remote Power <br />Control Module (RPCM) in the Destiny Laboratory. The RPCM failed <br />during the last crew's stay aboard the station, and power for several <br />systems has been routed by an alternate path until it is replaced.<br /><br />Vinogradov and Williams will remain in orbit for six months. During <br />that time, they expect to welcome two space shuttles and perform two <br />spacewalks. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter will join <br />the Expedition 13 crew when the Space Shuttle Discovery arrives on <br />the STS-121 mission, targeted for launch no earlier than July 1. <br />Reiter will increase the station crew size to three for the first <br />time since May 2003 when it was reduced to conserve supplies <br />following the Columbia accident. The payload operations team at <br />NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates <br />U.S. science activities on the station.<br /><br />The next status report will be issued Monday, April 24, following the <br />launch of the Progress resupply craft. For EarthKam information and <br />images, visit:<br /><br />http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu <br /><br />Information on the crew's activities aboard the space station, future <br />launch dates, and station sighting opportunities are available at: <br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/station