Oct. 6, 2006

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

STATUS REPORT: SS06-043

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS06-043

Expedition 14 completed its first full week solo on the International
Space Station performing standard early mission checks, drills and
some equipment troubleshooting.

Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer
Mikhail Tyurin have been aboard the station for 19 days, while Flight
Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency is in his third
month in orbit. Along with other work, the crew members prepared for
a short trip away from the station next week, when they will fly the
Soyuz spacecraft from one docking port to another.

Early in the week, the crew conducted a check of procedures required
to exit the station in an emergency, ensuring all necessary equipment
is in place. Throughout the week, time was set aside for
Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin to familiarize themselves with the station
and operations. They started several new scientific activities and
medical checks.

Lopez-Alegria began his first session with the nutrition experiment.
He collected blood and urine samples and began logging all of his
consumed food and drink. The experiment, which tracks many vitamins
and minerals essential for good health, is the most comprehensive
in-flight study to date of human physiological changes during
long-duration spaceflight. The information will help define
nutritional requirements and food systems for future missions to the
moon and Mars.

Lopez-Alegria also supported the Passive Observatories for
Experimental Microbial Systems in Micro-G (POEMS) experiment, by
storing the next set of samples into the Minus-Eighty Laboratory
Freezer for ISS (MELFI). MELFI is a cold storage unit that maintains
experiment samples at temperatures of minus 80 degrees Celsius, minus
26 degrees Celsius or 4 degrees Celsius throughout a mission. POEMS
will evaluate the effect of stress in the space environment on the
generation of genetic variation in model microbial cells.

On Friday, all crew members performed a normal periodic fitness
evaluation, exercising on a stationary bicycle, measuring heart rates
and blood pressure. One new scientific investigation began with
Reiter as part of his evaluation. An oxygen uptake monitor provided
by the European Space Agency was used to measure Reiter's oxygen
consumption, a key parameter that can be used to measure fitness. The
fitness evaluations are performed monthly. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin
also checked emergency medical equipment and supplies, a check done
early in each crew's flight.

Tyurin spent time mid-week continuing to troubleshoot the Russian
Elektron oxygen-generation system. The system converts water into
oxygen to replenish cabin air. It has not been functional since it
overheated just before Expedition 14 arrived. The crew replaced
components in an Elektron control panel this week, but problems
persisted.

Russian engineers are evaluating the system and further repairs may
wait until the next supply ship arrives with additional parts. The
next Progress cargo craft launches later this month. Plentiful oxygen
supplies are available on the station. Oxygen is being replenished
from tanks located on the Quest airlock.

U.S. flight controllers are evaluating a vibration seen in one of the
station's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) this week. The
electrically powered CMGs maintain the station's orientation so
thrusters and limited fuel are not used for that purpose. The
vibrations were first observed Sept. 28 as a station maneuver was
performed using thrusters. The gyroscope, CMG-3, was taken off line
to allow additional testing. Since then, controllers have run various
tests with CMG-3 to better characterize the intermittent vibrations.
Engineers have determined it could be put back on line and into
normal operation, if needed. Only three CMGs are necessary to
properly maintain the station's orientation.

The station crew members will board the Soyuz spacecraft docked at the
rear of the Zvezda living quarters module on Tuesday to prepare for
the short move. NASA TV will cover the activity live beginning at
2:45 p.m. EDT. With Soyuz Commander Tyurin at the controls, they will
undock from the Zvezda port at 3:14 p.m. and re-dock to the
Earth-facing Zarya module port at 3:39 p.m. EDT.

NASA's payload operations team at the agency's Marshall Space Flight
Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. science activities on the
station.

The next status report will be issued Friday, Oct. 13. For more
information about the crew's activities and station sighting
opportunities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station