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STS-104,
Mission Control Center The shuttle and station crews will spend today continuing to set up and test the newly attached Quest station airlock, troubleshooting a suspected leaky ventilation valve, and preparing for the mission’s second and third space walks, planned for Tuesday and Thursday evening. Mission Specialist Janet Kavandi will assist Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss in troubleshooting the suspected leak in an Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) assembly. The IMV Assembly, a series of fans and valves that circulate air between station modules, connects the Quest airlock to the station’s environmental control and life support system. The two astronauts will examine the valve seals for any debris or damage and determine if the valve will have to be replaced. Should replacement be necessary, a spare valve is available aboard the station. Meanwhile, Atlantis Commander Steve Lindsey and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms will test oxygen lines between the station and the airlock. The lines will be used during future shuttle missions to replenish the airlock’s high-pressure oxygen tanks with shuttle-supplied oxygen. The Atlantis crew was awakened for its sixth day in space at 4:19 p.m. today by the song “Nobody Does it Better” performed by Carly Simon, played by Mission Control for Mission Specialist Jim Reilly. The International Space Station crew of Commander Yury Usachev, Voss and Helms is in its 131st day in space. Atlantis’ space walkers Mike Gernhardt and Jim Reilly will spend today preparing for their two remaining space walks. They will review plans and set up equipment in both Atlantis’ airlock and the station airlock. The second spacewalk, to begin Tuesday evening, will originate from Atlantis while the third spacewalk, to begin Thursday, will be the first to originate from the station’s new Quest airlock. Both of the remaining space walks will focus on the installation of high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks on the exterior of the Quest airlock. Lindsey, Atlantis’ Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and Usachev will take a break from their work at 11:34 p.m. CDT for a 20-minute interview by news reporters from CBS, Space.com and KNBC-TV of Los Angeles. The next mission status report will be issued about 6 a.m. Tuesday or as events warrant. ### NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to majordomo@listserver.jsc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes). This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription. Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail. |
