Chiao Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Single. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. PhD

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 13 - 1990. Inactive Entered space service: 17 January 1990. Left space service: 31 October 2005. Number of Flights: 4.00. Total Time: 229.36 days. Number of EVAs: 6.00. Total EVA Time: 1.51 days.

NAME: Leroy Chiao (Ph.D.)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born August 28, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but considers Danville, California, to be his hometown. Single. He enjoys flying, basketball, racquetball, and skiing. His parents, Mr. & Mrs. Tsu Tao Chiao, reside in Fairfield, California.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Monte Vista High School, Danville, California, in 1978; received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983, and a master of science degree and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1985 and 1987, respectively.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE).

SPECIAL HONORS:

Invited to give technical seminars on honeycomb material and bonded panels, and cure modeling of aerospace composite materials, at the Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, and at the Changsha Institute of Technology, 5th Department, in the Peoples Republic of China. Invited contributor to the International Encyclopedia of Composite Materials. Listed in Who's Who in Science and Engineering. Recipient of Distinguished Alumni Award from University of California, Santa Barbara.

EXPERIENCE:

Dr. Chiao graduated in 1987 from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and joined the Hexcel Corporation in Dublin, California. He worked for Hexcel until 1989, during which time he was involved in process, manufacturing, and engineering research on advanced aerospace materials; worked on a joint NASA-JPL/Hexcel project to develop a practical, optically correct, precision segment reflector, made entirely of advanced polymer composite materials, for future space telescopes; as well as working on cure modeling and finite element analysis. In January of 1989 Dr. Chiao joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, where he was involved in processing research for fabrication of filament-wound and thick-section aerospace composites. Dr. Chiao also developed and demonstrated a mechanistic cure model for graphite fiber/epoxy composite material. An instrument-rated pilot, Dr. Chiao has logged over 1500 flight hours in a variety of aircraft.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Chiao became an astronaut in July 1991. He is qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. His technical assignments to date include: Space Shuttle flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); crew equipment, Spacelab, Spacehab and payloads issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; Training and Flight Data File issues. A veteran of two space flights, he flew as a mission specialist on STS-65 in 1994 and STS-72 in 1996. Dr. Chiao has logged 567 hours, 55 minutes, 41 seconds in space, including two spacewalks totaling just over 13 hours.

On STS-65, his first flight, the seven-member crew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 8, 1994, and returned there on July 23, 1994, setting a new flight duration record for the Space Shuttle program at that time. The STS-65 mission flew the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2). During the 15-day flight the crew conducted more than 80 experiments focusing on materials and life sciences research in microgravity. The mission was accomplished in 236 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.1 million miles in 353 hours and 55 minutes.

Most recently, Dr. Chiao flew on STS-72 (January 11-20, 1996). During the 9-day flight the crew aboard Endeavour retrieved the Space Flyer Unit (launched from Japan 10-months earlier), and deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer. Dr. Chiao performed two spacewalks designed to demonstrate and evaluate techniques to be used in the assembly of the International Space Station. In completing his second space flight, Dr. Chiao orbited the Earth 142 times, traveled 3.7 million miles, and logged a total of 214 hours and 41 seconds in space, including just over 13 EVA hours.

• 8 July 1994 Flight: STS-65. Flight Up: STS-65. Flight Back: STS-65. Flight Time: 14.75 days.

• 11 January 1996 Flight: STS-72. Flight Up: STS-72. Flight Back: STS-72. Flight Time: 8.92 days.

• 11 October 2000 Flight: STS-92. Flight Up: STS-92. Flight Back: STS-92. Flight Time: 12.90 days.

• 14 October 2004 Flight: ISS EO-10. Flight Up: Soyuz TMA-5. Flight Back: Soyuz TMA-5. Flight Time: 192.79 days.

17 January 1990 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 13 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. Reported to the Johnson Space Center in late July 1990 to begin their year long training. Chosen from 1945 qualified applicants, then 106 finalists screened between September and November 1989.

The RSRM-76 solid rocket boosters separated at 23:19 GMT and main engine cut-off (MECO) came at 23:25 GMT. External tank ET-104 separated into a 74 x 323 km x 51.6 deg orbit. At apogee at 00:01 GMT on Oct 12, Discovery's OMS engines fired to raise perigee to a 158 x 322 km x 51.6 deg orbit; ET-104 re-entered over the Pacific around 00:30 GMT. At Oct 12 on 03:01 GMT the NC1 burn raised the orbit to 180 x 349 km; NC3 on Oct 12 to 311 x 375 km; and the TI burn at 14:09 GMT on Oct 13 to 375 x 381 km x 51.6 deg. Discovery's rendezvous with the International Space Station came at 15:39 GMT on Oct 13, with docking at 17:45 GMT. The spaceship docked with PMA-2, the docking port on the +Y port of the Space Station's Unity module. Hatch was open to PMA-2 at 20:30 GMT the same day.

STS-92 Cargo Manifest

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System + 3 EMU spacesuits
• Bay 5 Port: Adapter Beam with DDCU-HP control unit
• Bay 5 Starboard: Adapter Beam with DDCU-HP control unit
• Bay 7-8: Spacelab Pallet MD003 with PMA-3
• Bay 10-12: ISS Z1 first segment of the space station truss
• Bay 13 Adapter Beam with IMAX Cargo Bay Camera
• Sill: Canadarm RMS 301

Total payload bay cargo: ca. 14,800 kg

The Z1 first segment of the space station truss was built by Boeing/Canoga Park and was 3.5 x 4.5 meters in size. It was attached to the +Z port on Unity. Z1 carried the control moment gyros, the S-band antenna, and the Ku-band antenna.

PMA-3, built by Boeing/Huntington Beach, was docked to the -Z port opposite Z1. PMA-3 was installed on a Spacelab pallet for launch.

On October 14 at 16:15 GMT the Z1 segment was unberthed from the payload bay and at around 18:20 GMT it was docked to the zenith port on the Unity module.

On October 15 at 14:20 GMT the ODS airlock was depressurised, beginning a spacewalk by Bill McArthur and Leroy Chiao. Official NASA EVA duration (battery power to repress) was 6 hours 28 minutes.

The second spacewalk was on October 16, with Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria. The suits went to battery power at 14:15 GMT and Wisoff left the airlock at 14:21 GMT. Repressurisation began at 21:22 GMT for a duration of 7 hours 07minutes.

Leroy Chiao and Bill McArthur began the third STS-92 EVA at 15:30 GMT on October 17, completing their work at 22:18 GMT for a total time of 6 hours 48 minutes.

After the spacewalk, Discovery completed the second of the three station reboosts scheduled for STS-92. They fired reaction control system jets in a series of pulses of 1.4 seconds each, over a 30-minute period, gently raising the station's orbit by about 3.1 km.

The last of four successful spacewalks began on 18 October at 16:00 GMT and ended at 22:56 GMT, lasting 6 hours and 56 minutes. Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria each jetted slowly through space above Discovery's cargo bay.

After the space walk, Discovery completed the third and final reboost of the space station.

On 19 October the astronauts worked within the ISS. They completed connections for the newly installed Z1 external framework structure and transferred equipment and supplies for the Expedition One first resident crew of the Station. The crew also tested the four 290-kg gyroscopes in the truss, called Control Moment Gyros, which will be used to orient the ISS as it orbits the Earth. They will ultimately assume attitude control of the ISS following the arrival of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny. The tests and the transfer of supplies into the Russian Zarya Module took longer than expected. As a result, the crew's final departure from the Station's Unity module was delayed. Melroy and Wisoff took samples from surfaces in Zarya to study the module's environment. They then unclogged the solid waste disposal system in the Shuttle's toilet, which was restored to full operation after a brief interruption in service.

Discovery undocked from the ISS at 16:08 GMT on 20 October. The final separation burn was executed about 45 minutes after undocking. The crew had added 9 tonnes to the station's mass, bringing it to about 72 tonnes. The return to earth, planned for 22 October, was delayed repeatedly due to high winds at the Kennedy landing site. The landing was finally made at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 24, at 22:00 GMT.

Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and Koichi Wakata rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-A at 6:17 p.m. Central time, lighting up the central Florida skies as they began their pursuit of the international complex. At the time of launch, the ISS was orbiting at an altitude of about 230 statute miles over the Indian Ocean, east of India.

Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Discovery's astronauts went to work to prepare the Shuttle's systems for their planned 11-day mission. The first major task on the flight plan was to open Discovery's cargo bay doors prior to receiving a "go" for orbital operations from Ascent Flight Director Wayne Hale. The astronauts are expected to set up computers and flight deck gear before beginning an eight-hour sleep period at 11:17 p.m. Central time. The crew will be awakened at 7:17 a.m. Thursday morning to begin its first full day in space.

With this evening's successful launch behind them, Discovery's astronauts will turn their attention to their chase of the International Space Station, performing several firings of the ship's jet thrusters over the next two days to set up a docking with the outpost on Friday at 12:43 p.m. Central time. Over the ensuing week, the crew will install the so-called Z1 truss structure and a third Pressurized Mating Adapter to the Unity module and will perform four space walks to electrically connect the new components.

The Station itself continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes in good shape with the exception of two sets of batteries in the Zvezda Service Module which have been disconnected from the module's electrical system because of suspected problems with voltage converters. Battery component spares are expected to be launched on the next unmanned Progress resupply ship to the ISS in November for installation by the first resident crew. Meanwhile, Zvezda is operating normally on six healthy batteries with more than enough electrical power for ISS systems.

After an engine firing to circularize its orbit, Discovery will be flying at an altitude of about 190 statute miles in pursuit of the international station and its linkup Friday afternoon.

The crew found everything in good shape aboard the Shuttle, although a failure in one of Discovery's communications systems may prevent Mission Control from visually following many of the crew's activities through live television. At about 9 a.m. Central today, flight controllers noted a failure in Discovery's Ku-Band communications system, a system used for high-rate communications - including television -- that includes a dish-shaped antenna in the Shuttle's cargo bay. The failure, still being analyzed by engineers, prevents the system from transmitting or receiving any usable communications. The Ku-Band system initially worked well when activated yesterday, only a few hours after launch. The Shuttle has other communications systems that are operating well. The loss of the Ku-Band system will not impact the crew's ability to successfully complete all of the flight's objectives. However, the failure of the Ku-Band system may drastically reduce the potential for live television to be transmitted to the ground for the remainder of the mission.

Discovery is trailing the International Space Station by about 1,680 statute miles, continuing to close in on the orbiting complex at a rate of 201 statute miles with each orbit. Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pam Melroy fired the Shuttle's engines twice today to adjust the rate at which Discovery is closing on the station. The continuing series of rendezvous engine firings is planned to culminate in Duffy manually guiding Discovery to a docking with the outpost at 12:45 p.m. CDT Friday. The final phase of the rendezvous is planned to begin with a Terminal Intercept engine firing planned at 9:09 a.m. CDT Friday, when Discovery reaches a point about nine statute miles behind the station.

Also today, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata powered up Discovery's robotic arm, checking out its operation in a survey of the cargo bay and finding everything in order. While that activity was under way on the Shuttle's upper deck, astronauts Leroy Chiao, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria worked in the lower deck, or middeck, to check out the spacesuits that will be worn during four planned spacewalks. All of the suits and equipment are in excellent shape. Astronaut Bill McArthur will join Chiao, Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria in conducting those spacewalks, planned to begin on Sunday, that will complete connections of the new station components.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 9:17 p.m. CDT and awaken at 4:17 a.m. CDT Friday for day three of the mission. Discovery is in an orbit with a high point of 235 statute miles and a low point of 188 statute miles.

The STS-92 crew was awakened at 7:17 a.m. Central time with the song, "Incense And Peppermint" by the group, "Strawberry Alarm Clock". The tune is part of the "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" movie soundtrack and was played for the crew members, who are fans of the film.

Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pam Melroy will fire Discovery's thrusters in a continuing series of burns today to refine the Shuttle's approach to the International Space Station, and will check out some of the tools their crewmates will use to provide them with navigation information during the final phases of the Shuttle's approach to the Station for docking. Discovery's linkup to the ISS is planned for 12:43 p.m. Central time Friday afternoon.

It will be a day of preparations for Discovery's astronauts as Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria check out the space suits they will wear during four consecutive days of orbital construction space walks. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will power up Discovery's 50-foot long robot arm to ensure it is operating properly and will use it to conduct a photographic survey of the payload bay and the new Space Station components housed inside. In the International Space Station control room in Mission Control, flight controllers continue to prepare the station for the arrival of Discovery's crew by warming up the Unity module and its attached docking port to maintain comfortable working conditions for the astronauts. Discovery's crew will enter the Unity module on Saturday to transfer logistical supplies and hardware associated with the installation of the first external truss structure for the complex.

Over the course of the next week, through the space walks and the use of the Shuttle's robot arm, the crew will install both the Z1 truss assembly and Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 to the Unity module of the Station. That adapter is a new docking port for the ISS. The Z1 truss provides a structural backbone for the Station, with four Control Moment Gyroscopes that will be used to maintain the Station's attitude or orientation in space. The truss also houses key communications gear. The truss assembly will support the large solar arrays that will be delivered during the next Shuttle mission, STS-97.

Discovery is orbiting at an altitude of about 200 statute miles with all of its systems operating in perfect shape.

Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and Koichi Wakata began their day shortly after 5 a.m. Central time, preparing shuttle systems for their linkup to the new station at about 12:46 p.m. Central time.

As of about 6:45 this morning, the shuttle trailed the station by about 650 statute miles and was closing in by about 300 miles with each orbit of the Earth. The rate of closure will slow dramatically, however, as Duffy and Melroy conduct a series of jet firings to place the shuttle directly below the station late this morning for the final phase of its approach for docking. The final major maneuver, called the Terminal Initiation burn, will occur when Discovery reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station.

As Discovery moves within about a half-mile of the station, Duffy will take over manual control of the shuttle's approach, flying the shuttle from controls in the aft cockpit. Discovery will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station about 10:38 a.m. Central, and then will begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Discovery will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it about 11:05 a.m. Central.

Duffy will then begin to descend toward the station and, about 11:15 a.m. Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Duffy will maintain that distance for almost one hour to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations to monitor the shuttle's approach and docking. At 12:34 p.m., Duffy will hold position again briefly at a point about 30 feet from the station to verify the shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 12 minutes later with the shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second. At the time of docking, the ISS and Discovery will be flying over the Ukraine.

The shuttle's KU band communications system remains inoperative as engineers continue to review data regarding its sudden loss yesterday. Although there is no conventional television available from Discovery, the loss of the KU system has no impact to mission objectives.

Discovery is currently orbiting at an altitude of about 190 statute miles, circling the Earth every 90 minutes.

Discovery latched onto the station at 12:45 p.m. CDT, completing a perfect rendezvous that had been under way since Discovery's launch on Wednesday. Later, Astronaut Mike Lopez-Alegria opened the outermost hatch to the station at about 3:30 p.m. CDT. Soon thereafter, at about 4:15 p.m., Lopez-Alegria opened the hatch into the station's Unity module, and Duffy entered the orbiting outpost, followed closely by Lopez-Alegria and fellow crew members Leroy Chiao and Pilot Pam Melroy. The crew then began transferring equipment and supplies from Discovery to the station, continuing to set up the complex for the arrival of the first resident crew, a mission called Expedition 1 that is planned to launch at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, at the aft controls in Discovery's cockpit, Astronaut Bill McArthur and Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata again powered up the Shuttle's mechanical arm. Wakata and McArthur, the backup arm operator for the mission, maneuvered the robotic arm for a camera survey of the station and the Shuttle's payload bay. Tomorrow, Wakata will use the arm to attach the first of two major components Discovery has brought to the complex - an exterior framework that houses gyroscopes and communications equipment called the Z-1 truss.

Flight controllers have decided to attempt no further troubleshooting of Discovery's Ku-Band communications system which failed yesterday. The failure will reduce the amount of television that can be transmitted to the ground during the mission, however the crew did send television of the docking and entry into the station to the ground today through alternate communications systems. A few such opportunities for television will be available each day during the remainder of the flight, although they will usually be only a few minutes in length. Flight controllers also use a sequential still video system, a still image updated every few seconds, to follow activities aboard the Shuttle.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 9:17 p.m. CDT and awaken at 5:17 a.m. CDT Saturday for day four of the mission.

Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata, at controls in the shuttle cockpit, deftly maneuvered Discovery's robotic arm to lift the framework, called the Z1 truss, out of the shuttle's payload bay and berth it to a port on the station's Unity connecting module. The berthing was the first time the U.S.-developed attachment system has been used in orbit, and the equipment worked flawlessly. Over the course of the station's future assembly, similar attachment systems will be used over 100 times. Astronaut Mike Lopez-Alegria, looking out of the berthing port's hatch window in Unity, provided Wakata with visual cues as to the framework's alignment.

The berthing occurred about two hours behind schedule due to a short-circuit aboard the shuttle early in the crew's day that cut off power to some equipment Wakata would need. The short cut power to three pieces of equipment: an Orbiter Interface Unit that provides data and commanding from the shuttle to station systems; an Orbiter Space Vision System that provides a computerized alignment aid for operating the robotic arm; and a television camera located at the bottom, or keel, of the payload bay that faces upward to provide a supplementary visual cue for maneuvering the truss structure. Flight controllers and the crew quickly developed a plan to use backup equipment and alternate power to regain all functions except the keel camera, and Wakata began lifting the truss from the shuttle bay about 2 hours and 15 minutes later than originally planned.

The backup arrangement worked perfectly. The electrical bus that experienced the short will remain powered off and will have no impact on the rest of the mission's activities. Wakata latched the truss to the station at 1:20 p.m. as the complex flew 240 statute miles above southern Russia.

Because activities were behind schedule following the morning workaround, flight controllers opted to defer the transfer of some gear from the station's Unity module to the Zarya module until the crew next enters the station, planned for day nine of the mission. In Unity, Pilot Pam Melroy and crewmate Jeff Wisoff opened the hatch where the new truss was attached and, inside a pressurized dome, installed grounding connections between the framework and the station. Afterward, the crew exited the station, and, at 5:57 p.m. CDT, Lopez-Alegria and Commander Brian Duffy sealed the station's outermost hatch.

Duffy and Melroy then lowered Discovery's cabin pressure in preparation for a space walk by astronauts Leroy Chiao and Bill McArthur planned to begin at 9:32 a.m. Sunday. Reducing the cabin pressure from a sea-level pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) to a pressure of about 10.2 psi is part of a protocol that purges nitrogen from the space walker's body to prevent decompression sickness. Chiao and McArthur spent the last couple of hours of their day preparing equipment in the shuttle's lower deck and airlock for tomorrow's venture outside the cabin. During the space walking construction work, the first of four space walks planned during Discovery's mission, the two will connect electrical and computer data cables between the newly attached truss and Unity and deploy two communications antennas from the truss.

The crew begins a sleep period at 9:17 p.m. today and will awaken at 5:17 a.m. Sunday to begin preparations for the six and a half-hour space walk.

Earlier this morning, space station flight controllers in Houston successfully activated and checked out controllers and power sources for Unity's common berthing mechanism, preparing it for the Z1 installation. Discovery's robot arm will be powered up at 7:37 a.m. by NASDA astronaut Koichi Wakata and Mission Specialist Mike Lopez-Alegria. Wakata will maneuver the arm to the Z1 truss in Discovery's payload bay, grappling the box-like frame about 8:20 a.m.

A series of capture latches that secures the truss in place will be commanded open and Wakata will gently raise the Z1 out of the payload bay. With the truss firmly in its grip, the arm will be maneuvered to a position called low hover and will remain during a final inspection to ensure that all seals and petals on the common berthing mechanism are properly aligned for the final installation. Commander Brian Duffy will maneuver Discovery into the proper orientation for installation as the Z1 is moved to its capture position. A series of four "ready to latch" indicators are the signal for Discovery's crew to issue the final capture command, and the Z1 truss should be attached to the Space Station shortly after 10 a.m. today.

Using a laptop computer, Pilot Pam Melroy will command 16 bolts to tighten in a four-stage process to secure the Z1 truss to the Unity module, as Wakata releases the Shuttle's robot arm and moves it back to its cradled position alongside the payload bay. Final connections and outfitting work for the Z1 truss will be accomplished by space-walking astronauts Bill McArthur, Leroy Chiao, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria. Sunday, during the first of four scheduled spacewalks for this flight, McArthur and Chiao will connect a series of power cables, an S-band communications assembly, install a Space to Ground Antenna and boom assembly and install an EVA tool stowage box on the port side of the structure.

With the Z1 installation complete, the astronauts will enter the Zarya module to transfer equipment and supplies for the first resident crew expected to arrive later this month. McArthur and Chiao will configure Discovery's middeck in preparation for Sunday's spacewalk, staging some of the tools, tether and hardware they will use during their planned 6½-hour EVA.

Mission Specialists Bill McArthur and Leroy Chiao will connect two sets of cables to provide power to heaters and conduits located on the Z1 truss, relocate two communication antenna assemblies and install a toolbox for use during future on-orbit construction. The space walk is scheduled to begin about 9:45 this morning. Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata will once again be at the controls of the shuttle's robotic arm, using it to move the two astronauts around Discovery's payload bay and the space station.

Chiao, designated EV1 and recognizable by the red bands on the legs of his spacesuit, and McArthur, designated EV2 in a solid white suit, will devote the first hour of their space walk to set-up activities in Discovery's payload bay, deploying tools and EVA aids including foot restraints and tethers. With that complete, the first task will be to connect the first six umbilical cables between Unity and the truss structure. To ensure that the connectors the astronauts will be working with are not "hot," International Space Station controllers in Houston and Moscow will alternately power down two Russian-to-American Conversion Units, called RACUs. They provide power to some of the systems in the Unity module including the early communication system and some cabin fans. RACU 5 will be powered down to support the first cable installation and reactivated before the power down of RACU 6, ensuring that the Unity module will not be without power during the space walk activities.

A second set of four umbilical power cables will be connected later in the space walk once RACU 5 has been repowered, and RACU 6 deactivated.

Following the first cable installation task, McArthur and Chiao will remove the S-band Antenna Subassembly (SASA) from its launch position on the Z1 truss and place it in a temporary location until it is moved and activated during the STS-97 mission in late November. The SASA is launched in the position where two power conditioning systems - called DDCU-HPs - will be installed during their space walk on Tuesday. McArthur and Chiao will then turn their attention to installing the Space to Ground Antenna (SGANT) deploying its antenna dish. The antenna dish will be removed from its launch location on the Z1 truss with Chiao standing on the robotic arm as McArthur unbolts the dish assembly. Because of thermal limitations, the antenna dish needs to be attached to the boom assembly within an hour after being removed from its launch location.

McArthur and Chiao also will relocate a tool stowage box, located on the support structure for PMA-3 in Discovery's payload bay, for use during future on-orbit construction activities before concluding their space walk and climbing back into Discovery's airlock.

Throughout the EVA, the second team of space walkers on this flight, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria, will act as in-cabin choreographers providing guidance and assistance to McArthur and Chiao and back-up support to robot arm operator Wakata.

Following the conclusion of the space walk, McArthur, Chiao, Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria will resize the spacesuits, recharging batteries and preparing them for the second of four consecutive days of EVAs to expand the International Space Station.

In a 6-hour, 28-minute space walk, McArthur and Chiao connected 10 electrical umbilicals to provide power to heaters and conduits located on the Z1 truss, relocated and deployed two communication antenna assemblies and installed a toolbox for use during future on-orbit construction. The EVA began at 9:27 a.m. CDT and ended at 3:55 p.m. This was the seventh Space Station assembly space walk, the 51st EVA in the Space Shuttle program and the 90th by Americans in the history of the U.S. space program.

Astronaut Koichi Wakata was again at the controls of the Shuttle's robotic arm, using it to move the two astronauts around Discovery's payload bay and the Space Station. McArthur spent most of the time on the end of the mechanical arm working through the long list of cable connections and other tasks. Chiao worked from the end of the arm late in the space walk as he manually unfolded the large ISS Ku-band antenna to its deployed position. That system will be activated next February.

Both astronauts spent the first hour of the EVA deploying tools and EVA aids including foot restraints and tethers. Following the setup, the astronauts worked to connect the first six umbilical cables between Unity and the truss structure. With the first set of cables attached, McArthur and Chiao removed the S-band Antenna Subassembly (SASA) from its launch position on the Z1 truss and placed it in a temporary location where it will remain until it is moved and activated during the STS-97 mission in late November. The SASA was launched in the position where two power converter units will be installed during the third space walk on Tuesday. A second set of four cables was connected before McArthur and Chiao installed the Space to Ground Antenna (SGANT), deploying its antenna dish. The antenna dish was removed from its launch location on the Z1 truss with Chiao standing on the robotic arm as McArthur unbolted the dish assembly. The two space walkers also relocated a tool stowage box, located on the support structure for PMA-3 in Discovery's payload bay, for use during future on-orbit construction.

In tomorrow's EVA, the second team of space walkers on this flight, Jeff Wisoff and Mike Lopez-Alegria, will perform chores in helping to install the Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 (PMA3) to which Space Shuttle Endeavour will dock in early December. The two also will release latches at the top of the Z1 Truss which will be used to hold the large solar arrays that will be brought up on that flight.

The astronauts are due to start their sleep period at 9:17 p.m. CDT and be awakened at 5:17 a.m. Monday.

Today's spacewalk began at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 4:18 p.m., almost exactly as planned. Total time of Tuesday's EVA was 6 hours, 48 minutes. That brings to 20 hours, 23 minutes the total time of the three spacewalks performed thus far in Discovery's mission, and the total time of space station construction spacewalks to 62 hours, 38 minutes. A fourth spacewalk is scheduled for Wednesday. It too will prepare the Z1 Truss for attachment of the solar arrays.

Chaio and McArthur were helped by the robot arm in moving around the station. Koichi Wakata and Mike Lopez-Alegria split the arm-operation duties on Tuesday, with Lopez-Alegria taking the first half.

The spacewalkers also completed power cable connections on both the Z1 truss and newly installed docking port, PMA-3. They connected and reconfigured cables to route power from Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 to PMA-3 for the arrival of Endeavour and the STS-97 crew next month. They also attached a second tool storage box on the Z1 truss, providing a place to hold the tools and spacewalking aids for future assembly flights. McArthur stocked the boxes with tools and hardware that had been attached to the Unity module. STS-96 Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry had left the tools on the outside of Unity during a May 1999 spacewalk.

After today's spacewalk, Discovery Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pam Melroy completed the second of the three station reboosts scheduled for STS-92. They fired reaction control system jets in a series of pulses of 1.4 seconds each, over a 30-minute period, gently raising the station's orbit by about 1.7 statute miles.

On Wednesday astronauts Jeff Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria are scheduled to perform the fourth and final spacewalk of the STS-92 flight. Among activities will be deployment of the Z1 utility tray, and opening and closing of the Z1 Manual Berthing Mechanism latches. Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria also will test the SAFER, or "simplified aid for EVA rescue," a backpack that could enable an astronaut drifting away from the shuttle or the station to get back to the spacecraft. Finally, they will test methods for rescuing an incapacitated astronaut.

Today's space walk, scheduled to begin just before 9:30 a.m.CDT, paves the way for installation of the station's large solar arrays later this year as Chiao and McArthur install two current converter units to process power that will be generated by the arrays, and prepare the worksite where the arrays will be attached. The converter units - called DDCUs - are 129-pound power processing systems that will provide precisely regulated power output from the massive solar arrays. With assistance from robot arm operator Koichi Wakata, who will ferry the spacewalkers around the growing station, Chiao and McArthur will unfasten the DDCUs from their locations in Discovery's payload bay and install them on the Z1 Truss in a process that will take about two hours to complete.

They will then turn their attention to final power cable connections on both the Z1 Truss and newly installed docking port, PMA-3, connecting and reconfiguring cables to route power from PMA-2 to PMA-3 for the arrival of Endeavour and the STS-97 crew next month. Finally, McArthur and Chiao will attach a second tool storage box on the Z1 Truss, providing a place to hold the tools and space walking aids that will be used during upcoming assembly flights. McArthur will retrieve a bag of tools and hardware attached to the exterior of the Unity module and place it in the storage boxes. The tools were temporarily stowed on Unity during a May 1999 space walk conducted by Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry during STS-96, the first shuttle docking with the International Space Station.

Overnight, space station flight controllers in Houston completed commanding a series of 16 bolts to their closed position, securing PMA-3 to its new location on the Unity module, following a planned 12-hour thermal conditioning period. The docking port, installed during yesterday's space walk, will be used by the STS-97 crew when Endeavour docks with the International Space Station.

Once inside, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialist Jeff Wisoff will gather samples from various surfaces in the Zarya module to characterize the onboard environment and identify any microbial growth. They also will inspect and wipe down some surfaces and stowage bags with a fungicide to inhibit microbial growth. Melroy and Wisoff also team up to complete final connections and outfitting of the Z1 pressure dome that links cables between the externally mounted truss structure and the Unity module.

Mission Specialists Bill McArthur and Leroy Chiao will work together to check out the control moment gyros - the attitude control system integrated into the Z1 Truss - connecting a laptop computer to a local power bus and commanding on operational heaters to provide additional warmth for the CMGs prior to their activation following the arrival of the Destiny laboratory module early next year.

NASDA Astronaut Koichi Wakata once again will power up Discovery's robot arm, this time to conduct a photographic survey of the International Space Station.

All seven crew members will participate in transferring equipment between Discovery and the Unity and Zarya modules of the station. The bulk of the material to be transferred to the station includes computer equipment, hardware and IMAX camera equipment that will be used to document life on the station. In return, Discovery will carry a variety of material back to Earth, including a protein crystal growth experiment that has been on board the station since it was installed by the STS-106 crew in early September, becoming the first microgravity science experiment to be conducted on board the space station.

Late in the day, Commander Brian Duffy will begin the process of closing hatches between the Zarya and Unity modules as the seven-member crew leaves the space station. The final hatch closure between Discovery and the International Space Station should occur just before 4:30 p.m. CDT today. Discovery is scheduled to undock from the station Friday morning at 8:40 a.m. CDT.

Duffy, Melroy, Chiao and McArthur will take a break from their activities this morning to discuss their mission with Space.com, ABC Radio Network and KNX Radio, Los Angeles in a series of interviews beginning at 11:57 a.m. CDT.

Discovery has two landing opportunities Monday at KSC, where the weather is expected to be questionable, and three at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The second KSC and first Edwards opportunities are on the same orbit, six minutes apart. Edwards will be activated for a possible Monday landing, but weather there is expected to be marginal. Weather conditions at KSC are not expected to improve over the next two days, while improvement in California is forecast.

For the first Monday landing opportunity - to KSC - Discovery would fire its orbital maneuvering system engines at 12:43 p.m. CDT to begin its descent from orbit, with landing to follow at 1:51 p.m. The second Florida opportunity is one orbit later with a 2:21 p.m. deorbit burn resulting in a landing at 3:28 p.m.

The first opportunity to Edwards would see a deorbit burn at 2:15 p.m. CDT with landing at 3:23 p.m. The second would have Discovery's deorbit burn take place at 3:51 p.m. with landing at 4:58 p.m. and the final opportunity one orbit later with an engine firing at 5:29 p.m. and landing at 6:35 p.m.

Flight controllers in Houston will work through Monday morning to develop a landing plan based on conditions at the two sites.

After "deorbit backout" -- undoing their preparation to come home on Sunday -- the crew spent much of the afternoon relaxing and communicating with their families via computer. STS-92 Mission Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Mike Lopez-Alegria, Jeff Wisoff and Koichi Wakata, are scheduled to go to bed tonight shortly after 9 p.m. and be awakened at 5:17 a.m. Monday.

The International Space Station, from which Discovery undocked Friday, continued to function well. The station flight control room in the Mission Control Center continued to monitor systems on board. They watched and commanded heaters on the huge gyroscopes on the newly installed Z1 truss. The gyros will provide attitude control for the ISS, and the heaters are designed to protect them from damage by the cold of space.

The station trails Discovery by 248 statute miles. The distance is increasing by 5.4 miles each 90-minute orbit of the Earth.

Discovery touched down at 4 p.m. CDT and rolled to a stop on Edward's concrete runway at 4:0l, for a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 21 hours and 43 minutes.

The astronauts fired Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines for the deobrit burn at 2:52 p.m. as the spacecraft was over the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar and east of Kenya. Discovery felt the first traces of the atmosphere about 78 statute miles over the South Pacific, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn and east of Australia. The spacecraft passed south of Hawaii and crossed the California coast over Los Angeles. By the time it landed at Edwards, Discovery had traveled more than 5.3 million statute miles.

Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and NASDA Astronaut Koichi Wakata spent 6 days, 21 hours and 23 minutes docked to the ISS. They left a larger and more complete station that they had helped prepare for the early November arrival of the first station crew. They added two major components, increasing the mass of the ISS by about 10 tons to a total of about 80 tons.

In addition to the total of 27 hours, 19 minutes spent outside the station on the four spacewalks, -- two each by Chiao, McArthur, Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria, the astronauts spent 27 hours and 4 minutes inside, completing connections with the new elements and transferring equipment and supplies for the Expedition 1 crew.

Discovery's crew is scheduled to spend Tuesday night at Edwards. They are to return to Houston on Wednesday, where the crew return ceremony will be held at Ellington Field's Hangar 990 at about 1:30 p.m.

Discovery is targeting a landing later today, after poor weather conditions in Florida and California kept the crew in space two days longer than originally planned. Duffy and his crew mates - Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and NASDA Astronaut Koichi Wakata - will begin their preparations for a return trip to Earth about 8:30 this morning, in anticipation of a landing at either the Kennedy Space Center or Edwards Air Force Base later today.

With continuing strong winds, cloud cover and rain at the Florida landing site, a landing there today remains unlikely. However, there is one opportunity for the crew to land in Florida if weather conditions improve significantly. That opportunity would see a deorbit burn at 1:21 p.m. with landing to follow at 2:28 p.m. An opportunity to return to KSC one orbit earlier, on Orbit 200, has already been ruled out due to the crew's activity timeline

On the west coast, improving weather conditions at Edwards Air Force Base hold promise for Discovery's return. Entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain and his team will watch over the weather this morning and likely will adjust the crew's deorbit timeline to focus on the Edwards opportunities today.

On the first of two opportunities to land at Edwards today, Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines would fire in a deorbit burn at 2:52 p.m. as it passes over the Indian Ocean, just north of Madagascar and east of Kenya, and land at 3:59 p.m. Discovery would encounter the first traces of the atmosphere while flying over the South Pacific, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn and east of Australia and continue its flight over the Pacific, passing well South of the Hawaiian Islands before arriving on the west coast of the United States. As it heads into Edwards Air Force Base, Discovery will pass just south of the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands before crossing the California coastline over Los Angeles.

There is a second opportunity to Edwards with a deorbit burn starting the descent at 4:29 p.m. and landing at 5:35 p.m. A landing today brings to a close the 100th mission in Shuttle program history on a mission that paved the way for the first residents of the orbiting International Space Station.

The ISS Progress 15 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 12:01 a.m. CDT (501 GMT) as the spaceship and the Station flew 225 statute miles over central Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two ships engaged, forming a tight seal.

As the Progress moved in for its linkup, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka was at the controls of a manual docking system in Zvezda, ready to take over the Progress' final approach in the unlikely event its automated docking system encountered a problem. But the docking was flawless. Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke was nearby, collecting video and still imagery of the arrival of the new cargo craft.

The Progress is loaded with 1521 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen and air to replenish the Station's atmosphere, 926 pounds of water and more than 3000 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware.

Among the spare parts that arrived at the Station are new pumps for the U.S. spacesuits onboard that experienced cooling problems in early June while being prepared for a spacewalk to repair a failed power controller. The suits are undergoing troubleshooting in the hope they can be placed back into service in the near future.

Also on the Progress are clothing articles for the next residents that will occupy the Station. Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov are scheduled to launch Oct. 9 on the Soyuz TMA-5 vehicle from Baikonur to begin a six-month stay on the complex, replacing Padalka and Fincke.

Later today, Padalka and Fincke will open hatches between Zvezda and Progress and will begin to transfer its cargo to the orbital outpost.

Roskosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, announced this week the next Station crew will launch at 11:17 p.m. CDT Oct. 10 aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The Expedition 10 crew commander is Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov is flight engineer. Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin will accompany them for launch and spend about a week aboard the Station. Padalka, Fincke and Shargin will return to Earth Oct. 19.

This week, Padalka and Fincke performed routine maintenance work on the station's treadmill, a job done every six months. The treadmill provides cardiovascular training.

Additional troubleshooting work continued on the Elektron oxygen-generating unit. It produces breathing oxygen from wastewater. Sporadic operations of the unit led the Russian flight control team to believe contamination was preventing proper pressurization in a hydrogen line. Padalka cleaned the line. Further work is planned this weekend. As oxygen is generated from water by the unit, hydrogen is dumped overboard.

While the Elektron work continued, the Station's atmosphere was repressurized twice this week using oxygen from tanks on the Progress supply craft docked to the Station. If needed, many months' supply of oxygen is available for the crew even without the use of the Elektron. Oxygen is available on the Station in Progress tanks, Station tanks and oxygen-generating canisters.

The crew also continued to prepare for its trip home by taking food and hardware inventory. They also began stowing cargo containers and personal items for the return trip.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke also began packing for the trip home. The Russian Federal Space Agency announced that launch of the next Station crew, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, is scheduled for 10:06 p.m. CDT Oct. 13. NASA and Russian Station managers met today to review preparations for that mission in a Flight Readiness Review and found everything in order.

Aboard the ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft with Chiao and Sharipov will be Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin. The trio will dock with the Station at 11:24 p.m. CDT Oct. 15. Padalka, Fincke and Shargin will return to Earth in the ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft with a landing in Kazakhstan at 7:32 p.m. CDT Oct. 23. Chiao and Sharipov will remain aboard the Station for six months.

Padalka and Fincke continued troubleshooting the Elektron oxygen generator this week. It has operated intermittently during the past few weeks. The system creates breathing oxygen from water, venting hydrogen overboard from the Station in the process. With plans provided by Russian ground controllers, the crew hooked the system's hydrogen venting line up to a different overboard valve in the Station's Zvezda module. The valve is one that is normally used as part of an atmospheric contaminant control system.

Hooked up to the new vent valve, the Elektron has operated well during several day-long test runs. Meanwhile, the crew continued periodic cleaning of filters in the vent valve normally used by the Elektron, attempting to remove what are believed to be potassium hydroxide particles clogging the system.

Fincke replaced a U.S. air monitoring system in the Destiny Laboratory this week, restoring that system to full operation. Called the Major Constituents Analyzer, the equipment had previously only been operating periodically. Now, with the installation of a new Mass Spectrometer Unit that was delivered to the Station aboard the last Progress cargo craft, the system is operated continuously.

In other work this week, U.S. flight controllers completed a checkout of a Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint, a joint on the Station's exterior that allows radiators to be swiveled to dissipate heat as efficiently as possible. The joints are not needed until more solar arrays are added to the Station after the Space Shuttle has resumed flights.

On Monday, beginning at 9:40 a.m. CDT, Padalka and Fincke will field questions from media representatives at NASA Headquarters, the Johnson Space Center and the Kennedy Space Center during an inflight news conference.

Science activities this week included several sessions by Fincke working with an investigation of soldering in space. Fincke soldered several samples of materials onboard the Station while ground investigators watched and provided real-time insights. The study is aimed at increasing the understanding of soldering capabilities in weightlessness, potentially to allow such equipment to be used for inflight electronics repairs on the Station and future spacecraft.

The crew also continued photographing observations of interesting geologic, environmental and other sites on Earth.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke suited up in their entry spacesuits and slid into the ISS Soyuz 8 (TMA-4) spacecraft docked to the Station to check for a good fit. Meanwhile, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov and Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin also conducted an inspection and fit check of their ISS Soyuz 9 (TMA-5) spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The trio is scheduled to launch from Baikonur at 10:06 p.m. CDT Oct. 13. Their Soyuz will dock with the Station at 11:24 p.m. CDT Oct. 15. Padalka, Fincke and Shargin will land in Kazakhstan at 7:32 p.m. CDT Oct. 23.

In preparation for the next crew's arrival, Fincke inspected the U.S. carbon dioxide removal system so that it can be activated in addition to the Russian system. During the docked mission it will remove the additional carbon dioxide with more people onboard. He also worked with the flight control team to discuss improvements to procedures for future routine maintenance work on the system.

Fincke also continued work on the U.S. spacesuits to restore cooling operations in two of the three suits. Fincke recently restored cooling in one of the suits and started the same procedures on the other by replacing a gas trap and pump inlet filter in the internal cooling system this week. He will work with Chiao during the docked mission to perform a procedure to replace a rotor pump, which is what ultimately restored cooling in the first suit. Next week, the third, fully operational, suit will be hooked up and used to flush water lines in the Quest Airlock in advance of the final repair work.

In other activities, Fincke installed a new cycle ergometer control panel that arrived on the last Progress spacecraft and collected potable water samples for in-flight analysis. They also completed a final bone scan using ultrasound equipment. The experiment, called Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity, simulates and tests procedures for telemedicine situations similar to those in rural areas on Earth. The information can also be used to analyze the changes in bone structure as a result of lengthy stays in microgravity.

The ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft carried Station Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov to orbit along with Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin.

The Soyuz launched at 10:06 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. At the time, the Station was flying in a northeasterly direction about 230 miles above Africa. With Sharipov at the controls, the Soyuz is on course to catch up and dock with the Station at 11:25 p.m. CDT Friday, Oct. 15.

The hatches between the arriving Soyuz 9 spacecraft and the Station will be opened at about 2:25 a.m. CDT Saturday. Live NASA Television coverage of the docking and hatch opening will begin at 10:30 p.m. CDT Friday.

Chiao and Sharipov will stay aboard the Station until April, while Shargin will spend eight days onboard conducting science experiments. Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer and Science Officer Mike Fincke and Shargin will undock from the Station and return to Earth Oct. 23.

Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov smoothly guided his Soyuz craft to a linkup with the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment at 11:16 p.m. CDT Friday. Sharipov took over manual control of the Soyuz' flight part way through the approach when problems were experienced with an automated docking system.The docking proceeded flawlessly under Sharipov's control.

Sharipov, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Thursday. The docking occurred about 225 statute miles above western Russia.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke watched from the Station, photographing the Soyuz as it approached. After leak checks, hatches were opened at 2:13 a.m. CDT, and Padalka and Fincke greeted their first visitors since April.

The ISS Soyuz 8 craft that has been at the Station since April will serve as the return vehicle for Padalka, Fincke and Shargin. Shargin will spend eight days aboard Station conducting science experiments. Today marked the 180th day in space for Padalka and Fincke and their 178th on the complex. Padalka and Fincke will hand over Station operations to Chiao and Sharipov, depart the Station and land in north central Kazakhstan with Shargin on Oct. 23.

The new Soyuz will be relocated from Pirs to the Zarya module docking port by Chiao and Sharipov in November.

Watching the activities at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev were NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Space Shuttle Michael Kostelnik, and ISS Program Manager William Gerstenmaier.

Over the next week, Chiao and Sharipov will familiarize themselves with Station systems and stowed equipment, conduct robotics training with the Canadarm2 robot arm, and receive detailed briefings on scientific payloads. Sharipov and Padalka will perform maintenance work on the oxygen-generating Elektron system, using spare parts carried aboard the new Soyuz. Chiao and Fincke are planned to repair the cooling system of a second U.S. spacesuit.

Returning with them was Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin, who had spent eight days aboard the orbiting complex conducting research.

After a flawless descent by the ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft, Padalka, Fincke and Shargin landed on target in north-central Kazakhstan, about 43 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of the town of Arkalyk, at 7:36 p.m. CDT. Recovery forces arrived at the site within minutes of the touchdown.

Padalka and Fincke spent 187 days, 21 hours and 17 minutes in space. They launched on April 18, on the same Soyuz spacecraft that brought them home. For six months, the pair maintained systems and conducted scientific research onboard the Station.

Fincke's return also is his first opportunity to meet his four-month-old daughter, Tarali Paulina, born June 18 while he was in space. The crew's families are expected to greet them upon their arrival at Star City, Russia, a few hours after landing. Padalka and Fincke will remain in Star City for several weeks of post-flight debriefings and medical exams before returning to Houston in mid-November.

Among their accomplishments on the Station was an unprecedented spacewalking repair, using Russian spacesuits and gear to replace a U.S. circuit breaker, restoring power to a U.S. gyroscope. Fincke also performed some of the most complex U.S. spacesuit repairs ever accomplished in orbit, replacing water pumps in the suits' cooling systems, equipment not designed for in-flight repairs. They completed a total of four spacewalks, including sorties that prepared the Station for the arrival of a new European cargo ship next year.

Aboard the Station, the Expedition 10 crew, Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, are beginning a six-month mission that will include two spacewalks and preparations for the return of Space Shuttle flights. Expedition 10 is scheduled to return to Earth on April 25, 2005.

Chiao and Sharipov will have light duty for the next three days as they rest after completing a busy handover period. For the past week, they have been learning about Station operations from the two men who called the ship home since April. Padalka and Fincke briefed Chiao and Sharipov on day-to-day operations and gave them hands-on opportunities at Station maintenance: Sharipov joined Padalka in completing repairs to the Elektron oxygen-generating system, and Chiao helped Fincke with the maintenance on the U.S. spacesuits. During his time aboard, Shargin completed a program of scientific experiments.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov activated one experiment, the Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle Schools (EarthKAM), participated in several ongoing medical studies related to lengthy stays in microgravity and performed routine maintenance tasks. Their six-month mission will include two spacewalks and preparations for the resumption of Space Shuttle flights, and end with a scheduled return to Earth on April 25, 2005.

Early in the week, the pair received word from Mission Control that the Elektron oxygen generation system's telemetry readings were normal and that the device had been approved for around-the-clock operation. Elektron had been used only when the crew was awake until Sharipov and departing Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka were able to install several replacement parts during joint crew operations.

The return to normal operations came after engineers in Russia used the new hardware to verify that the Elekton was successfully separating oxygen and hydrogen atoms from recycled water after the repairs, and Mission Management Team members reviewed and validated the recommendation on Monday. A software adjustment was uplinked by Russian flight controllers on Tuesday to implement the decision.

Later in the week, Chiao and Sharipov received on-board training in emergency departure procedures and equipment, as well as window inspection techniques. These training sessions were in addition to an hour a day reserved for general familiarization with Space Station systems and procedures; something afforded each new crew as it settles in.

Chiao took time Wednesday for his first solo interviews aboard the Station, answering questions about his plans to vote by secure electronic mail in upcoming local, state and national elections. He spoke with reporters from ABC and CNN.

Meanwhile, Expedition 9 Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, Padalka and Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin returned to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, where they began rehabilitation and debriefings. Padalka and Fincke will remain in Star City for several weeks of post-flight debriefings and medical exams before returning to Houston in mid-November.

A highlight of the week's scientific activities was work with an advanced diagnostic method that could be important to medical care of future crewmembers on long spaceflights. It also could improve medical care in remote areas and emergency medical care on Earth.

The crew devoted considerable time on Thursday and Friday to the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) experiment. The experiment looks at whether crewmembers can perform advanced ultrasound examinations after undergoing computer-based training. Data is sent as the scan is done in space to physicians on the ground, who use it in making a diagnosis.

Chiao, who also is NASA ISS science officer, used Sharipov as an ADUM subject on Thursday, and Sharipov did test scans on Chiao on Friday.

Both crewmembers participated in an emergency medical drill Thursday, looking at procedures and use of Crew Health Care Systems equipment. Later that day Sharipov relocated the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) within the U.S. laboratory Destiny. The device continuously records radiation readings. It is moved periodically to provide information from throughout the Station.

Chiao worked with the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT). It looks at long-term behavior of colloids, particles suspended in liquids like ink, paint and milk, in microgravity. Results should help determine what types of colloids should be studied by future station crews. Chiao spent a little over two hours on BCAT Monday, and worked periodically with the experiment later in the week.

Crewmembers continued their regular exercise sessions and Station maintenance chores. Activities included replacement of smoke detectors in the Zarya module. On Thursday Sharipov spent about an hour and a half checking the continuity of cables on the European Space Agency/Russian Global Timing System. GTS broadcasts time signals downward for global time synchronization. It has had occasional problems recently.

On Tuesday, Election Day, Chiao talked with reporters from Fox News and Associated Press. The conversations focused on Chiao having become the first person in space to vote in a U.S. presidential election when he cast his ballot by e-mail Oct. 31.

Next Monday Chiao and Sharipov will carry out proficiency training in operating the Space Station robotic arm, Canadarm2. To practice their work with the arm, the crew will maneuver the arm to provide camera views of an area of interest on the U.S. Lab module's exterior debris shielding. The area may be a shadow or possibly a dent in the shielding. The area has been observed in previous imagery taken during a Space Shuttle flight several years ago. On Friday the crew will operate the arm again to position its cameras in a prime viewing location for the relocation of the Soyuz by the crew later this month.

Meanwhile, Expedition 9 NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke and Commander Gennady Padalka are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. They are conducting debriefings and rehabilitation as they readapt to Earth's gravity. They are scheduled to return to Houston later this month.

As is the case with every Station crew, practice sessions with the station's 58-foot robotic arm - Canadarm2 - are scheduled early in the increment to exercise the arm and provide practical training for astronauts. Monday, Chiao, in the Destiny Laboratory, used the arm to provide engineers in the Mission Evaluation Room of Mission Control video of a protective panel on the outside the module. A possible indentation was seen there in imagery from the most recent Space Shuttle mission to the Station in November 2002 (STS-113/11A).

Chiao positioned the arm so that cameras could zoom in on the area. The video helped engineers determine that the indentation was not caused by a micrometeoroid or debris strike. The flat spot on the lab shield appeared to be similar to flattened areas seen in shields on the Unity module.

Engineering analysis of the imagery showed these flat spots can occur on the forward and aft triangles of the shields possibly as the result of temperature changes. The shields' protective function and fit is not affected.

Earlier today, Chiao again took command of the robot arm and moved it into position to allow its cameras to view the relocation of the crew's Soyuz spacecraft, a maneuver scheduled for Nov. 29. The crew will fly the Soyuz from the Pirs Docking Compartment to a docking port on the Zarya Control Module. The move will clear the Pirs module for two Russian spacewalks in 2005.

While the crew continued routine housekeeping and exercise chores, scientific research work continued as well. The focus of attention this week was the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test (BCAT), which investigates long-term behavior of particles suspended in various liquids such as ink, paint and milk, in microgravity. Chiao worked with the experiment twice this week to assist investigators in determining what types of colloids should be studied by future crews. Ultimately, the data could help in development of new products for the communications and computer industries.

At midweek, Chiao tried to fix a faulty U.S. spacesuit pump that caused a lack of cooling as discovered in testing during Expedition 9 earlier this year. The work was halted when a small washer-shaped shim could not be found. Flight controllers ended the search Thursday and will evaluate the next course of action. The U.S. suits are not scheduled for use until Space Shuttle flights resume. A new shim may be delivered to the Station aboard the next Progress resupply craft in December.

On Thursday, a circuit breaker tripped aboard the Station that had been powering several pieces of crew equipment. The circuit breaker remains off while the crew and ground teams plan to check the equipment that had been powered. The equipment includes a laptop, the cycle ergometer and a light. Those items will be tested to ensure no problems with them caused the breaker to trip. Today, the crew took photos of the setup for engineers on the ground.

Among activities next week will be a reboost of the Station's altitude, a maneuver performed periodically to maintain the complex's orbit.

The Station is now orbiting at an altitude of 222 statute miles, nearly two miles higher than at the start of the week, following a Russian ground-commanded reboost of the complex Wednesday using the engines of the Russian Progress resupply ship docked to the Zvezda Service Module. While the engine firing to raise the Station's altitude lasted the planned duration of 9 minutes and 9 seconds, the use of fuel from one of the Progress' two fuel tanks rather than the fuel tank on Zvezda resulted in a slightly lower performance of the engines, leaving the Station slightly below its expected final altitude from the reboost.

While the lower altitude does not impact operation of the Station, a team of Russian system experts has been set up to investigate the cause and determine if any action will be required to compensate for the lower altitude. Options under consideration include a second reboost early in December or a possible one-day change in the launch of the next resupply ship, ISS Progress 16, scheduled to lift off Dec. 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Also during the week, Expedition Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov conducted science experiments, checked Russian Orlan spacesuits and performed routine Station housekeeping activities.

On Monday, the crew completed ultrasound scans as part of the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment (ADUM). This experiment, first performed during Expedition 5, is designed to determine the ability of astronauts in space to conduct exams using this onboard medical device. If successful, the experiment may have widespread applications in emergency and rural health care on Earth.

A second experiment was conducted this week in the Destiny Laboratory. Known as the Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM), the experiment uses crew-installed software to monitor communications and analyze the amount of data flowing between payloads. In other science work, Sharipov collected samples for the PLANT experiment and participated in two Russian programs: a medical operations test dubbed HEMATOKRIT that measures red blood cell count and SPRUT, a study of human body fluids.

Throughout the week, Sharipov also worked on two Russian Orlan spacesuits. He removed parts from one suit that has exceeded its lifetime on orbit and will be discarded next month when the ISS Progress 15 cargo ship is undocked for disposal. He also tested a new Orlan suit that he will wear during a pair of spacewalks with Chiao in January and March.

On Tuesday, the crew talked with students at a middle school in Gaithersburg, Md. The event was held with the Department of Education to highlight the benefits of international relationships and cooperation during the fifth annual International Education Week.

Both crewmembers conducted routine Station maintenance activities including a cleaning of an atmosphere scrubbing system electronics box and the experiment rack areas of the Destiny Lab. Chiao also installed fireport labels and both took part in crew medical officer skills training. Chiao spent time Friday taking inventory of U.S. items that also will be disposed in the Progress resupply ship next month.

The crew wrapped up the week with a ham radio pass with students in Mare, Italy. Over the weekend, the crew will enjoy some off-duty time, private family conferences and a few small tasks such as battery charging and routine housekeeping.

Next Wednesday, the thrusters on the ISS Soyuz 9 return craft mated to the Pirs Docking Compartment will be test-fired in advance of the planned undocking of the vehicle by the crew on Nov. 29 for its redocking to the Zarya module. The brief relocation flight will free up Pirs for sole use as an airlock for the two spacewalks early next year.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov will vacate the Station briefly on Monday. After configuring Station systems for autonomous operation, they will fly their Soyuz spacecraft from one parking spot to another on the complex. To prepare for the Soyuz repositioning, Sharipov test-fired the Soyuz steering jets Wednesday. Today, the crew reviewed their plans for the brief undocking and redocking activities with ground controllers and closed the hatch between the ISS Progress 15 resupply craft and the Zvezda Service Module. Other hatches will be closed Sunday and early Monday prior to the Soyuz maneuver.

At 3:29 a.m. Central time Monday, Sharipov, the Soyuz commander, and Chiao will undock the spacecraft from a port on the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment. They will back away to a distance of about 30 meters (98 feet) and then move laterally about 14 meters (45 feet) along the Station to briefly hold position facing the nadir docking port on the complex's Zarya module. The crew will then rotate the craft to align with the new docking port, and will guide the Soyuz in for its redocking at Zarya at about 4 a.m. Central time. The move will clear Pirs for use as an airlock from which Chiao and Sharipov will conduct two Russian spacewalks early next year.

Monday's activities will be broadcast live on NASA Television beginning at 3 a.m. CST.

A thruster test conducted on Wednesday showed all systems ready for the move, although Russian flight controllers did see the same indication of a possible reduction in pressure or fuel flow from one Soyuz thruster as had been noted during the spacecraft's arrival at the complex in October. Since the abnormal indication poses no problem for the safe operation of the Soyuz on Monday or in the future, Station managers gave final approval Wednesday for the 30-minute maneuver. A further test of the same thruster originally planned during the repositioning Monday to gather more data for Russian specialists monitoring the system was canceled today by Russian managers since it involves a thruster that will not be used during Monday's procedure.

Also this week, the crew began preparations for the undocking of the Progress cargo craft attached to the Station. The crew reinstalled a docking mechanism on the resupply vehicle, which will be undocked from the complex and deorbited a few days before Christmas.

Russian managers have elected not to conduct another reboost of the Station to make up for a slight shortfall in altitude resulting from last week's firing of the Progress engines. As a result, Russian space officials are expected to move the launch of the new ISS Progress 16 resupply craft one day -- to December 24 (December 23, U.S. time) -- with a docking to the Station on December 26 (Christmas Day, U.S. time) to meet the current altitude of the complex. A final decision on the adjustment to the Progress launch date is expected early next week.

The crew took the day off Thursday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, enjoying packaged smoked turkey and potatoes. They also have off-duty time planned for the weekend before getting an early start Sunday evening to prepare for the Soyuz move in the wee hours Monday.

Having configured Station systems for autonomous operation, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Expedition Commander Leroy Chiao sent the command to undock the craft from the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment at 3:29 a.m. Central time (929 GMT) as they flew 225 miles over the southern Atlantic Ocean. Physical separation of the two craft occurred three minutes later.

Sharipov, seated in the center seat of the Soyuz' descent module compartment, and Chiao seated to his left, backed the capsule away from the Station to a distance of about 30 meters (98 feet). They then commanded the Soyuz to fly laterally along the Station about 14 meters (45 feet) before rotating the Soyuz 135 degrees to align it with the earthward-facing docking port on the adjacent Zarya module. The vehicle was held in position for eight minutes of stationkeeping, ensuring correct alignment of the docking mechanisms before the crew began the final approach toward the Station.

Docking occurred at 3:53 a.m. Central time (0953 GMT) as the Soyuz and the Station passed over western Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches engaged between the Soyuz and Zarya to link the return vehicle and the Station firmly together. After a series of leak checks, the crew planned to reenter the Station to begin reconfiguring Station operating systems for normal operations.

The repositioning of the Soyuz cleared Pirs, which also serves as an airlock, for a pair of spacewalks by Chiao and Sharipov early next year.

To put the Station in the preferred configuration for two spacewalks out of the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment next year, Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov moved their ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft Monday from Pirs to the Earth-facing docking port on the Zarya module during a 21-minute flight. The work to prepare the Station for possible autonomous operations, and then to reconfigure it for normal operations, stretched from Sunday afternoon until early Monday afternoon.

After getting off duty time Tuesday and Wednesday to rest, Chiao and Sharipov spent the rest of the week on routine maintenance tasks, such as the regeneration of filter cartridges in the Elektron oxygen generation system. They also completed audits of on board computer hardware and food as mission managers finalize the appropriate manifest for the next Russian cargo craft. The ISS Progress 16 spacecraft will ferry food, fuel, clothing and other supplies to the Station. The audit of food supplies aboard the Station confirmed that sufficient food remains for the crew until arrival of the next supply craft. Managers have adjusted the amount of food to be carried on the Progress, however, to ensure onboard stores are fully replenished.

Included in the cargo are three laptop computers that will return the Station Support Computer network to full functionality. This week, one of the computers that crewmembers use to access messages while working at the Zvezda module's command post, failed. Another computer is being temporarily moved from Sharipov's sleep station to the command post until the new laptops are delivered.

The new Progress cargo ship is targeted for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:19 p.m. CST on Dec. 23 (2219 GMT), and is due to arrive at the Station just after 6 p.m. CST on Christmas night (0005 GMT on Dec. 26).

Chiao and Sharipov will spend time over the next three weeks loading unneeded materials from throughout the Station into the Progress currently mated to the Zvezda module. It will be undocked and deorbited on Dec. 22.

On Tuesday, Sharipov located a missing component of an American spacesuit's cooling pump. The shim, a washer-shaped piece of metal that is custom fit for each spacesuit, was missing last month at a time when Chiao was repairing the spacesuit's pump assembly. The shim was planned to be installed in a portion of the spacesuit in a pure oxygen environment to ensure it is in pristine condition and free of contamination. Spacewalk specialists at the Johnson Space Center decided further spacesuit repair attempts will utilize a new shim to be delivered on the upcoming Progress to avoid any potential contamination from the shim that was temporarily lost.

On Wednesday, Station managers reviewed preparations for the upcoming launch of the unpiloted Russian ISS Progress 16 resupply ship from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They confirmed that work is progressing well for the scheduled liftoff at 4:19 p.m. CST Dec. 23.

The spacecraft will bring 2½ tons of food, fuel, clothing and other supplies to the complex. Almost 70 food containers have been added to the craft's manifest to replenish onboard supplies. Progress 16 is scheduled to arrive at the Station at about 6:05 p.m. CST Christmas night. Along with food, water, spare parts, science gear and equipment, the craft will carry Christmas gifts and other personal items for Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov.

ISS Progress 15, currently attached to the Station, will be undocked from the rear of the Zvezda Service Module at 1:32 p.m. CST Dec. 22, clearing the aft port for the new vehicle.

Throughout the week, Chiao prepared the U.S. laboratory Destiny for the arrival of additional science experiments. He helped with several tests of the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) in one of the payload racks that will be used to house investigations. Ground controllers at the Payload Operations Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center commanded the rack to move. Chiao removed guides before the tests and reported the movements he observed to the controllers.

The ARIS includes actuators that allow the rack to move slightly to protect delicate experiments it houses from vibrations caused by Station systems and the crew's movement. Destiny houses five payload racks. Three, including one with ARIS, house active experiments. The other two, including the one tested this week, are used to store experiments.

Today, Chiao took photos of the Binary Colloidal Alloys Test. Researchers are using the experiment to study fluids like milk or paint that have particles suspended in them. The experiment samples are shaken initially and then photographed periodically to document how the particles settle in microgravity. Researchers hope to use this data to develop new technologies ranging from rocket propulsion to cable television.

Chiao and Sharipov participated in a Russian experiment to test the human cardiovascular system in space. The test included Sharipov wearing a special suit called the Chibis, which simulates forces on the musculoskeletal system using suction. It also provides information for researchers to evaluate the human body's adaptation to living in space without gravity for long periods.

Last weekend, Chiao did the fourth of five scheduled sessions of the In-Space Soldering Investigation. The experiment studies the behavior of soldering equipment in space so techniques can be refined for future spacecraft development and repair.

Maintenance work this week included conditioning of U.S. spacesuit batteries, gathering inter-module air duct measurements, collecting water and air samples for analysis, and installing cables in the Russian segment. Crewmembers also held a fire drill, which included the procedures they would use if they had to leave the Station in an emergency.

Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, a third of the way through their planned six-month mission, put the Station's 58-foot robotic arm through its paces. They also installed cables and a switching unit for the docking system that will guide the European Space Agency-provided Automated Transfer Vehicle to docking when it makes its maiden voyage next year.

Research activities focused on bone and abdominal scans for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment, which is evaluating the ability of crewmembers with minimal medical training to work with doctors on the ground and diagnose medical problems.

Chiao and Sharipov inventoried gear and loaded the ISS Progress 15 cargo vehicle with trash and unneeded equipment for disposal when that craft is jettisoned. At 1:34 p.m. CST Wednesday, a day before the launch of the next cargo ship, Progress 15 will be released from the rear of the Zvezda Service Module to clear that docking port. It will be commanded to deorbit and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Preparations for the launch of the ISS Progress 16 resupply ship are on schedule at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Progress 16 is scheduled for liftoff at 4:19 p.m. CST Dec. 23, carrying 2.5 tons of food, fuel, clothing and Christmas gifts. The cargo ship is scheduled to dock with the Station at about 6:04 p.m. CST Christmas Day.

Due to the length of the crew's day on Dec. 25, the hatch to the Progress will not be opened until the next morning, when they will begin to unload their Christmas cargo.

Maintenance activities this week included turning off the Russian oxygen generation system so that remaining oxygen in the Progress 15 tanks could be used, preventive work on the Zvezda Service Module's ventilation system and charging the batteries of the heart defibrillator that would be used in the event of a medical emergency.

To prepare for the Space Shuttle's return-to-flight mission, STS-114, Chiao and Sharipov conducted the first full inventory of the Quest airlock module since Expedition 4. The top-to-bottom inspection was designed to account for all spacesuit components, tools and support equipment that will be needed for the three spacewalks planned during STS-114/LF-1. The full review will allow the Shuttle and Station programs to update cargo manifests with additional items if needed.

As the Progress launched, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov were a few minutes from the start of their sleep period. The Station was flying over western Chile at an altitude of 225 statute miles at the time of lift off.

Engine firings are scheduled overnight to raise and refine the Progress' orbit and its path to the Station for an automated docking at 5:31 p.m. CST Dec. 25. It will dock to the aft port of the Station's Zvezda living quarters module. This will be the 16th Progress spacecraft to dock with the Station. The Christmas Day docking will be broadcast live on NASA Television beginning at 4:30 p.m. CST.

The Progress is carrying 5,000 pounds of food, fuel, oxygen, water, spare parts and holiday presents to the crew. It's loaded with 1,234 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water, and more than 2,700 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. The manifest also includes about a 112-day supply of food in 69 containers to replenish the Station pantry. Other items on the Progress include new laptop computers, replacement parts for the U.S. spacesuits and additional components for the arrival next year of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, another type of automated cargo craft.

Chiao and Sharipov are scheduled to open the hatch to the Progress shortly after 12 p.m. CST Sunday to begin unloading the cargo.

The Progress spacecraft that had been at the Station since August was undocked yesterday by Russian flight controllers at 1:37 p.m. CST. Filled with discarded items, it was commanded to deorbit about four hours later and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.

The crew also continued their science research this week. Chiao and Sharipov conducted another in a series of tests of the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Micro-G experiment.

On the first day, they took turns performing bone and dental scans on each other. One day later, after six hours of fasting, Sharipov was the subject for abdominal scans. Chiao also performed an abdominal scan on Sharipov to recover from a previous session during which data was lost.

They also used the Crew Medical Restraint System for positioning the subject and electrodes for electrocardiogram recording. The scanning and post-scan activities were videotaped and photographed for downlinking to the ground for interpretation. The experiment tests the diagnostic capability of ultrasound for medical contingencies that could occur in a space environment

Later in the week, Chaio and the ground team conducted their post-session analysis to discuss the successful ultrasound scans and in particular the abdominal scan conducted on Salizhan. Conducting the scans repeatedly increases the proficiency of crewmembers.

The experiment has already demonstrated the capability of non-medical personnel to downlink diagnostic information for evaluation by medical specialists on the ground. This "telemedicine" technique has application to emergency medical care in remote areas of the earth, as well as for astronaut crews traveling beyond low earth orbit.

The ISS Progress 16 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 5:58 p.m. CST (2358 GMT) as the spaceship and the Station flew 225 statute miles over Central Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two ships engaged, forming a tight seal between the two vehicles. The docking occurred about 30 minutes later than planned so that the linkup could occur over Russian ground stations with the benefit of television from the cargo ship and real-time data.

As the Progress moved in for its linkup, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov was at the controls of a manual docking system in Zvezda, ready to take over the Progress' final approach in the unlikely event its automated docking system encountered a problem. But the docking was flawless. Station Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao was nearby, taking video and still photos of the Progress arrival.

Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, the Progress is loaded with 1,234 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen and air to help maintain the Station's atmosphere, 926 pounds of water and more than 2,700 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. The manifest also includes 69 containers of food, about a 112-day supply.

After an extended sleep period this evening, the crew will be awakened Sunday morning to conduct leak checks at the hatch interface between the Progress and Zvezda. They will open the Progress hatch shortly after noon CST (1800 GMT) Sunday to begin unloading its cargo.

Among the new items that arrived at the Station are laptop computers, new spares for U.S. spacesuits and components for the arrival next year of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo craft.

Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov will count down to 2005 on their own as they watch the onboard clock reach midnight Greenwich Mean Time -- the official time of the International Space Station. As they start their day, they'll watch for fireworks from orbit and try to capture images with onboard cameras. After watching the world celebrate, they'll have New Year's Day off-duty, with only light routine housekeeping tasks planned. The crew spent the last five days hard at work unloading the more than two and a half tons of supplies that arrived on the unmanned Progress 16 cargo ship Christmas Day. Working with the ground team and the Inventory Management System, the crew systematically transferred items into long-term stowage locations. On the Progress manifest were 560 kilograms (1,235 pounds) of propellant, 420 kilograms (926 pounds) of water and 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of air, plus other hardware and science equipment. The vehicle also brought 69 food containers, enough to feed two people for about 112 days.

Included in the science materials are student experiments from 11 schools and organizations. The experiments include a variety of materials and seeds packaged in 20 small, clear vials that will be returned to Earth on a future Space Shuttle flight. After receiving the space-flown samples, the students will compare their development to that of ground samples.

Flight controllers and Earth observation specialists in Houston are working to identify opportunities for the crew to capture photographs of coastal changes caused by recent Indian Ocean earthquakes and tsunami. Experts hope to bring down electronic images early next week after the Station passes over the affected areas while the crew is awake and the affected areas are in daylight.

Other tasks throughout the week included calibration of the onboard gas analyzer, a test activation of Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves and cable replacement and calibration for the Resistive Exercise Device. Chiao also conducted a routine inspection of the portable breathing apparatus, fire extinguisher and emergency lighting power supplies on the U.S. modules.

The week also included a number of video and audio conferences for the crewmembers including two press conferences, management and planning discussions and time with their families.

Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov rang in the New Year Saturday to a special rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" offered from Mission Control. They also received greetings from Russian space officials in Moscow.

Today, the crew took time from its activities to observe the Russian Orthodox Christmas. They have a light weekend planned with only a few routine maintenance tasks scheduled.

The crew conducted a variety of biomedical experiments throughout the week, including the NEUROCOG experiment which studies how the body's sense of balance, or neurovestibular system, adapts to weightlessness. During the experiment, the crew member subject moves around the cabin wearing a virtual reality headset.

Chiao and Sharipov also offered a message of condolence to the victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in southern Asia. Today Chiao and Sharipov took some time to discuss the progress of their mission with students at the Central Park Middle School in Schenectady, N.Y.

On New Year's Day, the Station's Elektron oxygen-generation system shut down. The crew has had some success in recovering the operation of that system this week. The Elektron, which separates water into hydrogen and oxygen, is one of several systems that can be used to replenish oxygen in the Station cabin. Almost five months of oxygen reserves are aboard the Station in other systems.

With help from Russian technical experts, the crew early this week tried to purge gas from the Elektron lines, using both a manual pump and an electrical pump. The gas bubbles were believed to be causing pumps in the Elektron to shut down. As troubleshooting continued, the crew on Thursday replaced the electrolyte in the Elektron with that from a spare unit. The Elektron was then successfully restarted, although later that day the system was switched from a primary pump to a backup pump. The Elektron has continued to operate intermittently since.

While the Elektron was out of service on Tuesday, oxygen was added to the Station atmosphere from tanks on the Progress cargo craft.

The software work was under way for much of the week, updating more than 1.5 million lines of code in the onboard command and control computers. Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov also measured cardiovascular systems and conducted routine mid-term physical evaluations.

The software upgrade generally improves the operations of onboard computers and, through its updates, decreases the number of workarounds or, Station Program Notes (SPNs), ground flight controllers must use by about 300.

Sharipov began early preparations of gear that will be used during the two crewmembers' Jan. 26 spacewalk. During the spacewalk, they will install a new work platform on the exterior of the Zvezda living quarters module, hook up a small robotic experiment and install other scientific gear on the Station's exterior. The first of two planned spacewalks for Expedition 10, it will be conducted from the Russian airlock using Russian spacesuits.

Formal preparations for the spacewalk begin Monday. The 4½ hour spacewalk will be broadcast live on NASA Television, beginning at 12 a.m. CST Jan. 26. The spacewalk is expected to begin about 1:25 a.m. CST.

All Station environmental control and life support systems are operating well, including the Elektron oxygen generating unit. Though Saturday is planned as an off duty day for the crew, flight controllers plan a reboost of the Station's altitude of about 5 statute miles (8.5 kilometers) using engines on the attached Progress cargo craft. The reboost engine firing will last almost 20 minutes.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov are scheduled to leave the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock at 1:25 a.m. CST. Most of their spacewalk tasks involve outfitting the outside of the Zvezda Service Module.

They will install a work platform, mount a robotics experiment, check vents on systems that help control the Station's atmosphere and install a scientific experiment.

After completing the work outside Zvezda, they will move back to Pirs. There, outside the docking compartment, they will install an experiment that examines the impact of spaceflight on microorganisms. They are expected to re-enter Pirs and close the hatch about 7 a.m.

Sharipov and Chiao completed one spacewalk prerequisite Friday morning. Both did the required cardiovascular evaluation exercise using one of the Station's bicycle-like devices. They also did leak, valve and pressure checks on their Orlan spacesuits and the Orlan interface units in Pirs, completed suit communications checks and did a review of the spacewalk plan with flight controllers in Moscow.

Spacewalk activity earlier in the week included spacesuit battery charging beginning Tuesday, as well as preparation of spacewalk hardware and tools that day. They spent three hours staging equipment and tools on Wednesday, and on Thursday they activated and tested the suits.

Both suits will have red stripes. Chiao will be distinguishable by the U.S. flag on his shoulder.

The spacewalk will be broadcast live on NASA Television, beginning at midnight. CST Jan. 26. Coverage will continue through the end of the spacewalk.

In other activities during the past week, flight controllers on Jan. 15 raised the Station's altitude by about 5.5 statute miles in a 20-minute reboost using engines of the ISS Progress 16 cargo craft docked at the rear of Zvezda. That was done to put the Station in the proper orbit for the arrival of ISS Progress 17 spacecraft, scheduled for launch Feb. 28 and docking March 2.

For much of the week, flight controllers conducted vibration and current tests on one of the 600-pound control moment gyros (CMGs) that control the orientation of the Station in space. The CMGs normally operate at 6,600 rpms, but can be operated at 15 other speeds. The test involved running CMG 2 at each of those speeds for four hours.

The CMGs use solar power. Three of the four on board are functioning, though the Station's attitude could be controlled with two. The CMG which failed in mid-2002 is to be replaced on the next Shuttle mission.

Clad in Russian Orlan spacesuits, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov left the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock at 1:43 a.m. CST and quickly set up tools and tethers for their excursion. With no one left inside, Station systems were either deactivated or put in autonomous operation for the duration of the spacewalk. Hatches were also closed between the U.S. and Russian segments of the complex in the unlikely event the crew would not have been able to return to the outpost.

The first order of business was the installation of a Universal Work Platform at the forward end of the large conical section of Zvezda. Atop the platform they mounted a German commercial experiment called Rokviss (Robotics Component Verification on ISS).

The Rokviss consists of a small double-jointed manipulator arm, an illumination system and a power supply. An antenna for the robotic device to receive commands was also installed by Chiao and Sharipov along with cabling. At first the antenna did not receive the proper power. Chiao and Sharipov returned to the antenna work site and remated two electrical connectors. Russian engineers then reported that the Rokviss system was operating normally.

The system is designed to be commanded by operators on the ground in Germany. It can also be operated by the crew from a workstation inside Zvezda. Rokviss will test the ability of lightweight robotic joints to operate in the vacuum of space for future assembly work or satellite repair and servicing.

Chiao and Sharipov moved a Japanese commercial experiment from one bracket on the outside of Zvezda to an adjacent bracket. The experiment, first deployed on Station by the Expedition 3 crew in October 2001, resembles an open attaché case and is designed to collect data on micrometeoroid impacts and the effect of the microgravity environment on a number of materials housed on witness plates.

Chiao and Sharipov then moved to another section of Zvezda to inspect nearby environmental system vents that are used for the Elektron oxygen-generator, the Vozdukh carbon dioxide scrubber and a particle contaminant purification device.

Sharipov reported that he saw both a white and brownish residue near the Elektron and Vozdukh ports and what appeared to be an oily substance on insulation surrounding the ports. Russian specialists added the task to the spacewalk a few weeks ago in light of recent technical problems with those systems, and will analyze photos taken by Sharipov to see if any corrosion or clogging of the vent ports may have contributed to periodic problems with those components.

As the spacewalk drew to a close, Chiao and Sharipov installed a Russian experiment called Biorisk near the hatch to the Pirs airlock. Biorisk consists of several canisters on a bracket that contain microorganisms and materials that will collect data on the effect of the space environment for ecological analysis back on Earth.

With their work complete, Chiao and Sharipov returned to Pirs and closed the hatch at 7:11a.m. CST to complete their spacewalk. After repressurizing Pirs, Chiao and Sharipov were scheduled to return to the Station, remove their spacesuits, reactivate the ISS systems and open the hatches to the U.S. segment. The crew will begin its sleep period early this afternoon and enjoy an off-duty day on Thursday.

It was the first spacewalk for Sharipov and Chiao's fifth. The excursion was the 57th in support of ISS assembly and maintenance, the 32nd staged from the ISS itself and the 14th from Pirs. A total of 343 hours and 45 minutes of spacewalking time has been logged in the Station's lifetime.

Chiao and Sharipov are scheduled to conduct a second spacewalk in late March to install additional equipment for the maiden arrival of the European Space Agency's "Jules Verne" Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) cargo ship. The unpiloted cargo carrier is targeted for launch late this year.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov did a spacewalk dry run on Monday, putting on their Russian spacesuits, checking pressures and data streams and then removing the suits. Tuesday they reconfigured Station systems for automated operations in preparation for the spacewalk. The hatches in the U.S. segment were also closed to isolate each module. Cameras were set up for ground controllers to monitor the interior.

Sharipov and Chiao stepped outside at 1:43 a.m. CST Wednesday. They completed their planned tasks in 5 hours and 28 minutes and returned to the Pirs Docking Compartment. They closed its hatch at 7:11 a.m. CST. Primary tasks of the spacewalk included installing a small German robotic experiment and associated cabling and an antenna. They also installed scientific experiments and inspected and took pictures for later downlink of environmental control system vents, looking for any contamination that could cause irregular operation.

With their first successful spacewalk of the mission under their belt, Chiao and Sharipov worked the rest of the week on setting up for normal operations. Thursday and Friday saw the crew reconfiguring the Station systems, storing spacesuits and tools, and enjoying 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 of Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), an unpiloted cargo carrier, later this year.

The crew will have the usual light-duty weekend with cleaning and exercise on tap. Chiao, who is the NASA ISS Science Officer, can also choose from various research activities for his optional Saturday Morning Science session.

Commander Leroy Chiao began the effort Feb. 1 and reported Friday that he has completed pre-packing all U.S. hardware identified for return, and that he and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov are working together to do the same for the appropriate Russian hardware. Chiao also completed an inventory of food supplies.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips will be on board the Station when Discovery arrives in May, and will work with the STS-114 crew to stow the return items after supplies and equipment being delivered have been transferred. The Expedition 10 crew's pre-packing efforts will help ensure that the limited amount of transfer time available during Discovery's visit is used efficiently.

Scientific research also highlighted the week, with Sharipov conducting three runs with the Russian Plasma-Crystal experiment, while Chiao worked with two student experiments. "Plazmennyi Kristall" is studying how plasma-dust crystals and fluids behave in microgravity when excited by radio waves. Sharipov set up the experiment, installing specimens and pumping the atmosphere out of its vacuum chamber so that telescience specialists on the ground could command its operations. Chiao installed the EarthKAM experiment on a bracket in one of the Station's windows for its final Expedition 10 session. Students at 160 middle schools around the world have snapped more than 900 Earth observation images by remote control so far. Chiao also worked with the Space Experiment Module-Satchel experiment, which contains 11 sample vials, one each from schools around the United States, that are exposed to microgravity for three to six months. This is the first flight of the satchel carrier, which was delivered to the Station by the Progress 16 resupply ship.

Chiao also spent several hours working to restore the Space Integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System (SIGI) to full functionality. The system, which supplies Global Positioning Satellite navigation information to a Station guidance and navigation computer, was working normally again after Chiao rotated out one of the Destiny Laboratory's systems racks to gain access and update the system's firmware programming.

The crew will have the usual light-duty weekend with cleaning and exercise on tap. Chiao, who is the NASA ISS Science Officer, can also choose from various research activities for his optional Saturday Morning Science session.

The all-Asian crewmembers commemorated a New Year as they passed their four-month mark in space. Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov delivered a special message in honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrated Tuesday. The message included greetings in Russian and Mandarin, which Chiao speaks fluently.

Chiao and Sharipov began the workweek with a checkout of the onboard defibrillator as well as continued preparation and packing of items to be transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's Multipurpose Logistics Module during the Shuttle Return to Flight mission scheduled for May or June. The preparations included several hours early in the week with stowage and audit activities of spacesuit equipment in the Quest Airlock, including inventory of tool and maintenance kits.

Other technical tasks completed during the week included installation of a Navigation Receiving Module in the Russian segment for Station attitude determination. Chiao continued work in the Quest, regenerating two Metal Oxide or METOX canisters for use in U.S. spacesuits. Those canisters "scrub" air exhaled into the spacesuit system of carbon dioxide and recharge the oxygen.

The crew also deactivated the Russian Elektron oxygen generation system Wednesday. The planned deactivation allows the use of oxygen from the docked ISS Progress 16 cargo vehicle. It also reduces Progress to the weight necessary for its undocking scheduled for Feb. 27. Two repressurizations are planned. The first repress, of about 10mmHg, is scheduled for Feb. 15, and the second, about 15mmHg, for Feb. 25. The Elektron is scheduled to be reactivated in early March.

After a successful preplanned attitude transition maneuver Tuesday, return of attitude control was interrupted when one of the Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMG) became saturated and lost its ability to control the Station's orientation.

Attitude control was automatically taken over by the Russian Attitude Control System thrusters for about one orbit, using about 14 kilograms of propellant. The CMG saturation was the result of an incorrect ground command. The ground team recognized the source of the error and issued the command to properly reposition the CMG. The CMGs then resumed control and the thrusters were turned off. The crew's workday was unaffected by the events.

Along with their technical tasks and maintenance activities, the crewmembers supported nearly 14 hours of science and medical experiments. Sharipov worked on the Cardio-Cog experiment and Plasma Crystal, a Russian experiment that studies plasma dust crystals and fluids in microgravity. Chiao captured still photos documenting the progress of the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test, which looks at the long-term behavior of colloid particles suspended in fluids, such as ink, paint and milk.

Both crewmembers participated in continued studies as part of the ADUM, or Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity, experiment. After some computer-based proficiency training earlier in the week, on Friday, they performed scans with Chiao serving as the test subject. This experiment could have applications on Earth by assisting in the diagnosis of patients in rural or remote areas.

Also highlighting the crew's week was a live education event with Crossroads Elementary School, a NASA Explorer School in Saint Paul, Minn. Tuesday the crew also had a special conference call with Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Edelhard Bulman, the German Minister of Education and Science, who were discussing future German/Russian space cooperation ventures.

Station Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov are in the fifth month of a six month stay in orbit. The cargo craft now attached to the Station, ISS Progress 16, will be undocked, reenter the atmosphere and burn up on Feb. 27. A new supply craft, ISS Progress 17, is set to launch on Feb. 28 from Baikonur, Kazakstan, and dock to the complex on March 2.

This week, several steps were taken to ensure all supplies are used from aboard the current supply craft before it is jettisoned. On Tuesday, Russian flight controllers used fuel from the attached Progress craft to fire its engines for about seven and a half minutes, boosting the Station's orbit by about two miles. Later in the week, additional propellant was transferred from that craft into tanks aboard the Station.

Oxygen from tanks aboard the Progress is the primary method at present for refreshing the Station cabin air. Several repressurizations of the cabin using that oxygen are planned to deplete those tanks before the craft is jettisoned. The Elektron system, a system that normally generates oxygen for the cabin by recycling wastewater, has been intentionally turned off.

On Friday, Sharipov removed equipment associated with the Kurs automatic docking system from the Progress craft and stored it aboard the Station for reuse. Next week the crew will spend several hours stowing unneeded gear and trash aboard the cargo ship.

Other tasks completed by the crew this week included a semi-annual, thorough inspection of the special exercise treadmill. Over the course of several days, the crew partially disassembled the treadmill, which includes a special vibration isolation system to prevent exercise from disturbing sensitive experiments on the Station, to inspect its components. All was found in good condition, except for the loss of one small, non-essential battery used to operate a timer.

Mission Control powered up the Mobile Base System, a type of rail car base for the Station's robotic arm that allows it to move up and down the truss, to check its operation. Controllers found that they could not receive video from a television camera mounted on a mast on the base system, nor would the camera respond to pan and tilt commands. Engineers are evaluating the problem and planning possible troublehsooting. The camera is among several exterior Station cameras planned to be used next week during a test of ground-commanded remote control of the robotic arm from Mission Control. Chiao and Sharipov took time out from their activities to speak with attendees at the European Space Agency Conference on Space in Brussels, Belgium, this week.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov spent part of the week packing the Russian Progress supply spacecraft with trash and other items no longer needed on the Station. They closed the hatch between Progress and the Zvezda Service Module this morning in advance of the ship's undocking Sunday.

The unpiloted spacecraft will be undocked Sunday at 11:06 a.m. EST. A pair of engine firings will place the vehicle in an orbit a safe distance away from the Station to allow Russian flight controllers to conduct engineering tests before it is commanded to reenter the Earth's atmosphere on March 9 and burn up. The Progress arrived at the Station in December, bringing food and supplies to Chiao and Sharipov.

The next Progress that will be sent to the Station, will be moved to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tomorrow for final preparations for its liftoff Monday at 2:09 p.m. EST. After a two-day journey, docking is scheduled on Wednesday, March 2, at 3:15 p.m. EST. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the docking beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST. This will be the 17th Progress to dock with the Station.

The new Progress is loaded with more than two tons of supplies and food, including 2,932 pounds of spare parts, equipment, experiment hardware and life support system gear, 386 pounds of propellent, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, and 1,071 pounds of water. Eighty six food containers are also loaded into the Progress, good for more than 160 days of additional provisions in the Station's pantry above what is already on board.

Among the other key U.S. items being carried to the Station on the supply ship is a new heat exchanger device for the cooling of U.S. spacesuits in the Quest Airlock. It will replace a heat exchanger that introduced rust in the suits last year, canceling Station spacewalks out of the U.S. segment. The new component will be installed by Chiao next month and checked out by the next crew, Expedition 11, to permit the airlock to be used again this summer. Also being delivered are digital cameras and lenses that the Expedition 11 crew will use to collect imagery of the heat-protective tiles of the Shuttle Discovery during its approach to the Station during this spring's Return to Flight mission, STS-114, prior to docking. That imagery will assist in helping mission managers determine whether Discovery's thermal protection system is intact and able to support a safe return to Earth.

Earlier today, engineers completed a two-day test of new software that was loaded into the Canadarm2 robotic arm last month to allow remote control operation of the space crane from Mission Control, rather than by the crew on board. The test was declared a success.

Chiao stood by at the robotic work station in the Destiny laboratory, ready to take over manual operation of the arm if necessary, but the automated commands loaded into the arm enabled Canadarm2 to move effortlessly throughout the demonstration. Its shoulder and wrist joints and its latching end effector were all exercised, verifying a new capability that may yield valuable data for designers of more complex robotic hardware for spacecraft that will support the Vision for Space Exploration.

Chiao also installed a rotor pump in one of the U.S. space suits on the Station today to configure it properly for its return to Earth on the STS-121 Shuttle mission to the outpost targeted for mid-July.

On the research front, Chiao conducted a session this week with the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test, or DAFT. The experiment, developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is designed to test the effectiveness of a device that counts ultra-fine dust particles in a microgravity environment. This is a precursor to the next generation of fire detection equipment for space exploration vehicles.

The device, called a P-Trak®, counts the dust particles by passing dust-laden air through a chamber of vaporous isopropyl alcohol. When a droplet of alcohol condenses over an ultra-fine dust particle, the particle becomes large enough to break the light beam and be counted. NASA's payload operations team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center coordinates science activities on Space Station.

As the Progress launched, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Station Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov were wrapping up their work day. The Station was flying over the southern Atlantic Ocean west of Cape Town, South Africa at an altitude of 225 statute miles at the time of liftoff.

Engine firings are scheduled later today and tomorrow to raise and refine the Progress' orbit and its path to the Station for an automated docking at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. CST. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the linkup beginning at 1:30 p.m. CST.

The Progress is carrying more than 2 tons of food, fuel, oxygen, water, spare parts and personal items for the crew. It is filled with 386 pounds of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, 1071 pounds of water, and more than 2932 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. The manifest also includes an additional six-month supply of food in 86 containers to replenish the Station pantry. Among the items being carried on the Progress is a new heat exchanger device to replace a faulty component in the U.S. airlock that is needed for the resumption of spacewalks in U.S. space suits this summer.

Also in the Progress are cameras and lenses that will be used by the Expedition 11 crew to capture digital images of the thermal protection system on the Shuttle Discovery during its approach to the Station for docking during the STS-114 mission in May. The photos will be part of the imagery-gathering effort for Return to Flight to insure that the Shuttle has incurred no threatening damage to its tiles or the reinforced carbon-carbon coating on its wings during ascent.

Chiao and Sharipov are scheduled to open the hatch to the Progress a few hours after docking Wednesday to begin unloading its contents.

The Progress spacecraft that had been at the Station since Christmas night was undocked yesterday at 10:06 a.m. CST as the two vehicles flew over eastern Asia. Filled with discarded items, the ship fired its engines after undocking to move to a safe distance away from the Station for 10 days of engineering tests by Russian flight controllers. It will be deorbited on March 9 and will burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

The ISS Progress 17 craft automatically docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 2:10 p.m. CST as the Station flew 225 statute miles over the equator west of Africa. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two ships engaged, forming a tight seal. The flawless docking completed a two-day journey for the cargo ship since its liftoff Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

As the Progress approached the Station, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov was at the controls of a manual docking system in Zvezda, ready to take over the final approach in the unlikely event its automated docking system encountered a problem. Station Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao took video and still photos of the arrival.

The Progress is loaded with 386 pounds of propellant, 242 pounds of oxygen and air, 1,071 pounds of water and more than 2,900 pounds of spare parts, life support system components and experiment hardware. The manifest also includes 86 containers of food, about a six-month supply to supplement the food already in the Station's pantry. The crew will open the Progress hatch later today.

Among the items on the Progress is a new heat exchanger device to replace a faulty component in the U.S. airlock needed for the resumption of spacewalks in U.S. space suits this summer. Also aboard are cameras and lenses to be used by the Expedition 11 crew to capture images of the thermal protection system on the Shuttle Discovery during its approach to the Station during the STS-114 mission in May. The photos are part of the imagery-gathering effort to ensure that the Shuttle has no threatening damage to its heat shielding.

The Progress docked to the station at 3:10 p.m. EST Wednesday with a cargo of 2.3 tons of equipment and supplies. Aboard were propellant, oxygen and air, and water.

A 160-day supply of food also is on the Progress, as well as spare parts and equipment for the Russian environmental control system and toilet. Cameras and telephoto lenses to be used to photograph thermal protection tiles of the Space Shuttle Discovery as the return to flight mission approaches the Station, and a new heat exchanger for the U.S Quest airlock which should allow resumption of U.S. spacewalks from the orbiting laboratory.

Early-week preparations involved Sharipov setting up and practicing with a manual docking system for use in the unlikely event of a problem with the automated docking system. It was not needed. The automated system functioned well.

Unloading activities included entering items of the cargo into the Inventory Management System. The IMS is a computerized bar code system that keeps track of items aboard the station.

In preparation for Progress activities, crewmembers had shifted their sleep period later, getting their wakeup tone at about 6:30 a.m. instead of the standard 1 a.m. much of the week. They will return gradually to their usual schedule.

Chiao and Sharipov continued daily exercise sessions, did scheduled maintenance on Station systems and participated in several medical and other scientific experiments.

In other activities, the crew talked with high school students in the Levelland, Texas, area on Monday. Late Thursday, Chiao radioed congratulations to Steve Fossett, who that day completed a three-day, non-stop, solo around-the-world flight with a landing in Salina, Kan. On the Station, Chiao and Sharipov circle the Earth more than 15 times a day, as they have for four months.

The Progress cargo craft arrived last week with a 160-day supply of food in addition to spare parts and equipment for the Russian environmental control system and toilet; cameras that will be used to photograph the underside of Space Shuttle Discovery as it approaches for docking; and a new heat exchanger for Quest. The replacement of the existing heat exchanger is scheduled to be conducted throughout the week next week. The job will set the stage to restore use of the Quest Airlock as a base for spacewalks using U.S. spacesuits. The heat exchanger provides cooling for U.S. spacesuits while they are connected to the airlock.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov also conducted some routine periodic maintenance and inspection tasks, including strategic placement of sound measuring devices that document noise levels. This typically is done twice during a crew's six-month stay aboard the Station.

The second spacewalk for Chiao and Sharipov is scheduled for the early morning hours of Monday, March 28. In preparation for that spacewalk, Chiao moved the Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm into position for optimum camera viewing of the planned work outside. Chiao also conducted several arm maneuvers to use the cameras for review of the spacewalk worksites.

Sharipov this week set up an experiment gathering measurements of radiation. He also worked with another experiment designed to study high-efficiency strains of microorganisms for producing petroleum biodegradation compounds. Both crewmembers took turns as patient and doctor on the Advanced Diagnostic in Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment. The experiments studies the use of remote ultrasound observation in space to allow doctors on the ground to diagnose medical conditions.

The Station's Elektron oxygen-generating system has operated intermittently during the past week. Sharipov is scheduled to perform a couple of hours of further troubleshooting efforts on the device on Saturday. The problem has not impacted the replenishment of oxygen in the Station cabin. The Elektron, which converts water into oxygen, is one of several methods for replenishing oxygen aboard the Station.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao spent the beginning of the week installing a new heat exchanger in Quest, the U.S. airlock. Working meticulously with stubborn bolts and attachments, Chiao swapped out the faulty heat exchanger with a new unit delivered earlier this month.

The job sets the stage to restore use of Quest as a base for spacewalks using U.S. spacesuits. The heat exchanger unit provides cooling for the U.S. spacesuits while they are connected to the airlock. Chiao finished the repair ahead of schedule and had spare time to work on several other tasks around the Station, such as replacing a hard drive in a laptop computer.

Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov began preparing the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment, which also serves as a Russian airlock, for the second and final spacewalk the pair will conduct. Chiao assisted by gathering U.S. tools, such as helmet lights and a tool caddy, which they will use in conjunction with the Russian equipment. They also gathered antennas and cabling they will install during the spacewalk. Sharipov and Chiao are scheduled to step outside March 28 for nearly six hours to continue the external outfitting of the Space Station and deploy a Russian satellite experiment.

Sharipov did further troubleshooting on the Elektron oxygen-generating system, which ran intermittently throughout the week. Its periodic shutdowns have caused no concern for the replenishment of oxygen in the Station cabin. Russian experts will continue to monitor its condition. The Elektron, which converts water into oxygen, is one of several methods that can be used to provide oxygen in the Station cabin.

Two control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) are maintaining the Station's orientation after a third gyroscope lost power on Wednesday. A circuit breaker, called a Remote Power Controller, failed and removed power from that gyroscope. Attempts to reset the breaker were unsuccessful. There is no impact to current Station activities. Two gyros are adequate to maintain the orientation of the complex.

Specialists are continuing to evaluate the condition of the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker could be replaced by conducting a spacewalk to perform that work, but the plans and timing of that activity remain to be determined. A fourth gyroscope that failed in June 2002 is set to be replaced on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight mission, STS-114, this spring.

Also this week, the Station crew slid into their seats inside the attached Soyuz spacecraft to check their fit. The Soyuz seats are outfitted with customized cushions to protect the riders during landing. The fit of the cushions is checked periodically throughout the mission to ensure a comfortable and safe seat home for the crew. Chiao and Sharipov have about five weeks remaining until their return to Earth, with their undocking and landing in Kazakhstan scheduled for April 25.

Sharipov and Chiao are set to step outside early Monday for nearly six hours to continue the external outfitting of the Station with antennas for the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). They also will deploy a small Russian technology satellite, Nanosatellite, to test control techniques.

NASA Television will broadcast the spacewalk live beginning at 11 p.m. CST Sunday. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at about 12:25 a.m. CST Monday.

It is planned to be the second and final planned spacewalk of the expedition. They began preparations last Friday with a spacewalk timeline review. They also gathered tools they will use to install the antennas on the exterior of the Station's Zvezda living quarters module. On Monday, the crew worked out on a stationary bicycle while doctors on the ground monitored their health and they were pronounced physically fit for the spacewalk. The crew also checked the health of the breadbox-sized satellite, finding it in good order.

The spacewalkers will install the fourth, fifth and sixth in a series of communications antennas for the European ATV. They also will install a Global Positioning System antenna on Zvezda and inspect and photograph the large "Lira" antenna on Zvezda to insure it is in the correct position.

Early today, a thermal control loop panel in Zvezda that provides cooling to the Pirs airlock failed, and its backup system was activated to provide the necessary cooling. There are two circulating pumps associated with each panel. Both pump panels are needed to provide adequate backup capability for the spacewalk. The crew will troubleshoot the pump panel early Saturday, and replace one or both of the pumps in the degraded panel.

The crew will close hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments of the Station at 4:55 p.m. Sunday, deactivate nonessential systems on the Station at 5:30 p.m. and perform preliminary spacesuit tests at 7 p.m. Airlock systems checks are set for 9:20 p.m., and final suit checks at 9:50 p.m.

Chiao and Sharipov will climb into their Orlan suits at 10:10 p.m. Sunday and will begin depressurizing the airlock at 10:40 p.m. The spacewalk will officially begin when they open the Pirs hatch about 12:25 a.m. CST Monday.

Also this week, the crew repressurized the Station using oxygen from tanks on the attached Progress supply ship. Mission managers elected to postpone any further troubleshooting of the balky Elektron oxygen-generating system until after the spacewalk. The Elektron, which converts water into oxygen, is one of several methods that can be used to provide oxygen.

Ground controllers powered up the Mobile Servicing System on Wednesday and confirmed software was working properly after an update last week. The Canadarm2 robotic arm is in position for its cameras to provide television views of the spacewalk.

Russian flight controllers commanded Station thrusters to fire and increase the altitude of the complex by about 1.8 statute miles. The reboost places the Station at the correct altitude and trajectory for the launch of the next crew, Expedition 11, and a European Space Agency astronaut on April 15.

On Thursday, managers approved a plan to make connections that will bypass a failed circuit breaker, called a Remote Power Controller, on the first spacewalk to be conducted during Shuttle mission STS-114. The job is planned to be a five-minute task on that spacewalk, the first of three to be conducted by the Shuttle Return-to- Flight crew while Discovery is docked to the Station. STS-114 spacewalker Steve Robinson will reconfigure power cables to bypass that circuit breaker, providing power to restart a Station Control Moment Gyroscope. Power was removed from that gyroscope last week when the circuit breaker failed.

Later on the Shuttle mission, Robinson and fellow spacewalker Soichi Noguchi will replace another gyroscope that failed in June 2002. Once complete, the work will restore the Station to four operating gyroscopes. The Station's orientation is being maintained well now by only two gyroscopes, but more will be needed as assembly of the complex resumes and its size increases.

Clad in Russian Orlan spacesuits, Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov left the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock at 12:25 a.m. CST and quickly set up tools and tethers for their excursion. Sharipov activated the Russian Nanosatellite for later deployment.

With no one left inside, Station systems were either deactivated or put in autonomous operation for the duration of the spacewalk. Hatches were also closed between the U.S. and Russian segments of the complex in the unlikely event the crew would not have been able to return to the outpost.

The first task was the installation of three space-to-space communications, or so-called WAL, antennas on the forward conical section of Zvezda. The S-band low gain antennas are part of the Proximity Communications Equipment (PCE) to be used for ATV and Service Module interaction during the future rendezvous and docking operations. The first three antennas were installed on the aft end of Zvezda during Expedition 9.

About 2 hours into the spacewalk, from a ladder attached to Pirs, Sharipov deployed the foot-long, 11-pound Nanosatellite toward the aft end of the Station as Chiao photographed its departure. The experiment contains a transmitter and while it orbits the Earth, is expected to help develop small satellite control techniques, monitor satellite operations and develop new attitude system sensors. Russian experts informed the crew they received a good signal from the satellite two hours after its deployment.

The spacewalkers gathered the tools and equipment for the next task as Russian flight controllers inhibited the Russian thrusters from firing in the crew's next worksite area. Once that was complete, the crewmembers were given approval to move toward the aft end of Zvezda. Once in place, they installed a Global Positioning System receiver. The receiver is also part of the ATV communications hardware and will give the approaching vehicle data about its relative position to the Station during rendezvous operations.

While in the area for the installation of GPS cabling, Chiao and Sharipov also inspected and photographed the location of an antenna used for communications with the Service Module to confirm its position for Russian technicians. Chiao then photographed a previously installed laser reflector that will also be used for ATV proximity operations. The crewmembers continued to secure cabling on Zvezda as they worked their way back toward Pirs.

Despite the recent loss of one of the three functioning Control Moment Gyroscopes because of a circuit breaker failure, the remaining two gyros maintained the Station's attitude without Russian thrusters until just before the end of the spacewalk. The Station drifted slightly without attitude control for less than 20 minutes. When Chiao and Sharipov reported they were a safe distance from Zvezda's thrusters, the jets were reactivated and attitude was quickly regained.

The two spacewalkers entered Pirs and closed the hatch at 4:55 a.m. CST to complete their spacewalk an hour ahead of schedule. After repressurizing Pirs, Chiao and Sharipov were scheduled to return to the Station, remove their spacesuits, reactivate the ISS systems and open the hatches to the U.S. segment. The crew will begin its sleep period later this morning and enjoy a light-duty day Tuesday with a few system reconfiguration tasks scheduled.

It was the second spacewalk for Sharipov and Chiao's sixth. The pair logged almost 10 hours of spacewalking time during their two Expedition excursions. Today's spacewalk was the 58th in support of ISS assembly and maintenance, the 33rd staged from the ISS itself and the 15th from Pirs. A total of 348 hours and 15 minutes of spacewalking time has been logged in the Station's lifetime.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov also spent much of the latter part of the week stowing tools used during the spacewalk, cleaning and stowing their Russian Orlan spacesuits and reconfiguring the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock. The crew installed antennas that will be used by a new automated European supply craft and released a small Russian technology satellite during the 4-hour, 30-minute spacewalk.

Chiao and Sharipov began preparing the Station for the first visit by a Space Shuttle mission since the Columbia accident. The Shuttle Discovery is targeted for launch on mission STS-114 in a planning window that begins May 15 and ends June 3. The crew began packing gear that will be returned on the Shuttle and they checked out cameras that the upcoming Station crew will use to photograph the Shuttle's heat shield. Chiao conducted some troubleshooting on one of those digital cameras that is experiencing intermittent card reading errors during downloads. Other cameras are available if needed.

The crew also continued work with the Station's Elektron oxygen generation system. The system has operated intermittently over the past few weeks. Additional troubleshooting was conducted this week by Sharipov while Russian technicians continued to study repair options. Multiple alternate sources of oxygen are available and the Elektron problems have not significantly impacted activities.

Chiao and Sharipov participated in a question and answer session with students at the Sheridan Middle School in New Haven, CT Thursday and an amateur radio session with the Science Discovery Center in Denton, Texas.

Two of the Station's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) continue to perform well, controlling the Station's orientation. A brief, unusual vibration was detected on one of them, CMG 3, just after the end of the spacewalk on Monday. Engineers are continuing to evaluate the indication. Two additional gyroscopes are not operating. One of them is planned to be repowered during a spacewalk on the upcoming Shuttle mission and another will be replaced at that time. Two gyroscopes are sufficient for control of the current Station, but additional gyroscopes will be needed as assembly resumes and the size of the complex increases.

The next Station crew continued training this week at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips, along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, completed final exams and certification for launch. They will travel to the launch site, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, this weekend and conduct a check of their Soyuz spacecraft on Monday. Vittori will spend eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months aloft.

On Monday Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov held a news conference with reporters at NASA centers and discussed Station systems, lessons learned from two-man crew operations on the Station and the return of the Space Shuttle to flight. Chiao and Sharipov performed some maintenance work this week as well, including re-pressurizing the Station atmosphere with oxygen from the Progress supply ship's tank. They discharged two carbon dioxide-removing lithium hydroxide canisters that were nearing their expiration dates while ground specialists monitored the Station's environment to gauge the efficiency of the Russian canisters for possible future use.

Flight controllers and engineers are continuing to analyze several spikes in vibration and electrical current that have been noted in one of the Control Moment Gyroscopes. The two functional gyroscopes are operating well and continuing to control the Station's orientation. While the analysis continues, the Station is in an orientation that minimizes demands on the gyroscopes. Remaining in that orientation does not change other Station operations. The ongoing analysis focuses on attempts to correlate the events with activity aboard the Station.

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips, along with European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Roberto Vittori, who will travel to the Station for eight days under a commercial agreement between Russia and ESA, spent the week reviewing flight plans. They will travel to Kazakhstan Saturday. Their launch on ISS Soyuz 10 is set for 7:46 p.m. CDT Thursday, April 14. They will dock at the Station's Pirs docking compartment at 9:19 p.m. CDT April 16. Vittori will join Chiao and Soyuz Commander Sharipov for the trip back to Earth, departing the Station and landing in Kazakhstan on April 24.

The ISS Soyuz 10 spacecraft carried Station Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science Officer and Flight Engineer John Phillips to orbit along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori.

The Soyuz launched at 7:46 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. At the time, the Station was flying in a northeasterly direction about 230 miles above the South Atlantic Ocean. With Krikalev at the controls, the Soyuz is on course to catch up and dock with the Station at 9:19 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

The hatches between the arriving Soyuz 10 spacecraft and the Station will be opened at about 12:05 a.m. Sunday. Live NASA Television coverage of the docking and hatch opening will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Krikalev and Phillips will stay aboard the Station until October, while Vittori will spend eight days there conducting experiments. The Station residents will open the door for the Space Shuttle Discovery's crew on their STS-114 mission to ISS in May or June.

Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov have been doing research and maintaining Station systems since October. With Vittori, they will undock from the Station and return to Earth April 24.

With Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev at the controls, the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft automatically linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 9:20 p.m. CDT as the Soyuz and the Station flew over eastern Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches between the two vehicles joined together to form a tight seal.

Aboard the Soyuz with Krikalev were NASA Expedition 11 Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy.

Hatches between the Soyuz and the Station were opened at 11:45 p.m. Saturday. The two crews greeted one another with handshakes and hugs. The first activity scheduled for the five crewmembers was a safety briefing to familiarize the newly arrived trio with emergency escape procedures.

Krikalev and Phillips will remain on board the Station until October. Vittori will return to Earth next week after eight days of scientific experiments on the complex under a commercial agreement between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. The trio launched at dawn Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for their two-day journey to the outpost.

Aboard the Station at the time of docking were Expedition 10 Commander and NASA Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, who are wrapping up their six-month mission and who will ride home on their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule with Vittori on April 25 for a pre-dawn landing in central Kazakhstan. Saturday marked the 185th day in space for Chiao and Sharipov and their 183rd day on the Station.

Krikalev and Phillips will relocate the new Soyuz from Pirs to the Zarya module docking port this summer.

On hand for the docking activities at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow were NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs Michael Kostelnik, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Craig Steidle and ISS Program Manager William Gerstenmaier along with Russian and European space officials.

On Sunday before they begin an extended sleep period, the new crew will transfer their custom-made Soyuz seatliners as well as cargo carried aloft on the Soyuz for the complex. Later in the day, initial briefings on the handover from the current residents to their replacements will be conducted and the new Soyuz' systems will be deactivated.

Over the next week, Krikalev and Phillips will familiarize themselves with Station systems and stowed equipment, conduct robotics training with the Canadarm2 robot arm, and receive detailed briefings on scientific payloads. Phillips and Chiao will also continue the maintenance and repair work on the cooling systems in the U.S. airlock Quest for the resumption of spacewalk capability from the Station this summer.

In addition, they will pack discarded gear and equipment for return to Earth on the Raffaello cargo module that will be brought to the Station on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight mission, STS-114, targeted to arrive next month on the Shuttle Discovery.

The five crewmembers aboard the Station had a busy week of briefings for the new crew, preparations for the old crew's departure and preparations for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-114, the Shuttle's Return to Flight targeted for next month.

The 11th Station crew, Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips, docked to the Station at 9:20 p.m. CDT Saturday. With them was European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy. He is spending almost eight days on the Station working through 22 scientific experiments and activities.

Vittori is to return to Earth on Sunday with the two members of the Expedition 10 crew, Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov. They are scheduled to leave the Station at 1:41 p.m. CDT Sunday and to land in Kazakhstan at 5:08 p.m. Chiao and Sharipov will then travel to Kustanai, Kazakhstan, and on to Star City, Russia, about eight hours after their return to Earth, where they will be reunited with family.

The landing is about two hours before local sunrise. The area weather forecast calls for a chance of rain with near-freezing temperatures.

Sharipov will undock the Soyuz manually as a precautionary measure to conserve energy. Although the Soyuz' backup battery charge is thought to be adequate if it were required for the undocking, that battery has shown signs of a reduced charge since the Soyuz was relocated among Station docking ports in November 2004. The primary battery is healthy.

The manual undocking is a practiced backup procedure for Soyuz operations, and is being done to ensure adequate backup battery power is available if it were needed for deorbit and landing. The manual procedures allow Sharipov to reduce the amount of time the Soyuz is on internal power before undocking. The undocking is routinely performed automatically by the onboard computer. Landing will occur as is normal on the second orbit after undocking.

Extensive briefings by Chiao and Sharipov helped settle Krikalev, who was a member of the first station crew launched in late 2000, and Phillips, who visited the Station as a Shuttle crewmember in April 2001, in their new home. They also trained on the Canadarm2, the Station's robotic arm, and were briefed on science activities as well as locations of equipment and supplies.

On Monday, Phillips trained with the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment. He conducted his first experiment with the equipment on Thursday.

Tuesday the crew activated the Microgravity Science Glovebox and later in the week certified its readiness for use. Wednesday's focus was the U.S. airlock Quest, with crewmembers flushing a cooling system and replacing a service and cooling umbilical, restoring the airlock to usable condition. Chiao and Phillips were back in the airlock on Thursday, resizing spacesuits to make sure the right equipment will remain aboard the Station after Discovery's departure from its future mission.

A three-hour Soyuz descent training session kept Chiao, Sharipov and Vittori busy on Friday. All five crewmembers later participated in a change of command ceremony that formally passed command of the outpost from Chiao to Krikalev.

After a flawless descent by the ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft, Chiao, Sharipov and Vittori landed on target in north-central Kazakhstan, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) northeast of Arkalyk, at 5:08 p.m. CDT. Recovery forces arrived at the site within minutes of the touchdown. The area was saturated from recent rains and melting winter snow, so the first members of the recovery team to reach the scene decided to fly the crew to Arkalyk to meet with remaining members of the recovery team.

The crew's friends and families are expected to greet them upon their arrival at Star City, Russia, about eight hours after landing. Chiao and Sharipov will remain in Star City for a few weeks of post-flight debriefings and medical exams before returning to Houston in mid-May.

Chiao and Sharipov spent 192 days, 19 hours and 2 minutes in space. They launched on Oct. 13, on the same Soyuz spacecraft that brought them home. For six months, the pair maintained systems and conducted scientific research onboard the Station.

Among their accomplishments on the Station was replacing critical hardware in the Joint Quest Airlock, repairing U.S. spacesuits, submitting a scientific research paper on ultrasound use in space and voting for the first time in an American Presidential election from space. They completed two spacewalks, including experiment installation and tasks that prepared the Station for the arrival of a new European cargo ship next year.

Aboard the Station, the Expedition 11 crew, Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer and NASA Station Science Officer John Phillips, are beginning a six-month mission that will include the resumption of Space Shuttle flights and two spacewalks from the Station. Expedition 11 is scheduled to return to Earth on Oct. 7, 2005.

Krikalev and Phillips will have light duty for the next three days as they rest after completing a busy handover period. For the past week, they have been learning about Station operations from the two men who called the ship home since October. Chiao and Sharipov briefed Krikalev and Phillips on day-to-day operations and gave them hands-on opportunities at Station maintenance: Chiao and Phillips restored functionality of the Quest for future spacewalks and practiced operating the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips were given time each day to orient themselves with the Station and where items are stowed. They also completed an emergency evacuation drill, a standard procedure for all new crews. The practice helps them learn the location of emergency equipment and departure routes.

Both crewmembers kept busy with Station maintenance and upkeep. Krikalev conducted troubleshooting of the Russian Elektron oxygen generation system and the condensate removal system. The Elektron remains off-line, with oxygen being supplied from tanks in the Progress cargo ship, one of several oxygen supplies available. The next infusion of oxygen into the Station's atmosphere from Progress will take place early next week.

Krikalev also completed the transfer of water from the Progress cargo ship to storage tanks in the Zvezda module. Phillips updated the Station's computer system with software specifically designed for this crew's mission. He also installed a remote-controlled camera at the Destiny Lab's Earth-facing window for a week's worth of imagery from the EarthKAM experiment, which enables middle-school students around the world to take photos of selected sites on Earth. Thousands of students from more than 100 schools took part in this week's operations.

Early today Krikalev and Phillips were informed that NASA managers rescheduled the launch of the Shuttle Discovery to no earlier than July 13 on the STS-114 Return to Flight mission. The additional time is needed to complete a thorough analysis of the potential risks posed by several areas of possible ice debris from the Shuttle's external fuel tank as well as an evaluation of several concerns found during recent launch preparations.

Today the crewmembers practiced with digital cameras the photographs they will take of Discovery as it approaches the Station for docking on the third day of the STS-114 mission. Phillips and Krikalev will have about 93 seconds of time available to use the cameras and high-power lenses to capture two sets of images of the Shuttle's heat shield. Discovery Commander Eileen Collins will guide the Shuttle through a slow back flip to allow the Station crew to image both the top and bottom of the vehicle. The images will be quickly transmitted to the ground for analysis.

Krikalev and Phillips performed another step in preparations for the Shuttle visit this week as they cleared cargo from a hatch in the Unity module where a cargo container will be attached during that mission. The Station crew also conferred via space to ground communications with Discovery's crew about the planned transfer and stowing of supplies.

Meanwhile, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy, arrived at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia Monday morning. They rested, reunited with their families and went through medical tests following their landing in a Soyuz spacecraft. Chiao and Sharipov are expected to return to Houston in mid-May.

Krikalev replaced a liquid processing component of the Russian Elektron oxygen generation system on Thursday, but it failed almost immediately prompting additional troubleshooting Friday. The system separates hydrogen and oxygen molecules from water, and injects the oxygen into the Station's atmosphere. Late Friday systems experts in Russia reviewed information gained from the earlier efforts. Oxygen is being supplied as needed from tanks in the Progress cargo ship, one of several oxygen supplies available.

Phillips was called upon to do some on-the-spot maintenance of a balky treadmill on Friday. It had stopped working, so he inspected electrical connections and prepared to downlink data from his last run so that biomedical engineers on the ground can try to track down the problem. Resistive exercise equipment and stationary bicycles will be used to provide the 2 1/2 hours a day of exercise prescribed for each crew member.

Also Friday, both crewmembers used the Robotics Work Station in the Destiny laboratory module to guide the Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm through movements designed to enable later remote operation by ground controllers. The hour-long session also served as proficiency training for the crew.

Earlier in the week, Krikalev fixed the Russian dehumidifier by clearing blockage from one of the system's lines. Krikalev also transferred wastewater from the Station into the Progress cargo ship's storage tanks. Phillips packed items that will be returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery, and did routine checks of emergency medical equipment. Scientific investigations for the week focused on work with a kidney stone experiment. Both crew members took pills - either a placebo or potassium citrate, which has been proven effective in reducing the formation of kidney stones in patients on Earth - recorded what they ate and drank and collected urine specimens for 24 hours. The samples will be returned to doctors on the ground for analysis and correlation with the dietary intake information.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov remained at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, undergoing medical examinations and debriefings following their landing in a Soyuz spacecraft after six-months on orbit. They are expected to return to Houston in mid-May.