Fincke Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, married. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. US Air Force US Air Force

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 16 - 1996. Active Entered space service: 1 May 1996. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 187.89 days. Number of EVAs: 4.00. Total EVA Time: 0.67 days.

NAME: Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke (Captain, USAF)

NASA Astronaut Candidate (Mission Specialist)

PERSONAL DATA:

Born March 14, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but considers Emsworth, Pennsylvania to be his home town. Single. He is the oldest of 9 children. Enjoys hiking, flying, travel, Geology, Astronomy, learning new languages, reading. Captain Fincke is conversant in Japanese and Russian. His parents, Edward and Alma Fincke reside in Emsworth, Pennsylvania.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1985. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor of science in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as a bachelor of science in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He then received a master of science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 1990.

ORGANIZATIONS:

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) and the Geological Society of America (GSA).

SPECIAL HONORS:

Recipient of two United States Air Force Commendation Medals, the United States Air Force Achievement Medal, and various unit and service awards. Distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force ROTC and Squadron Officer School and Test Pilot School Programs. Recipient of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School Colonel Ray Jones Award as the top Flight Test Engineer/Flight Test Navigator in class 93B.

EXPERIENCE:

Captain Fincke graduated from MIT in 1989, and immediately attended a Summer exchange program with the Moscow Aviation Institute in the former Soviet Union, where he studied Cosmonautics. After graduation from Stanford University in 1990, Captain Fincke entered the United States Air Force where he was assigned to the Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. There he served as a Space Systems Engineer and a Space Test Engineer. In 1994, upon completion of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base, California, Captain Fincke joined the 39th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he served as a Flight Test Engineer working on a variety of flight test programs, flying the F-16 and F-15 aircraft. In January of 1996, he reported to the Gifu Test Center, Gifu Air Base, Japan where he was the United States Flight Test Liaison to the Japanese/United States XF-2 fighter program.

Captain Fincke has over 500 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft types.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Captain Fincke reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 to begin two years of training and evaluation. Successful completion of this training will qualify him for various technical assignments leading to selection as a mission specialist on a Space Shuttle flight crew.

• 19 April 2004 Flight: ISS EO-9. Flight Up: Soyuz TMA-4. Flight Back: Soyuz TMA-4. Flight Time: 187.89 days.

5 December 1983 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 16 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.. 10 pilots and 25 mission specialists selected from over 2,400 applicants. 9 additional international astronauts.

Having begun its on-orbit assembly, Endeavour's astronauts are now preparing for their departure from the International Space Station this afternoon.

At 2:25 p.m. CST, Pilot Rick Sturckow will undock Endeavour from the station and back the shuttle away to a distance of 450 feet above the station before beginning a nose-forward fly-around just before 2:45 p.m. CST. During Endeavour's one and a half revolutions of the station, the astronauts will conduct a detailed photographic survey of the new outpost. About an hour later, Sturckow will fire Endeavour's jets to separate from the station, leaving it to fly unpiloted for the next five months. The next visit to the station will be by the STS-96 crew in May on an assembly and resupply mission.

Once Endeavour departs the area of the station, the crew will have a few hours of scheduled off-duty time. At about 8:15 p.m. CST, Commander Bob Cabana and Sturckow will fire one of Endeavour's large Orbital Maneuvering System engines for about 10 seconds as part of the SIMPLEX experiment, a Department of Defense study tracking Shuttle engine firings from various radar sites, this one from a site located in Peru. At about 8:30 p.m. CST, the entire crew will gather for interviews by ABC Radio, Associated Press Radio and the Associated Press.

Cabana, Sturckow and Mission Specialist Jerry Ross will deploy the SAC-A satellite from Endeavour's payload bay around 10:30 p.m. CST. SAC-A is a small, self-contained, non-recoverable satellite built by the Argentinean National Commission of Space Activities. The cube-shaped, 590-pound satellite will test and characterize the performance of new equipment and technologies that may be used in future scientific or operational missions. The payload includes a differential global positioning system, a magnetometer, silicon solar cells, a charge-coupled device Earth camera and a whale tracker experiment.

Near the end of the crew's day, Ross, Newman and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev will stow some of the tools used during yesterday's space walk, as Mission Specialist Nancy Currie increases Endeavour's cabin pressure to 14.7 pounds per square inch.

All systems on board Endeavour and the space station remain in excellent shape as they orbit at an altitude of 247 statute miles.

On Thursday, Station managers conducted a Stage Operations Readiness Review and found no constraints to the planned April 19 launch of the ISS Soyuz 8 carrying Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, along with European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers of the Netherlands. Kuipers will be aboard the Station for nine days performing scientific experiments under a commercial contract between ESA and the Federal Space Agency (of Russia) during the handover to the new permanent crew.

Preparations for the Expedition 9 flight will be further evaluated next week during a Flight Readiness Review. Meanwhile, the crew received its final certification for flight from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, this week.

Aboard the Station, Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri successfully completed the initial maintenance and some functional testing of two new Russian Orlan spacesuits delivered in January aboard the most recent Progress supply ship. Those suits replace three older Orlan units on the complex. Padalka and Fincke plan to use them on the first spacewalk of Expedition 9.

Foale also completed an external survey of the Station using cameras on the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Foale was conducting his final proficiency training operating the arm. During the survey, Foale solved a mystery, reporting to Mission Control that a sound he has heard from outside of the Destiny laboratory module was being caused each time he commanded the Lab’s external camera to tilt up and down.

On Friday morning, Kaleri reported another noise to Mission Control in Moscow. He and Foale heard a metallic sound from Zvezda's Instrument Compartment, a sound they said was very similar to a noise they reported on Nov. 26, 2003, coming from the same area. Russian controllers told the crew that the fact that the noise has apparently repeated itself would likely indicate the cause is the operation of a system on the station or some other activity. Russia and U.S. controllers will continue to evaluate the report. All systems on the complex continue to operate normally.

Russian specialists are reviewing plans to replace a cooling fan motor in the Soyuz spacecraft’s descent module. The fan, which stopped functioning during the trip to the Station last October, helps maintain a proper level of humidity inside the Soyuz.

Mission Control completed a successful test of software that will operate the Thermal Rotary Radiator Joints on the Station’s truss. The large rotating joints will be used to position the Station's radiators as they dissipate heat from the complex. Ground controllers ran the check of programs that will automate the positioning of the Station’s radiators as they dissipate heat in the future when the Station's full cooling system is activated.

Foale and Kaleri took time to discuss the progress of their mission with students twice during the week. The crew answered questions from a group of Houston-area middle school students affiliated with the Aerospace Academy for Engineering and Teacher Education. They also demonstrated how some common tools, such as a wrench and hammer, function in space during a talk with elementary school students from the Center for Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio.

On Thursday, Station managers conducted a Flight Readiness Review and found no issues for the planned launch at 10:19 p.m. CDT April 18 of Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, along with European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers of the Netherlands.

This next crew completed a dress rehearsal for its launch earlier in the week at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and will rest over the weekend in Moscow before returning to the launch site Tuesday for final launch preparations.

While the Expedition 8 crew completes its work, flight controllers and engineers reviewing video of the outside of the station found an unusual black mark on the station's dish antenna. It was determined that over time, as the antenna moves to track NASA's communications satellites, it has been brushing very lightly against a locking pin and handrail. Changing the software slightly to "tell" the dish to stop before gimballing that far easily solved the problem. In any case, the phenomenon has had no effect on the operation of the antenna.

Foale this week focused his attention on wrapping up two major experiments conducted on his increment. The Pore Formation of Materials Investigations (PFMI) and the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT) experiments were completed and stowed. PFMI studies the formation of bubbles in metals that could lead to better ways of preventing that occurrence in manufacturing on Earth. FOOT is studying countermeasures to bone mineral loss that occurs in space travelers rapidly in the microgravity environment of space. The same bone mineral loss occurs in postmenopausal females over the course of a year or so.

Kaleri spent some of the week fixing a cooling fan that helps control humidity in the Soyuz spacecraft in which he and Foale will return home. The two also reviewed the inventory of items that will be brought home.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, and European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers of the Netherlands are at the launch site, ready to go. The ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft was mated with its rocket booster today, and the pair will be rolled out to the launch site Saturday. Launch remains on schedule for 10:19 p.m. CDT April 18.

Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri spent the week preparing the Station for the replacement crew's arrival, packing for the trip home after six months on orbit, and wrapping up work on several experiments.

Foale and Kaleri supported a test of their ISS Soyuz 7 return vehicle's maneuvering jets, which verified that all thrusters are ready to support undocking, deorbit burn and re-entry. Russian flight controllers monitoring the test reported seeing evidence of the same helium leak that was initially seen in telemetry during the Expedition 8 crew's launch in October. On Friday, Russian controllers conducted an additional test of the helium system used to pressurize the Soyuz fuel tanks to gather additional data on the leak rate, which is believed to have increased some over previous observations. Russian flight controllers are continuing to evaluate data from the tests. However, no impact to the normal Soyuz descent and landing is anticipated.

Kaleri also spent several hours in the Soyuz descent module changing out a pair of ventilation and humidity removal fans. He replaced the fans with a spare stored in the Zarya control module and verified that they are working well. The old fan package, which has one working fan, will be retained on the Station as a spare.

Foale conducted a final session with the Hand Posture Analyzer experiment on Thursday, after wrapping up work with the Pore Formation of Materials Investigations (PFMI) and the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT) experiments last week. The Hand Posture Analyzer is an Italian investigation looking at how humans use their arms, wrists and hands for reaching and grasping in microgravity. Final sessions with the RENAL kidney stone experiment were conducted Friday.

Foale also spent several hours Wednesday setting up and activating ESA's HEAT experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for his visiting colleague, Kuipers. HEAT will evaluate whether a grooved heat pipe can be used effectively in the weightlessness of space to transfer heat from hot surfaces, such as electronic devices, to cold surfaces, such as radiator panels.

Otherwise, the crew conducted a series of routine periodic fitness evaluation tests on themselves, and collected samples of a variety of environmental factors inside the Station for return to Earth and evaluation by scientists on the ground when they return home.

The Expedition 9 crew is scheduled to rendezvous and dock with the Station at 12:04 a.m. CDT Wednesday. Hatches will open and the five spacefarers will greet each other at 1:25 a.m. that morning, beginning more than a week of joint operations.

With Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka at the controls, the Soyuz vehicle linked up to the nadir docking port of the Zarya Control Module as the two spacecraft flew 230 miles above central Asia. The docking followed Monday's launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. ISS Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke and ESA Astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands joined Padalka on the Soyuz.

Padalka and Fincke will spend six months living on the Station while Kuipers, who is flying under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency, will conduct an nine-day research mission before returning April 30 with Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, who monitored the new crew's arrival from onboard the ISS. Today marked 186 days in space for Foale and Kaleri, and 184 days on the Station.

After leak checks, hatches were opened at 1 a.m. CDT, allowing Foale and Kaleri to greet their first visitors since October to begin joint operations. One of the first tasks for the five crewmembers was a safety briefing and the start of Kuipers' science activities. His scientific payloads arrived at the Station in January on the Progress supply craft presently docked to the Zvezda Service Module.

On the scene at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev outside Moscow observing the docking were NASA Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory, Michael Kostelnik, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Station and Space Shuttle and ISS Program Manager William Gerstenmaier.

Over the next nine days, Padalka and Fincke will familiarize themselves with Station systems and stowed equipment, conduct robotics training with the Canadarm2 robot arm, and receive detailed briefings on the scientific payloads they will be operating through October.

Foale and Kaleri will exercise rigorously to condition themselves in preparation for the effects of gravity upon their return to Earth with Kuipers in the ISS Soyuz 7 craft (TMA-3) mated to the Pirs Docking Compartment. Landing is set for April 30 at sunrise in north central Kazakhstan.

The Soyuz launched flawlessly at 10:19 p.m. CDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakstan, and is on course to dock with the Station at 12:04 a.m. CDT Wednesday, April 21. Padalka and Fincke will spend six months aboard the Station, while Kuipers will spend nine days at the complex conducting science experiments before returning to Earth with the Expedition 8 crew, Commander Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri, the Station flight engineer and ISS Soyuz 7 commander.

The hatches between the arriving ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft and the Station will be opened at about 1:25 a.m. CDT Wednesday. Live NASA Television coverage of the docking and hatch opening will begin at 11 p.m. CDT Tuesday. At the time the Expedition 9 crew launched from Baikonur today, the Station was flying about 240 miles above the southern tip of South America.

After Soyuz TMA-5 docked with the ISS on October 16, the EO-9 crew handed activities over to the EO-10 crew.

Expedition 9's Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke docked their ISS Soyuz 8 spacecraft to the nadir port of the Zarya Control Module at 12:01 a.m. CDT Wednesday. They opened hatches and boarded the station about an hour later, beginning a six-month stay.

With them on the Soyuz was European Space Agency Astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, who will spend nine days aboard the Station conducting scientific investigations. Kuipers will return to Earth with Expedition 8's Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Foale and Kaleri arrived on the Station last October 20.

Their ISS Soyuz 7 capsule is scheduled to undock from the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment, where it has been during Expedition 8's stay on the Station, at 3:52 p.m. CDT April 29. The landing is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT the same day on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Early Thursday, during their Daily Planning Conference, crewmembers were told that one of the Station's three operating Control Moment Gyroscopes, CMG 2, had gone off line at about 3:20 p.m. CDT on Wednesday. The CMGs use power from the solar arrays to control the Station's orientation. Flight controllers traced the problem to a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM), a kind of remotely controlled circuit breaker, that had malfunctioned and cut off power to the gyroscope. The RPCM is mounted on the top of the Station's central truss segment, above the U.S. Laboratory Destiny.

Two CMGs continue to operate well and are sufficient for controlling the Station's orientiation until the RPCM can be replaced. Flight controllers have begun planning a spacewalk that will likely be conducted sometime in the next month to replace the RPCM with a spare unit and restore operation of CMG-2. A spare RPCM is aboard the Station.

After a flawless descent aboard the ISS Soyuz 7 spacecraft, Foale, Kaleri and Kuipers landed on target in north-central Kazakstan, about 43 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of the town of Arkalyk, at 7:12 p.m. CDT. Recovery forces arrived at the site within moments of the touchdown.

Foale and Kaleri spent 194 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes in space, the second longest expedition to be completed aboard the Station. They launched on Oct. 18, 2003, on the same Soyuz spacecraft that brought them home. In addition to scientific experiments aboard the Station, in February Foale and Kaleri conducted the first spacewalk ever performed from the complex by a two-person crew.

With the completion of this flight, Foale has accumulated more time in space than any U.S. astronaut. On this mission, a 1997 flight to the Russian Mir Space Station, and four Space Shuttle missions, Foale has amassed a total of 374 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes in space.

Foale, Kaleri and Kuipers will travel to Star City, Russia, where they will remain for mission debriefings and medical activities. Foale is expected to return to Houston in mid-May.

Aboard the Station, the Expedition 9 crew, Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Station Science Officer Mike Fincke, are beginning a six-month mission that will include three spacewalks. Expedition 9 is scheduled to return to Earth Oct. 21. Padalka and Fincke will have light duty for the next three days as they rest after completing the busy handover period of joint operations between the two crews.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke took part in a variety of experiments that focus on learning how the human body responds to extended periods without gravity. The crewmembers completed the first sessions of a series of Russian biomedical experiments measuring body mass and calf volume and drawing blood to measure red blood cell mass. They also performed operations with two European Space Agency experiments looking into adaptation of the vestibular system, which provides the body's sense of balance.

Padalka and Fincke launched with plans to conduct two spacewalks, but they learned last weekend that a third had officially been added. The planned June 10 spacewalk calls for the crewmembers to replace a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM), a type of remote controlled circuit breaker, on the Station's truss. The RPCM failed April 21, cutting power to one of the Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) which provide attitude control for the Station. There are still two CMGs operating well and controlling the Station's orientation. As managers continue to evaluate the spacewalk plans, Padalka and Fincke will conduct a fit check of the U.S. spacesuits next week. This week, Fincke completed maintenance work with the spacesuit battery chargers and batteries and began a procedure to regenerate canisters which remove the carbon dioxide spacewalkers exhale from the suits. The previous Station crew, Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, are at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, this week for post-flight debriefings and checks. Foale is expected to return to Houston later this month.

Early in the week, Fincke conducted the second in a series of battery recharging activities for the U.S. spacesuits. The nickel metal hydride batteries will be used during a spacesuit dry run that is scheduled to be conducted next week. Fincke also worked on the water servicing system of one of the spacesuits' liquid cooling and ventilation garments. The garments, worn under the spacesuit, are imbedded with a network of tiny tubes that provide cooling. Fincke's maintenance work ensured no air bubbles will develop in that tubing. The spacesuit work is part of preparations and evaluations for a spacewalk planned for June 10 to replace a Remote Power Control Module and restore power to a Station Control Moment Gyroscope.

Both crewmembers also spent several hours loading trash into the Progress 13 spacecraft, which is scheduled to be undocked from the Station at 4:18 a.m. CDT May 24. The next Russian cargo vehicle, Progress 14, is scheduled to launch May 25 from Kazakhstan at 7:34 a.m. CDT and dock with the Station at 8:57 a.m. CDT May 27. Among fresh food, clothes and other supplies to be brought to the Station aboard Progress 14 are new spacesuit gloves and other equipment that will be used during the June 10 spacewalk.

Also this week, U.S. flight controllers transmitted a software upgrade to several onboard computers. The upgrades are part of an extensive program initiated this year to improve Station software. They were loaded in four separate Station computers this week: two external multiplexer/demultiplexers and two S0 Truss MDMs that operate the systems on the truss.

The crew's scientific work included setting up a camera that will be used by thousands of middle-school students. The Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM) camera was set up to operate from a window in the Zvezda Service Module. For these EarthKAM observations, more than sixty schools and 3,600 students are expected to participate. The EarthKAM program allows students to research and select photos of sites on Earth to be taken using the equipment aboard the Station.

Each day, crewmembers also had some time reserved for continued Station familiarization and adaptation, as is routine for new Station crewmembers during their first two weeks onboard.

Flight controllers are also preparing for a regularly scheduled reboost of the ISS on Tuesday using the Progress engine for an 11-minute firing that will increase the altitude of the Station by two statute miles at its apogee.

During the check of U.S. spacesuits, they discovered a problem with the cooling system for Commander Gennady Padalka's suit. As a result, troubleshooting and further checks are planned. The suit checkout was conducted in preparation for a spacewalk by Padalka and Science Officer Mike Fincke that will replace a failed power controller on the Station's truss. The repair is expected to restore power to a Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) which lost power in April. Two other CMGs on the Station continue to operate well and are controlling the complex's orientation. The spacewalk is now expected to take place no earlier than June 16.

The suit checkout was planned to last about seven hours Wednesday, but it was cut short when Padalka reported no cooling. He reported small bubbles and froth in the water that is supposed to circulate through lines to provide the cooling. On Friday, Padalka and Fincke drained and replaced the water in the cooling system of Padalka's suit. On Saturday, they are scheduled to check Padalka's refilled suit cooling system to verify that water will circulate. If needed, they also may test the operation of a check valve in the system.

During the Wednesday dress rehearsal, the cooling system for Fincke's suit also experienced brief problems, but a sticky valve was quickly identified as the likely cause and it is not considered a concern for his suit's operation.

If the troubleshooting is successful on Padalka's suit, several steps remain before the spacewalk plans are finalized, including another U.S. spacesuit dress rehearsal. If needed, the spacewalk could be done in Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Also this week, Station ground controllers fired the ISS Progress 13 engines for 11 minutes, boosting the Station's altitude by 2.3 statute miles and adjusting its inclination by one one-hundredth of a degree. ISS Progress 13 is to undock from the Station at 4:19 a.m. CDT Monday, clearing the way for the arrival of the new ISS Progress 14. ISS Progress 14 is scheduled to launch at 7:34 a.m. CDT Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The new Progress will dock up to Zvezda at 8:55 a.m. CDT Thursday, an event that will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

In addition to fuel, food and supplies, the Progress 14 will bring new U.S. spacesuit gloves, sized specifically for Padalka and Fincke, as well as other suit components.

The crew also continued science work this week, conducting body scans using an ultrasound device. This is part of a research program to determine if minimally trained crewmembers can perform these advanced examinations with the assistance of a doctor in Mission Control. After computer-based training last week, the crew spent two sessions this week with body scans including scans of the elbow, knees, abdomen and chest.

The crew also replaced the hard drive in the Space Acceleration Measurement System, a system that provides data for a research program measuring how small vibrations may affect nearby sensitive experiments such as crystal growth studies.

As the Station flew over the heart of Africa, the ISS Progress 14 craft lifted off its Central Asian launch pad right on time at 8:34 a.m. EDT (1234 GMT), and less than 10 minutes later, settled into orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas. Its computers are loaded with preprogrammed commands for engine firings and rendezvous maneuvers that will lead it to an automated linkup to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module on Thursday morning at 9:55 a.m. CDT (1355 GMT).

Aboard the Station, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke were informed of the Progress launch by flight controllers in Houston moments after liftoff.

The Progress 14 docking to the ISS will be broadcast live on NASA Television on Thursday beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

The launch of the new resupply vehicle occurred a little over 24 hours after an identical Progress ship departed the ISS. The ISS Progress 13 undocked yesterday from Zvezda at 5:19 a.m. EDT (919 GMT) and was sent into a temporary "parking" orbit well away from the Station. Over the next ten days, Russian engineers will gather data from its motion control system to determine whether microgravity experiments can be conducted in such a craft before it is commanded to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The Progress 13 will be deorbited on June 3.

The new Progress is loaded with spare parts, fresh food and fuel for Padalka and Fincke, who are in the second month of a planned 6-month mission on the ISS.

Yesterday, Station mission managers decided to proceed with a spacewalk around June 16 by Padalka and Fincke in Russian Orlan spacesuits out of the Pirs Docking Compartment rather than in U.S. spacesuits out of the U.S. Quest Airlock. The decision was made after additional troubleshooting efforts on Saturday to provide cooling for Padalka's Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU, and for a third U.S. spacesuit on board, were unsuccessful.

The spacewalk is designed to replace a power controller on the Station's truss that failed April 21, resulting in the temporary loss of one of four Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) that govern the orientation of the complex.

Today, U.S. and Russian flight directors and spacewalk specialists began comprehensive discussions on the details of the spacewalk. Padalka and Fincke are expected to begin Orlan suit preparations next week and are expected to climb into the suits around June 11 in a dress rehearsal to insure that the suits are operating properly.

With Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke looking on, the ISS Progress 14 docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 8:55 a.m. CDT (1355 GMT) as the two craft flew 230 statute miles above Central Asia.

Padalka and Fincke were in Zvezda, prepared to take over manual control of the operation if it had been necessary, but the Progress craft automatically docked to the module through pre-programmed computer command with no problem.

The Progress was launched Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and chased the Station for two days, using its engine to conduct rendezvous maneuvers in fine-tuning its course for today's docking.

The Progress was the first ship to arrive at the ISS since Padalka and Fincke took over Station operations last month. The next Progress is scheduled to launch to the Station in late July.

After leak checks are completed to insure a tight seal between Progress and Zvezda, Padalka will open up the ship's hatch later today so he and Fincke can begin unloading its cargo Friday.

Next week, Padalka and Fincke will turn their attention to preparations for a spacewalk no earlier than June 16, Moscow time, in Russian Orlan spacesuits out of the Pirs Docking Compartment to replace a power controller on the Station's truss that failed April 21, resulting in the temporary loss of one of the four Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) that govern the orientation of the complex.

On Wednesday, Fincke and Padalka took turns maneuvering the Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to a position along the S0 Truss for camera views of the spacewalk worksite and downlink television of the spacewalk tasks as they are conducted during the planned 4-1/2 hour excursion. The two crewmembers will begin checking out their Orlan spacesuits next Thursday and are expected to climb into the suits June 11 in a dress rehearsal of the suit up and a thorough checkout of the suit systems that will clear the way for the spacewalk.

The spacewalk will be under the control of both U.S. and Russian mission personnel. Russian flight controllers will be directing Padalka and Fincke as they exit the Pirs and climb onto the telescoping Russian Strela cargo crane to be transported some 50 feet to the intersection of the U.S. and Russian segments of the Station. Once they dismount from the Strela, Padalka and Fincke will be under the direction of U.S. flight controllers as they move to the S0 Truss via handrails and tethers to swap out the failed Remote Power Control Module (RPCM) that rendered CMG 2 inoperable.

After power is restored to the CMG, the spacewalkers will make their way back to the Strela crane and, under the direction of Russian flight controllers once again, will swing back to the Pirs to reenter the Russian airlock and end the spacewalk.

Padalka and Fincke also conducted biomedical experiments and routine housekeeping tasks this week as they set their sights on the start of spacewalk preparations.

Gennady Padalka, the Station commander, and Mike Fincke, the NASA science officer and flight engineer, spent several days unloading about 2 1/2 tons of food, water, spare parts and supplies from the Progress 14 vehicle that docked to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module at 8:55 a.m. CDT May 27.

Flight controllers later will transfer fuel from the Progress' tanks to those in the Russian modules of the Station.

Preparations for the upcoming spacewalk began in earnest Thursday, when the orbiting duo began configuring the Russian spacesuits they will use for the excursion, and charging batteries that will be used in their suits and cordless tools.

The spacewalk is scheduled for no earlier than June 15 Houston time. The status of preparations and planning for the spacewalk will be the subject of further review during regular Station management meetings next week. The goal is to replace a power controller that failed April 21, resulting in the temporary loss of one of three operational Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) that govern the orientation of the complex.

Although the two functioning CMGs are sufficient to control the Station's attitude without the use of Russian chemical thrusters, Station managers and flight controllers would like to have the additional backup CMG available for attitude control during the expedition's two scheduled spacewalks later this summer. A fourth CMG failed two years ago and is slated to be replaced when Space Shuttles resume flights next year.

This will be the first bilaterally coordinated spacewalk in history, with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow taking turns as the primary ground support team.

Russian ground experts will coordinate as Padalka and Fincke don their Russian Orlan spacesuits, exit the Pirs airlock and use the Strela cargo crane to travel to the U.S.-built section of the Station. Once there, American flight controllers will assume primary responsibility for the replacement of the faulty Remote Power Control Module (RPCM) and assist with routing power through the new RPCM to the gyroscope. After power is restored to the CMG, Houston controllers will assist the spacewalkers in their hand-over-hand return to the Russian crane and pass responsibility back to the Russian ground team.Last week, Fincke and Padalka took turns moving the Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to a position along the S0 Truss for camera views of the spacewalk worksite. Late next week, they are slated to climb into their spacesuits for a dress rehearsal of the suit up and systems checkout that will clear the way for the spacewalk.

Padalka and Fincke also conducted Russian hand movement studies as part of a series of biomedical experiments and routine housekeeping tasks that filled up the remainder of their workdays.

Managers decided today to reschedule the planning date for the spacewalk from June 15 and discussed a possible new planning date of June 24. Formal management approval of a new planning date is expected next week. The rescheduling will move the activity into a better period of the crew's workday, optimize communications coverage and provide additional planning time. The time of day to conduct the spacewalk changes each day as the times the Station will pass over Russian ground communications sites change. The new schedule also allows additional time for ground teams to continue the development of the spacewalk procedures. Managers plan to review all preparations for the spacewalk at a normal Stage Operations Readiness Review planned for June 21.

Padalka and Fincke gathered tools and began work with their spacesuits this week to prepare for the spacewalk, which is planned to restore power to one of the complex's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs), devices that help maintain the Station's orientation as it orbits Earth. During the venture outside, the crew is planned to replace a Remote Power Control Module, or circuit breaker, that failed April 21, removing power from the one CMG. However, two CMGs have remained operating well, safely controlling the orientation of the Station. The crew began their work this week by charging batteries of the Pistol Grip Tool, a type of spacewalking power wrench, and familiarizing themselves with the tool's operation as it will be used during the spacewalk. Other activities included replacing batteries, filters, helmet lights and other routine parts in the Russian Orlan spacesuits that will be used for the spacewalk. They also unstowed personal garments such as socks, gloves, and cooling garments; sized the spacesuits; and peformed procedures to ensure no excess gas is present in the spacesuits' water and gas separation systems.

Both crewmembers also participated in cardiovascular evaluation sessions on the Russian stationary bicycle aboard the Station. The checks are part of standard spacewalk preparations.

Although Fincke is among thousands of American fathers whose service to the country has prevented them from attending the birth of a child, he is the first U.S. astronaut to have celebrated the event from space.

Fincke's wife, Renita, gave birth to their second child in Clear Lake, Texas, on this morning. Fincke later spoke to teams of flight controllers in Russia and the U.S. during a television downlink, thanking them for their support of his family and offering a celebratory cigar and candy to Station Commander Gennady Padalka. Fincke also urged everyone to remember all those in service to their country and support them as they make similar sacrifices away from their families.

Fincke, the NASA Station Science Officer, and Padalka spent this week getting ready for a spacewalk planned for June 24 to replace a faulty Remote Power Controller, essentially a circuit breaker. The spacewalk is designed to replace a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) which houses the faulty circuit breaker, through which power is routed to one of the Control Moment Gyros (CMGs).

There are four CMGs in the Station's Z1 truss. They control the orientation of the ISS in space. CMG 1 failed about two years ago, and will be replaced during the next Shuttle mission. CMG 2 was taken off line by the April 21 failure of the circuit breaker and should be restored by the RPCM's replacement. Meanwhile, two functioning CMGs adequately control the station's attitude.

NASA Television coverage of the spacewalk begins at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24. Padalka and Fincke are scheduled to leave the Russian Pirs docking compartment at 4:50 p.m. CDT in Russian spacesuits. A Mission Status Briefing focusing on the spacewalk will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, June 21, at the Johnson Space Center and will be carried on NASA-TV.

The two spacewalkers will move to the worksite, on the S0 truss, covering part of the distance using the Russian Strela crane attached to Pirs. The replacement work should take about 41/2 hours. Other tasks may be performed if time allows.

The crew's Russian spacesuits require a line of sight to antennas on the Russian segment of the station, some distance from the worksite, to communicate with the ground and with one another. Communications access points have been identified and four basic hand signals have been developed should Padalka and Fincke need them.

In addition to the spacewalk preparations, the crew's attention this week was devoted to experiment activities. The crew used one another as subjects in mass measurement checks and Fincke worked with three of the Express Racks aboard the U.S. laboratory Destiny to load new software.

The overall pressure in Fincke's suit remained stable at all times and he was not in danger. A backup oxygen tank available on his suit was not needed.

Fincke and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka opened the Pirs docking compartment hatch at 4:56 p.m. CDT. Immediately after Fincke floated out of the airlock, flight controllers in Moscow saw readings that indicated the primary oxygen bottle on Fincke's suit was losing pressure.

The two spacewalkers returned to the airlock and closed the hatch about 14 minutes later. After conducting preliminary troubleshooting activities, Padalka and Fincke were asked to remove the Orlan-M spacesuits and assist with troubleshooting of Fincke's suit. Russian flight controllers could not immediately determine the cause of the malfunction.

Fincke and Padalka then climbed out of the suits, returned to the Station's living quarters and began working with ground controllers to reconfigure the Station's systems for normal operations. The duration of Fincke and Padalka's spacewalk was 14 minutes, 22 seconds.

Mission managers in Houston and Moscow agreed to conduct further evaluation of the problem before setting a new target date for the spacewalk. The earliest the spacewalk could now be performed is June 29 based on Russian ground communications coverage.

Fincke told Mission Control in Houston that he was pleased flight controllers in Moscow had discovered the oxygen tank problem so quickly, and thanked both control teams for their efforts. He indicated the crew would sleep late tomorrow, and then resume their regular sleep schedule until it was time to prepare for another spacewalk.

The spacewalk's goal is to replace a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM) which houses a faulty circuit breaker, through which power is routed to one of the Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs).

There are four CMGs in the Station's Z1 truss. They control the orientation of the ISS in space. CMG 1 failed about two years ago, and will be replaced during the next Shuttle mission. CMG 2 was taken off line by the April 21 failure of the circuit breaker and should be restored by the RPCM's replacement. Meanwhile, two functioning CMGs adequately control the station's attitude.

Planners have retargeted the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for no earlier than Tuesday, June 29, based on Russian ground station communication coverage. The date of the spacewalk is expected to be confirmed Tuesday following the next meeting of the International Space Station's (ISS) Mission Management Team.

Almost immediately after switching their Orlan spacesuits to internal power and opening the Pirs Docking Compartment hatch to start the EVA, Fincke and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka were told to terminate the spacewalk and begin troubleshooting efforts to determine the cause of the pressure loss in the primary oxygen tank on Fincke's suit.

Once the ISS was reconfigured for normal operations, the troubleshooting began, which stretched into today with additional evaluations focusing on an injector switch that increases the flow of oxygen into the Orlan spacesuit. The crew cycled the switch on and off several times, while observing the suit injector system's status light.

Though investigation into the cause of the injector switch problem will continue throughout the weekend, Russian flight controllers assured the crew that its procedures were executed properly and it could expect to use the same suits when the spacewalk is rescheduled.

The objective of the spacewalk is to restore power to Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) #2 by replacing a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM). CMG #2 was taken off line April 21 by a failure of a circuit breaker in the RPCM. Currently, because of the failure of CMG #1 about two years ago, the attitude of the Station is being adequately controlled by the two remaining CMGs.

Planners have retargeted the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) for no earlier than Tuesday, June 29, based on Russian ground station communication coverage. That is expected to be confirmed Monday following the next meeting of the International Space Station's (ISS) Mission Management Team.

Almost immediately after switching their Orlan spacesuits to internal power and opening the Pirs Docking Compartment hatch to start the EVA, Fincke and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka were told to terminate the spacewalk and begin troubleshooting efforts to determine the cause of the pressure loss in the primary oxygen tank on Fincke's suit.

Once the ISS was reconfigured for normal operations, the troubleshooting began, which stretched into today with additional evaluations focusing on an injector switch that increases the flow of oxygen into the Orlan spacesuit. The crew cycled the switch on and off several times, while observing the suit injector system's status light.

Though investigation into the cause of the injector switch problem will continue throughout the weekend, Russian flight controllers assured the crew that its procedures were executed properly and it could expect to use the same suits when the spacewalk is rescheduled.

The objective of the spacewalk is to restore power to Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) #2 by replacing a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM). CMG #2 was taken off line April 21 by a failure of a circuit breaker in the RPCM. Currently, because of the failure of CMG #1 about two years ago, the attitude of the Station is being adequately controlled by the two remaining CMGs.

The Expedition 9 crew's first spacewalk was cut short Thursday when flight controllers in Moscow noticed almost immediately an unexpectedly high rate of pressure loss in the primary oxygen bottle on Astronaut Mike Fincke's Russian spacesuit.

Based on analysis, testing and on-orbit troubleshooting, managers concluded that the excessive oxygen pressure drop was caused by an open oxygen flow switch on Fincke's suit. The switch was not fully seated into the normal flow position before the spacewalk started, causing an unexpectedly swift flow of oxygen from the primary oxygen bottle into Fincke's spacesuit. Russian technicians concluded that it was an isolated event and gave the crew approval to use the same suits for tomorrow's rescheduled spacewalk. The spacewalk procedures have been updated to provide additional crew verification steps to ensure the handle is properly positioned.

The objective of the spacewalk is to restore power to Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) 2 by replacing a Remote Power Controller Module (RPCM). CMG 2 was taken off line April 21 by the failure of a circuit breaker in the RPCM. Because of the failure of CMG 1 about two years ago, the attitude of the Station is being adequately controlled by the two remaining CMGs.

Coverage and commentary of the spacewalk will begin Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. CDT. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 4:40 p.m. The excursion is expected to last up to six hours.

Because the spacewalk will be occurring simultaneously with the arrival of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft at Saturn, coverage of the spacewalk will be broadcast on AMC-9, Transponder 5, C-band, 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization, 3800 MHz with audio at 6.8 MHz. Cassini's mission will be seen on NASA Television's regular satellite channel, AMC-9, Transponder 9, 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization, 3880 MHz with audio at 6.8 MHz.

The spacewalk went smoothly from the moment NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke and Commander Gennady Padalka exited the airlock hatch, starting outside 20 minutes early. It was the second spacewalk for the two. An initial attempt was halted last week after only a few minutes due to a balky spacesuit oxygen control handle on Fincke's suit. Tonight, Fincke and Padalka spent five hours and forty minutes outside of the Station.

The two space-age electricians completed the primary task -- installing a new circuit breaker to restore power to one of four gyroscopes that help orient the complex -- an hour ahead of schedule. Mission Control confirmed the gyroscope had power and appeared to be operating well a few minutes later. It is expected to be restored to full operation, assisting in controlling the Station's orientation, as early as Thursday afternoon.

Communications with the ground and between the two spacewalkers were constant throughout the night. Backup hand signals were never needed. It was the first time that the primary control of a spacewalk had transitioned between controllers in Moscow and Houston periodically in a well-choreographed operation that was conducted seamlessly. All Station systems operated flawlessly in an autonomous configuration while both crew members were outside during the spacewalk.

Padalka and Fincke left the Station at 4:19 p.m. CDT. The duo moved smoothly from the Russian Pirs airlock along a 50-foot-long cargo crane and a series of handrails, and reached the American-built modules of the outpost at 5:09 p.m. CDT. At that time, primary control of the spacewalk transferred from Mission Control, Moscow, to Mission Control, Houston.

Flight controllers in Houston helped guide the spacewalkers to their worksite on the starboard truss structure and monitored their progress in replacing a Remote Power Control Module (RPCM) that had failed April 21. By 6:52 p.m. CDT, Padalka and Fincke had swapped the faulty circuit breaker with a working unit. Fifteen minutes later, Spacecraft Communicator Rex Walheim conveyed the good news that power had been restored to the gyroscope. The gyroscope was tested to a speed of 30 revolutions per minute as a preliminary verification of its health. It is planned to be spun to 6,600 rpm tomorrow, its normal operating speed, and brought on line to assist in stabilizing the Station.

Fincke and Padalka cleaned up tools and headed back to the Russian segment of the Station and, by 8:11 p.m. CDT, Mission Control, Houston, handed primary coordination back to Mission Control, Moscow. Upon returning to the Pirs airlock, the spacewalkers completed get-ahead tasks that had been planned for future spacewalks. They installed two flexible handrails, mounted a contamination monitor to measure Station thruster exhaust, and added end caps to two circular handrails on the airlock.

The crew closed the hatch and ended the spacewalk at 9:59 p.m. CDT. This was the 54th spacewalk in support of Station assembly and maintenance, the 29th staged from the Station itself, the fourth for Padalka in his career and Fincke's second.

After a normal, slow ramping up of speed over several hours, the newly restored Control Moment Gyroscope 2 reached its normal peak spin rate of 6,600 revolutions per minute at about 1:30 p.m. CDT. Engineers plan to perform tests overnight to further monitor the gyroscope's operation. The gyroscope will then join the other two CMGs currently controlling the Station's attitude.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke successfully replaced the failed circuit breaker providing power to the gyroscope during a 5-hour, 40-minute spacewalk Wednesday. Today the crew had a short, off-duty day. Russian flight controllers used air from the Progress cargo craft's supply tanks for a normal repressurization of the complex today, replacing air that had been vented overboard to allow the airlock to be opened for the spacewalk. The crew will work on additional spacewalk clean-up tasks Friday.

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke replaced a failed circuit breaker providing power to the gyroscope during a 5-hour, 40-minute spacewalk Wednesday. The gyroscope now joins two others in controlling the Station's orientation during normal operations.

Today the crew completed clean-up tasks for the spacewalk, including hanging the Russian Orlan-M spacesuits out to dry, stowing tools and conducting a follow-up conference with spacewalk specialists. Tomorrow the sleep shift schedule for the crewmembers will be back to normal as they begin a three-day weekend to commemorate the U.S. Independence Day holiday Monday. The crew will finish up spacewalk close out tasks next week and is scheduled to work on science experiments, such as the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity.

Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke turned their attention to a human science investigation to better understand the ability to quickly and remotely transmit medical data to the ground. The application may also find benefits on Earth, allowing for much quicker injury diagnosis for patients at remote locations by doctors based at hospitals.

The advanced ultrasound experiment administered by Padalka on his "patient" Fincke was conducted through the middle of the week. It demonstrated that transmission to a flight surgeon could be accomplished in quick fashion. This bodes well for Earth applications such as cases where early diagnosis of an accident victim could be made. Individuals with little training could transmit information from remote locations to doctors who can evaluate the data before transportation of the victim to a hospital. Early diagnosis and treatment through such telescience could ultimately save lives.

Fincke conducted additional troubleshooting work on the U.S. spacesuits with help from Mission Control. The Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU) have cooling problems, which have tentatively been traced to pumps inside the suits. These pumps circulate water through the suit to keep spacewalkers cool or warm. Further work is planned for the week of July 19 to pinpoint the problem more precisely. Repair parts for the suits are to be launched aboard the next Progress supply craft on Aug. 11. The new Progress would dock with the Station Aug. 14. The Progress now docked to the Station, ISS Progress 14, will be undocked July 30.

The next spacewalk, using Russian Orlan suits, is planned for Aug. 3. During the spacewalk, the crew will retrieve science experiments, install others, and prepare the outside of the Zvezda module's docking port for next year's planned first flight of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

Late in the week, the crew simulated an onboard fire during an emergency drill and exercised the full contingency plan with flight controllers in Houston and Moscow. Similar drills are conducted periodically aboard the complex to maintain the crew's emergency preparedness.

Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke conducted numerous biomedical experiments, including a Russian experiment named "Profilaktika" designed to measure Padalka's cardiovascular condition while pedaling on a bicycle ergometer in the Zvezda Service Module. Fincke operated a fluid dynamics experiment in the Destiny Lab to measure how spheres of liquid emitted from syringes migrate in microgravity to form a single sphere. He also conducted an experiment to test the properties of foam in a weightless environment.

The crew spent part of its week stowing trash in the ISS Progress 14 resupply craft docked to the aft end of Zvezda. The unpiloted Progress will be cast off from the ISS by Russian flight controllers on July 30 and deorbited to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. A new Progress cargo ship is scheduled for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on August 11 for a docking to the Station on August 14. It will carry food, fuel, water and supplies for Padalka and Fincke and for the Expedition 10 crew that is scheduled to launch to the Station in October.

On Thursday, Russian flight controllers were unable to upload new software into the Zvezda's computers in preparation for next year's maiden launch of the unpiloted European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) cargo ship that will operate in tandem with the Russian Progress vehicles. Russian specialists are analyzing what may have caused the unsuccessful upload and plan to try again next Wednesday. The computers are operating normally with the current load of software.

Earlier today, Padalka replaced a pump assembly in Zvezda that malfunctioned on Wednesday, causing the temporary loss of one of two redundant loops that provides cooling for Russian segment systems. The backup cooling system kept all Russian systems operating at the proper temperatures until the replacement work occurred. Both cooling loops are now working normally.

Fincke discussed life and work aboard the Station on Wednesday with a reporter from the Boston Globe newspaper magazine for an upcoming feature article and spent a few minutes in a ship-to-ship call discussing deep sea and outer space exploration with a NASA research team residing in the underwater ship "Aquarius" as part of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) activities being conducted off the coast of Key Largo, FL.

Padalka and Fincke also participated in a pair of simulated emergency drills on board to maintain proficiency in handling medical emergencies and the unlikely depressurization of the Station cabin.

Next week, Fincke plans to conduct additional troubleshooting work on U.S. spacesuits with help from Mission Control. The Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU) have cooling problems, which have tentatively been traced to pumps inside the suits. These pumps circulate water through the suit to keep spacewalkers cool or warm. Fincke plans to remove a pump from the suit designated for use by Padalka for further examination. Repair parts for the suits are to be launched next month aboard the next Progress supply craft.

The next spacewalk, using Russian Orlan suits, is planned for Aug. 3. During the spacewalk, the crew will retrieve science experiments, install others, and prepare the outside of the Zvezda module's docking port for next year's first flight of the ATV. Next week, the crew will begin preparations for the spacewalk and will review procedures for the excursion.

July 19 was the midpoint of the flight for ISS Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, who launched Apr. 19 and are targeted to return Oct. 19. On Monday Fincke spoke with Charles Gibson of ABC-TV's "Good Morning, America" about the birth of his daughter, Tarali, in June while he was in space. Fincke's wife and children joined the discussion from Houston.

This week the crew continued packing unneeded equipment and trash in the Progress vehicle, scheduled to undock July 30. Undocking the Progress from Zvezda's aft docking port will clear the area for the next spacewalk, targeted for Aug. 3. Wearing Russian spacesuits and exiting from the Pirs Docking Compartment, Padalka and Fincke are to install retroreflectors and communications equipment needed for the docking of the Automated Transfer Vehicle, a European Space Agency cargo ship slated to make its first flight next year. Yesterday Padalka and Fincke maneuvered the Station's Canadarm2 into position so its cameras can view the spacewalk, and today they wrapped up a thorough review of the spacewalk timeline with specialists in Moscow.

Meanwhile, flight controllers in Houston continue to investigate why two U.S. spacesuits are not providing the proper cooling. This week spacesuit engineers monitored as Fincke conducted troubleshooting of a motor in the water pump of one of the spacesuits. An analysis of photos and video from that work is underway. Two spare water pumps will be launched in the next Progress supply ship, due to liftoff Aug. 11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The failure on Monday of a computer on the Station's inactive starboard thermal radiator has no significant impact on current operations. The radiator is not in use in the present Station configuration, although the computer had assisted flight controllers with monitoring of temperatures and pressures of the unused equipment. The radiator is not scheduled to be used until several missions after the Space Shuttle's return to flight.

Tuesday Padalka and Fincke recognized the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and discussed both the past as well as the present and future of space exploration - and the role to be played by the International Space Station in future exploration - in an interview with CBS News.

The ISS Progress 14 automated resupply craft undocked at 1:05 a.m. CDT today. Fincke filmed its departure, and Station exterior cameras captured rare footage of the Progress' fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. It had been filled with about a ton of trash and equipment no longer needed aboard the orbiting outpost. It was undocked to clear the area for the upcoming spacewalk and to make room for the next supply vehicle, Progress 15, planned to launch Aug. 11 and dock with the Station on Aug. 14.

Throughout the week, Padalka and Fincke prepared for their Aug. 3 spacewalk. Using Russian spacesuits and the Russian Pirs airlock, they will replace several materials exposure experiment packages and a thruster contamination monitor. They also will install reflectors and communications equipment needed for the docking of a new European Space Agency cargo ship, called the Automated Transfer Vehicle, to fly for the first time next year. NASA Television will broadcast the spacewalk live beginning at 1 a.m. CDT Aug. 3. Padalka and Fincke are set to exit the hatch and begin up to six hours of work outside at about 2:10 a.m. CDT.

This will be the 55th spacewalk in support of Space Station assembly and maintenance, the 30th from the Station and the 12th from the Russian airlock. Padalka will be making his fifth spacewalk, and Fincke his third. The Expedition 9 crew, which launched April 19, has a fourth spacewalk scheduled later in the year.

The Progress 15 cargo will include two spare water pumps that engineers hope to use in repairing two U.S. spacesuits with cooling system problems. Engineers are continuing to review detailed photographs downlinked by the crew during last week's troubleshooting.

Fincke spent part of his weekend working with the In Space Soldering Investigation. He used a soldering iron to melt solder on 18 experiment samples, documenting differences in the way the solder melted and solidified in weightlessness. Scientists hope to learn how such materials behave in orbit. The tests may help to verify in-flight repair procedures for electronics on the Station and for future space exploration vehicles and outposts.

Thursday, the crew answered questions from teachers gathered for a NASA Explorer School Workshop at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

The ATV is an unpiloted cargo carrier like the Russian Progress supply vehicles, but has a cargo capacity about 2˝ times that of a Progress. The European Space Agency's (ESA) ATV is scheduled for its first launch in the fall of 2005 aboard an ESA Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. In addition to carrying cargo, including fuel, water, oxygen and nitrogen, it also can reboost the Station. Like the Progress, the ATV will burn up when it re-enters the atmosphere. During the spacewalk Padalka and Fincke worked smoothly around the exterior of the Russian Zvezda Service Module in their Orlan spacesuits. The pair exited the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock at 1:58 a.m. CDT and began work on the Russian segment immediately.

The crewmembers moved to the aft end cone of Zvezda, where they found a wide open workspace. ISS Progress 14 had been undocked from the area on Friday.

Their first task was to replace an experiment, called SKK that exposes materials the space environment with a fresh sample container. They also replaced a Kromka experiment unit that measures contamination from Service Module thruster firings.

Their attention then turned to preparing the Station for the arrival of ATVs by installing new rendezvous and docking equipment. They installed two antennas and replaced three laser reflectors with three more advanced versions than the ones launched with Zvezda in 2000. One three-dimensional reflector was also installed to replace three other old reflectors the spacewalkers removed.

While in the area, the crew also disconnected a cable for a camera that has broken and will be replaced on a future spacewalk. The crew also retrieved another materials experiment, Platan-M. The crew returned to Pirs with the Platan-M, Kromka No.2, SKK No. 2 and the six old laser reflectors in tow.

As they worked at the rear of the Service Module, the three 600-pound Control Moment Gyroscopes that control the orientation in space of the orbiting laboratory approached their saturation level, a condition that had been expected. The Station was placed in free drift while the spacewalkers continued working. Consequently, as power conservation measures were executed, S-band communication was temporarily lost.

At about 4:15 a.m. CDT, the spacewalkers, who were about 40 minutes ahead of their timeline, were asked to clear the area. Once they moved forward, the thrusters on the Service Module were activated to realign the Station's attitude and S-band communication was also restored.

Subsequently, at about 5 a.m. CDT, the Control Moment Gyroscopes reassumed attitude control and the Service Module thrusters were turned off. The spacewalkers then returned to work at the rear of the Service Module.

The crew closed the hatch and ended the spacewalk at 6:28 a.m. CDT. This was the 55th spacewalk in support of Station assembly and maintenance, the 30th staged from the Station itself, the fifth for Padalka and Fincke's third.

During the 4 ˝ hour Extravehicular Activity (EVA) - or spacewalk - Padalka and Fincke replaced experiments on the outside of the Zvezda Service Module and installed navigation aids for next year's arrival of a European cargo craft. Their fourth and final planned spacewalk is targeted for early September.

Wednesday, the crew cleaned and stowed their spacesuits and spacewalking tools, recharged batteries, and filled water tanks for the suits' cooling units. They also conducted debriefing sessions with Russian spacewalk specialists. Also Wednesday, ground controllers in Houston repressurized the Station with nitrogen from the High Pressure Gas Tanks on the Quest Airlock after the spacewalk.

Earlier today, the crew started assembling the cover that will protect the new flex hose on the window of the Destiny Laboratory to ensure it will not be inadvertently damaged by crew activity in the research module.

The crew wrapped up its week with Fincke conducting more experiments with the advanced ultrasound equipment as well as updating software for the Station Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) that collects information on the effect of crew activity on delicate microgravity experiments housed on board the complex. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, final preparations are under way for next Wednesday's launch of the Russian ISS Progress 15 cargo ship that will transport almost three tons of food, fuel, water and supplies for Padalka and Fincke as well as clothing and supplies for the Expedition 10 crew, Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov, who are scheduled to launch to the Station Oct. 9 to replace Padalka and Fincke.

The Progress 15 craft is scheduled to lift off at 12:03 a.m. CDT (503 GMT) Wednesday for a three-day trip to the Station. Docking is scheduled at 12:02 a.m. CDT (502 GMT) Aug. 14. NASA Television will provide live coverage and commentary of the docking beginning at 11 p.m. CDT Aug. 13.

The ISS Progress 15 craft lifted off on time from the Central Asian launch site at 12:03 a.m. CDT (503 GMT), and less than 10 minutes later settled into orbit. Moments after that, automatic commands deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas.

As the Progress launched, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke were asleep. The Station was flying just to the southwest of Baikonur at an altitude of 230 statute miles at the time of launch.

Two engine firings were scheduled overnight to raise and refine the Progress' orbit and its path to the ISS for an automated docking Saturday morning at 12:02 a.m. CDT (502 GMT) at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module. 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 launched today to 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. The repair spacewalk was eventually conducted in Russian Orlan spacesuits on June 30.

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.

A Russian Progress cargo craft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:03 a.m. CDT Wednesday, and is due to dock to the aft port of the Zvezda module at 12:02 a.m. CDT Saturday. NASA Television will broadcast the docking live with coverage beginning at 11 p.m. CDT.

Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke prepared for the arrival of the craft by clearing room for the new supplies and setting up video cameras to monitor its arrival. Padalka also trained on the use of the Russian telerobotically operated docking system that he would operate to manually dock the Progress in the unlikely event the automated system is not available.

During the Station's orbits above the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the crewmembers took photographs of Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley while video cameras on the exterior of the Destiny laboratory module documented the storms' development.

Science activities for the crew included using the advanced ultrasound equipment to gather more data about what ultrasound examinations of healthy crewmembers look like while in microgravity. The work is also verifying techniques developed for minimally trained people to conduct the examinations with the help from doctors in remote places, such as Mission Control, Houston in this instance.

The crew worked with a Russian experiment studying plasma-dust crystals and another studying the changes in body mass while in space. The crew also filled out dietary logs for two days to support the U.S. Biopsy experiment studying the effects of long-duration space flight on human skeletal muscle.

On Monday, the crewmembers answered questions from students at the Waimea Middle School in Kamuela, Hawaii with about 550 educators and students in attendance. Tuesday Fincke contacted students at Good Shepherd School and St. Paul's Catholic School in Decherd, Tennessee through the amateur radio system onboard.

Regular maintenance was conducted on the ventilation system and periodic environmental samples were collected. The crew also participated in a Soyuz emergency evacuation drill.

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.

International Space Station Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke unloaded most of the cargo this week. They then shifted their attention to cataloguing and stowing the material using the Station's computerized, bar code-based Inventory Management System. The ISS Progress 15 docked to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, bringing fuel, water, oxygen, air, spare parts and other supplies.

Other activities for the crew during the week included a reboost of the Station, moving the Station's robotic arm into position for an upcoming spacewalk, and continuing science experiments.

On Tuesday, Padalka and Fincke installed a new system in the Progress craft that allows the crew to command Progress thruster firings from the Zvezda module. The thruster control system was tested and then used in a Thursday reboost of the Station that raised its altitude by about 3 statute miles. The ISS is now in an orbit with a high point of 228.7 miles and a low point of 215.5 miles.

Another Station reboost is scheduled next week to further raise the Station's orbit and prepare for the October arrival of the ISS Soyuz 9 spacecraft that will bring a new crew to the outpost.

On Thursday, the crew spent about an hour moving the Station's Canadarm2 into position for its cameras to view the upcoming spacewalk, scheduled for Sept. 3. During the spacewalk, the crew will use Russian Orlan spacesuits and the Russian airlock to install additional navigation equipment in preparation for next year's maiden flight of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle supply craft.

A press briefing on the spacewalk, the fourth and final outside excursion planned during Expedition 9's stay on the Station, will be held at 1 p.m. CDT Aug. 27 at Johnson Space Center, Houston. The briefing will be carried on NASA Television. Reporters at participating NASA centers will be able to ask questions.

Fincke will spend some time next week continuing to troubleshoot U.S. spacesuit cooling system problems. Among the spare parts delivered aboard the new Progress craft are new U.S. spacesuit cooling system pumps.

Science activities this week included biomedical crew observations and tests, among them a look at bioelectrical activity of the heart and audiograms. Crewmembers also worked with a Russian plant growth experiment, conducted educational science demonstrations, and performed a U.S experiment studying the behavior in weightlessness of fine particles suspended in a fluid, similar to the processes that govern paints and inks on Earth.

Early this week, NASA Flight Engineer and ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke performed the most complex spacesuit repair job ever conducted in flight on a U.S. spacesuit, replacing a water pump in the suit's cooling system. The four and a half hour replacement job on Monday was followed by several hours of tests on Tuesday. The tests showed the new pump worked perfectly, and engineers on the ground will now determine whether to declare the spacesuit usable in the future. If so, the Station would have a complement of two operational U.S. spacesuits. A third suit is aboard as well but has a cooling problem. However, a second spare water pump is aboard the Station in the event managers choose to attempt similar maintenance on the third suit.

Flight controllers lauded Fincke's work, relaying to him that such efforts provide not only a better understanding for future Station operations, but also important data for all future long duration space travels.

Also on Monday, Fincke replaced major components in one of the Station's exercise machines, a resistive exercise device that uses tension to simulate weights during a workout. He installed new canisters in the device, designed to be twice as durable as the previous canisters used for the machine. He then checked their operation with a workout, finding the device in excellent condition. Exercise is vital for the crew as one method of counteracting the effects of weightlessness on the body. The spare spacesuit pumps and exercise canisters were delivered to the Station aboard the Russian Progress cargo craft that arrived Aug. 14.

As this week progressed, Fincke and Station Commander Gennady Padalka turned their attention toward their fourth and final spacewalk, scheduled for next week. During the Sept. 3 spacewalk, they will use Russian spacesuits and exit the Russian Pirs airlock. Their work outside will include installing three antennas on the exterior of the Zvezda living quarters module that will aid the navigation of a new Station supply craft, called the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, during its maiden flight set next year. Other tasks include replacement of a pump panel on the Zarya module that is part of the Russian segment's cooling system; installation of guides for spacesuit tethers on Zarya handrails; and the installation of handrail covers near the Pirs hatch.

This week, Fincke and Padalka reviewed timelines for the spacewalk, gathered gear and checked the tools they will use. On Monday, they will power up their Orlan spacesuits to check their operation as they continue their preparations. The spacewalk on Friday will begin at 11:50 a.m. CDT and last about six hours. The activities will be broadcast live on NASA Television, beginning at 10:30 a.m. CDT.

Other activities this week included a Wednesday evening reboost of the Station, firing thrusters on the Progress craft to increase the altitude of the complex by an average of about two and a half statute miles. The reboost moves the Station closer to the orbital altitude desired for the arrival of a Soyuz spacecraft and new crew in October. Another reboost is planned in September to complete the move. The Station's current orbit has a high point of about 230 miles and a low point of about 218 miles.

On Monday and Tuesday, Station cameras operated by flight controllers recorded video of Typhoon Chaba as it moved quickly across the Philippine Sea with winds of 165 mph. Today, Fincke reported taking a still photo of Hurricane Frances in the Atlantic Ocean as the Station flew above the storm.

Wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits, Padalka and Fincke began the spacewalk at 11:43 a.m. CDT, emerging from the Pirs airlock affixed to the Zvezda Service Module. It was Padalka's sixth career spacewalk and the fourth for Fincke, all of his conducted during this expedition. The spacewalk was supervised by Russian flight controllers at the Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow.

After setting up tools and tethers, Padalka and Fincke quickly went to work. On the Zarya module, they replaced a pump control panel that measures the module's coolant levels. They then installed a series of tether guides on four handrails. The guides are intended to prevent future spacewalkers' tethers from becoming snagged.

As the Station moved into orbital darkness, the spacewalkers took a rest break. During the break, flight controllers in Houston collected data on the orientation of the outpost. The information will help determine if the cooling systems of the Russian spacesuits contribute to changes in the Station's orientation. Throughout today's spacewalk, the Station remained in predicted orientations. No unanticipated measures were needed to maintain its stability.

Padalka and Fincke spent two and a half hours on the exterior of Zvezda, installing three communications antennas at its aft end. Those antennas, along with other equipment installed during an Aug. 3 spacewalk, will be used next year. They will guide the European Space Agency's unpiloted Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the "Jules Verne" cargo ship, to its maiden docking with the Station. Three more ATV navigation antennas will be installed by the next Station crew, Expedition 10, in February. The Expedition 11 crew will install ATV communications gear inside Zvezda as well.

Padalka and Fincke returned to Pirs and installed protective handrail covers at one of the two airlock hatches. The covers will ensure tethers do not inadvertently wrap around the handrails.

Fincke also photographed a suitcase-sized tray of Japanese commercial experiments mounted on Zvezda to measure the effect of micrometeoroids on a variety of materials. Called Micro-Particle Capturer and Space Environment Exposure Devices, they were installed on Zvezda almost three years ago.

With their work done, Padalka and Fincke returned to the airlock and closed the hatch at 5:04 p.m. CDT. The spacewalk was the 56th in support of Station assembly and maintenance and the 31st based from the Station. In all, Padalka and Fincke have spent 15 hours and 45 minutes outside the Station during their four spacewalks together. To date, spacewalkers have spent more than 338 hours outside the Station for maintenance and assembly work.

Russian specialists decided to forego further troubleshooting until Monday to give them more time to determine why a gas analysis mechanism in the system commanded the Elektron to shut down two other times after Padalka had cleaned and flushed lines in the device.

Despite the intermittent performance of the Elektron, there is plenty of oxygen in the Station's cabin atmosphere. U.S. flight controllers slightly increased nitrogen levels on board with nitrogen from the Quest airlock tanks, but no further repressurization of the cabin atmosphere is required in the near future. The Elektron's temporary shutdown has no impact to any Station operations.

After several hours of work on the system in the Zvezda Service Module this morning, Padalka told Russian flight controllers that the reassembled Elektron, which separates water into oxygen for the Station and hydrogen that is vented overboard, had twice run for about five minutes before shutting down. Eventually, Padalka and flight controllers disabled an Elektron gas analyzer sensor system, and the device continued to operate for just over an hour before it commanded itself to shut off again. The Elektron originally shut down on Wednesday, prompting Padalka's maintenance work.

At the moment, Russian flight controllers believe that a modification in the software that regulates commanding for the gas analyzer could fix the problem early next week.

On Wednesday, Padalka used spare parts sent up on a Russian Progress resupply ship last May to bring a spare liquids unit for the Elektron back to operational status. There are no plans to use the backup unit at the moment, but it is available, if needed. The Progress currently docked to the Station has full oxygen and air tanks and additional oxygen is available in two high-pressure tanks on Quest, if they are needed. A total of 84 Solid Fuel Oxygen Generator canisters, a 42-day supply of oxygen for the crew, also are available, but there are no plans to use any reserve oxygen supplies.

Earlier in the week, Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke conducted routine housekeeping tasks and a few post-spacewalk tasks, including the stowage of spacewalking tools and the servicing of the Russian Orlan space suits.

Fincke also conducted optional science activities, including some remaining data takes with a Dutch experiment that helps to characterize the performance of a grooved heat pipe in microgravity. The experiment was brought up to the Station by European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers in April.

Both crewmembers worked with other science and medical experiments this week. Padalka conducted the PLANTS experiment as well as the PROFILAKTIKA experiment. It is designed to study countermeasures to negative physiological effects of lengthy spaceflight.

Fincke also performed proficiency training for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity medical experiment and on Thursday, both crewmembers participated in a bone scanning procedure. That research will not only assist with onboard medical situations but is being developed for possible use in remote areas on Earth.

Padalka and Fincke wrapped up their week with a televised conversation with Native American students at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, ND. It was the featured event during the 35th Annual United Tribes International Powwow. NASA representatives from the Johnson Space Center and the Langley Research Center attended the powwow and tribal meetings to promote NASA education and Explorer Schools.

Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke completed their 145th day in space today and their 143rd day aboard the complex.

Work with the Elektron unit, a device that recycles waste water into oxygen, was one of several maintenance activities completed by Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke this week.

With guidance from Russian ground controllers, Padalka had replaced the Elekron's liquids unit with one he had refurbished last week using spare components. The Elektron is operating without a gas analyzer that was removed during troubleshooting. The absence of the gas analyzer does not affect the Elekron's ability to generate oxygen, although it may mean the crew will be required to more closely monitor the unit's operations. Ground controllers requested the Elektron be turned off before the crew goes to sleep tonight to allow data gathered during its operations to be evaluated.

The crew flushed and cleaned several of the Elektron's lines earlier in the week, as well as cleaning a mounting plate and removing the gas analyzer.

While the Elektron was off, the Station atmosphere was repressurized Wednesday using oxygen from the Progress supply craft docked to the complex. The Station has a supply of oxygen available in its own tanks, the Progress tanks, and oxygen-generating candles that could be used for many months if it were needed.

Meanwhile, Fincke replaced a flex hose that is used to vent an area between panes of the window in the U.S. Destiny Lab. After depressurizing the window's inner panes, he replaced the hose and installed a protective cover. The previous hose had been damaged and allowed air to leak into the area.

The crew has begun some preparations for their trip home next month. This week, they tested the UHF and VHF communication systems of the Soyuz spacecraft that will carry them back to Earth. The communication checks were done with NASA ground stations at the White Sands Test Facility, the Dryden Flight Research Center and with the Wallops Flight Facility, allowing NASA sites to be used to supplement primary Russian ground communications sites. Fincke also used a camcorder to survey all external U.S. hardware visible from the Station windows. The video has been downlinked to the ground for engineers to assess the hardware's condition. Science activities for the crew included work with the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity experiment. Assisted by experts on the ground, they conducted body scans with the equipment to practice the procedures. They also continued providing information for the Interactions investigation, a computer-based survey that helps investigators study the interpersonal relations between crewmembers and ground control teams during long spaceflights.

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.