The U.S. and Russian crew of the Expedition 12 has completed an upgrade to the International Space Station's spacewalk preparation systems.
U.S. Commander Bill McArthur and Russian Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev also installed the Recharge Oxygen Orifice Bypass Assembly, National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said.
The assembly will conserve station oxygen during spacewalk preparations when the space shuttle is docked to the complex. It allows the crew to breathe oxygen from the shuttle rather than use oxygen from station tanks, as they prepare for the spacewalk.
The crew must breathe pure oxygen for an extended period before beginning a spacewalk to prevent decompression sickness. The new system will be used during the next shuttle mission.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Jules Verne refuels the ISS
ESA's Jules Verne ATV was used for the first time yesterday to transfer in one step 811 kg of refuelling propellant to the International Space Station while the two vehicles orbited Earth at 28 000 km/h. With this premiere for Europe, Jules Verne becomes the first western spaceship to succeed in refuelling another space infrastructure in orbit.
Station Crew Ready for Wednesday's Spacewalk
The Expedition 16 crew aboard the International Space Station wrapped up preparations Tuesday for a 6.5-hour spacewalk scheduled to begin early Wednesday.
Space station exchanges cargo ships
The crew of the International Space Station was preparing Tuesday for an exchange of cargo spaceships.
ISS Crew Checks Out Spacesuits
Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Thomas Reiter have conducted a system check of their spacesuits and checked out tools to be used during the Aug. 3 spacewalk. One of their key tasks was familiarization by Williams and Reiter with the pistol grip tool they will use while outside the station.
ISS crew completes spacewalk
U.S. space agency NASA's Jeff Williams and his Russian companion aboard the International Space Station have completed a spacewalk for making repairs.
In Brief: NASA announces June 1 ISS spacewalk
NASA has announced some details of a scheduled June 1 spacewalk by the 13th International Space Station crew.
International Space Station weekly report
After an almost six-hour spacewalk last week, the crew began the week with a little time off; then returned to science investigations, routine maintenance and equipment tests.
NASA Preparing Oxygen Generation System for Space Station
NASA is preparing to launch an oxygen generation system to the International Space Station. The system uses water to generate breathable oxygen for crew members. Life support systems like this are necessary to support future long-duration missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.