14 DAY TRIAL // Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, including the five that arrived yesterday aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, are currently working on fixing the outpost's urine recycling system. Some are also busy unloading the cargo and equipment necessary for tonight's spacewalk, which will see the new Node 3 module finally being installed on the station. This is the last major addition to the ISS, and, once the Cupola is installed as well, the space facility will be 98-percent complete, Space reports.
In charge of the repair work to the recycling system is Jeffrey Williams, the ISS commander for the current portion of Expedition 22. He is expected to spend a few hours today trying to fix a broken component, while others will assist him. This intervention will be made difficult by the fact that he will have to work in the weightlessness of space. On the other hand, the NASA astronaut has been on the spacecraft for a while, and is used to twisted positions and grips. In the meantime, the remaining members of the 11-astronaut crew currently in orbit will prepare for the first STS-130 spacewalk.
While analyzing images collected of the heat shield on Endeavor during the final approach to the ISS, NASA engineers discovered two minor faults that they are now investigating thoroughly. The first one refers to a glitch discovered near one of the spacecraft's cockpit windows, where a ceramic spacer appears to be jutting out of place. The other one is a crack that appeared on top of the shuttle's cockpit, in a white heat-resistant tile. This poses minor concerns, as the malfunction had already been fixed once before, while Endeavor was undergoing maintenance at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
However, NASA engineers say that the glitches will not merit further investigation of the heat shield as the shuttle is docked to the station for the following eight days. The third inspection for the mission will take place as planned, in the day before Endeavor lands. Just to be on the safe side, engineers on the ground will continue to survey the situation, and collect more evidence on how these loose tiles could be affecting the spacecraft's flight dynamics.