International Space Station Status Report

International Space Station Status Report: SS06-002

This past week, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev completed an important upgrade to the station’s spacewalk preparation systems, and installed the Recharge Oxygen Orifice Bypass Assembly.

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.

McArthur wore customized Lycra cycling tights for a session of the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment. FOOT investigates the differences between use of the body’s lower extremities on Earth and in space. McArthur wore the instrumented garb to measure joint angles, muscle activity, and forces on his feet during daily activities.

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