DATE=9/16/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SHUTTLE-SATURDAY (L)
NUMBER=2-266592
BYLINE=DAVID MCALARY
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The crew of the U-S space shuttle Atlantis
made the International Space Station a little more
like home today for future crews who will live and
work aboard the outpost. As V-O-A Science
Correspondent David McAlary reports their work of
outfitting the station is over for this mission.
TEXT: U-S astronauts and Russian cosmonauts stocked
the space station's pantry with food, toothpaste,
shampoo and other domestic items for use when the
first long-duration crew arrives in November.
But their main task of the day was to set up an
exercise treadmill in the Russian-built command module
Zvezda, the so-called Service Module where station
crews will live. It is not a standard consumer
treadmill. This one is specially built to operate in
a cage that absorbs the equipment's vibrations so it
will not disturb sensitive experiments requiring
stability. The isolation system includes a frame of
guy wires, elastic cords, and computer-controlled
dampening mechanisms that lead space station flight
director Mark Ferring said is intricate.
/// FERRING ACT ///
There were a lot of folks in the Service Module
working on that and putting together all the pieces
and, as you saw, there were a lot of pieces. The
bottom line [end result], though, is that the
treadmill is completely assembled at this time, which
is really good news.
/// END ACT ///
The Atlantis crew also checked the Russian Zarya cabin
for any fungus that might have accumulated there.
On the ground, Russian flight controllers outside
Moscow tested a communications circuit through which
they will send and receive data files to and from
Zvezda.
The work of transferring 22-hundred kilograms of cargo
to the station is complete.
According to lead shuttle flight director Phil
Engelauf, the crew has worked ahead of schedule. He
says their speed -- combined with the extra workday in
space that mission officials gave them - allowed them
to complete a few jobs assigned to the next shuttle
crew that will continue station preparation in October
and some tasks the first long term station inhabitants
expected to face.
/// ENGELAUF ACT ///
We spent some time trying to pull together any
additional tasks that we could do that might be
especially helpful for them. Some of the shopping
list of activities that we have consists of restowing
some items in a few different places and doing just a
little bit more additional work to try to get
different work sites in the vehicle set up in
anticipation of the arrival of the first expedition
crew to try to speed their work along a little better.
/// END ACT ///
The Atlantis team will spend Sunday closing the
station's hatches and will undock from the outpost
early Monday Universal Time [11:42 p.m. EDT Sunday]
ahead of their scheduled return to Earth on Wednesday
[at 3:56 a.m. EDT]. (SIGNED)
NEB/DEM/PLM
16-Sep-2000 10:11 AM EDT (16-Sep-2000 1411 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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