NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Station Crew Unloads Cargo, Installs Hardware

Image above: Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke works on the installation of the new Waste and Hygiene Compartment in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

Systems aboard the International Space Station continued performing well Tuesday as the Expedition 18 crew unloaded newly arrived cargo and installed hardware to support additional personnel aboard the orbital outpost.

After a morning inspection of the space station, the Expedition crew members, Commander Mike Fincke and flight engineers Yury Lonchakov and Sandy Magnus, performed body mass measurements. These measurements provide a general snapshot of crew physical condition and the effectiveness of countermeasures against the impacts of long-duration spaceflight.

Lonchakov spent much of his day unloading cargo from the newly arrived ISS Progress 31 spacecraft, which docked at the station Sunday. The unpiloted spacecraft delivered more than 1,800 pounds of propellant, more than 100 pounds of oxygen and air, more than 450 pounds of water and nearly 3,000 pounds of dry cargo.

+ Read more about the Progress 31 docking

Fincke was busy inside the U.S. Destiny Laboratory working in installing the new Waste and Hygiene Compartment. This phone-booth-sized WHC will serve as a second toilet for the crew members once it becomes operational. Meanwhile, Magnus hooked up a new waste water bag to the new Water Recovery System to perform a leak check.

Throughout the day, Magnus worked in the Kibo module to install a control panel and test rendezvous equipment related to next year’s maiden launch of the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. This unpiloted spacecraft will be guided to a point near the station, where the station’s Canadarm2 will grasp it for berthing.

› Read more about Expedition 18
› View crew timelines

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International Space Station Calendar

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