Despite Glitches, Astronauts Keep Spirits High Aboard Space Station

HOUSTON -- Despite facing down tough computer glitches amidst a busy mission to build up the International Space Station (ISS), spirits are high among the ten astronauts aboard the orbital laboratory.

The joint crews of NASA?s space shuttle Atlantis and the station?s Expedition 15 mission said they had faith that the beguiling computer issues in the Russian segment of the ISS over the last few days would be resolved.

?At the very beginning we were a little bit worried about the status of the computers,? Expedition 15 flight engineer Oleg Kotov told reporters during space-to-ground press conference Saturday. ?But we were sure that our ground team?could troubleshoot this problem, and it came true.?

Kotov and Expedition 15 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin reactivated the six Russian computers over the last two days, the last two earlier today.

?It?s a good day,? Yurchikhin said, adding that the busy joint mission with Atlantis? crew can be challenging yet rewarding. ?Sometimes it?s terrible, sometimes difficult, but a very nice time for every one of us.?

Confident crew

Commanded by veteran shuttle flyer Rick Sturckow, Atlantis? STS-117 crew has spent just over a week in space delivering a new Expedition 15 crewmember, massive starboard trusses and new solar wings to the ISS.

Sturckow said he has no concerns over the surgical staple fix that secured a torn heat-resistant blanket to Atlantis? left aft engine pod. Spacewalker Danny Olivas used a medical stapler and wire pins to anchor the blanket down on Friday.

?I have a lot of confidence in Danny?s work, so I think we?re going to be in good shape,? Sturckow said.

Four STS-117 astronauts are making their first trip into space during the planned 13-day mission, which has been a learning experience for some. Atlantis pilot Lee Archambault said that the technical hurdles of the mission can pale in comparison with simple necessities in the weightlessness of space.

?Learning how to eat, just getting around without gravity, is often times even a bigger challenge than the technical things that we do,? Archambault said. ?Adapting to zero gravity provides a unique challenge that can?t be practiced anywhere else.?

Other crewmates, meanwhile, said they were awed by the station?s size, even as they helped make it a bit bigger by adding new segments.

?The really big impressive moment was being out at the end of the truss as we were finishing some of our work getting ready to unfurl the solar arrays?.and then turning around and seeing this massive piece of equipment that we?ve been building over the last few years,? STS-117 spacewalker James Reilly said.

Crew swap underway

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, formerly an Expedition 15 flight engineer, is preparing to return to Earth with the Atlantis crew after six months aboard the ISS. Earlier today, she set a new world record for the longest duration spaceflight by a female astronaut.

?I think I had a couple of wrenches in my hands, that?s how I celebrated,? Williams said, stressing that she was just in the right place at the right time to snag the title.

Williams is handing her ISS flight engineer duties over to NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson, who is making his first spaceflight with the STS-117 and Expedition 15 missions and had some fast lessons while the station crew wrangled with computer issues this week.

?I think I?m hanging in there,? Anderson said. ?It kind of reminds me of one of my swimming lessons when I got tossed in the water, but everybody?s been very helpful.?

Williams said the high points of mission were representing the U.S. as its sole representative aboard the ISS, and her four spacewalks to help outfit the station.

?When you?re outside and the only thing between you and space is your visor, you know that?s pretty special,? she said.

NASA is broadcasting the space shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for mission updates and SPACE.com's video feed.

• SPACE.com Video Interplayer: Space Station Power Up with STS-117
• Complete Shuttle Mission Coverage
• All About the International Space Station