The two
astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are eagerly
anticipating the arrival of NASA's space shuttle Discovery and their first
human visitors in more than two months.
ISS
Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev and flight engineer John Phillips said
they look forward to nightly dinners with Discovery's STS-114 astronauts, and are
planning something special to welcome the shuttle crew aboard.
"If I told
you now, it wouldn't be a surprise," Phillips told reporters Friday during a
space-to-ground news conference. "But I do have a surprise for them."
Discovery's
STS-114 mission, commanded by veteran astronaut Eileen Collins, is slated to launch
on July 13 at 3:51 p.m. EDT (1951 GMT) and dock at the ISS two days later. In
addition to testing out new orbital tools and procedures to inspect and repair
space shuttles, Collins and her crewmates will deliver a cargo pod full of
much-needed supplies, experiments and replacement parts to the ISS.
"I'm
looking forward to seeing my colleagues up here, and seeing another seven faces,"
Phillips said, adding that he has been collecting his supply of Mexican food
for a theme dinner with the shuttle astronauts.
Krikalev
and Phillips have lived aboard the ISS since mid-April,
and are expected to be the last two-person crew to maintain the orbital
facility. A third crew member, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas
Reiter, is slated to join them during NASA's STS-121 shuttle flight aboard
Atlantis, which is currently set to launch no earlier than Sept. 9.
Shuttle
support
Space
station crews have been limited to two astronauts, rather than the optimal
three, since the 2003 loss of the space shuttle Columbia. That shuttle broke
apart during reentry on Feb. 1, 2003, leaving no survivors. NASA grounded its orbiter
fleet immediately after the accident, and has spent the last two years
modifying its shuttle launch system to enhance flight safety.
"It's a
risky business, and we're all sort of apprehensive," Phillips said of Discovery's
upcoming flight. "I'm very confident of course."
NASA and
ISS managers have developed an emergency
plan in the event Discovery suffers substantial damage and is unable to return
the STS-114 crew back to Earth safely. In that event, the astronauts would take
shelter aboard the ISS until Atlantis could be sent up to retrieve them under a
plan known as Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS).
"Right now,
all the equipment and supplies aboard will allow us to support a full crew up
to a month and a half, approximately," Krikalev told reporters.
Phillips
added that the space station has plenty of food, water and oxygen to support
nine people for a limited contingency period.
"That is
not to say we take a potential [CSCS] situation lightly," Phillips said. "We would
not take it lightly, that would not be a good day."
Cleaning
house
While
Discovery is hauling up a massive load of fresh cargo
for the ISS, it will also return an equally large amount of cargo back home, much
of which could not be returned any other way.
"It's a
pretty big pile of equipment we have prepared for the shuttle to return,"
Krikalev said, adding that he hopes to return some Russian Kurs units used by
unmanned Progress cargo ships during ISS resupply.
The crew
will also send down some personal items.
Phillips
said he and his wife are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary,
and he looks forward to sending a pair of new wedding rings they bought for the
occasion.
Both
astronauts said Discovery's STS-114 flight, and Atlantis' subsequent STS-121
mission, are vital to putting the space station back on the path to completion.
"The focus
of the shuttle program at this point is on supporting the space station and
continuing [its] assembly," Phillips said. "I'm looking forward to getting new
lab equipment and other instruments up from the ground."
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