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.
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