Live in Orbit: Fincke Finishes Inside Fixes

The commander of the International Space Station just finished another attempt to fix a newly delivered urine processing assembly and tests to determine whether the repairs worked soon will get under way.

Expedition 18 commander Mike Fincke tried once again to hard-mount the assembly's centrifuge to rails within the refrigerator-sized rack that houses the recycling system. Fincke drove four bolts in an initial attempt to fasten the centrifuge to the rail on Sunday; today he added two more bolts in a bid to tighten down the device so it will not vibrate as much during operation.

The processing assembly combines urine and condensate within the centrifuge and then a complex distillation technique is employed to remove impurities and generate potable water. The system is designed to run four hours, but in early checkout runs, it shut down prematurely. Engineers think that securing the centrifuge on the mounting rails will resolve the problem.

The system is considered crucial to plans to expand the size of resident crews on the station to six from three next spring. The shuttle's stay at the station is being extended a day so Endeavour's astronauts can help get the system up and running properly.

Endeavour mission specialists Don Pettit and Gregory Chamitoff gave Fincke an assist during the work today. The system is being filled and another checkout test will take place over the next several hours.

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