Commander Bill McArthur works with the treadmill exercise device during in-flight maintenance. Image credit: NASA

Crew 'Camp Out' postponed

Commander Bill McArthur KC5ACR, worked last week on the Mass Constituents Analyzer (MCA), which had failed to activate after a major component was replaced on Thursday.

The MCA is one method used to measure the composition of the station’s air. Saturday, after the MCA still failed to start up, flight controllers decided to give the crew a break from further troubleshooting efforts.

While the next course of action to take with the MCA is being determined, plans for the crew to 'camp out' overnight in the Quest Airlock this week have been postponed. The 'camp out' will test procedures that could shorten the preparation time required for future spacewalks.

• Commander Pavel Vinogradov RV3BS and Flight Engineer Jeffrey Williams KD5TVQ have been named to Expedition 13, the next crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station.

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