Image above: The Progress 20 cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the International Space Station. Progress 20 was docked to the Russian Pirs docking compartment. Credit: NASA

Station crew prepares for docked operations with Shuttle

Flight Engineer Jeff Williams checked out the station’s robotic arm, maneuvering it in position as Expedition 13 awaits the arrival of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Williams, KD5TVQ, will support shuttle crewmembers Lisa Nowak, KC5ZTB and Stephanie Wilson, KD5DZE as they work with the station's arm. Discovery on mission STS-121 is scheduled for launch July 1 at 3:49 p.m. EDT delivering a third crewmember to the station -- European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, DF4TR.

Williams and station Commander Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, also configured headsets they will use to communicate as the shuttle performs a backflip, or R-bar pitch maneuver, when it approaches the station. The flight engineer also serviced American spacesuits on the station that will be used for spacewalks during the STS-121 mission.

A new cargo spacecraft, a Russian Progress 22, will launch from Kazakhstan Saturday morning at 11:08 EDT and dock to the station two days later. The Progress 20 cargo ship undocked from the station Monday morning and burned up over the Pacific Ocean.

• Three more radio hams - NASA astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sunita Williams and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin - have been named as the 14th crew of the International Space Station. Expedition 14 is scheduled to begin this fall.

See Three radio hams make-up 14th International Space Station crew

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