Image above: Artist's impression of the Automated Transfer Vehicle aproaching the completed International Space Station. Credit: ESA

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Crew continue 'Jules Verne' preparations

Expedition 15 continues to prepare the International Space Station for next year’s visit of the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the European Space Agency’s (ESA) cargo spacecraft.

The ATV, named 'Jules Verne,' will be ESA’s first cargo vehicle to visit the international space laboratory.

Earlier in the week, the crew - Flight Engineer Clay Anderson, KD5PLA, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, RN3FI, and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov - tested navigation software and placed the station in the attitude necessary for the ATV to rendezvous and dock automatically. The station was under Russian attitude control at the time. Russian specialists noted the station was slightly off attitude and investigated the problem.

Maintenance continued on an exercise device called the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (TVIS). Flight rules state that the TVIS will be checked out and maintained every six months.

Upcoming events for the station include a crew swap when Expedition 16 launches aboard a Soyuz on Oct. 10 and a new module, the Harmony Node 2, when space shuttle Discovery launches on Oct. 23.