All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.

EVA-3 from the Pirs docking compartment was successfully completed. After wakeup at about 8:00 pm EDT last night, the crew readied station and EVA elements for the space walk by configuring ISS systems, DC-1 and PkhO compartments, and the Orlan-M spacesuits. As before EVA-2, a fan (B3) and air duct needed to be removed in the DC-1 to make room for the suited crewmembers.

EVA-3 began at 5:17am with hatch opening. Mikhail Tyurin was the first to egress at 5:25am, followed by Vladimir Dezhurov. Slipping slightly behind the timeline during the external activities, the two cosmonauts performed all scheduled activities without problems. In a small change of the original sequence, the Kromka1-0 payload was installed first, when the SSRMS/Canadarm2 lights were found to provide adequate illumination to allow the crewmembers to continue working during the first darkness period, instead of having to wait for sunlight (as is common practice in Russian EVAs to have cosmonauts rest during orbital "night" periods in order to conserve Orlan suit consumables). Kromka collects SM RCS jet exhaust products to enable engineers to study the nature of external contamination by thrusters.

Dezhurov and Tyurin then installed two commercial payloads, SEED and MPAC, from NASDA/Japan. SEED exposes materials intended for use in space, such as coatings, dry lubricants, adhesives, paints and insulation, to the spatial environment and its effects of atomic oxygen and radiation. MPAC uses silica aerogel and polyamide foams to capture micrometeroids and man-made particles hitting the station. The two experiments are mounted side by side in three suitcase-sized containers, which were opened by the spacewalkers. Before their individual return to Earth, they will provide exposure times of one, two and three years, respectively.

The final EVA activity was the "Vzgliad" removal of a Russian Federation flag placard from the conical transition segment between the small-diameter section (RO1) and large-diameter section (RO2) of the SM Working Compartment (RO), and to replace it with a same-size commercial placard with the "Kodak" logo. All activities were careful documented by Tyurin with a photo camera. The crewmembers returned to the DC-1 at 10:32am for ingress. After some difficulties with the latching mechanism of the EVA hatch, they finally closed the airlock at 11:09 am, ending the EVA-3 after a total duration of 5 hours 52 minutes.

Frank Culbertson monitored the space walk from inside and supported it with the SSRMS video cameras. The Lab RWS (robotic workstation) and the SSRMS prime string had been powered up by the ground during crew sleep, and Culbertson later activated the cameras. After the EVA, he maneuvered the SSRMS in single-joint mode to a new position around the port side of the Lab, as far away from the Lab window as possible and pointing the tip LEE (latching end effector) camera at the Lab/LCA/Z1 area to support ground-modeling of the future S0 installation by the 8A team.

Dezhurov and Tyurin both completed the Russian MedOps MO-8 (body mass measurement) and MO-9 (biochemical urine test) twice, once before and once after the EVA.

During most of the rest of the day, the crew reconfigured ISS systems to pre-EVA status. This included reactivation of the food and water supply systems (SOP, SVO),
Vozdukh CO2 removal system, SM toilet (ASU), and the integrated control panel (InPU). Since some cabin pressure was lost during DC-1/PkhO depressurization, fresh oxygen was released from the Progress 5P into the station. Pressure alarm sensors were reactivated, the Elektron O2 generator switched to higher output (32 amperes), and the TCS (thermal control system) turned back on. The Soyuz toilet was deactivated and the B3 fan and air ducting reinstalled in DC-1.

During the EVA, both PCUs (plasma contactor units) were active in Discharge mode for EVA protection, and both P6 solar array wings functioned well, with power margins remaining positive throughout the space walk.

Crew sleep today begins at 5:00pm EDT, and tomorrow's wakeup will be at the normal time of 2:00 am. Another sleep cycle shift is planned for later this week, when the Soyuz relocation/redock will again require a very early wakeup of 8:30pm EDT the night before. Launch of Soyuz TM-33 from Baikonur is still scheduled for Sunday, 10/21.

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) opportunities were S. Africa aerosols (an excellent pass parallel with SE coast of Africa left of track. Best views were obliques left of track of continental air mass [documentation of aerosols is best with ocean as background]. This sector of coastline is the zone through which smoke and smog aerosol is transported from the continent out over the Indian Ocean. Second pass over semi desert heart of southern Africa. Of interest: extent of fires and smoke palls over mid-continent plateau), and smog over Europe (good opportunity for low sun-angle views of aerosol loadings in Mediterranean basin. Best views to right and left of track, especially over Po River valley in N. Italy, the area of highest generation of air pollution in S. Europe. Of interest: at right of track the Adriatic Sea which acts as a drain for Po valley smog. Smog from N. Italy has been tracked in handheld photos from the Adriatic Sea through the E Mediterranean into Syria, as far as southern Iraq, where the Zagros Mountains of Iran stemmed the flow).

Last Wednesday (10/10), Academy-Member Vasily Pavlovich Mishin died in Russia at age 84. Mishin took over the job of legendary Sergei Korolev as leader of OKB-1 (Experimental Design Bureau 1), predecessor organization of today's RSC-Energia, when Korolev died in 1966. Mishin then led the Soviet moon program and the development of the super-heavy N1 rocket, the "Soviet Saturn-V". After a chain of setbacks, including four launches of the N1 which all ended in explosions, the Soviet lunar landing program was cancelled and emphasis shifted to the continued evolutionary development of orbital stations, culminated by Mir, which completed 15 years of operation before its demise early this year. Mishin's successor in 1974 was Valentin Glushko, Russia's leading designer of rocket propulsion system, who pushed the development of the Energia super-heavy booster and the Soviet space shuttle Buran. He was succeeded by Yuri Semenov, back then chief designer of orbital stations and today head of Energia. Academician Mishin was buried today at Moscow's Troyekurovskoe Cemetery.

Russian Segment status: SM: Battery #6 is off-line; all others (7) are in "partial charge" mode. FGB: Battery #1 is set to off-line ("stowage") mode to allow deeper cycling of all others (5), which are in "partial charge" mode. SM ECLSS: Working Compartment pressure -- 681 mmHg, temperature -- 21.8 deg C, Transfer Compartment pressure -- 656mmHg, temperature -- 18.3 deg C, ppO2 -- 137.2 mmHg, ppCO2 -- 4.3mmHg [repress in progress]. FGB ECLSS: Cabin pressure -- 756 mmHg, temperature -- 20.3 deg C. Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off; SKV-2 is Off. Elektron is On. Vozdukh is in manual mode.

U.S. Segment status: Node ECLSS: Cabin pressure -- 755.34 mmHg; Node average shell temperature -- 23.0 deg C. U.S. Lab ECLSS: Cabin pressure -- 757.74 mmHg; temperature -- 25.7 deg C; ppO2 -- 168.4 mmHg; ppCO2 -- 3.8 mmHg. PCU-1 and PCU-2 are in Standby mode. Beta gimbal assembly BGA 2B is in Rate mode; BGA 4B is "parked" in Directed position.

Source: NASA