New dining table a challenge for overcrowded ISS
Published 07 May, 2009, 15:56
One of the problems that the crew of the International Space Station will face when their number grows for the first time to six, is finding a place big enough to gather for joint meals.
Coming together for a dinner and discussion is an important ritual for space explorers, as Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko told journalists on Wednesday. Together with Belgian Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirsk, Romanenko is due go to the ISS on May 27, doubling the number of people working on board.
At the moment, crew members dine in the Zvezda module of the ISS, but it is too small to accommodate six people.
“We’ll have to arrange a table somewhere, where we’ll be able to eat together and talk to each other,” Romanenko said.
Space dining will be a feast of tastes for Expedition 20, as they’ll have dishes from all over the world, said Robert Thirsk. To his delight, for the first time, some Canadian food is on the ISS menu, including blueback salmon, wapiti meat and some dishes of indigenous people of Canada. Thirsk added that he personally loved Russian cuisine.
“We have many issues to solve, like organizing workplaces, communication, physical training, and others, but we’ll deal with them all. Everything will be all right,” assured Frank De Winne.
Good luck charms
The three men are taking to the orbit a wide arrangement of personal items to remind them of their loved ones and simply bring good luck.
De Winne, who will become the first European commander of the ISS when Gennady Padalka goes back to Earth, is taking a t-shirt with a logo of the UN Children’s Fund. The Belgian has been the organization’s Goodwill Ambassador since 2003.
Thirsk is taking special rings given to him by his family. He said they are designed to signify what they think about his space mission. Also, in his bag is a signed photo of Canadian ice hockey star of the 1950s – 1960s Jean Béliveau, who served as a role model for Thirsk due to his ability to stay calm and collected, as well as his team spirit.
Romanenko has a stuffed toy, which his younger daughter gave him. The toy, based on a popular Russian kid cartoon character, is wearing a spacesuit, and will indicate for the crew when the spacecraft enters zero-g.
All crew members are also taking digital photos from Earth. They weigh nothing, and cosmonauts can take a lot of them without compromising strict allowances.
Less maintenance, more science
With six people on board the space station, the crew will have more time to work on the scientific program.
“We’ll be able to pay more attention to science and medicine rather than servicing equipment,” said Romanenko. He added his favourite area of research is geophysics and observation of the Earth.
According to Thirsk, the crew has more than 100 experiments prepared by various space agencies on their list. In one, he’ll test new medicine for treating the deterioration of bones caused by weightlessness, which is one of the major obstacles to lengthy manned missions in space.
The expedition will also receive several cargo deliveries, including the first Japanese HTV spacecraft. Also a new Russian module MRM-2 will be delivered to the orbit during their mission. It will serve for the docking of Soyuz and Progress, as an airlock for the spacewalk, and as a storage compartment.
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