Meanwhile, station managers are preparing to travel to Moscow next week for a review of the program and the readiness of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency to support the launch of the station's next component - the Zvezda service module. A target launch date for Zvezda is expected following the signing of the official protocols and the notification of all International Partners next Friday. Following the meetings in Moscow, NASA will determine if an early maintenance mission by the shuttle to the ISS is required as currently scheduled in mid April. On orbit, the Station's power system remains in good shape with four batteries operating normally providing more than enough power for the systems onboard. Battery number 2 remains disconnected from the electrical bus with battery number 1 available for short periods when necessary.
Analysis is underway to determine if three are any impacts to operations.
The OTD is a small crane used to assist astronauts conducting spacewalks in moving large pieces of equipment around the station. The International Space Station is in an orbit of 244 by 229 statute miles. Since the launch of Zarya in 1998, the ISS has completed more than 6,885 orbits.