Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC

On Tuesday, the Expedition Six crew --Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit -- talked with reporters during a televised 35-minute press conference that began at 8:34 a.m. CST (1434 GMT).
Progress Vehicle Boosts Station Orbit

The engines of a Russian Progress spacecraft were used Tuesday to boost the International Space Station's altitude. The unpiloted vehicle, which docked with the station Feb. 4 hauling supplies for the Expedition Six crew, also carried additional fuel to raise the station's orbit.

Beginning at 5:34 a.m. CST (1134 GMT), its engines were fired for 22 minutes, increasing the station's altitude from 394 by 376 kilometers (213 by 203 nautical miles) to 406 by 385 kilometers (219 by 208 nautical miles). The station is now in the correct altitude for a Soyuz taxi flight, which is scheduled to arrive at the station in late April.

Also on Tuesday, the Expedition Six crew -- Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit -- talked with reporters during a televised 35-minute press conference that began at 8:34 a.m. CST (1434 GMT).

After a light-duty weekend onboard the International Space Station, Expedition Six resumed its scientific and maintenance activities Monday. The Russian Progress resupply spacecraft that arrived last week has been emptied of its contents, and the crew continued stowing the newly arrived equipment and supplies.

Pettit spent time Monday discussing ongoing repairs to the Microgravity Science Glovebox, or MSG, with engineers on the ground. A team of experts from the European Space Agency, which provided the MSG for the station's Destiny Laboratory, is investigating the source of the electrical difficulties that took the glovebox offline last November.

Expedition Six was originally scheduled to return to Earth in March aboard STS-114. However, the schedule for all future space shuttle missions is now under review, pending the results of an investigation into the Columbia accident. In anticipation of an extended stay, the crew is making an inventory list of onboard supplies. The completed list will help flight control teams in Houston and Moscow prepare a manifest for the next Progress flight, which is scheduled for June.

Read the latest International Space Station activity report.