Expedition 14 is to begin their spacewalk from the Russian Pirs airlock at 23:00 UTC on 22 November (10:00 a.m tomorrow in Melbourne) and finish at 04:47 UTC (3:47 p.m) on 23/11.
Some news tidbits from Novosti Kosmonavtiki news №591. The completion of the Russian MLM module is to begin at last (the next module to be launched – the last was Pirs on 15 September 2001):
22/11/2006/00:05 A new order for RKK Energiya
The Energiya Rocket & Space corporation named after S.P. Korolev has received from the Federal Space Agency the order for the creation of the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM, МЛМ) for the Russian segment (RS, РС) the International Space Station (ISS, МКС). The company press-service announced this.
On the press release published on the RKK Energiya site, it is emphasized that the state contract for the carrying out in 2007 of works on creation of the МЛМ is signed by the heads of Roskosmos and RKK Energiya on 3 November 2006. According to the contract the Corporation is certain by the general contractor of these works. Other participants in the project are: GKNPTs Khrunichev, NIITP (НИИТП), RNIIKP (РНИИКП), NIIAO (НИИАО), VNIIEM (ВНИИЭМ), NPP Quantum, NIIMASh Submicron, NPP Zvezda, etc.
The MLM will be created for the purpose of research & development, applied and functionalities of the Russian segment of the Station and increase the economic efficiency of its use due to an increase in volume and the list of given services. Its start into a circumterraneous orbit and incorporation into the structure of the Russian segment is planned to be carried out in 2009.
To effectively achieve the MLM’s intended use, universal and specialized workplaces on technology of replaceable useful loadings will be placed onboard, the onboard complex of management on the basis of modern devices and the equipment will be installed, and the configuration of its internal volumes in the interests of an increase in space for scientific equipment and payloads will be optimized. In the structure of the module it is planned to install a number of developments of the European Space Agency: the ERA manipulator and the DMS-R multipurpose onboard computer.
Russian version, Русская версия.
(I have no idea what all the acronyms of the various Russian companies mean!)
21/11/2006/15:05 The financing of space science in the Federal space program for 2006-2015 totals 26 billion rubles.
The financing of space science in the Federal space program/ФКП for 2006-2015 is planned to reach 26 billion rbl. The deputy head of the Roskosmos Federal Space Agency, Yurii Nosenko informed a press conference today about this.
Having reminded them that the common financing of the ФКП totals 305 billion rbl., he has informed that 16 percent (that is 26 billion rbl). This sum makes only 2 percent from the means allocated in the world on a space science is allocated for science, has emphasized the Roscosmos deputy.
According to Y. Nosenko, ITAR-TASS reports, in the FKP ФКП 12 large scientific projects are incorporated in three directions: astrophysics, researches of solar-terrestrial communications and research of the Solar system.
Now Russia does not have any scientific space vehicles. “We only participate in foreign scientific projects,” ascertained Y. Nosenko regretfully. Among these projects he has named five foreign astrophysical projects and five projects on studying the Solar System. According to the Roskosmos deputy, the Russian devices are installed on foreign space vehicles, and “work very successfully.”
