Inside the Zvezda module in September when shuttle astronaut Ed Lu was setting up air venting while Terry Wilcutt removed launch restraint bolts. The Expedition One crew will continue similar chores. Photo: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

The first items on the Expedition One crew's agenda once on board the station will be to activate Zvezda and Zarya, to set up food preparation and heating equipment and to complete activation of the Zvezda module's toilet.

The crew then will begin work to set up and activate the lab's Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system and an Elektron oxygen generator, a device that uses solar power to break up water into hydrogen, which is dumped overboard, and oxygen.

But the Elektron will not be turned on full time until after the P6 solar arrays are attached and providing power to U.S. and Russian modules. That's because two of Zvezda's eight batteries are not working and power margins are tight.

Until the P6 arrays are in operation, the crew will rely on Russian "oxygen candles" to generate fresh air. The solid-fuel oxygen generators, or SFOGs, generate oxygen as a by-product of a chemical reaction.

Three candles a day must be burned inside a special housing to support the Expedition One crew until a Progress supply ship arrives in two weeks. The Progress will carry about 50 kilograms of fresh oxygen, along with additional SFOGs.

After the P6 arrays are on line, the Elektron, which needs a kilowatt of power to operate, will take over.

Shepherd said it will take an entire day to set up the Elektron and "make sure that it's functional. Our CO2 system is called Vozdukh and if we get Elektron and Vozdukh running, it'll probably take a whole day, maybe two days, to make sure those units are happy."

Krikalev, meanwhile, will troubleshoot the Zvezda module's malfunctioning batteries.

Each battery is equipped with a charge-discharge device and a controller. Russian engineers are hopeful that Krikalev can mix and match components in battery systems 4 and 5 to restore one of them to service.

All in all, the Expedition One crew faces a hectic first week in orbit. Here's a day-by-day breakdown:

Day One (Thursday):
Zarya/Zvezda systems activation; food heater set up; activation of a processor that collects condensation as part of the station's water recycling system; toilet activation; power tool charging; downlink of station entry video.

Day Two (Friday):
Zarya/Zvezda systems activation continues; "central post" computer installation in Zvezda; laptop computer network setup; Vozdukh assembly

Day Three (Saturday):
The Zvezda central post computer is tested; laptop computer network activation continues; the Elektron's liquid unit and secondary combustion unit are installed; an air conditioner compressor is installed to control humidity; Vozdukh pressure tests; inventory management system setup.

Day Four (Sunday):
No work planned; crew rest, family video conferences, routine medical conferences

Day Five (Monday):
Hand controllers installed in the TORU manual docking system; the TORU system is tested; color monitor installation; air conditioner test; medical equipment is stowed; medical computer setup; smoke detector setup; heart rate monitor checkout.

Day Six (Tuesday):
Nitrogen purge assembly installation; Elektron water supply equipment installation; inventory management; camera installation; installation and test of mass measurement device; public affairs event.

Continue to Part 4