After an early morning station reboost, science and maintenance occupied the Expedition 16 crew’s time Thursday aboard the International Space Station.

Engines on the station’s Zvezda service module fired at 12:16 a.m. EST for about two minutes, providing a further refinement to the 36-minute burn conducted during docked operations with space shuttle Atlantis on the recent STS-122 mission. This completes the altitude adjustment needed to optimize rendezvous opportunities with space shuttle Endeavour, scheduled to launch March 11 for STS-123.

The reboost also places the station in the correct phasing for the launch of the Expedition 17 crew on the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft on April 8 and the landing of the Expedition 16 crew on the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19.

Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko conducted a test of TORU, the Russian telerobotically operated approach and docking system. The crew can use TORU to monitor the docking of a Progress spacecraft with the station or take control of the process if difficulties arise.

Malenchenko later set up the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) control panel. The first ATV, named Jules Verne, is set to launch to the station from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket on March 7.

After a break for lunch, Whitson assisted the newest expedition crew member, Flight Engineer Léopold Eyharts, with a review of emergency equipment aboard the station.

Whitson also worked with the Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2 (InSPACE-2) experiment. InSPACE looks at fluids that change properties in response to magnetic fields and collects data that can be used to develop or improve brake systems and robotics.