We overslept. The ground woke us with a sound alarm. We jumped up and life began with work. In the morning there was an experiment studying changes in movement coordination in the crew during adaptation. Then we performed astrophysical and geophysical experiments with “Piramig” and “EFO.” The “Tavriya” experiment continues. I must say it’s very interesting because you can visually observe and monitor the electrophoresis process in the transparent columns. We recorded the columns with separated fractions of the protein mixture that makes up human blood — albumin and hemoglobin — on the video recorder and transmitted the image to the ground via television. The specialists are pleased. They say, by preliminary assessment, a good result was obtained. But the main one will come when the crew delivers these samples for analysis on Earth. The water distribution and heating unit is worrying me. On comm they told us there’s only one in reserve — the one we have on board. The thing is, as I already mentioned, when filling food packets, water leaks and soaks the heater’s glass-wool insulation. It gets wet, overheats, and the heater breaks down.

We worked two shadow passes with “Piramig.” We spent a lot of time in orbital orientation, and there was a good opportunity to look at the Earth. When we were passing Cape Agulhas in Zimbabwe, I saw a scene of rare beauty: dust storms with sand whirlwinds rising upward, like smoke from bonfires, and on an enormous white sphere of cloud cover, golden roses and carnations bloomed in the sun’s rays from rising air currents mixed with dust. In the evening we passed the two-thousandth orbit of the station. It’s now 1 AM; we’re still sitting, drinking tea. Sveta is making me cottage cheese.

I must say, when a visiting expedition comes, the daily routine is completely disrupted. That’s why, after their departure, you absolutely have to rest for 2-3 days. Fatigue sets in. Lyosha is floating through the station from one end to the other, clearing equipment from our ship that had been stored there. Basically, we’re swapping ships.