Earning my keep...

As far as I can tell, my principal value to the stand-down effort is my ability to speak French. That's because there is no need to use my Russian to interpret at meetings or to translate documents, and all of the routine stuff that requires a knowledge of Russian and English is either going to get done anyway (because it is, after all, routine), or will involve some short exchanges that can be handled by the logistics coordinator. So I can see the point of those who would like to see me go home earlier rather than later.

Well, as it turned out, one of the French team members was taken to the hospital in Baikonur today, and I was on hand to be tapped to go along. The injury that prompted the trip turned out to not be as serious as suspected, which is always a good thing, but the whole situation sort of encapsulates why I'm here in a nutshell.

That said, it's been a long day, so I am looking forward to some rack drill.