[1] In April 2006, McArthur and Expedition 13 flight officer Jeffrey Williams tested a new method of preparing for spacewalks by "camping out" or spending the night in the Quest airlock, the decompression capsule through which astronauts enter and exit space.

The more commonly used method of preparing for spacewalks involves breathing pure oxygen for several hours to purge the body of nitrogen and avoid the bends.

Four hours into their sleep an error tone prompted mission controllers to cut short the activity, though it was still deemed a success.

[3] McArthur is married to the former Cynthia Kathryn Lovin[4] with two daughters, and enjoys cycling, photography, and working with personal computers.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.