NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 19 November 2004
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2004) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
FE Salizhan Sharipov configured the Progress 15P Rodnik tank system for liquid waste transfer from the Service Module (SM)’s holding tank to the empty Rodnik water tanks. The transfer, from several EDV-U urine containers to SM tankage and thence to the Progress, proceeded during the day, driven by a compressor. [The collapsed bladders of the Rodnik BV1 & BV2 water storage tanks in the Progress were pressurized on 9/27 by Gennady Padalka as a longer-term leak-checkup preparatory to today’s transfer of liquid waste to the tanks for disposal. Each of the two spherical Rodnik tanks consists of a hard shell with a soft membrane (bladder) composed of elastic fluoroplastic. The bladder is used to expel water from the tank by compressed air pumped into the tank volume surrounding the membrane.]
CDR/SO Leroy Chiao meanwhile initiated the lengthy maintenance/reconditioning process on EVA/EMU (extravehicular mobility unit) batteries in the U.S. Airlock. [NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries are used to power EMU backpacks, EMU helmet interchangeable portable (EHIP) lights, pistol grip tools (PGTs), and rechargeable EVA battery assemblies (REBAs). The lengthy charge/discharge operation, with battery charger #1 (BC1) failed, will take until 11/24 (Wednesday), involving two EMU batts (#2047, #2048), two REBAs (#1003, #1005), three PGT batts (#1005, #10015, #1016), and four EHIP batts (#1029, #1035, #1037, #1038). The batteries are in deep-discharged state, which may cause “passivation” problems requiring repeated restarts of charging attempts.]
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The crew performed the periodic 3-hr. routine maintenance job on the RS (Russian segment)’s STTS telephone/telegraph subsystem, including its audio paths and intercom stations. As part of the semi-annual activity, Sharipov and Chiao also tested VHF receivers, conducted an inventory audit of installed & stowed headsets (GNShK, GBShK) plus cables with push-to-talk units, and finally returned the STTS to its nominal config for report to MCC-M. [The “Voskhod-M” STTS enables telephone communications between the SM, FGB, Docking Compartment (DC-1) and U.S. segment (USOS), and also with users on the ground over VHF channels selected by an operator at an SM comm panel, via STTS antennas on the SM’s outside. There are six comm panels in the SM with pushbuttons for accessing any of three audio channels, plus an intercom channel. Other modes of the STTS include telegraphy (teletype), EVA voice, emergency alarms, Packet/Email, and TORU docking support. Last time done: 5/7/04.]
Leroy calibrated the two CSA-CPs (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) #1015 (backup) and #1016 (prime) by “rezeroing” their combustible sensors.
The CDR then tested the CSA-CPs by conducting the monthly spot check, taking data readings for O2 (oxygen), CO (carbon monoxide), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), HCl (hydrogen chloride) in SM and Lab, as well as battery ticks for calldown. [After deactivation, the primary unit was returned to its SM Central Post position, while the backup unit #1015, mated to the sampling pump/probe assembly, was moved to its new position in the Node (instead of the regular Lab location), in order to prevent a USOS fire from being between the crew and the Soyuz CRV when retrieving the CSA-CP during an emergency. Leroy’s updating of the EMER2 contingency books yesterday made note of this new location.]
The CDR performed some more work on the IMS (Inventory Management System)-supported Lab/Node rack “corridor” consolidation & cleanup started two days ago. This activity is intended to reduce the amount of stowed items in racks and cabin corridors. As yesterday, the activity was supported by teleconference with stowage specialists at MCC-H.
The FE completed the regular daily maintenance/inspection of the SM’s environment control & life support systems (SOZh) and later prepared the regular IMS “Delta” file for export/import to the IMS databases (the latter from the Russian “job jar” task list).
Also specified on the discretionary task list was for Salizhan to take three to four documentary photographs of a connector (EhL228) on the Elektron’s BZh-7 Liquid Unit to be inspected on the ground for KOH deposits, etc.
An additional task for the FE, still on the Russian discretionary task list from yesterday, was the removal of the Nikon D-1 ESC (electronic still camera) digital memory card from the ESC and its replacement with a newer LEXAR 512MB card.
Chiao and Sharipov performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser, and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. Afterwards, Chiao attended to the daily transfer of TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC (medical equipment computer).
At 8:55am EST, the crew conducted their regular weekly teleconference with the JSC Astronaut Office (Kent Rominger) via S-band S/G.
At ~9:35am, Leroy supported a 10-min. ham radio session with students at two elementary schools and one middle school at Polignano-a-Mare near the city of Bari in southeast Italy. [The amateur radio session, a common activity of the schools, originated from the “Direzione Didattica Statale primero circolo” school center through a licensed ham radio operator since the U.S. and Italy do not have a third-party agreement for amateur radio operations].
Later today, at ~3:20pm, the crew is scheduled for their regular (nominally weekly) teleconference with the ISS Flight Director at MCC-H.
Update on 15P reboost: The official findings of the special investigational commission looking into the underperformance of Progress 15P propulsion during the ISS reboost maneuver on 11/17 is not yet available. U.S. readings from GPS (global positioning system) and the ISS onboard MAMS (microgravity acceleration measurement system) confirm that the reboost burn greatly missed its target values. While burn duration was about nominal (9 minutes), thrust acceleration data averaged only slightly more than half of the expected value, resulting in a total accumulated delta-V of 1.6 m/sec, instead of 2.6 m/sec. Actual mean altitude increase was 2.9 km, instead of 4.4 km target value. [According to preliminary evaluation by NASA HSG (Houston Support Group) in Moscow, working with Russian colleagues, one of the two Progress tanks, with ~30 kg of fuel remaining, was depleted first (the second tank still retains the propellant for the undocking and re-entry operations). Propellant was then drawn from SM tankage, whereupon thrust level dropped when a pressure regulator in the propellant feedthrough line from the SM restricted the flow to the thrusters, resulting in thrust reduction and underburn. Questions to be answered by the joint investigation, besides failure cause identification, include whether an additional reboost is required to make up the difference (either using SM prop or waiting for the next Progress, 16P) and possibly having to change the date of the 16P launch to meet the station’s current altitude schedule (any launch date change will likely remain quite small due to the onboard consumables need).]
Update on RPC-4 trip: MCC-H continues to troubleshoot last Thursday’s (11/11) trip of remote power controller 4 (RPC-4) in RPC module (RPCM) LA2A3B_C, caused by an overcurrent spike (of 22 amps). The RPCM controls UOP4 (utility outlet panel #4), which normally supplies power to the CEVIS bicycle and a 120-volt power strip feeding the SSC-9 client laptop as well as a portable utility light in the CDR’s TeSS (temporary sleep station). As a new task list item, Chiao will support, at his convenience, the effort of, foremost, exonerating the CEVIS ergometer cycle. [The procedure consists of a power-on test of UOP4 to see if it trips the RPC with no loads. If it does, the CEVIS hardware will be considered safe to operate, and the crew can then connect it to an alternate power outlet, UOP5-J4, (procedural steps for this reconfiguration were uploaded last night). But if UOP4 does not cause the RPC trip, a series of continuity checks on the CEVIS cables with the Scopemeter will verify that they did not cause the overcurrent either.]
Update on Russian Laptop 3: The crew’s attempt on 11/16 to “clone” a hard drive on Laptop 3 (normally used for payload &medical experiments) with the SM 7.02 software load from Laptop 2 could not be completed when the loading had reached ~70% completion. This was the second time that Laptop 3 has had this failure. TsUP/Moscow is working on an updated procedure, after which the cloning will be attempted a third time.
Correction of 11/18 report item: Yesterday’s scheduled EPO (Educational Payload Operation) video/camcorder recording of demonstrating Living Onboard the Station by taking viewers on a tour of ISS habitation areas, was erroneously reported as completed. The activity was actually deferred to a later date.
Today’s CEO photo targets, no longer limited in the current LVLH attitude, were Calcutta, India (this overpass provided an opportunity for high-resolution nadir photography of this megacity. Mapping swaths from the urban-rural fringe through the city center are useful for determination of urban spatial structure and vegetation density), Ganges River Delta, India (weather was predicted to be mostly clear over the delta region. High-resolution mapping swaths across the delta are useful for monitoring of shoreline and channel position changes resulting from land use/land cover conversion in the watershed), Dhaka, Bangladesh (this nadir pass provided an opportunity for mapping of this expanding urban center. High-resolution photography of the city center and surrounding region is useful for geohazard assessment), and Lima, Peru (coastal cloud cover was predicted to move seaward from Lima, providing an opportunity for photography of the city. High-resolution mapping swaths from the urban-rural fringe through the city center are useful for both urban spatial structure analysis and geohazard assessment).
CEO images can be viewed at these websites:
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 10 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-9/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 10 Flight Crew Plans can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/
Previous NASA ISS On-orbit Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Station Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Shuttle Processing Status Reports can be found here. A collection of all of these reports and other materials relating to Return to Flight for the Space Shuttle fleet can be found here.
Upcoming Key Events:
- Soyuz hot-fire thrusters test — 11/24;
- Soyuz relocation DC1-FGB — 11/29;
- Progress 15P undocking & destructive reentry — 12/22;
- Progress 16P launch — 12/23;
- Progress 16B docking — 12/25 (GMT);
- EVA-12 — January ’05 (1/25?).
U.S. & Russian Segment Status (as of yesterday, 2:55pm EST)
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
- Elektron O2 generator is On. Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On. U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is On. SM Gas Analyzer has been calibrated and is used for ppO2 & ppCO2 monitoring. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is On. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is Off (failed). SKV-2 is Off (SM panel mods completed 4/8; SKV-2 activation failed 4/20; new replaceable condensate removal line installed on 9/9). SFOG slot #2 fan suspect (not usable).
- SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 759; temperature (deg C) — 26.5; ppO2 (mmHg) — 160.8; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.6.
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 761; temperature (deg C) — 19.8.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756; temperature (deg C) — 20.7.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 754.7; temperature (deg C) — 22.6 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 756.5; temperature (deg C) — 23.6; ppO2 (mmHg) — 179.3; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.2.
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 756.7; temperature (deg C) — 23.1; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
(n/a = data not available. U.S. ppO2 & ppCO2 readings from MCA).
*SM Gas Analyzer is not calibrated, and readings are not reliable. MCA has been activated and calibrated but is currently unreliable.
Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
- Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B & 4B both in directed position (dual angle/blind mode, non solar-tracking, biased for drag reduction).
- SM batteries: All batteries (8) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
- FGB batteries: Battery #6 is offline; all other batteries (5) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
- Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby mode; PCU-2 is in Standby mode.
Command & Data Handling Systems (C&DH)
- C&C-1 MDM is backup, C&C-2 is prime, and C&C-3 is on standby.
- GNC-1 MDM (vers. R4) is prime; GNC-2 (vers. R4) is backup.
- INT-2 is Off; INT-1 is operating.
- EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off (backup).
- LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
- PL-1 MDM is On; PL-2 MDM is failed.
- APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
- SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
- SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
- FGB MDM-1 is Off (failed, 11/21/03); MDM-2 is Operational.
Propulsion System (PS):
- Total propellant load available: 3851 kg (8490 lb) as of 11/18/04; [SM(452) + FGB(3399) + Progress M(0)]. (Capabilities: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg). Note: Progress propulsion propellants not for ISS refueling are not included.
Attitude Control Systems (ACS):
- 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed, since 6/6/02; CMG-2s RPC-17 failed 4/21/04; was replaced 6/30/04).
- State vector source US SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Attitude source US String 1 (SIGI-2 failed)
- Angular rate source — RGA-1
Flight Attitude:
- LVLH XVV (local vertical/local horizontal = earth-fixed: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management.
Communications & Tracking Systems (C&T):
- FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
- All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
- S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
- Ku-band is operating nominally.
- Audio subsystem is operating nominally (IAC-1 is prime, IAC-2 is off).
- Video subsystem operating nominally.
- HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.
Robotics:
- SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF/LEE A, KA (keep alive) power on both strings.
- MBS: KA (keep alive) power on both strings.
- MT: latched and mated at WS4.
- POA: KA power on both strings.
- RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off (DCP connected); Cupola RWS is Off.
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ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:48am EST [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 358.1 km
- Apogee height — 361.1 km
- Perigee height — 355.1 km
- Period — 91.70 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0004448
- Solar Beta Angle — 1.3 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.70
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 30 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 34271
ISS Altitude History
Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html. In addition, information on International Space Station sighting opportunities can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. The current location of the International Space Station can be found at http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.
