NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 June 2005

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2005) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
 

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.  Underway: Week 10 for Increment 11.

CDR Krikalev began this week s major activity of installing and testing PCE (Proximity Communications Equipment) hardware of the ASN-M satellite navigation system for the European ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) Jules Verne , scheduled to arrive at the ISS next year. The work was supported by specialist tagup via S-band.  [Today s tasks dealt with setting up and installing the ATV control panel and its cabling as well as connecting it to the onboard equipment control system (SUBA), antenna switching controller (BUAP), space-to-space radio (MBRL) and antenna feeder unit (AFU).]

Following up on last week s repressurization/depressurization of the PMA-3 (Pressurized Mating Adapter #3), after which a very small air leak was discovered, FE/SO Phillips today replaced seals in the ISA (internal sampling adapter), part of the gear used for the pneumatic work, and performed a leak check in preparation for the LF-1/STS-114 mission.  [The Nitrile soft seals in the ISA will reach their expiration date next month (July). In today s activity John replaced them with new seals launched on Progress 18.]

In preparation for a structural dynamics test with the RED (resistive exercise device) planned for today, Phillips set up the IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system), with its RSU (remote sensing unit) in the Service Module (SM), to obtain, along with the externally located SDMS (structural dynamics measurement system), acceleration data during the exercise session. Afterwards IWIS was torn down, and its data will be downloaded later. After data evaluation, results are expected in ~3 weeks.  [IWIS uses radio-linked RSUs with radio antennae installed in Lab and SM for recording of structural dynamics (vibratory) data.]

The FE also loaded the VTR (video tape recorder) and set up the internal TV equipment for video imagery of both his RED exercise and the P6 portside (4B) solar array wing during the structural excitation by his workout.

The RED session was conducted at ~6:35am EDT with a prescribed sequence of exercises (squats, heel raises, dead lift, bent-over rows, bench press, sit ups and curls), each with 12 reps at slow, medium and fast.  [Intentionally exciting the structure with known activities and measuring the resulting vibrations with IWIS, SDMS, SAMS (space acceleration measurement system) and MAMS (microgravity acceleration measurement system) will allow engineers to examine the overall structural dynamics model and to scope out any needed changes to the lifetime estimates.]

Sergei had time set aside to look for gear required to flush the condensate line (MOK) of the condensate water recovery system (SRVK-2M) from the SKV air conditioners to the condensate pump (NOK). A previous attempt on 6/22 had to be aborted when missing equipment could not be located in the time allotted.  [Purpose of the task: to restore flow of condensate collected by the air conditioning systems SKV-1 and SKV-2 through the K27 connector in the MOK.]

John Phillips unzipped and installed a new software application called Clarissa , followed by a training procedure scheduled for ~12:40pm. After the training session, the package was deactivated.  [Clarissa is a voice-activated procedure reader and viewer developed at NASA Ames. The software was intended to be tested first on Increment 10 but could not be scheduled due to crew time constraints. The basic idea is that used as a hands-free tool, Clarissa would allow crewmembers to keep their eyes on the task at hand and provide additional verification of steps completed. Thus, run on an A31p SSC (station support computer) Client laptop and operated with a headset, the software will record the user s voice commands during use.]

The FE prepacked and consolidated Russian segment (RS) cargo in the US segment (USOS) in preparation for LF-1 unpacking and stowage as well as a get-ahead for the ULF1.1 mission in September.

John completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh) and also prepared the regular IMS (Inventory Management System) delta file for export/import to the IMS databases.

Working off his job jar task list, Sergei conducted the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, including filling its water canister for the Lada-7 greenhouse as required.

At ~12:05pm EDT, the FE set up the Sputnik-SM Kenwood D700 amateur radio station in the SM and conducted a 10-min. ham radio session with students at the Mayborn Museum at Baylor University, Waco, TX.  [The Mayborn Museum Complex combines a Natural History museum, a discovery center with 16 hands-on interactive rooms and an authentic 1890 s village.]

Both crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, CEVIS cycle ergometer, RED resistive machine (see above for John s special session) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer.  [Sergei s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 3 of a new set).]

ISS cabin atmosphere was again refreshed with gaseous oxygen from Progress 18 tankage (SrPK).  [As done regularly ~30 minutes before the repress, the U.S. MCA (Major Constituents Analyzer) was switched to Rapid Sampling mode in the Lab. Later, MCA taken through a zero calibration, followed by a full calibration in the evening.]

A new software patch was loaded into the two GNC MDM (guidance, navigation & control multiplexer/demultiplexer) computers in preparation for the CMG-2 (control moment gyro #2) Z1 patch panel hot wiring during EVA-1 of the LF-1 mission. [The patch enables the MDMs to know that power for CMG-2 should come from a different RPC (remote power controller) than the failed RPC-17. For the swap-overs between the MDMs, attitude control authority was temporarily handed over to Russian MCS (motion control system) for ~5 hrs.]

On Saturday (6/25), the Science Officer took photographs of the SEM (Space Experiment Module) satchels for downlink.  [SEM is a set of student-developed experiments on the effects of microgravity, radiation, and space flight on materials from seeds to fabrics.]

No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets today.

 
CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography/

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 11 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.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:39am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 349.9 km
• Apogee height — 352.6 km
• Perigee height — 347.2 km
• Period — 91.54 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0004053
• Solar Beta Angle — 64.7 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 75
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 37730

Some Increment 11 Main Events (not final):

• Reboost — 6/29 (4:21pm, delta-V 2.3 m/s);
• LF-1/STS-114 launch — 7/13 (18-day window opens);
• LF-1/STS-114 dock — 7/15 (adding 110,713 kg to ISS mass);
• LF-1/STS-114 undock — 7/23;
• Soyuz TMA-6/10S relocate (from DC-1 to FGB) — ~8/16;
• Progress M-54/19P launch TBD;
• Progress M-53/18P undock — TBD;
• ULF1.1/STS-121 launch — NET 9/9 (launch window opens);
• ULF1.1/STS-121 dock — 9/11;
• ULF1.1/STS-121 undock — 9/19;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch — 9/27;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S dock — 9/29;
• 12A/STS-115 launch — NET 2/16/06;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocate (from DC-1 to FGB) — ~10/15;
• 12A.1/STS-116 launch — NET 4/23/06;
• 13A/STS-117 launch — NET 7/13/06.

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.