NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 September 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.
This morning, Progress M-54 (19P) launched flawlessly on time (9:07am EDT) from Baikonur/Kazakhstan, when the ISS, after passing directly overhead, was leading by a phase angle of 248 degrees. After normal separation of the first, second and third stage of the Soyuz-U rocket, antennas and solar arrays deployed nominally at orbit insertion (9:16am). With that, the new cargo ship, of ~7200 kg mass, with over 2000 kg of cargo, is on its way to rendezvous with ISS. Docking is on 9/10 (~10:49am). [At orbit insertion, Progress unfolded two solar arrays, four Kurs antennas, one TORU/Rassvet-M antenna and one telemetry antenna. Later, the docking probe (SSh) was extended, followed by a 6-min long self-test of both subsets of the Kurs-A MCS (motion control system) including the Klest TV system. Two major orbit adjustment burns were to be executed today, DV1 (21.63m/s) at 12:47pm and DV2 (17.45 m/s) at 1:39pm. DV3 (2 m/s) is scheduled for tomorrow at ~10:08am, followed by Progress Kurs-A activation and self-test on Saturday (9:04am). As Kurs-A and Kurs-P (on SM) confer and “compare notes”, Klest TV camera & floodlight are turned on at 8 km (~10:00am). Three successive braking burns lead into flyaround mode (400 m), stationkeeping (160 m, ~10:28am), and final approach (~10:40am). After the two-day “chaser” flight, 19P will dock at the SM aft end on Saturday at ~10:49am. Its 2.5 tons of cargo includes supplies for the ISS crew (food, batteries, office supplies, and clothes), water, oxygen, air, new spares, etc. For a summary of its manifest, refer to yesterday s On-Orbit Status (09/07/05).]
Aboard the station, today was cabin air analysis day. CDR Sergei Krikalev started it off by using the Russian AK-1M sampler in the Service Module (SM) and FGB. Then, checking for CO, he took air samples in the SM with the IPD-CO Draeger tubes sampler. (Last time done: 7/12).
Later, Sergei also collected readings from the relatively new Russian real-time gas analyzer (GANK-4M) for measuring atmospheric concentration of harmful contaminants in the Russian segment (RS).
FE/SO John Phillips meanwhile collected air samples with a GSC (grab sample container) at the center of the Lab, then with the new Dual Sorbent Tube (DST), instead of the old SSAS (Solid Sorbent Air Sampler), in the center of Lab and SM. (Last time done: 7/12).
In addition, Phillips deployed two passive FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit) sampling assemblies in the Lab (below CEVIS) and SM (most forward handrail), to catch any atmospheric formaldehyde on a collector substrate for subsequent laboratory analysis. (Last time done: 7/11).
As part of regular RS fire alarm maintenance, Krikalev worked two hours in the DC-1 Docking Compartment to dismantle the IDZ-2 smoke detector for cleaning its discharge (ionizing) needle, then reinstalled the device and turned the temporarily disabled ACC message acquisition equipment back on. (Last time done: 2/15).
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Shuttle |
The crew was congratulated on their excellent TVIS treadmill IFM (in-flight maintenance) yesterday, which was completed well ahead of schedule, including re-installation of the new assembly in the SM floor pit . The remaining work for today consisted of final installation steps plus the ACO (activation & checkout) procedure, which was successfully completed. [ACO involved an exercise session including an unmanned 10-minute speed characterization, followed by a video taped exercise session using the bungee eyebolt configuration and finally a non-exercising checkout of the new SLDs. The PCMCIA memory card data must now be downlinked for engineers to review. As of now, use of the treadmill with bungees and the previous speed restrictions has been approved until the latest data have been reviewed.]
The FE conducted the weekly inventory audit of the available CWCs (collapsible water containers) and their contents, to keep track of onboard water supplies. [Updated cue cards based on John s water calldowns, are sent up every other week.]
John also worked on the longterm task of organizing and prepacking return equipment for Mission ULF1.1/STS-121, going by an uplinked early list of items. [The return cargo, organized largely in cargo transfer bags (CTBs) includes the TVIS components discarded in the recent IFM, a JAXA camcorder, UCD (urine collection device) elements, etc.]
An investigation by the crew of an apparent reduction of intermodular ventilation (IMV) air flow between the RS and US segment (USOS) since LF-1 has identified a restriction caused by a somewhat collapsed flexible air duct. The ducting was straightened, but the collapse can happen again on occasion, as previous crews have noted. [There is no immediate concern since oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the USOS are well within Flight Rule limits and there is adequate circulation in the USOS from the CCAA (Common Cabin Air Assembly) fans. The issue is under investigation by ground specialists, aiming at developing a forward plan.]
Sergei performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU), while John prepared the regular daily IMS delta /update file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases (MCC-H, TsUP, Baikonur).
At ~3:30am, John set up the Sputnik-SM Kenwood D700 amateur radio station and at 3:37am conducted a 10-min. ham radio session with students of the Japan Red Cross Radio Volunteer Corps of Fukui Prefecture (Wakasa Branch) at Obama City, Fukui-ken, Japan. [JRC Radio Corps-Wakasa Branch has been volunteering and training to use radio communications in case of an emergency. The group has 13 members, led by Japanese Shuttle Astronaut Mamoru Mohri.]
Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine 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 1 of a new set).]
Afterwards, John transferred the exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the RED workouts, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
The transitioning of the onboard PCS (Portable Computer System) A31p laptops to the new R9 software version has been approved today by the ASCB (Avionics Software Control Board) and the IMMT (ISS Mission Management Team). This action will occupy the crew next week for several days.
Still on CDR Krikalev s time available task list at his discretion is the post-EVA cleanup, deferred from 8/24, of the SM PkhO (Transfer Compartment) and DC1, to reconfigure them to their nominal pre-EVA condition.
A second item on Sergei s job jar list for today is another installment of the current session of the “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the Nikon D1X digital camera with f800 mm lens. [From time to time a fire plume can be seen on Baikal Lake near Olkhon Island as a product of eruption from the bottom of the lake caused by enormous pressure of carbon material. This phenomenon can be identified from orbit only at night or at dusk. Taking into account the impact of petroleum products on Baikal Lake environment, it would be prudent to develop a procedure to photograph these plumes as indication of sources for contamination. Sergei’s task for the current range of coming opportunities is to locate Olkhon Island when ISS is passing over the southern part of Baikal Lake at dark or dusk with no visible clouds, and to find the brightest (possibly the only large) light spot of Khuzhir on the western shore of the island.]
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Shanghai, China (Nadir pass. Shooting margins of the city, plus major reclaimed acreage along the coastline. Shanghai lies on the south side of the estuary inland from the coast), Internal waves, Western Azores, Atlantic (aiming far left toward the glint point for any internal wave packets), Hurricane Nate, NW Atlantic (Dynamic event. By the time of this pass this well organized tropical storm has strengthened as Category 1 Hurricane Nate. This nadir pass should have provided a good view of the eye which was expected to have formed), and Mississippi Delta (Dynamic event. Nadir pass. Some popcorn cumulus clouds were predicted).
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:
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.
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ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:09am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 351.3 km
- Apogee height — 352.4 km
- Perigee height — 350.2 km
- Period — 91.56 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0001605
- Solar Beta Angle — 25.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) 38878
Upcoming Events (all times EDT):
- 09/10/05 — Progress M-54/19P docking (10:49am).
- 09/30/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch (~11:54pm)
- 10/03/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S docking (~1:20am)
- 10/11/05 — Soyuz TMA-6/10S landing (~9:06pm)
- 10/18/05 ISS Reboost
- 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
- 12/21/05 Progress M-55/20P launch
- 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking.
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.
