NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 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. The crew was thanked for their extra efforts with MCC-Houston closed down during the past several days and for “keeping the station fit for full duty” despite it. Underway: Week 23 for Increment 11.
Early in the morning, before breakfast and first exercise, CDR Sergei Krikalev and FE/SO Dr. John Phillips completed their fifth session with the Russian crew health-monitoring program’s medical assessment MO-9/Biochemical Urinalysis. Afterwards, both crewmembers performed the Clinical Evaluation part of the PHS protocol, before the FE recorded data and stowed the hardware. [MO-9 is conducted regularly every 30 days (and also before and after EVAs) and is one of five nominal Russian medical tests adopted by NASA for US crewmembers for IMG PHS (Integrated Medical Group/Periodic Health Status) evaluation as part of the “PHS/Without Blood Labs” exam. The analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus Urolux developed originally for the Mir program. Afterwards, the data were entered in the medical equipment computer (MEC)’s special IFEP software (In-Flight Examination Program).]
CDR Krikalev completed his current session of the scheduled 24-hour recording of his ECG (electrocardiogram) under the Russian MedOps MO-2 protocol. [For the ECG recording, the CDR yesterday donned the five-electrode Holter harness that read his dynamic (in motion) heart function from two leads over 24 hours and recorded data on the Kardioregistrator 90205 unit. FE/SO Phillips was available to assist in the harness donning and doffing.]
Krikalev also worked briefly on the Russian “Pille-MKS” radiation dosimetry experiment, replacing its memory flash card for data storage. [Pille has ten sensors placed at various locations in the Russian segment (port cabin window, starboard cabin window, ASU toilet facility, control panel, etc.).]
The crew set up the equipment and reviewed the procedures for the upcoming KARDIO-ODNT (orthostatic stability evaluation) Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) training in support of the Russian cardiovascular study of heart activity and blood circulation prior to return to Earth gravity. [The assessment uses the “Chibis” vacuum suit (PVK), which forms an airtight seal around the waist and applies negative pressure (suction) to the lower body. The procedure will consist of a sequence of several progressive regimes of reduced pressure set at -20, -30, -35, and -40 mmHg (generated by a micropump) for five minutes each while shifting from foot to foot at 10-12 steps per minute. The body’s circulatory system interprets the pressure differential between upper and lower body as a gravity-like force pulling the blood (and other liquids) “down”. Cardiovascular readings are taken with the regular GAMMA-1 ECG (electrocardiogram) equipment. Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) tests were also done by the U.S. as early as 1974 on the Skylab space station.]
In the Service Module (SM), the CDR performed a periodic maintenance cycling (discharge/recharge) on the storage battery of Laptop 2.
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Both crewmembers spent ~70 min familiarizing themselves with the planned science program of Visiting Crewmember Gregory Olsen (VC9), to arrive on 10/3 on Soyuz 11S on his ten-day taxi flight. [Olsen’s VC9 program includes: three real-time telecons via TsUP/Moscow; three ham radio sessions (ARISS); Earth imagery; ISS Russian segment (RS) interior photo and video imagery; activity with insignia/memorabilia items; personal belongings delivery to ISS and return; IBM ThinkPad A31p (RSE1) computer operation; and the experiments MOP (Vestibular Adaptation to Gravity Changes), LBP (MYSCUL, low back pain investigation), and SAMPLE (bacteria sample collection from crewmembers & station hardware). Assistance provided by CDR Krikalev is limited to five hours and includes TV sessions setup and performance from RS (three 0.5-hour segments); photo & video imagery of Olsen’s operation with symbolic items (1 hour); photo and TV imagery of G. Olsen’s stay at ISS (1 hour); assistance in A31p (RSE1) computer operation (e.g., removable disc installation, connection to network, 30 min); and Earth imagery according to Olsen’s activities plan (1 hour). Experiments performed by Olsen alone involve the following ISS RS hardware: KUBIK-AMBER thermostat for the “SAMPLE” experiment, Nikon D1? ?2 and Nikon F5 still cameras; A31p (RSE1) laptop for data download from still camera; plus use of delivered hardware (Sony DSR PD-150 camcorder; Sony NP-F950 battery; 10 mini-DV video cassettes; hard disc and hard disc adapter; five compact flash cards with adapter; MP3 player set; infrared camera and spectrograph mockups; symbolic items; ODF data files in English with Sony DSR PD-150 camcorder and Nikon D1? Laptop RSE1 operation instructions, as well as MOP, LBP (MYSCUL), SAMPLE experiments work description).]
In the SM, Krikalev deinstalled the centrifuge of the Plazma-03 experiment in preparation for the VC9 experiment program. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to prepare the RS worksites for the VC9 experiments, as well as the E10/E11 crew handover program, to be uplinked.
FE Phillips picked up his troubleshooting efforts on the SAMS ICU (space acceleration measurement system/interface control unit) from last week, with EXPRESS Rack 4 (ER4), which was re-powered yesterday after BCC ops to obtain Ku-band receiver capability, permitting reactivation of the ICU computer.
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 4 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 crewmembers also completed their portions of the weekly treadmill maintenance, i.e., inspecting their SLD (subject loading device) harnesses and checking the condition of the SPDs (subject positioning devices) and roller bearings, as well as recording time & date values.
The FE performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including the ASU toilet system, which required an R&R (removal & replacement) yesterday after an LED (Light Emitting Diode) warning indicating a “Liquid Carry-Over”. The CDR meanwhile prepared the regular daily IMS “delta”/update file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases (MCC-H, TsUP, Baikonur).
Both crewmembers continued the longer-term task of surveying and organizing their equipment in preparation for their departure on 10/11.
At ~9:05am EDT, Sergei participated in an interactive PAO interview session with Tatyana Dragnysh, deputy editor of the glossy Russian journal “Rossiysky Kosmos”. [“Rossiysky Kosmos” is a full-color magazine, to be issued every two months starting in October 2005. It is supported by the Russian Federal Space Agency (FKA), the “Restart” publishing firm, and several other enterprises, including TSNIIMash. The first issue will contain official Roskosmos articles, an interview with FKA Chief A. Perminov, C DR Krikalev’s interview and much information about the history of cosmonautics, analytical articles, rare photos and important interviews.]
No CEO photo targets uplinked for 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:
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 Orbit (as of this morning, 8:04am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 349.0 km
- Apogee height — 350.2 km
- Perigee height — 347.7 km
- Period — 91.52 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0001875
- Solar Beta Angle — -53.2 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 120 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 39178
Upcoming Events (all times EDT):
- 09/29/05 – Soyuz TMA-6/10S hot-fire thruster test
- 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.
