NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 21 October 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.  

In preparation for the upcoming EVA-4, CDR/SO Bill McArthur and FE Valery Tokarev completed their first session with the Russian crew health-monitoring program’s medical assessment “Biochemical Urinalysis” (MO-9) before breakfast and exercise.  Afterwards, both crewmembers performed the Clinical Evaluation protocol on each other, 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 Clinical Evaluation is the second part of the PHS assessment.  The analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus Urolux developed originally for the Mir program.  Afterwards, the data are entered in the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer)’s special IFEP software (In-Flight Examination Program).]

Also preparatory to the spacewalk on 11/7, the crew undertook the first of several OBT (on-board training) sessions in the Node, today for using the SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) units and their ECWS (Element Control Workstation).   [SAFER training is conducted on laptops with special software, and the ground’s recommendation for today’s drill was to use an IBM 760XD from the Airlock and the A31p SSC-6 (Station Support Computer 6).  Today’s exercise was to involve at least two successful “flying” cases at a minimum separation rate of 1 ft/sec.]

Tokarev set up another NOA (Nitric Oxide Analyzer) session in the DC-1 docking compartment and then conducted the weekly test.   [Purpose of the new ESA VC9 payload ESANO1, consisting of the “Platon” analyzer and its power supply, is to monitor expired nitric oxide (NO) to detect signs of airway inflammation and indications of venous gas emboli (bubbles) that may be caused by inhalation of pollutants on the ISS and increased risk of decompression sickness.  The experiment sessions are being conducted once a week, with two NO measurements in the exhaled air (after mouth-rinsing with Rodnik water) taken in each session through a bacterial filter.  Today’s third measurement ops (the first was performed by Valery and Sergei Krikalev on 10/6, the second by Valery on 10/14) were recorded in the Platon log.]

On the MedOps Defibrillator equipment, McArthur initiated the regular recharge process on battery #1 to full capacity and subsequently performed it also on battery #2.  The task concluded with a battery voltage check.   [Each NiCad battery was charged for ~3.5 hrs, and its open-circuit voltage was tested at the end with the volt/ohm Multimeter, then removed and stowed again.  The batteries have to be charged every 60 days along with the defib checkout.]

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.   [Valery’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 the first set).]

Later, Bill McArthur transferred TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of his RED workout, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

At ~6:40am, Tokarev conducted the weekly IMS (Inventory Management System) tagup with specialists at TsUP/Moscow, discussing open issues concerning identification of equipment and storage locations for the IMS databases, via S-band.   [Today’s topics included location of some Greg Olsen kits, two ODF CDs, and a SPRUT Profilaktika kit.  Also discussed were the importance of making regular notes (once a week) or reports to TsUP or bar code entries of used personal hygiene items, underwear, inserts, and other consumables for inventory on the ground, as well as of IDs of photo film and videocassettes being used.]

Working off his voluntary “time available” task list, Valery prepared the regular daily IMS  “delta”/update file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases (MCC-H, TsUP, Baikonur).

The crew again had one hour each set aside on today’s schedule for ISS familiarization and adaptation, to help in adjusting to their new surroundings and activities.   [This “free” session has become a valuable standard requirement for new station occupants for the first two weeks.]

At ~3:45am EDT, the crew used the Russian TV equipment in the Service Module to conduct an interactive open-access telephone exchange with schoolchildren assembled at the 13th International Space Olympiad of School Students, talking place at Korolev near Moscow from 10/19-30. Participants in the traditional event are from Russia, Greece, Germany, Great Britain, Korea and the USA.  This year, the Olympiad is dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Soyuz-Apollo Test Project (ASTP) program in 1975.

At ~3:40pm, the crew will have their second regular (nominally weekly) teleconference with the Lead Flight Director at MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow via S-band/audio, with a phone patch between Houston and Moscow.

Update on Elektron O2 Generator:  The crew performed troubleshooting as scheduled.  After its activation in 24 amp mode, the machine ran for about 1h 10m before both micropumps shut down, first the primary, then shortly thereafter the backup pump.  More troubleshooting will be done tomorrow, focusing on the micropump shutdowns.  A cabin atmosphere repress of 9.5 mmHg was performed yesterday using O2 from Progress 19 storage to maintain ppO2 (oxygen partial pressure) within Flight Rule limits.

Update on ISS Reboost Abort:   Russian investigation of the 10/18 maneuver abort continues.  A test reboost using four Progress thrusters is scheduled next Wednesday (10/26), for ~0.25 m/s delta-V.

Reconditioning of battery 2B1 of the P6 solar array continues nominally. [NiH (nickel-hydrogen) batteries can develop and display “loss of memory” (of their state of charge), resulting in a temporary decline in capacity.  This loss can be periodically erased by cycling all cells by fully discharging and recharging them (reconditioning).  Ground teams are executing and continuously monitoring this activity, and no actions are required of the crew.  This activity is scheduled to continue through next Tuesday, 10/25.]

Laptops currently in use in US Segment:  Eight A31p (SSC File Server, SSC-1,-2,-5,-6,-8 Clients, SSC-4 CPSD, SSC Router); one 760XD (OCA Router), one 760XD shell (MEC).

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, which is available for only ~1/4 of each orbit when not facing forward (in ram), were Salamat Basin fans, Chad (weather was predicted to be clear over the Salamat basin, providing an opportunity for contextual photography of megafans [inland deltas]. Looking to the left of track for contorted drainage patterns and wetlands that denote the fan boundaries.  Sunglint on streams and standing water may have been visible.  Megafans have been identified as a potential petroleum exploration target). Patagonian Glaciers, South America (this overpass took the crew over the central portion of the Patagonian ranges.  Illumination conditions for mountain glacier photography were best on the eastern side of the mountains.  Overlapping frames provide a contextual mosaic useful for location of detailed nadir images of the glaciers), and Internal waves, South Patagonian Shelf (cloud cover was predicted to disperse over the southern South American coastline.  Looking to the left of track for internal wave patterns along the coast and to the north of the Falkland Islands.  The sunglint point was to the left of track and slightly behind the station).

The crew was complimented on their recent excellent CEO imagery of the Southern Patagonian Icefield.  “Your swift mastery of 400-mm lens technique (composition, and particularly overlap between frames) is remarkable, and you captured several of the less familiar glaciers on the northeastern flank of the mountains”. 

To date, over 177,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS.

 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 12 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-12/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 12 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, 7:01am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 346.9 km
• Apogee height — 347.6 km
• Perigee height — 346.2 km
• Period — 91.48 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0001014
• Solar Beta Angle — 28.3 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 107 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 39555

Upcoming Events (all times EDT):

• 10/26/05 — Test Reboost (four Progress 19 thrusters, for 0.25 m/s delta-V)
• 10/27/05 – EVA-04 Dry Run
• 11/07/05 — EVA-4 (U.S.)
• 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
• 12/20/05 – Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
• 12/21/05 – Progress M-55/20P launch
• 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking
• 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12.

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.