NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 4 November 2005

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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.   >>>In honor of today’s Russian Holiday (Day of National Unity), the crew had only light duty.

Valery Tokarev set up for 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 rinsing out with Rodnik water) taken in each session through a bacterial filter.  Today’s measurement ops were recorded in the Platon log and supported by ground specialist tagup via S-band.  To prevent skewing measurements, Valery (and Bill if applicable) has been requested to avoid food items containing nitrites and nitrates (such as in processed meat, assorted vegetables, stewed cabbage, etc.) from their diet for 24 hours before the weekly experiment.]

In preparation for Monday’s EVA-4, CDR McArthur worked on the Joint Airlock (A/L), preparing it for a trial depressurization of its Crew Lock (CL) compartment.   [Bill first reconfigured the VRA (Vent & Relief Assembly) for two-man A/L EVA, connecting its power unit and checked it out, then powered on the A/L depress pump in the Equipment Lock (EL), opened valves, and closed the IV (intravehicular) hatch between EL and CL.  Later, the ground depressed the CL remotely to 10 psi as a test and subsequently repressed it through the VRA.  The latter is accomplished via a previously (11/1) installed 35-ft VAJ (Vacuum Access Jumper) hose between the VRA and the PEV (Pressure Equalization Valve between EL and CL.  In support of today’s A/L work, the ground adjusted the temperature set point of the TCS MTL (Thermal Control System/Moderate Temperature Loop).  EL & CL measure 24.4 & 5.3 cubic meter in volume, respectively.]

Afterwards, the crew conducted its fourth review of EVA procedures and held another tagup with EVA specialists at MCC-H via S-band/audio to compare notes.

The CDR supported a ground-controlled full calibration of the MCA (Major Constituents Analyzer) by opening the instrument’s manual oxygen valve (HVO2) and closing it again a few hours later.   [The MCA uses a mass spectrometer with a magnetic field to separate ionized air sample constituents in a work chamber that is kept at vacuum by a high-performance ion pump.  The previously (11/1) reported sensor shifts on certain MCA constituents have unexpectedly returned to nominal values.  A zero calibration was conducted yesterday but the sensor restorations occurred before that event.  Engineering specialists continue to review available data for an explanation of the phenomenon.]

Tokarev completed the routine SOZh/ECLSS maintenance in the Service Module (SM), including ASU toilet facilities.

McArthur changed out the video tape in the Lab’s VTR-1 (Video Tape Recorder 1) and performed the bi-monthly reboot of the OCA comm router SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop.   [Some minor degradation of the video playback being downlinked from VTR-1 was noticed during EVA-4 preps, and engineers determined that the tape was nearing the end of its operational life.  It was replaced today, and follow-up testing is scheduled later today.]

Bill also collected the periodic reading of the cabin air’s current CO2 concentrations in the SM and Lab, using the U.S. CDMK (Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Kit, #1015), for calldown, along with its battery status, taken after pump start-up, for use in trending analyses.

Afterwards, McArthur filled out the regular weekly FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), his second, which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) software.   [On the MEC, Bill is using his personalized file that reflects the food flown for his Increment.  The FFQ records amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins.  IBMP/Moscow (Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian: IMBP – Institute of Medico-Biological Problems) recommended average daily caloric value of the crew’s food intake is 2200-2300 cal.  If larger quantities of juices and fruits are taken into account, the value can go to 2400-2500 cal.] 

Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program on their exercise equipment, Bill on the TVIS treadmill and RED resistive exerciser, Valery on TVIS 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 2 of a new set).]

Afterwards, McArthur transferred the TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the RED workout, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

At ~10:45am EST, on Daily Orbit 2 over RGS (Russian Ground Stations), the crew sent down two video messages of greetings via TsUP/Moscow.  [The first was a cordial congratulation to the Governor of the Leningrad Region, Valery Pavlovich Serdyukov, on the occasion of his 60th birthday (entering “the age of wisdom, significant life experience and respect”).  The second message contained greetings to the cadets of the Kursk Branch of the Internal Affairs Ministry of Russia’s Orlov Law Institute, who were celebrating “Police Day”, a well-known and popular holiday among many Russian citizens.  “Thousands of graduates of your Institute honorably carry out their duty in maintaining the law, fighting crime and protecting lives of Russian people.”]

At ~1:35pm. the crew had their third 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.

The ISS reboost with the Progress 19 propulsion system on 11/10 (Thursday) is now set for the morning hours: the first burn at 6:23am, the second at 7:42am (both EST).   [The earlier reboost attempt at 10/18 had to be aborted after 117 seconds.  A subsequent hot fire test of the four manifold 2 thrusters on 10/26 was successful.  Both burns, each about 16 min 46 sec in duration for 2.20 m/s delta-V), will be conducted with the Progress DPO approach & attitude control thrusters for yaw & pitch control from manifold 2, and the MNFD thrusters of the SM for roll control, from two manifolds.  Main objective of the reboost is to set up the station’s proper orbital phasing angle with regard to Baikonur for the 20P launch on 12/21.  Expected increase in mean altitude is ~7.7 km.]

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 Ganges River Delta (although late in the day, the weather looked excellent for this pass.  As ISS approached this large, complex delta from the SW, the crew was to look left of track and map the costal areas, especially the dark mangroves of the Sunderbans, also looking for possible sun glint enhancements in the extreme western portion of the delta), Sobat fans, SE Sudan (this target area consists of a large wetlands area between the Ethiopian Plateau to the E and the White Nile River to the W.  A complex of alluvial fans has formed by streams exiting the plateau.  Looking mainly left of track towards the Nile in off-nadir, context views. Sun glint enhancement is possible to the N), Patagonian Glaciers (on this pass, weather and lighting may have been the best in weeks for this storm-swept region.  Using the long lens settings and look for small glacier on the western flank of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, particularly those farthest south), and High Central Andean Glaciers (small, vanishing ice fields and glacier dot the crest of the Peruvian High Andes.  Because of their size and frequency of clouds, these features are usually difficult to spot.  With cloud cover lower than usual during this pass, the crew was to look for them either side of track with the long lens settings).

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, 9:06am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 345.8 km
• Apogee height — 347.2 km
• Perigee height — 344.5 km
• Period — 91.45 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0002003
• Solar Beta Angle — 21.4 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 120 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 39777

Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):

• 11/07/05 — EVA-4 (U.S.; hatch open ~9:30am EST; hatch closing ~3pm)
• 11/10/05 — ISS Reboost (by 19P; two burns, manifold #2)
• 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
• 12/07/05 — EVA-15 (Russian; under review)
• 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.