NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 November 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. Saturday — off-duty day for Bill McArthur & Valery Tokarev, except for housekeeping and voluntary work.
The crew completed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, wearing protective garment. [“Uborka”, done every Saturday, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table, other surfaces and the CDR’s sleep station with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises. Today, the crew was asked to increase disinfectant treatment at two places in the SM where an elevated bacterial count had been found during microbiological analysis on 10/10.]
CDR McArthur did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s Environment Control & Life Support System (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU) and also the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK).
Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser 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 (Medical Equipment Computer) 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 ~9:15am EST, the crew held their regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing this week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeliners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
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Shuttle |
At ~10:35am EST, the crew conducted a teleconference with EVA specialists at MCC-H, discussing the issue of Tokarev’s EVA glove fit. Later, instructions were uplinked with advice for ensuring a comfortable fit of the glove during spacesuit donning and depress. [During last week’s EVA dry-run Valery reported that his current EMU gloves were acceptable, but there was a point of sensitivity at the base of the pinky on the “knife edge” of his right hand. Since the FE’s back-up gloves had been returned on STS 114/LF1, as it turned out, Valery will use his primary gloves, with the option to go with or without the right-hand in-glove comfort liner. During EMU donning, there will be further checks and steps taken by the CDR and the ground to resolve any pressure points.]
Valery Tokarev broke out and set up the equipment for the Russian PZE MO-9 “Urolux” biochemical urine test, scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday. [The MO-9 urinalysis assessment is a standard requirement for Russian spacewalkers, both before and immediately after the EVA.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twelve — 4th)
Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (HRF GASMAP): Planned.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Pulmonary Function System (PFS): Continuing.
Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Continuing.
Renal Stone (RS): Continuing.
Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Complete for this Increment.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS is powered off.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is powered off.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): BCAT-3 Slow Growth Sample Module was left undisturbed in its current location by the E11 crew. In order for the samples to potentially grow crystals that can be photographed during Increment 12 operations, the Sample Module must be left undisturbed.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. New MISSE-5 “suitcase” deployed and unfolded during EVA outside on the U.S. Airlock.
Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT): Nothing new.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Planned for February.
Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Complete.
Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM): Nothing new.
Space Experiment Module (SEM): Nothing new. Experimenters and kids are working to get the next two satchels on ULF1.1.
Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): MFMG payload operations are finished.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Complete.
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ISS Location NOW |
Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Through 10/29, the ground has received and reviewed a total of 891 of Increment 12 CEO images. The highlights of this week’s imagery are the excellent sun glint enhanced views of the sea surface, especially that near New Zealand which included a unique plankton bloom-sediment plume interaction. In the coming weeks investigators look forward to the crew’s daylight return to the Northern Hemisphere and ISS return to LVLH attitude.
Today’s optional CEO 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 Muglad Basin fans, SW Sudan (in the extreme eastern Sahel of Africa west of the White Nile River lies the poorly mapped and understood drainage pattern of the Muglad Basin. Shooting well right of track for broad, contextual views and panoramas of this seasonal wetland and savannah), Patagonian Glaciers (although the weather was beginning to deteriorate from the SW, this pass may have been the last chance for this target area for a couple of weeks. Best views were on the east flank of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Using the long lens settings for details of the smaller glacier features), Internal waves, S Patagonian Shelf (on this pass the best chances for glint-enhanced views began in the southern San Jorge Gulf and eastward. Pointing forward and left of track), and Lake Poopo, Bolivia (excellent lighting and weather were expected this pass. The crew was to concentrate on mapping the perimeters of the salars, looking for evidence of water collecting there).
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:
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.
Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):
- 11/07/05 — EVA-4 (U.S.; hatch open ~9:30am; hatch closing ~3pm EST)
- 11/15/05 — ISS Reboost (from 19P; 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.
