NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 December 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.  Boxing Day (day of alms/donations boxes for the poor in churches of old) — off-duty day for Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev, except for housekeeping and voluntary work. Underway: Week 12 for Expedition 12.

The crew’s sleep cycle is back on regular hours.  [Wakeup at ~1:00am EST & sleep time begin at 4:30pm.]

In the DC1 docking compartment, FE Tokarev exchanged the PCMCIA memory card in the laptop (ALC) of the ESA/RSC-E experiment ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS) and activated the spectrometer hardware.  [ALTCRISS uses the ACT spectrometer employed by VC8 guest cosmonaut Roberto Vittori earlier this year in the DC1 for the Italian LAZIO (Low Altitude Zone Ionization Observatory) experiment. Progress 20 delivered a new Nomex shielding belt, containing polyethylene bricks and two new dosimeters in a dedicated pocket. The setup was photo-documented.]

The FE completed the monthly recharging of the Motorola-9505 Iridium satellite phone.  [Valery retrieved it from its location in the Soyuz TMA-7/11S descent module (BO) and initiated the recharging of its lithium-ion battery, a 30-min. process. The charging was monitored every 10-15 minutes as it took place, and upon completion Tokarev returned the phone inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed it back in the BO s operational data files (ODF) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry and landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown. The Russian-developed procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials. During the procedure, the phone is left in its fluoroplastic bag with open flap.]

Tokarev also activated the Service Module’s GL2106 gas analyzer for carbon monoxide (CO), monitored its performance and later terminated its operation.  [The GL2106 has been under special scrutiny since its off-nominal operation on 12/14.]

The crew, for the second day, conducted ham radio sessions with European and Russian amateur radio operators dedicated to the memory of Gennady Mikhailovich Strekalov – the RSC-Energia Cosmonaut Corps Commander from 1985-2003 who died one year ago (12/25/2004) at age 64 (see yesterday’s Status for his picture). Today’s session starts at 2:40pm EST for Europe and at 2:47pm for Russia.  [Amateur radio operators from Star City, Korolev, Moscow, and Moscow Region in Russia are participating in the session. A special card will be issued with a portrait of G. M. Strekalov to confirm these links. Amateur radio operators from the Star City are coordinating these sessions from the ground. Upon completion of today’s session, the crew will reconfigure the radio station to Voice Broadcast mode for three days, and amateur radio operators throughout the world can then work amongst themselves via the ISS, with the crew joining the conference if they so desire.]

Bill McArthur performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU), and 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 in unmotorized mode and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 2 of the first set).]

Working off his discretionary “time available” task list, the FE checked the operation of the Japanese experiment GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility) in the ESA MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), including a temperature check on the ART (automatic temperature recorder).

At ~7:04am EST (DO13), TsUP/Moscow remote-commanded start of charging of Progress 20 buffer and reserve batteries from the SM’s electrical power system. About 6 hrs later the process was terminated on DO2.

No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked today.

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, 8:50am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 349.2 km
• Apogee height — 356.5 km
• Perigee height — 341.8 km
• Period — 91.52 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0010931
• Solar Beta Angle — 27.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 85 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 40596

Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):

• 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12
• 02/02/06 — Russian EVA-15
• 03/03/06 — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
• 03/22/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S launch (Exp. 13 + Marcus Pontes/Brazil)
• 03/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking (DC1)
• 04/01/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking & return (Exp. 12 + Marcus Pontes)
• 04/06/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S relocation (DC1 to FGB nadir port)
• 04/09/06 — Progress M-55/20P undocking & reentry
• 04/10/06 — Progress M-56/21P launch
• 04/12/06 — Progress M-56/21P 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.