NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 July 2006

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2006) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Flight Day 11 for STS-121; Day 9 of joint operation.

MPLM Leonardo is safely back in the Discovery payload bay and ready for return, after some ACU (Arm Control Unit) troubleshooting during release of the MPLM.

Crew day started again at 1:38am EDT. As usual, wakeup was followed by morning inspection, post-sleep hygiene, breakfast plus DPC (daily planning conference) via S-band. The Shuttle Six had a 30-min. earlier wake up call.

MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) egress, deactivation and vestibule (hatch tunnel) outfitting/configuring for demate, plus depressurization by FE-2 Thomas Reiter and CDR Steven Lindsey preceded Node CBM (Common Berthing Mechanism) demating by MS1 Mike Fossum and MS4 Piers Sellers (during the period from ~8:30-9:00am EDT). [Transfers to the ISS amounted to a total of more than 9000 lbs (~5300 lbs from MPLM, ~1500 lbs from Shuttle Middeck, ~1400 lbs water, ~1250 lbs external). Returns from ISS totaled more than 6500 lbs (offloaded were ~4700 lbs to MPLM, ~1500 lbs to Middeck, 300 lbs external {failed MT cable cutter assembly}). These figures are subject to update when available.]

Leonardo was transferred with the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) to the Shuttle payload bay and latched down at ~11:15am, as ISS attitude was temporarily in free drift/inertial before moding to earth-fixed ZLV-XVV (z-axis in local vertical/x-axis in velocity vector). [SSRMS LEE (Latching End Effector) release occurred at ~12:27pm after some ACU (Arm Control Unit) troubleshooting by switching to the ACU’s backup string.]

On Discovery, MS2 Lisa Nowak and MS3 Stephanie Wilson subsequently used the SRMS (Shuttle Remote Manipulator System) and OBSS (Orbiter Boom Sensor System) for an Orbiter WLE (Wing Leading Edge) survey. [In support of the inspection, attitude of the ISS/Shuttle stack was temporarily changed by the Orbiter with the PRCS (Primary Reaction Control System) with the Forward RCS enabled. USTO (US Thrusters Only) control was not used. After undocking tomorrow morning (~6:08am), the OBSS will survey the Discovery’s starboard side and nose cap before being berthed in the PLB (Payload Bay).]

Led by FE-2 Reiter, the crew performed remaining Middeck transfers, with a final review and tagup with ground specialists.

As an additional return item for the Shuttle, Williams and Reiter collected a fluid sample from the IATCS MTL (Internal Active Thermal Control System/Moderate Temperature Loop).

The two ISS Flight Engineers disassembled and removed the N2 (nitrogen) transfer system that had been installed from the Shuttle to transfer N2 (~69 lbs) to the station.

Jeff and Thomas also tore down the Shuttle and ISS Airlock O2 (oxygen) systems and restored them to their nominal configurations, after their use for EVA prebreathing using Shuttle O2 via the ROOBA (Recharge Oxygen Orifice Bypass Assembly).

As a late-added activity, Williams and Reiter removed the TUS TDA (Trailing Umbilical System Disconnect Actuator) from the IUA (Interface Umbilical Assembly) that was removed on EVA-2. The TDA will be returned and the IUA will be left as an on-orbit spare. [Extra time has been added prior to the removal for crew to review a video of the techniques, and one exercise session has been cancelled for each crewmember to accommodate the task.]

CDR Vinogradov continued the current round of the monthly preventive maintenance of Russian segment (RS) ventilation systems, working in the Funktsionalnyi-Grusovoi Blok (FGB) to clean the detachable VT7 fan screens 1, 2, and 3 of the three SOTR (thermal control system) gas-liquid heat exchangers (GZhT4), as well as the fixed grill of GZhT #4. In the Service Module (SM), Pavel later cleaned the four “Group B” fan screens (VT1, VTK1, VV1RO & VV2RO).

Thomas Reiter completed the new ESA experiment CULT by filling out his first “cultural” questionnaire on the RSE1 laptop. [CULT is a study conducted currently by Russia for ESA. The multi-Increment investigation, which eventually will involve 12 subjects, is dedicated to the study of cultural aspects and leadership styles of on-board crews as a function of mission duration, including interactions within multinational crews. The questionnaire is contained on a PCMCIA memory card, to be used for all subjects and sessions.]

In the Lab, the two FEs completed the periodically required process of transferring the water collected in the Lab condensate tank to a CWC (Contingency Water Container). After the offloading, the necessary jumper/plumbing setup was removed again.

Pavel did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU), and he also updated/edited the standard IMS (Inventory Management System) “delta file”, including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

Vinogradov and Williams worked out in their regular physical exercise program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS treadmill (CDR), RED resistive exerciser (FE-1), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR). One session of Jeff’s workout and Thomas’ planned VELO session was cancelled (see IUA item above). [Pavel Vinogradov’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 1 of the first set).]

Afterwards, Jeff transferred his and Pavel’s exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week). [A MEC software update for Thomas, with his uplinked protocols, is scheduled next week (7/21).]

At ~3:43am EDT, the crew held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Flight Control Team (GOGU), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.

At ~3:53am, Pavel, Jeff and Thomas configured the television hardware for an interactive 20-minute TV interview event, starting at 4:03am, with CNN (Miles O’Brien), ABC (John Berman), NBC Today Show (Tom Costello) and CBS News (Bill Harwood), with about 5 min. allocated to each media client.

Sleep period begins tonight at 5:08pm EDT. Wakeup for the ISS crew will be tomorrow morning again at 1:38am.

Upcoming Mission Events Overview:

• FD12 (7/15): Close hatches; undock from ISS (~6:08am EDT); stow OBSS; perform external inspections;
• FD13 (7/16): Stow Shuttle cabin; check out reentry systems;
• FD14 (7/17): Prepare for deorbit and landing at KSC (9:07am EDT).

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/station/CEO.html
• 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 13 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-13/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 13 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, 6:40am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 340.9 km
• Apogee height– 348.2 km
• Perigee height — 333.5 km
• Period — 91.35 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0010918
• Solar Beta Angle — -25.6deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 65 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 43746

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern and subject to change):

• 07/06-15/06 — STS-121/ULF1.1 docked mission w/ISS (Undock 7/15, 6:08am EDT; Land 7/17, 9:07am EDT)
• 08/03/06 — US EVA-5
• 08/28/07 — STS-115/12A launch (earliest)
• 08/30-09/06 — STS-115/12A docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P3/P4 trusses
• 08/31/06 — Pavel Vinogradov’s birthday
• 09/13/06 — Progress M-56/21P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
• 09/14/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S launch (Expedition 14 + VC11)
• 09/16/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S docking (SM aft port)
• 09/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S undocking (FGB nadir port) & reentry
• 10/08/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
• 10/18/06 — Progress M-58/23P launch
• 10/20/06 — Progress M-58/23P docking (SM aft port)
• 10/31/06 — Russian EVA-17
• 12/14/06 — STS-116/12A.1 launch (earliest)
• 12/16-24/06 — STS-116/12A.1 docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P5 truss
• 12/19/06 — Progress M-57/22P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 12/20/06 — Progress M-59/24P launch
• 12/22/06 — Progress M-59/24P docking (DC1)
• 01/22/07 — US EVA-6
• 01/26/07 — US EVA-7
• 01/31/07 — US EVA-8
• 02/06/07 — Progress M-59/24P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 02/07/07 — Progress M-60/25P launch
• 02/09/07 — Progress M-60/25P docking (DC1)
• 02/22/07 — STS-117/13A launch (earliest) – S3/S4 trusses
• 02/24-03/03/07 — STS-117/13A docked mission w/ISS (earliest)
• 03/08/07 — Progress M-58/23P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
• 03/09/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S launch (Expedition 15 + VC12)
• 03/11/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S docking (SM aft port)
• 03/19/07 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S undocking (FGB nadir port)
• ??/??/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
• 06/11/07 — STS-118/13A.1 (earliest).

ISS Altitude History

Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.