NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 21 September 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. Day 2 of joint E13/E14 operations.
STS-115/Atlantis returned to Earth this morning, touching down at KSC on schedule at 6:21am EDT after 186 orbits and a stunningly perfect ISS 12A mission, delivering and installing the massive P3/P4 truss and returning us to ISS Assembly. Welcome back, Atlantis, after a 11d 19h 06m and ~4.9 million-mile journey in space!
E13/E14 crew rotation/handover period is underway with a full activity schedule for all involved. Crew wakeup was at 12:00am EDT; sleep time will be at 3:30pm (to 12:00am).
In the Soyuz TMA-9/13S Habitation Module, FE-1-14 Mikhail Tyurin installed the LKT local temperature sensor commutator (TA251M1B) of the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry system and its ROM/read-only memory unit (PZU TA765B), both kept in FGB stowage from TMA-7.
CDR-13 Pavel Vinogradov and CDR-14 Michael (“L.A.”) Lopez-Alegria spent about 4.5 hours of dedicated handover time. In addition, there were “generic” handovers, where crewmembers are scheduled together to complete various designated standard tasks.
Vinogradov and Tyurin continued TMA-9 spacecraft unloading, started yesterday by Tyurin, based on an uplinked tally sheet listing 159 items.
Additionally, Pavel and Mischa completed the already-begun transfer of individual crew gear between the two Soyuz vehicles, such as seat liners and splashdown suits.
Also, the ISS RODFs (Russian Operations Data Files) were updated with new books and sheets delivered on 13S, while 12S ODFs were equipped with the Ascent, Descent & Off-Nominal Situations procedures for Anousheh. [TMA-8/12S is now set up for Vinogradov, Williams and Ansari, while TMA-9/13S has become the CRV (crew return vehicle) for Lopez-Alegria, Tyurin and Reiter.]
An additional task for Vinogradov was the removal of the passenger restraint system with improvised knee pads from TMA-8’s center seat (to be used by SFP Ansari) and its replacement with a new seat restraint system delivered last week on STS-115/12A. A second seat restraint system, brought up by TMA-9, was stored in the FGB without unpacking, to be used later for replacing Ansari’s 13S restraint.
FE-1 Williams had time reserved for more 12A cargo transferring/stowing from temporary “holding” locations.
Observed by the CDR-14, FE-1 Williams conducted his regular (mostly daily) atmospheric status check for ppO2 (Partial Pressure Oxygen) and ppCO2 (pp Carbon Dioxide), using the CSA-O2 (Compound Specific Analyzer-Oxygen Sensor) and the CDMK (CO2 Monitoring Kit). [Measurements were taken near the Service Module Central Post (SM CP), in the Node and in the Lab.]
FE-2 Thomas Reiter followed suit by collecting the weekly cabin air readings with the Russian GANK-4M Real-Time Harmful Contaminant Gas Analyzer system of the SM SOGS (Pressure Control & Atmospheric Monitoring System). [GANK tests for Methane (CH4), Ammonia (NH3), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Formaldehyde (HCHO), Nitrogen Oxides (NO, NO2), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), and Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN).]
Thomas also conducted the periodic checkout/verification of IP-1 airflow sensors in the various Russian segment (RS) hatchways, including the SM-to-Soyuz tunnel, and the FGB-to-Node passageway. [This is especially important when the ventilation/circulation system has to cope with a larger crew on board, currently six persons.]
|
Shuttle |
Preparatory to tomorrow’s major IMMUNO payload activities, Pavel Vinogradov prepared the necessary hardware, including setting the Cryogem-03M refrigerator to -22 degC plus installing AKh cold packs, and took air samples with an IPD-NH3 Draeger tube, testing for NH3 (ammonia), since IMMUNO requires 24-hour urine collection. Afterwards, there will also be post-experiment sampling. [IMMUNO is a test of human immune system changes, with the objective to investigate immune neuro-endocrine reactions in the space environment by studying samples of saliva, blood and urine using collection kits and the biomedical (MBI) protection kit. Also included is a stress-test questionnaire to be filled out by the subject and based on the accompanying MO-3 stress test, performed during the subject’s physical exercise regimen. Pavel took his first IMMUNO session on 8/17; the second (and last) session will be tomorrow.]
While conducting the LEUKIN payload activity yesterday, FE-2 Reiter noted a small fluid spill (“five drops”) in the ESA/Russian PGB (Portable Glovebox), from a syringe with a loose needle. The fluid (Toxicity Level 1, “mild irritant”) was cleaned up as per procedure, and the experiment was completed. Today, Thomas uninstalled and stowed the PGB.
Working with Mischa Tyurin, SFP Anousheh Ansari conducted her VC11 experiment SAMPLE, which looks for bacteria onboard the station. [Possible contamination by pathogenic organisms is a serious problem on space missions. In weightlessness, some bacteria grow faster than under conditions <
Anousheh’s SAMPLE specimen could not be installed in the CGBA (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus) at -4 degC as required, because Tyurin discovered that the CGBA’s coolant fluid (a water/ethanol mixture) had disappeared, likely by evaporation from the temperature-controlled refrigerator/incubator that has been in space for 3-4 years. Ground specialists are looking at potential installation of the samples in MELFI (Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS).
Working on her Russian laptop, the SFP also made the second of her scheduled daily entries in the log/questionnaire for the LBP (Low Back Pain) “Muscle” experiment. [As Greg Olsen did before her, Anousheh is studying the lower back pain which astronauts often experience in the weightless conditions of space, in spite of the fact that the spinal vertebrae are not compressed in micro-G as in gravity (thereby causing back pain). It is hypothesized that lower back pain may indeed develop without compression of the vertebrae from the deep muscle “corset” that is required to keep the lower part of the vertebrae, the sacral bone, in position between the two hipbones. The tonic postural muscles of this corset get “activated” when getting up in the morning and “deactivated” when resting, a protective mechanism which may not work in space where the muscles are known to atrophy over time. This would lead to strain in certain ligaments and consequently pain in the lower back. LBP aims at testing this hypothesis and assessing the level of muscle atrophy in response to micro-G.]
For more VC11 work, Pavel Vinogradov assisted the SFB in installing her personal HDD (hard disk drive) in the RSE1 laptop.
Other science activities in the RS, performed by Pavel, Mischa and Thomas, were the Earth natural resources research & environmental monitoring experiment VOLNY (DZZ-11, “Waves”), the biotechnological CONJUGATION (“Konyugatsiya”, Pairing), KUBIK refrigerator operations, ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS), and YING/BASE. [VOLNY: hardware setup with the LSO equipment at SM Window #3, plus checkout and activation for a 24-hr. run. CONJUGATION: removal of the Recomb-K hybridization experiment from the Cryogem-03M, process activation, photography of Recomb-K hardware, termination and tagup on results. KUBIK: transferring Kubik-1 and -2 data from Reiter’s LEUKIN experiment yesterday to memory card for return to the ground. ALTCRISS: transferring new radiation dosimeters from Soyuz TMA-9 and deploying them in the SM. YING/BASE: setting up camera and illumination, removing bio containers from exposure locations in the ISS selected yesterday, photo documentation of bio containers, and final ops.]
In the Lab module, Jeffrey Williams, with Mike L.A., completed the periodically required process of transferring the water collected in the Lab condensate tank to a CWC (Contingency Water Container). [A sample was not required. After the offloading, the necessary jumper/plumbing setup was removed again.]
Jeff also conducted the regular weekly audit/inventory of the available CWCs and their contents, to keep track of onboard water supplies.
As is standard procedure for newly arrived station residents, SFP Ansari and the E-14 crew had their daily PMCs (Private Medical Conferences).
Ansari also attended to her daily email ops and a private family conference using the IP (Internet Protocol) phone.
After Pavel and Jeff configured the Kenwood radio in the SM for Anousheh in the SM at ~1:55pm, with VHF transceiver, headset and power supply, she conducted, at ~2:00pm, a 10-min. “CQ for ALL” ham radio exchange with amateur operators in the USA via the ARISS (Amateur Radio on ISS) organization.
Earlier, at ~3:05am, the CDR configured the Russian television hardware for an interactive 10-minute TV PAO event, starting at 3:20am, with Vinogradov and Ansari being interviewed on CNN (Cable News Network) via RGS (Russian Ground Site).
The crew worked out with their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS (CDR, FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. The CDR’s 2.5-hr. workout again was on TVIS/aerobic only (Day 3).
Afterwards, Jeffrey transferred the 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 the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
The FE-2 conducted the routine daily maintenance of the SOZh (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) system in the SM, including the ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables and today also the weekly BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus inspection.
Working on the IMS (Inventory Management System), Reiter updated/edited its standard “delta file”, including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).
At ~3:30am, Vinogradov linked up with TsUP stowage specialists to conduct the weekly IMS tagup, discussing open issues concerning transfer details, stowage locations and bar code identifications for the IMS databases via S-band. [Location/relocation issues today involved minor disagreements between IMS entries and crew reports, amount and stowage location of trash collected after 21P undocking, and cargo items remaining to be transferred from Progress 22P to ISS.]
Update on Elektron: Failure investigation of the Elektron’s Liquid Unit 8 (BZh-8) by Russian specialists continues. The current plan is to replace the BZh-8 with a new spare (BZh-9) on 9/23 (Saturday) and reactivate the Elektron on Sunday. [As of this morning, 10 SFOGs (Solid Fuel Oxygen Generator) “candles” have been used so far (about 3-4 per day for the current crew of 6). One of the two TGK “firing box” generators, which failed in the past, was returned to full use. Until Elektron has been restored for service, ppO2 on board is being managed with SFOGs and the remaining O2 on 22P. There are 5 days worth of O2 left in the Progress resupply tank (for a crew of 6). There are also 40 “older type” SFOG cartridges remaining which will be used first. When they are gone, the old SFOG generator can be discarded. The new SFOG generator has been onboard for some time and there are 120 new cartridges available for O2 generation.]
Update on CDRA: The Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly continues to operate in single-bed mode, due to the Bed #2 check valve being stuck open. After a sticking episode of the ASV (Air Supply Valve) after half a day of continuous-mode operation, full valve and CDRA operability was restored. It is now planned to conduct an inspection of the CDRA sock filter on 9/26 (Tuesday) which may clear Bed #2 for operation.
No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets uplinked today.
To date, over 250,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first six years of the ISS, about one third of the total number of images taken from orbit by astronauts.
CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:
http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/station/CEO.html
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (about 700,000 NASA digital photographs of Earth are downloaded by the public each month from this “Gateway” site);
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at http://voyager.cet.edu/iss
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:49am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 341.7 km
- Apogee height — 349.9 km
- Perigee height — 333.6 km
- Period — 91.37 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0012063
- Solar Beta Angle — -39.1 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 55 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 44835
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern and subject to change):
- 09/28/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S undocking (FGB nadir port, 5:48pm) & land (9:10pm) [Total duration: 182d 22h 39m 49s]
- 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)
- 11/22/06 — Russian EVA-17
- 12/14/06 — STS-116/12A.1 launch
- 12/16-23/06 — STS-116/12A.1 docked mission w/ISS – 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 – 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
