NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 12 July 2008
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday.
Crew Sleep Cycle: Currently remaining at 5:30am – 9:00pm EDT.
After wakeup and before breakfast, FE-2 Chamitoff downloaded the SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment data from his Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop. [To monitor the crewmember’s sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, crewmembers wear a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days.]
Before breakfast, Gregory began Part 1 (of 5) of the periodic acoustic measurement protocol by deploying crew-worn acoustic dosimeters, to be carried for 24 hours (with a microphone on the shirt collar). (Last time done: 4/1 – the session with Malenchenko on 4/13 failed). [Tonight, after about 15 hours of measurements, dosimeter data will be downloaded and the hardware power-cycled for another data take starting tonight after 8.5-hr. sleep. At that point, the crew will deploy the dosimeters statically in the station for the duration of the day, record measurements tomorrow noon and stow the instruments. Acoustic data must be taken twice per Increment, each time for the duration of the 16-hour crew workday.]
CDR Volkov and FE-1 Kononenko completed final post-EVA cleanup activities, starting the discharge/recharge cycle on the 825M3 battery from Orlan-M #25 in the ZU-S battery charger in the DC1 Docking Compartment, refilling the Orlan feedwater reservoirs (for cooling), setting up both Orlan-M suits for airing/drying, and tagging up with ground specialists on S/G-1-audio to discuss the spacewalk at ~7:45am EDT.
After running his first NOA-2/Nitric Oxide Analyzer (MBI-21) session on 7/10, measuring post-EVA NO (Nitric Oxide) in his exhaled air, Kononenko today closed out the experiment, filling in the electronic log book on the RSE1 laptop, downlinking images to TsUP via OCA, copying photos to the RSK1 laptop hard drive for return, and restowed the hardware.
FE-2 Chamitoff performed the periodic inspection & cleaning of the FDS (Fire Detection & Suppression) system’s bacteria filters and SDs (smoke detectors) in the US Airlock (one SD), Node-1 (2 SDs), Lab (2 SDs), and Node-2 (2 SDs).
Gregory also completed the periodic (monthly) inspection of the RED (Resistive Exercise Device) canister cords and accessories.
The crew conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-2), TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-1. Later, Gregory transferred the exercise data file to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop for downlink, including 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).
Oleg conducted today’s routine maintenance of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables.
Sergey completed the daily IMS (Inventory Management System) maintenance, updating/editing its standard “delta file” including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).
The two cosmonauts had their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Sergey at ~9:15am, Oleg at ~11:00am.
Suggested on the US “job jar” task list for Gregory Chamitoff’s discretionary performance is the periodic inspection of the ELPS (Emergency Lighting & Power Supply) subsystems in Node-2, A/L (US Airlock), Lab, and Node-1, to become hard-scheduled tomorrow.
WRM Update: An updated WRM (Water Recovery Management) “cue card” was uplinked overnight for the crew’s reference in lieu of yesterday’s uplink. [The new card (17-0002R) lists 35 CWCs (Contingency Water Containers,~1401.8 L total) for the four types of water identified on board: technical water (650.6 L, for Elektron, flushing, hygiene, incl. 509.4 L non-usable water because of Wautersia bacteria), potable water (706.7 L, incl. 260.6 L currently on hold), condensate water (41.5 L), waste/EMU dump and other (7.9 L). Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Seventeen — Week 12)
3-D SPACE : Planned (3 sessions in Inc-17, 1 in Inc-18)
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Measurements continue in FGB module. Last memory card exchange was performed on 7/1.
ANITA (Analyzing Interferometer for Ambient Air): Continuing.
BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 3): Reserve.
CARDIOCOG-2: Completed.
CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): Reserve.
CFE (Capillary Flow Experiment): Reserve.
CW/CR (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): Samples returned on 1J.
CSI-2/CGBA (CGBA Science Insert #2/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus): The Silicate Garden Hab ground unit was activated successfully yesterday at the Univ. of Colorado. CGBA-5 will be powered up and the Silicate Garden Hab flight unit will be activated on Monday, 7/14.
CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.
CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): Complete.
EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): Complete.
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations): Reserve.
ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.
EuTEF (European Technology Exposure Facility): The experiment platform continues to operate nominally. A DHPU (Data Handling Processing Unit) software patch is currently being developed to fix the link error issues encountered with DEBIE-2 and FIPEX instruments. – DEBIE-2: Link error still in work. However a work-around allows for regular science data acquisition using an on-board IOP (Instrument Operations Procedure), but not yet in conjunction with any FIPEX IOP – a final software patch, which will enhance the present instrument capabilities, is under finalization on ground; – DOSTEL: On-going science acquisition; – EuTEMP: Currently inactive as planned; – EVC: Several successful ground commanded runs. Some nice pictures of Earth at sunset and sunset could be obtained. In full Sun illumination, the EVC sensor seems to saturate and consequently the picture quality is not optimum; – EXPOSE: On-going science acquisition; – FIPEX: Science script was running nominally until 6/28, when a sudden sensor switch off was encountered. It is a known problem, under assessment. Currently up and running; – MEDET: Some commandings were performed to adjust the frequency of acquisition of the microcalorimeter. Continuously acquiring science data; – PLEGPAY: currently in READY mode, no science data acquisition on-going; – TRIBOLAB: The Ball-Bearing experiment 1/2/3 which is running since 6/16 has been paused during the EUTEF power-down on 6/21 and has been resumed since. On 6/25, the experiment went suddenly to Non-Nominal Mode, after some higher than expected currents have been measured with the motor. On 6/30, the instrument was put in Thermal Stabilization Mode, and the Ball-Bearing experiment 1/2/3 was restarted on 7/1. This experiment run is expected to last until Week #14.
FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory): FSL is back and running. Further FSL commissioning activities remain to be done (see following item).
GEOFLOW: Commissioning activities for FSL have been continued successfully with the FSL RIC and FSL VMU S/W upgrades on 7/3. On 7/4, the Optical Check-out 1 was also successfully completed. In the near future, the crew will swap the optical target, stand-by until further optical modes checks, and then GEOFLOW Experiment Container will be inserted to start GEOFLOW science runs in the near future.
IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): Complete.
InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): In progress.
Integrated Immune: In progress.
KUBIK-FM1/ KUBIK-FM2 Centrifuge/Incubators: Completed.
LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): Planned.
MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment): Ongoing.
MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC1 “Pirs”.
MULTIGEN-1: Completed.
MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox): Complete.
NOA-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Measurements for NOA-2 by the two Russian cosmonauts were successfully completed before (7/9) and after (7/11) the Russian EVA-20A.
NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY: “Greg, thank you for your continued support of the Nutrition experiment objectives during the FD30 session. We appreciate all of the barcode information relayed via crew notes.”
PADLES (Passive Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): In progress.
PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.
SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): Ongoing.
SAMPLE: Complete.
SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment): In progress.
SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): In progress.
SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory): In progress.
SOLO: Planned.
SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): In progress.
Swab (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): Complete.
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
ULTRASOUND: Planned.
WAICO #1 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels): The four ECs (Experiment Containers) of Rotor B are yet to be retrieved by the crew from the blocked Rotor B. BIOLAB could not be activated from ground yet, pending resolution of the Smoke Detector issue. A troubleshooting plan has been developed to recover all the BIOLAB functionalities. The remaining WAICO-#1 ECs will be disposed and replaced by six Reference ECs on Rotor B.
CEO (Crew Earth Observations): Through 7/9 the ground has received a total of 2,862 CEO images for review and cataloging. CEO now has a backlog to review of imagery with camera times corresponding to the target request times that include: Central-Arizona Phoenix; Barringer Impact Crater; the Karakoram; Mt. Rainier, Vesuvius, and Etna; the Ganges River Delta; Red River Basin; Santa Barbara Coast; and S. Mozambique. “You have been providing an excellent response to our requests and we will be providing feedback on your success with these and other targets in the coming days. This week’s highlights include your timely imagery of the Big Sur Fire in California and your excellent views of Hurricane Bertha in the Atlantic. The former have been published on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website while the latter have been captioned for use by PAO.”
CEO photo targets uplinked for today were Jarvis Island, equatorial Pacific (this unusual, trapezoid-shaped island is located just south of the equator about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands. It is low-lying, uninhabited, has very little vegetation and is just about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. CEO is supporting international efforts to document and monitor the Earth’s coral reef systems. On this mid-morning pass, Greg was to look left of track for this target. Then use the long lens settings for detailed views of the fringing coral reefs, especially those on the eastern side), and Moorea Coral Reef, Tahiti (Moorea is a beautiful, mountainous, and heart-shaped island in French Polynesia. It is part of the Society Islands and located 17 km NW of Tahiti. The island has a striking set of fringing coral reefs. Looking for this island to the right of track as ISS approached the larger island of Tahiti from the NW in mid-morning light, using the long lens settings to carefully map the coral reef structures.)
CEO photography can be studied at this “Gateway” website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 3/1/08, this database contained 757,605 views of the Earth from space, with 314,000 from the ISS alone).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 4:59am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 344.5 km
Apogee height — 350.8 km
Perigee height — 338.2 km
Period — 91.43 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009317
Solar Beta Angle — 47.8 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.75
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 20 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 55249
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
07/15/08 — Russian EVA-20 (1:14pm)
07/18/08 — ATV1 reboost
08/30/08 — Progress M-64/29P undocking, from FGB nadir
09/05/08 — ATV1 undocking, from SM aft port (loiter until ~9/25 for nighttime reentry/observation)
09/10/08 — Progress M-65/30P launch
09/12/08 — Progress M-65/30P docking (SM aft port)
10/01/08 — NASA 50 Years
10/08/08 — STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
10/11/08 — Progress M-65/30P undocking (from SM aft port)
10/12/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S launch
10/14/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S docking (FGB nadir port)
10/23/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (DC1 nadir)
11/10/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 launch – MPLM Leonardo, LMC
11/12/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 docking
11/20/08 — ISS 10 Years
11/26/08 — Progress M-66/31P launch
11/28/08 — Progress M-66/31P docking
02/10/09 — Progress M-67/32P launch
02/12/09 — Progress M-67/32P docking
02/12/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment
03/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S launch
05/15/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
07/30/09 — STS-128/Atlantis/17A – MPLM(P), last crew rotation
05/27/09 — Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 19S docking, May ’09)
10/15/09 — STS-129/Discovery/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A – MPLM(P)
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).
