ISS Science Operations Status Report 27 Feb 2002
Astronauts Dan Bursch and Carl Walz completed their post-spacewalk readings
on the EVA Radiation Monitoring (EVARM) experiment on Friday, February, 22,
following last Wednesday’s six-hour spacewalk.
EVARM is the first experiment to measure dosage received by the eyes,
internal organs and skin during specific spacewalks and relate those to the
type of activity, location and other factors in the EVA environment. Each
astronaut wears three radiation detectors in the cooling undergarments and
communication caps of their spacesuits. Pre- and post-EVA readings
determine dosage levels. The data were scheduled to be downlinked to
scientists today (Wednesday, Feb. 27).
“This was the first EVA to use EVARM, so we’re very pleased,” said Ian
Thomson, EVARM principal investigator with Thomson & Nielsen Electronics,
Ltd., Ottawa, Canada. “Everything went off without a hitch thanks to Carl
and Dan. We look forward to analyzing the data later this week when it is
downloaded from ISS. We are getting ready for more EVAs to compare it
with.”
Also last Friday, Bursch and Walz performed their post-spacewalk Pulmonary
Function in Flight (PuFF) tests. PuFF focuses on crew lung function both
following spacewalks and inside the Space Station, laying the groundwork for
future experiments in understanding and maintaining crew health. The five
lung function tests measure changes in the evenness of gas exchange in the
lungs and changes in respiratory muscle strength.
Crew payload activities were briefly interrupted Thursday, February 21,
after the crew noticed an unusual odor in the Destiny lab and were
instructed to operate from the Russian segment until the atmosphere was
cleaned in the lab. The odor apparently originated in a system that
cleanses U.S. spacesuit air scrubbers in the Quest Airlock, and the crew
resumed normal operations Friday.
During the 138 hours of run time last week, the Experiment on Physics of
Colloids in Space (EXPPCS) successfully initiated the aggregation of the
fast fractal sample by combining its colloid and salt solutions.
“The data gathered clearly show that the fractal structure has formed, and
the aging process which we hope to study for the next four weeks has begun,
said Dr. Arthur Bailey, senior scientist with the principal investigator
team based at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
The EXPPCS science team and controllers currently are trouble-shooting a
computer problem that occurred Sunday when they tried to initiate a
ground-commanded 60-hour run. Colloids are systems of fine particles with
numerous uses on Earth such as paint, milk, ink, copy machine toner,
computer screen phosphors, and polishing silicon for computer chips.
Fractals made from colloids are also involved in many processes on Earth,
ranging from the degradation of motor oil to the spoilage of food.
The crew completed the first part of operations with the Education Payload
Operations-4 payload on Monday. The payload consists of several simple toys
and devices to demonstrate basic principles of physics and the microgravity
environment in an effort to interest children in science, math and
technology careers. The experiment will be wrapped up during a second set
of activities on Friday. The crew is videotaping these demonstrations for
later production into an educational video.
The Advanced Astroculture experiment is continuing to function normally.
The crew collected nutrient and gas samples last weekend and photographed
the experiment on Tuesday. Experiment video appears to show the emergence
of seedlings. They were slated to repeat the sampling on Thursday.
Thursday’s crew schedule also includes crew activation of the Protein
Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) Cylinder 8. This
experiment is devoted to growing proteins that are larger and more perfectly
formed. Later ground analyses of their three-dimensional structure may
impact the studies of medicine, agriculture, the environment and other
biosciences. Every chemical reaction essential to life depends on these
biological materials.
Locations scheduled to be photographed this week for the Crew Earth
Observations research program were: coastal wetlands along the Nile River,
reservoir water levels along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, air pollution
over the Po Valley and Adriatic Sea, aerosols over the Ohio River Valley,
Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake levels in the US, ice buildup on the northwest
coast of Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence ice pack.
In the lab, EXPRESS Racks 1, 2 and 4, as well as the Human Research
Facility, continue to function normally. EXPRESS Rack 5, installed during
Expedition Three, is scheduled for activation on a later Expedition.
