MRPO Daily Status Report 06-28-02
GMT Date: 179
Calendar Date: 06/28/02
Increment: 5
Stage: UF2
Week 3
Payloads currently on-board ISS:
ADVASC, BSTC, InSPACE, MAMS, MEPS, MSG (facility), PFMI, SAMS, StelSys, STES-8, SUBSA and ZCG. InSpace will not operate during this increment.
Status:
MRPO payloads ADVASC, MAMS, SAMS, STES 8 and ZCG continue nominal unattended operations. BSTC and StelSys operations have been successfully completed.
EXPRESS RACKS 1, 2 and 4 (ER1, ER2 & ER4) are powered and supporting payload operations. ER3 is installed in the US Lab and will be checked out later. ER5 was checked out during Increment 4 and powered down.
The Medium Rate Communication Outage Recorder (MCOR) has been turned-off due to overheating problems and is awaiting trouble-shooting by JSC. When MCOR is turned-off, payload data is lost during loss of signal periods.
ADVASC is downlinking nominal health and status data and the plants have grown rapidly. Gas and condensate samples were taken yesterday and nutrient exchange was performed today. Real-time video downlink of both activities was provided.
MAMS is operating nominally in the quasi-steady and HiRAP modes. HiRAP was activated today to be ready to capture Progress 8 docking disturbances early tomorrow. Since MCOR is turned-off, data capture depends on docking occurring during a data acquisition of signal period. MAMS data is available on the acceleration measurement web page.
MEPS is stowed in ER3. It will be transferred to ER1 tomorrow and initial operations are scheduled for week 6.
MSG checkout will also be initiated tomorrow.
PFMI is stowed in the US Lab and is scheduled to operate in the MSG late in this increment.
SAMS equipment in all racks is operating nominally. SAMS will also capture Progress 8 docking disturbances if docking occurs during a data acquisition of signal period. SAMS data is also being posted to the acceleration measurement web page.
STES-8, with all six growth chambers activated, is downlinking nominal health and status data. Growth chamber number three is to be deactivated tomorrow.
SUBSA is stowed in the US Lab and will be operated in the MSG following completion of MSG checkout.
ZCG furnace operations were initiated yesterday, using the payload primary Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the payload is downlinking nominal health and status data. Attempts to activate the back-up CPU, prior to initiating operations, were unsuccessful. ZCG is in ER2, which is an ARIS rack. ARIS actively provided the maximum micro-gravity environment possible for ZCG during the critical first twenty hours of furnace operation and is continuing to operate in the active control mode. ZCG operations are planned to continue into week 7.
Near-term Outlook:
Week 3 (6/24-6/30) -Planning for this week was based on approximately 21 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Progress 8 was launched Wednesday and should dock with the ISS at approximately 1:25 a.m. CDT tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow also calls for STES growth chamber three to be deactivated, MEPS to be transferred to ER1 and MSG checkout to begin.
Week 4 (7/1-7/7) – Preliminary planning is being based on approximately 6.5 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Monday, 7/1, and Thursday, 7/4, will be crew off-duty days. The crew will spend significant time transferring materials from Progress 8. SUBSA set-up and historical photographs are planned. Historical photographs of SAMS and STES-8 are also planned.
M. Vlasse, PhD, DSc
MRPO Increment Scientist
ACRONYMS:
ADVASC – Advanced Astroculture
ARIS–Active Rack Isolation System
BCSS — Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage
BSTC– Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (General status information on this payload will include coverage of the following items of support equipment: BTR, BCSS and GSM)
BTR — Biotechnology Refrigerator
CPU – Central Processing Unit
ER1– EXPRESS RACK 1
ER2 — EXPRESS RACK 2
ER3 – EXPRESS RACK 3
ER4 – EXPRESS RACK 4
ER5 – EXPRESS RACK 5
GSM — Gas Supply Module
InSPACE- Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates
ISS – International Space Station
JSC – Johnson Space Center
MAMS — Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System
MCOR -Medium Rate Communication Outage Recorder
MEPS – Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System
MSG – Microgravity Science Glovebox
PFMI – Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation
SAMS — Space Acceleration Measurement System II
STES – Protein Crystal Growth – Single Thermal Enclosure System
SUBSA – Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules
ZCG – Zeolite Crystal Growth
