ISS On-Orbit Status 7 Sep 2002

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.

Crew wakeup to a regular Saturday rest day was at 2:00 am EDT, as tropical storm Fay passed by MCC-Houston. The station residents received grateful compliments for their "terrific job" on yesterday’s successful RPCM (remote power controller module) replacement.

After the ground activated the MSG (microgravity science glovebox) rack, FE-1 Peggy Whitson continued her dedicated science work on the SUBSA (solidification using a baffle in ampoule) experiment. Today she processed sample SUBSA09 in the thermal chamber and configured the video camcorders for documentation. [Instructions were uplinked for her using the MSG airlock (AL) to remove the finished samples 03 and 08 from the MSG work volume (WV), to make room for the remaining experiment runs. Along with the samples, she removed the filter caps, bagged tape and particle catcher left in the AL. In order to keep the WV sealed during the removal via AL, the inside air circulation had to be activated beforehand.]

Later in the day, Whitson opened the ADVASC (advanced astroculture) growth chamber to take pictures of the plants and soybean seed pods. From these pictures, the ADVASC team will be able to determine if the seed pods are mature enough to begin the dry down and preservation period.

After lunch (9:00am EDT), the crew worked their way through the regular weekly housecleaning, with three hours set aside for it. Running under the heading of Bioenvironmental Surveillance, the extensive cleanup focuses on removal of food waste products, periodic cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, and wet cleaning of surfaces.

CDR Korzun also performed the daily routine maintenance of the SOSh life support system in the Service Module, while FE-1 Whitson completed the regular autonomous payload status checkup (PCG-STES008 and ADVASC monitor).

All crewmembers did their full daily physical exercise program of 2.5 hours each on aerobic (treadmill) and anaerobic (resistive) equipment.

Peggy also completed the periodic transfer of exercise data from the TVIS (treadmill), RED (expander) and CEVIS (cycle) to the MEC (medical equipment computer) for subsequent downlink to MCC-H.

Instructions were uplinked for taking down the forward IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system) accelerometer in the Node and for the upcoming IWIS operations on 9/12 during the scheduled Russian thruster firing test. [Ground engineers use data of the IWIS accelerometers and strain gauges in the Node and Lab to obtain acceleration (force) and strain (elongation) measurements during many dynamic activities, such as vehicle dockings and thruster firings. The IWIS was installed by Carl Walz during 5A.]

Six pages of detailed instructions were uplinked for the installation of the temporary electrical grounding strap on the ARIS rack (EXPRESS rack #2) which will allow ARIS to be powered for calibration, but will cause degraded micro-G isolation capabilities. The procedure modifies two standard rack grounding straps obtained from any of the Lab ZSRs (zero-g stowage racks).

Also uplinked was the crew’s preliminary 9A prepacking list, to support the upcoming prepack conference on 9/10 (Tuesday). No prepack operations are to be performed as yet. One of the first tasks is to ascertain the onboard availability of sufficient empty CTBs (cargo transfer bags).

For today’s session of the Russian Diatomeya ocean observation program, Korzun and Treschev were given targets in the Black Sea (test range of the Russian Sciences Academy Oceanology Institute), Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Current, Midatlantic Ridge, oceanology test area Titanic), and Pacific Ocean (Californian bioproduction area). [Bioproductive ocean waters are of major importance for ocean studies. Visual and photographic observations focus on color-contrast formations (TsKO) in the target areas.]

Targets were also uplinked for today’s session of the Russian Uragan ("hurricane") program of observing worldwide disaster and human-activity areas on the ground. [Areas of interest included the Krasnodar water reservoir, the Kuban river flood bed below the reservoir, the city of Krasnodar, passes of the Main Caucasian ridge, Elbrus glaciers, towns on the northern and southern coastline of Cyprus, cities in Israel, and low mountains in the jungles of Sankwala in Nigeria.]

Science Update (Expedition Five — 12th):

Extra-Vehicular Activity Radiation Monitors (EVARM): The EVARM data collected last Monday (9/2), along with the next two pre-EVA badge readings, will remain stored on the EVARM reader until it is downloaded to the HRF (human research facility) PC and downlinked to the ground three weeks from now.

GASMAP/Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF): The PuFF team is looking forward to another great session on Monday, 9/9.

Renal (Kidney) Stone Experiment: In progress.

Interactions (NTXN): Continuing. Ground to crew: "Happy ‘Interact’ing!".

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): n/a

Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module-Commercial Stelsys (STELSYS): Experiment is complete and samples are stowed in frozen state in ARCTIC-1. "Waiting for a ride home".

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing (MEPS): Complete. To be returned on 9A.

Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC): In progress (see above).

Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA): SUBSA-08 was completed successfully on 95. This was one of the samples that contains an internal graphite baffle. The remaining two samples, SUBSA-09 (today) and SUBSA-01 (Monday) also contain baffles. The team appreciates all the extra effort the crew has put in to help accomplish as much science as possible. The current plan is to remove the SUBSA thermal chamber on 9/11 (Wednesday), after SUBSA-01 has completed processing. Work then focuses on PFMI.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): New payload for Increment 5 will be performed during Stage 9A, starting most likely on 9/17.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): All SAMS heads are nominal and collecting acceleration data for general characterization of the microgravity environment in the vibratory regime.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is active and the OARE Sensor Subsystem (OSS) continues to collect quasi-steady data. HiRAP data transmission is disabled. Peggy Whitson was thanked by the MAMS/SAMS team for providing the RED exercise video earlier this week. "It will be very helpful in our ongoing efforts to characterize the ISS microgravity environment".

Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) Support: n/a

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES): PCG STES-008 is performing nominally with a temperature reading of 21.75 deg C.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside. Nominal and collecting data.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO-5): Completed.

EarthKAM: Planned. Will be performed during Stage 9A.

Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG): Complete. Samples are unloaded and stowed.

ARCTIC Refrigerator/Freezer 1 (ARCTIC-1): Supporting Stelsys samples. PD reported a 1.0 C rise in temperature over the past 2-3 days. Investigation into possible causes is ongoing.

ARCTIC Refrigerator/Freezer 2 (ARCTIC-2): Nominal, supporting ZCG sample autoclaves.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA): Will be performed during Stage 9A.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Today’s targets were Karachi, Pakistan (nadir view. ESC (electronic still camera) requested), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (crew to look right for thin dust blowing off the north coast of Egypt), Damascus, Syria (nadir view, ESC), Barcelona, Spain (nadir view and slightly left, ESC), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (views left and right of track for fires and smoke) Dakar, Senegal (nadir view, ESC camera), Cape Town, South Africa (view right for good close-up of this famous port city at the foot of Table Mountain. This was the revictualing half-way point for ships sailing from Europe to the Far East), St. Louis, Missouri (nadir view, ESC), Atlanta, Georgia (just right of track, ESC), Puerto Rico (pass over the west end of the island. Detailed mapping views requested), and Albuquerque, New Mexico (just right of track, ESC camera).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 10:33 am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 389.1 km
Apogee — 399.3 km
Perigee — 379.0 km
Period — 92.3 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0015034
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
Altitude decrease — 200 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 21688
Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = "earth-fixed": z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: 7.8 deg, roll: 0 deg]).

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html