ISS On-orbit Status 19 Oct 2002

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously.
Weekend rest day for the station residents.

At 4:30am EDT, the crew awoke to kudos from MCC-H for yesterday’s flawless,
smooth work on the SSRMS/Canadarm2. This bodes well for next week’s planned
robotics dry-run for the P1 truss transfer on Mission 11A.

As normally on Saturdays, CDR Valery Korzun and flight engineers Peggy
Whitson and Sergei Treschev completed the weekly 3-hr. housecleaning,
focusing on removal of food waste products, thorough cleaning of compartments
with vacuum cleaner, and wet cleaning of surfaces.

While FE-2 Treschev started his turn at the third round of the renal
(kidney) stone prevention research experiment, logging his food and fluid
intake, FE-1/SO Peggy Whitson was already into her second day, which required
her to collect urine samples in the course of the day besides diet logging.
After each collection, the sample ID is scanned and the sample then stowed.

The regular daily routine task of SOSh life support system maintenance
was performed by Valery Korzun, who also did the daily checkup of the
Rasteniya-2 plant growth experiment.

Korzun continued his Profilaktika (countermeasures) fitness testing,
today on the TVIS treadmill, which is identical to the Russian MO-3 test
for the treadmill in idling mode (i.e., with free choice of speed within
a certain specified range). [In addition to the nominal work-out procedure,
the test calls for the use of the TEEM-100M gas analyzer, measurement
of the lactate and creatine kinase levels in the subject’s blood, and
a subjective evaluation of the physical exertion levels during the test.
The Profilaktika blood test is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Treschev
assisted the CDR as CMO.]

Peggy completed the daily checkup on Lab payload status and later, after
Valery’s Profilaktika session, downlinked the MEC (medical equipment computer)
file with physical exercise and EVA prebreathe data prepared yesterday.

The EVARM (EVA radiation monitoring) experiment team requested a background
radiation reading of all 12 badges to be performed as soon as possible
to assist in the interpretation of the STS-112/9A EVA data.

POC (Payload Operations Center) is still not receiving video from the
PGBA (plant generic bioprocessing apparatus), while seeing good science
data. [As part of the troubleshooting efforts, Peggy needs to locate two
cables, which currently are listed as "lost" in the IMS (inventory
management system) database. The ground provided possible locations where
they may be "hiding". If they are found, work on a troubleshooting
procedure using them can begin.]

The ARCTIC2 freezer/refrigerator is powered off while engineers look
at what is preventing health and status transmission. [The ground will
power it up during a long Ku-band pass to take another look at it. Whitson’s
report that the internal clock of the payload stopped incrementing has
turned out to be an important factor in the troubleshooting.]

Science Update (Expedition Five — 18th):

Lead Increment Scientist Vic Cooley to crew: "Thank you for your
attention to the payloads this week – successful ZCG activation, PGBA
transfer to ISS, EVARM readings and downloads, Interactions, CGBA transfer,
and setup for the final Expedition 5 Renal collection. STS-112 returned
with the fruits of your earlier work – processed Stelsys liver cells and
metabolite, dried ADVASC soybeans, tested MEPS samples, ZCG crystals,
protein crystals, and urine samples from the first two Renal collections,
all products of the ISS microgravity environment. As of this writing,
6 hrs after Shuttle touchdown, the protein crystals are enroute and expected
to arrive at the PI’s lab in Huntsville within 1 hr. This is exciting!
Similar excitement surrounds the return of the other science products."

Extra-Vehicular Activity Radiation Monitors (EVARM): Files received during
downlink on 10/17 have been sent to the PI (principal investigator). Pre-reads
for 11A are now being scheduled.

GASMAP/Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF): Next PuFF session is planned
for 10/31.

Renal (Kidney) Stone Experiment: Last in-flight Renal session has begun
on 10/18.

Interactions (NTXN): Continuing.

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

Commercial Refrigerator Incubator Module-Commercial Stelsys (STELSYS):
Returned on 9A.

Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing (MEPS): Complete. Returned
on 9A.

Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC): Complete. Returned on 9A.

Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA): Complete. Returned
on 9A.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Samples that were planned
for the Increment have been completed. If the 5S-Soyuz flight is delayed,
more runs may be planned.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): Nominal.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): Nominal.

Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) Support: Currently in HOLD position
due to recent reboost activities. May be switched to ACTIVE mode next
week.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):
STES-007 temperature holding steady at 19.5 deg C +/- .02. STES-008 samples
on 9A arrived at KSC in good condition.

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): The furnace was successfully activated
on 10/12. ZCG started the ground study on 10/15. Both furnaces are operating
nominally.

ARCTIC Refrigerator/Freezer 1 (ARCTIC-1): Nominal, holding at ambient
temperature.

ARCTIC Refrigerator/Freezer 2 (ARCTIC-2): Currently powered off due to
a power-cycle event that was initiated to recover health and status and
reset the internal clock.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus/Plant Generic Bioprocessing
Apparatus (CGBA/PGBA): The video stream from the payload is not being
received on the ground, but the still photos are coming down. The PD (payload
developer) team will use the still photos to determine the harvest date.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Today’s targets were Eastern Mediterranean
Dust and Smog (gusty winds were expected to continue to produce dust along
the coast of eastern Libya and Egypt. On this pass, as ISS crossed the
Libyan coast the crew was to look right of track for oblique views of
dust plumes moving northward over the darker waters of the Mediterranean.
On the second pass, continuing from the western Med pass [below], as ISS
crossed northern Italy, the crew was to concentrate on the smog now being
observed in the Po River Valley and over the northern Adriatic Sea), Western
Mediterranean Dust and Smog (cool high pressure has settled over the western
Med. On this pass, the crew was to look left of track towards the coasts
of Spain, France, and Italy for aerosol plumes and buildup from cities
and industries in this region), and Atlantic Storm (Dynamic Event Target:
A powerful winter storm with over 50 knot winds has formed near the Azores
and was forecast to be racing towards the British Isles at the time of
this pass. Of interest: oblique views of this spectacular cloud formation
to the left of track).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:22am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 396.6 km
Apogee — 407.0 km
Perigee — 386.2 km
Period — 92.5 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
Eccentricity — 0.001537
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.57
Solar Beta Angle — -43.9 deg (magnitude increasing)
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 22335
Current Flight Attitude — XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane =
"sun-fixed" [yaw: -5.0, pitch: -8.6 deg., roll: 0.4 deg]),with
CMG/Thruster Assist Momentum Management).

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