ISS On-Orbit Status 18 Dec 2002

After an early wake-up at 9:50pm (last night EST), the crew supported the Soyuz/Progress/SM Kurs-P (passive) ring test several times during Russian ground site (RGS) comm passes.  [Afterwards, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin completed post-test reconfiguring of the Kurs-P automated rendezvous and approach radar system.]

CDR Ken Bowersox and FE-1 Nikolai Budarin conducted a major routine test of STTS audio/communications workstations in the SM and FGB, which required a path and VHF receiver test, followed by switching the STTS to its backup string and checking it out with the ground.  Also included in the procedure was troubleshooting of sporadic failures of the VHF1 transmitter to activate on pushing the “Push-To-Talk” or “Transmit” buttons.  [The STTS audio subsystem will continue to run on backup sets for two weeks until specific directive to switch back to primary is given by MCC-M (TsUP).]

FE-2/SO Don Pettit completed the scheduled Week 3 potable water sampling and on-orbit chemical/microbial analysis of the SM environment control and life support system (ECLSS, Russian: SOSh) water supply system.  As part of the scheduled task, photographs were taken of the sampling ops.  Later, Pettit spent about an hour with in-flight processing of the water samples with the CHeCS WMK (crew health care systems water microbiology kit).

Bowersox had his first practice run for the upcoming FOOT (Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Space Flight) experiment next week, performing an electromyography (muscular electric signals) calibration.

At about 8:40am EST, Don Pettit installed both the EXPRESS Rack 3 (ER3) laptop in preparation for ER3 activation and checkout tomorrow (12/19) and the ARIS2 (active rack isolation system #2) snubber cup isolators.

FE-2 Pettit was scheduled for the long-awaited removal of the stripped screw on the access cover, using the new carbide drill bits which came up on 11A.  He was also to conduct a test of the ARCTIC-1 cooling pump.

Bowersox was informed by the ARIS support team that his ZCG (Zeolite crystal growth) activities yesterday did not disturb the sensitive ARIS rack because of his being “very gentle with the rack. Great job!”  [The ZCG experiment run appears highly successful, and for the first time, ZCG researchers were made aware of potential problems with excess bubbles (foaming). This had been postulated, but until Sox’s interaction, it could not be verified. Sox’s judgments were invaluable to ZCG and the success of this experiment is being attributed directly to his actions.]

The daily routine servicing tasks of SOSh life support systems (incl. toilet systems) maintenance and IMS inventory update file preparation were performed by FE-2/SO Don Pettit.

CDR Bowersox transferred excess water from the Lab condensate tank to CWCs (contingency water containers).  Later, Pettit conducted a periodic checkup of the onboard CWCs.

Between 12/17 and 12/30, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin is experimenting with preventive treatment with Aspirin-Cardio, ingesting one tablet daily with water after a meal.

Both PVCU (photovoltaic controller unit) MDMs are now fully re-loaded with Revision 2 (R2) software.  PVCU 4B is in the nominal configuration as Primary computer.  PMCU 1 (power management controller unit 1) is in Primary, and PMCU 2 is OFF, also a nominal config.  (In yesterday’s Status Report, PMCU 2 was erroneously shown in Primary mode).

All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise.

The crew received kudos from the ground on their first live PAO event yesterday with Hutto Middle School, Hutto, TX.  It went particularly well, with the crew doing an excellent job fielding interesting questions from middle schoolers.

Sleep period tonight begins at 2:30pm EST, a little earlier than normal, to extend to wake-up tomorrow at the normal time.

Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (fires continue to be reported in this portion of southern Africa. The ISS pass was primarily along the Mozambique coast: crew was to try for oblique and limb views to the left of track, looking for smoke plumes and palls), Ganges River Delta (the crew had a good pass over this target with good light and clear skies. They were to carefully map the delta, most of which was just to the left of track, particularly noting water color, sediment plumes and agricultural activity during the dry season for this region), Western Mediterranean Dust (with a huge Atlantic storm poised just to west of Portugal, strong southerly winds are picking up dust over northwestern Africa. As the crew approached the Tunisian coast, they were to look obliquely to the left of track for dust clouds over the Mediterranean), Mount Etna (DYNAMIC EVENT: Although Mount Etna’s activity has subsided in recent weeks, crew was to document the color, size and extent of the volcanic ash plume), Mexico City, Mexico (good nadir pass over the Mexican capital.  ESC [electronic still camera] requested), and Atlanta, Georgia (nadir pass; ESC).
CEO images can be viewed at the website
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of yesterday).

Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):

• Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On.  U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS is operational.  BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

Propulsion System (PS):  

• Total propellant load available (SM + FGB + Progress) — 3792 kg (8360 lb) [as of 12/12/02].

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B both in dual-angle mode (directed position)..
• SM batteries:  Battery #2 in “Cycle” mode.  Batteries #5 and 7 disconnected (suspected failed)  All other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge”: mode.  
• FGB batteries:  Batteries #4 is off line; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby; PCU-2 is in Standby.

Thermal Control Systems:

• Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off, SKV-2 is On.

Command & Data Handling Systems:

• C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
• GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup (new patches loaded on both).
• EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is off.
• LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
• PL-1 MDM is On (primary); PL-2 MDM is off (diagnostic
• APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
• SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is down (as of 11/14).
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

Attitude Source:

• 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
• State vector — U.S. SIGI-1
• Attitude — U.S. SIGI-2
• Angular rates — U.S. RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

• XPOP 3-CMG Momentum Management (yaw/pitch/roll = 0.52/-8.81/-0.04 deg)
• Solar Beta Angle:  -54.8 deg (magnitude increasing)

Communications & Tracking Systems:

• FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operating.
• All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
• S-band is operating nominally.
• Ku-band is operating nominally.
• Audio subsystem operating nominally.
• Video subsystem operating nominally.
• MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF3 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
• MBS: KA power on both strings.  MT: at WS7, with KA power. POA: KA power on both strings.
• RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.