Status Report

ISS On-Orbit Status 14 Mar 2003

By SpaceRef Editor

March 14, 2003

Filed under ISS On-orbit status, Johnson Space Center, US

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

Last night’s second “stand-alone” reboost by Progress was nominal. The test firing of the DPO manifold #2 (four thrusters) began at 6:37pm EST, for a duration of four minutes, producing a delta-V of 0.37 m/sec (predicted: 0.31) and resulting in 0.66 km/0.41 s.mi. (predicted: 0.54 km/0.34 s.mi.) altitude increase. [Again an apogee burn, to raise the more drag-susceptible perigee (by 1.2 km), it was the optimum strategy and an old altitude management “tradition” for the Russian space station programs of the past. The thruster tests were conducted in Mode 1, i.e., using propellants from the Progress M’s resupply tanks (SD).]

FE-1 Nikolai Budarin had a couple of Russian segment subsystem IFMs (in-flight maintenance) tasks scheduled today, starting with the replacement of three IMU-128 microaccelerometer units behind panels on the Service Module (SM) structure. [They are located over the hatch between PkhO Transfer Compartment and RO1 Work Compartment (smaller diameter), in the RO2 Work Compartment (larger diam), and in the PRK Transfer Tunnel to FGB. The R&R required shutting down the BITS onboard telemetry system and deactivating VD-SU data-output-to-control-system mode, the BMP micropurification unit, Elektron oxygen generator and DC-1 thermal control system. These connections were later reactivated.]

Later in the day, Budarin worked on the Russian SRV-K2M condensate water processor, replacing the BRPK-1 condensate water separator with a new unit delivered on Progress M-247 (10P). The SRV-K2M was reactivated afterwards. [When the BRPK exceeds its service life or is malfunctioning, incomplete separation of the atmospheric condensate occurs and water accumulates under the “sheet” of porous hydrophilic fluoroplastic.]

FE-2/SO Don Pettit continued his support of the on-going MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) troubleshooting, which has required repeated MSG rack rotations and reconnection of cables on its electronics box (E-Box). [Again, early analysis shows no off-nominal current draw on ESEM3 (exchangeable standard electronic module 3) as a result of the P116 connector re-installation yesterday. Today, Pettit was to plug in the final connector, P117, for an E-Box daughter board. Afterwards, he was to remove and replace the failed AHU (air handling unit) fan on the left side. If no anomalous signature is seen after today’s activities, MSG will be in a nominal E-box configuration, and the ground team will need to evaluate all data, including re-assess the failure tree, before proceeding further.]

Don also conducted another inventory audit of WRM CWCs (water recovery & management system/contingency water containers).

Budarin performed his daily status check on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment in the SM.

Earlier today, the Vozdukh CO2 scrubber shut down. The current tentative “suspect” is a damaged section of cabling. Budarin was asked to downlink digital images to MCC-Moscow for further analysis. Meanwhile, the CDRA (CO2 removal assembly) in the Lab is being activated.

Budarin completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh life support system, including ASU toilet facilities, as well as the preparation of the daily “delta” file for the IMS (inventory management system) database, while Sox did the regular checkup of the autonomous PCG-STES010 Lab payload.

Nikolai also had another tagup with MCC-M to discuss IMS procedures with ground specialists.

Bowersox worked on the MEC (medical equipment computer), cleaning up the hard drive by erasing old HRM (heart rate monitor) files, downlinked at an earlier time.

The CDR was thanked by MCC-H for his thorough clothing audit on 3/11. In the interest of further refinement of the on-board audit process, MCC-H uplinked some questions to Sox for his recommendations.

All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on RED (resistive exercise device), TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization), CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation) and VELO with load trainer.

At 11:41am EST, the crew fielded media questions on a wide range of topics in two live TV interviews of about ten minutes each, one with WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN, the other with KGW-TV, Portland, OR. [Sox’s hometown lies in Indiana; Don’s hometown relates to Portland.]

In a specially arranged event on their schedule at 12:00pm, the crew downlinked a message with sincere birthday greetings to Academician Anatoly Ivanovich Grigoriev, the Director of famed IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems) in Moscow, who turns 60 on 3/23. [Professor Grigoriev, as chief space physician and chair of the State Medical Commission in Russia, is well known and highly respected in the international space community as well as in other international science organizations and academies, and the IBMP has accumulated a long history of professional excellence and authority in the space program.]

Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were Guadalajara, Mexico(the city of Guadalajara was right of track. Crew was to try to capture city and Lake Chapala [to the south] in the same frame for a regional view), Mexico City, Mexico (Mexico City and Popocatepetl volcano were left of track. “3D” regional view of the region is very useful), Amman, Jordan (City at Night – There are no really great opportunities during XPOP attitude for taking images of cities at night. However, if the crew looked left of track they should have been able to make out the larger cities of Amman and Jerusalem), Angolan Biomass Burning (from the satellite data [infrared] this area looks pretty dry. Crew was asked to look for any fires and document density and extent of smoke. If no fires, then they were to look for burn scars), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (clouds are somewhat problematic over this region, but the crew was to look for smoke. The clouds will be bright white while the smoke will be a darker color, usually “feathered” at the edges. If no smoke, they were to look for burn scars), Industrialized SE Africa (looking right of track for evidence of aerosols [smoke, smog] towards Johannesburg), and High Central Andean Glaciers (the pass may have been early enough so that clouds won’t have been too much of a problem. Trying for detailed views of the glaciers between cloud holes).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

U.S. and Russian Segment Status(as of 1:22pm EST).

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

Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is Off. U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is On. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is operating. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode; bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.

SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 753; temperature (deg C) — 24.2; ppO2 (mmHg) — 183.4; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.6 (suspect).
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 19.9.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 22.0.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 743.25; temperature (deg C) — 22.8 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — 169.9; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 5.2 (prior to CDRA activation or Vozdukh reactivation).
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 745.42; temperature (deg C) — 22.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 745.52; temperature (deg C) — 21.1; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 25.0
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 14.6

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS):

Total propellant load available [SM(786) + FGB(2746) + Progress(490)] — 4022 kg (8867 lb)as of 3/13/03. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and 4B both in Autotrack (sun-following).
SM batteries: All batteries (8) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
FGB batteries: Batteries #2 is off line; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode.

Command & Data Handling Systems:

C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is Backup.
INT-1 is operating; INT-2 is Off.
EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off.
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-2 MDM is On (primary); PL-1 MDM is Off
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 out of the set (as of 11/14/02).
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is out of the set (as of 3/2/03).

Attitude Control Systems:

3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Angular rate source — Russian.

Flight Attitude:

LVLH TEA (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9.1 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/ TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management).
Solar Beta Angle: 28.0 deg (magnitude increasing).

Communications & Tracking Systems: