ISS On-Orbit Status 16 Mar 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Space Day 113 for Expedition 6 (since launch on STS-113 on 11/23/02). Tomorrow begins Week 16.
A regular off-duty Sunday, except for a few regular tasks.
After breakfast at 1:40am EST, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin performed his daily checkup of the BIO-5 “Rasteniya-2/Lada-2” zero-G plant growth experiment.
Next, Budarin completed the weekly routine tasks of collecting SP toilet flush counter and SVO water supply readings in the Service Module for calldown to TsUP, as well as the periodic inspection of the Elektron oxygen generator’s VM gas/liquid system for the air bubble that usually lingers after an in-flight maintenance.
Nikolai also conducted the regular inspection of the BRPK air/condensate separator of the SRVK water processing system.
FE-2/SO Don Pettit prepared the IMS (inventory management system) auto import/export update files, and Budarin performed the daily routine maintenance of the SOZh life support system in the Service Module.
Don Pettit performed another check of the open circuit voltage of the new battery of the CHeCS defibrillator after its full recharge by CDR Ken Bowersox yesterday.
All crewmembers performed their regular daily physical exercise regimen (2.5 hrs.) on RED resistive exerciser, TVIS treadmill, and VELO ergometer with load trainer.
All crewmembers had their weekly PFCs (private family conferences), Bowersox and Pettit via S-band and Ku-band/video, Budarin via S-band relay Houston-Moscow.
Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations) program (not using the Lab window due to Flight Rule restriction of no exposure to direct sunlight) were Las Vegas, Nevada(City at Night: Opportunity, left of track, to capture the glitzy lights of this desert oasis), Johannesburg, South Africa (City at Night: Looking left of track for a swath of city lights), and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (City at Night: Nearly nadir view of the city).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:48am EST [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 391.1 km
- Apogee — 396.5 km
- Perigee — 385.6 km
- Period — 92.38 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0008028
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 175 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 24654
- For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
