ISS On-Orbit Status 24 Apr 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Day 152 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02).
The crew awoke to thanks from MCC-H for their persistence in supporting yesterday’s MEC (medical equipment computer) 1553 card/cable connection checkout.
No breakfast this morning for FE-1 Nikolai Budarin until after completion of the MBI-4 “Farma” biomedical experiment, using the Reflotron-4 equipment. [Farma (“Pharma”) studies particulars of pharmacological effects under long-duration space flight conditions, involving onboard analysis of blood and saliva samples after taking specific pharmaceuticals,- today Acetaminophen. After ingesting the medication, Budarin collected saliva samples at several different times during the day, preserving them in the Russian Kriogem-03 refrigerator for analysis. Blood parameters are also analyzed with the Reflotron 4, a clinical analyzer used for periodic biochemical blood and saliva analysis to monitor crew health or to be used diagnostically on Flight Surgeon request. Built by Boehringer in Mannheim/Germany for the Mir program, the Reflotron-4 consists of the analyzer itself, which has a mass of 13-lbs. and uses 40W power, a set of measuring strips and a small equipment kit.]
Budarin worked on the “Wiener” power laptop in the Russian segment (RS) to support the software upgrade (to rev. 1.2) of the SUBA BSMM multiplex bus synchronization unit of the Russian OpsLAN network from a CD-ROM. [When tried last time (4/9), the upgrade had not worked, necessitating a slight modification in the script code by Nikolai.]
FE-2/SO Don Pettit had additional time reserved for troubleshooting of the ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer. [He and Sox were thanked for “another great day of ‘above and beyond’ work on the ARCTIC yesterday”. The next major step is leak-testing the fluid loop, which will take some choreography with the POC (Payload Operations Center) in Huntsville. Since Ku-band will not be available at the scheduled troubleshooting time, payload water flow will be verified by an appropriate laptop application.]
In preparation for their return on 5S/Soyuz on 5/4, the crew worked on their Kentavr (“Centaur”) garments. After the adjustment and fit-checks, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin tagged up with a Kentavr specialist at TsUP via S-band. The suits are kept in the habitation module of the Soyuz TMA until undock day. [The Russian Kentavr garment is a protective anti-g suit ensemble to facilitate the return of a long-duration crewmember into the Earth gravity. Consisting of shorts, gaiters, underpants, jersey and socks, it acts as countermeasure for circulatory disturbance, prevents crewmember from overloading during descent and increases orthostatic tolerance during post-flight adaptation. Sizing consists of adjusting lacing on the outer side of the shorts and on the inner side of the gaiters to achieve a tight fit.]
Nikolai Budarin performed the periodic functional closure test of the emergency vacuum valves (AVK) of the Vozdukh CO2 removal system (last time done: 3/24/03). [The AVKs are critical because they close the Vozdukh’s vacuum access lines in the event of a malfunction in the regular vacuum valves (BVK) or a depressurization in the Vozdukh valve panel (BOA). Access to vacuum is required to vent carbon dioxide during the regeneration of the absorbent cartridges (PP). During nominal operation, the AVK valves remain open.]
Nikolai completed his regular daily 5-min. inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment.
After the recurring transfer of accumulated data files from the HRM (heart rate monitor) to the MEC (medical equipment computer), for subsequent downlink to the ground, Don Pettit today deleted them on HRM.
The crew reviewed Soyuz undock/reentry procedures in preparation for tomorrow’s first of two OBT (on-board training) sessions in the TMA-1 vehicle for their return to Earth on 5/4. The second OBT is scheduled for 5/2, with the integrated E6/E7 crew, mentored by the new CDR, Yuri Malenchenko. A crew debrief with the ground followed the prep session.
The crew also continued their cargo preparations for the upcoming handover activities to the Expedition 7 crew on 4/28-5/3 and their own return on Soyuz TMA-1 on 5/4.
Bowersox conducted the daily routine task of SOZh life support systems maintenance, while Budarin prepared the daily IMS inventory update file.
Don Pettit completed, for the last time, his weekly task of filling out the FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time. Sox’s last FFQ turn on the MEC (medical equipment computer) is on tomorrow’s schedule.
After the video routing test scheduled for tomorrow, MCC-H is considering to leave the RWS (robotic workstation) on through the weekend. The crew was asked whether this would present a problem for them for sleeping.
Instructions were uplinked for resizing the EMU space suits for the Expedition 7 crew, Yuri Malenchenko und Edward Lu.
A list of questions was uplinked for the on-orbit crew debrief, a regular feature of end-of-increment periods. [Question categories are CEO (crew earth observations), training for human life sciences investigations, renal stone experiment, PERS (personal equipment restraint system), and general ops/procedures.]
All crewmembers worked out on TVIS, CEVIS, and RED, completing their daily physical exercise program.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, currently restricted by limited the use of the science window in the Lab including near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current XPOP attitude, were London, England (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]. Weather better then the day before), Yucatan biomass burning (obliques and low [morning] light are ideal for imaging smoke clouds emanating from fires on the Mexico-Guatemala borderlands, where the famous Peten Forest [second largest rainforest in the Americas], is under heavy settlement pressure from surrounding communities), Chicago, Illinois (nadir pass; ESC), Germany (weather remains clear, for suggested panoramic views), and Western Mediterranean Dust (pass over probable dust plumes in eastern Algeria and western Libya as an Atlantic storm approaches).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:08am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude 392.0 km
- Apogee — 396.5 km
- Perigee — 387.5 km
- Period — 92.40 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0006603
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 110 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 25262
- For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
