Status Report

NASA Space Station ISS On-Orbit Status 16 Oct 2003

By SpaceRef Editor

October 16, 2003

Filed under ISS, ISS On-orbit status, NASA HQ, US

NASA Space Station ISS On-Orbit Status 16 Oct 2003 — iss

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

At 5:00am EDT, MCC-M/TsUP began a ground-commanded test of the Soyuz TMA-2 motion control system (SUD), focusing on the 2nd sections of the combined propulsion system (KDU) propellant tanks and pressurization tanks, preparatory to the spacecraft’s undocking on 10/27. [For the test, which started at 5:29am, station attitude was commanded to “free drift” at 5:27am and moded back to XPOP/momentum management at 5:40am. TsUP reported that the test was entirely successful. KDU comprises both maneuver and attitude control engines of the Soyuz.]

CDR Yuri Malenchenko worked for about an hour on the Russian laptop-1 (TP1), copying all photo images stored on it over onto a hard disk drive (HDD) for return to the ground on Soyuz 6S. [For the transfer, the currently installed CD adapter had first to be replaced in the TP1 with the appropriate HDD adapter. The laptop was then prepared for new photos to be stored on it by the VC-5 and Expedition 8 crews.]

Both crewmembers had another hour for preparing their return on TMA-2. They also readied Russian experiment equipment for stowage in the Soyuz descent module, following detailed instructions uplinked by TsUP. [Returnable equipment involves the payloads Profilaktika, Pulse, Farma, Molniya-SM/LSO, Plasma Crystal-3, Relaksatsiya, and Diatomeya.]

FE/SO Ed Lu completed his 22nd weekly filling-out of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special medical equipment computer (MEC) software.

At 5:45am, CDR Malenchenko conducted another 15-min tag-up with ground specialists via S-band to discuss the weekly IMS (inventory management system) status update. [The telecon today focused on bag numbers for stowed water samples, items shown as remaining in Progress 12P, and updates on consumed personal hygiene stuff (SLG), underwear, and similar things.]

For keeping track of onboard water supplies, Ed Lu performed another inventory audit of the available CWCs (contingency water containers) and their contents.

Ed also completed the regular daily routine tasks of SOZh life support system maintenance and IMS update with the daily “delta” file.

At 3:40am, the crew downlinked greetings and good wishes to the Moscow State University of Forestry on the occasion of its 60th Anniversary. [MSUF (Russian: MLTI) goes back to General Designer Sergey Korolev’s founding of the School of Electronics and System Engineering in 1959 on the premises of today’s MSUF. Graduates of MSUF include Cosmonauts Valeriy Ryumin and Pavel Popovich as well as 75 percent of the staff in MCC-Moscow/TsUP.]

CDR Malenchenko also downlinked TV greetings to the 85th Anniversary Ceremony of Komsomol (the former Young Communists League) in the Korolev (formerly Kaliningrad) region. [Back in Soviet days, Komsomol efforts were instrumental in the establishment and flourishing of Naukograd (Science City) as one of the original focal places in Russia’s “capital of cosmonautics”, Kaliningrad (not to be confused with the Kaliningrad at the Baltic, the former East Prussian Königsberg, birthplace of Immanuel Kant).]

Later in the day, Science Officer Lu, a graduate of Cornell University, Class of 1984, called down to his Alma Mater in Ithaca, NY, on the occasion of the inauguration of Cornell’s President Jeffrey S. Lehman. The televised exchange was via S- and Ku-band.

MCC-H conducted a ground-controlled test of the C&W (caution & warning) system, to help in the development of more robust communicationsprocedures for maintaining Russian-to-US segment comm during emergency events.No crew involvement was required.

Yesterday’s cleaning by Malenchenko of smoke detectors and bacterial filters in Airlock, Node and Lab went without issues, drawing words of appreciation from Flight Control.

The R&R of the degraded RPCM (remote power controller module) in the Lab by Ed Lu yesterday was successful. The newly installed RPCM is nominal. [Counting the replaced RPCM, there are now four spares on board (three of them degraded), and the plan is to manifest new RPCMs on Progress 14P.]

To support planning for the next Progress mission (13P), the crew was asked for an update on their current usage rate of batteries from the “battery pantry”.

The ISS flight attitude worked out by TsUP and MCC-H specialists for the Soyuz 7S docking on 10/20 will point the #2 Kurs antenna toward the approaching spacecraft. This antenna has not exhibited any failures to date (as has the #1 antenna — which still worked nominally some times). In case the #2 antenna should fail during the rendezvous, the docking would be postponed for 24 hours. [Since pointing the #1 antenna based on last-minute parameters would require fresh attitude calculations which could probably not be done during this period, both sides are working on an acceptable compromise attitude plan. This is an open issue at this time.]

U.S. ground engineers have established a need for structural vibration data taken during the Soyuz-to-DC1 docking. [Setting up the appropriate IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system) for this purpose will require about 45 minutes of crewtime, on the day before docking, a Sunday. To task will be added to Ed Lu’s discretional task list, but care will be taken to protect the SO against possible fatigue prior to the demanding docking day. This is an open issue at this time.]

A spare MCA (major constituents analyzer), from the ground facility at MSFC, will be delivered to Baikonur in time to be manifested on Progress 13P (launch ~11/20).

Ed Lu’s session with the HPA (Hand Posture Analyzer) payload yesterday was judged 100% successful by the Principal Investigator.

Both crewmembers performed their physical exercise on TVIS treadmill and RED exerciser. Ed Lu also conducted the regular weekly inspection/maintenance of the RED.

Moscow reports that the Soyuz TMA-2, mated to its Soyuz launch vehicle, was rolled to its Baikonur launch pad this morning.

Upcoming Soyuz Events:

7S launch: 10/18 (Saturday), 1:38am Eastern, 9:38am Moscow, 11:38am Baikonur;
7S docking: 10/20 (Monday), 3:20am Eastern, 11:20am Moscow;
7S hatch opening: 6:14am Eastern.
6S hatch closure: 10/27 (Monday), 3:10pm Eastern.
6S undocking: 6:20pm Eastern, 2:20am (10/28) Moscow;
6S landing: 10/27 (Monday), 9:36pm Eastern, 5:36am (10/28) Moscow.

Today’s CEO (crew earth observation) targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial locations, were T/S Nicholas, Atlantic basin (Dynamic event. This tropical storm is intensifying and is expected to reach hurricane status. This is only the fourth time in about 100 years that so many storms have been recorded in one season in the Atlantic basin. ISS had a nadir pass over the storm: requested was an image of an unusual outflow cloud that stretches from the center of the storm in the central Atlantic, all the way to the African coast), Puerto Rico (detail of coastlines is requested, for studies of the coral reef-urban development interaction), Midway Islands, Pacific (looking a touch left. Detailed images requested for the global coral reef study), Pearl & Hermes reef, Pacific (nadir pass over this coral reef), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (looking right for dust being mobilized into the Mediterranean off Egypt by winds ahead of the approaching front), Casablanca, Morocco (looking a touch left), and Berlin, Germany (break in cloud over the North European plain may have allowed imaging of this large city in two images with the 180-mm lens).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at
http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:50pm EDT).

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

Elektron O2 generator is powered On, 15A. Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On (in Manual Mode 5/3). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is in Standby. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is off (in Life Extending Mode). 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) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 25.9; ppO2 (mmHg) — data invalid; ppCO2 (mmHg) — data invalid.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 762; temperature (deg C) — 20.8.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 772; temperature (deg C) — 23.0.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 759.16; temperature (deg C) — 24.9 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 760.88; temperature (deg C) — 24.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 761.08; temperature (deg C) — 32.2; shell heater temp (deg C) — 28.2, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.0
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 12.1.

(n/a = data not available)

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Directed Position (non-suntracking).
SM batteries: Battery #7 is enabled and will be tracked for the next few weeks, still in slot #8; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode (batteries #1 and #3 are degraded).
FGB batteries: Battery #1 is off; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Standby mode.

Command & Data Handling Systems:

C&C-2 MDM is prime, C&C-1 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup.
INT-2 is operating; INT-1 is Off.
EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is Off (both now upgraded to R3).
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-1 MDM is Off; PL-2 MDM is Operational.
APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational; string #2 dropped out 9/26.
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

Propulsion System (PS):

Total propellant load available: 3891 kg (8578 lb) as of 10/9 [SM(755) + FGB(2784) + Progress M(352) + Progress M-1(0)]. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

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 — RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 0.5 deg, pitch: -6.9 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist).

Communications & Tracking Systems:

FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
Ku-band is operating nominally.
Audio subsystem is operating nominally (IAC-2 is prime, IAC-1 is suspect).
Video subsystem operating nominally.
HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF #2/LEE A, with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
MBS: KA power on both strings.
MT: latched and mated at WS4.
POA: KA power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is On (DCP connected); Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:30am EDT [= epoch]):