ISS On-Orbit Status 1 May 2003
Week 22 and Day 159 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02 [157 days aboard ISS]). On Earth: Space Day 2003. And in space: “The combined Expedition 6/7 crew functions together like a well-oiled machine.” (Flight Control to Crew).
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
Handovers continued between Expedition 6/7 crews. Russian segment (RS) handover statements were uplinked by MCC-M for FE-1 Nikolai Budarin and CDR-7 Yuri Malenchenko to sign before return to Earth (Saturday, 5/3). [The statements certify ISS RS status as well as cargo stowed for deorbit on Progress 247 (10P).]
To assist with the cargo transfers, MCC-M uplinked a detailed list of return hardware and its exact location in the Soyuz-211/TMA-1 Descent Module (DM).
Budarin and Malenchenko completed the second and last day of the Russian MBI-2 Deuraz (“Diuresis”) experiment. [Deuraz required the two cosmonauts today to collect venous blood samples from each other, followed by centrifugation to separate the blood into cells and plasma, and finally closeout and stowage.]
Malenchenko continued the Russian BTX-10 “Conjugation” experiment, which pursues development of new methods of engineering of new recombinant strains of protein producers. [Malenchenko again monitored the run, replacing the ice packs with new ones from the Biokont-T container. He will do this daily until 5/3 for return on 5S/Soyuz.]
FE-1 Nikolai Budarin set up the Russian MO-21 “Ecosphera” air sampler and incubation equipment, for the atmospheric microbial air sampling scheduled tomorrow, and started recharge of its power supply unit. [MO-21 determines microbial contamination of the ISS atmosphere, specifically the total bacterial and fungal microflora counts and microflora composition according to morphologic criteria of microorganism colonies.]
The Vozdukh CO2 removal unit was temporarily deactivated for Budarin to replace its two damaged (and temporarily repaired) power cables with new ones brought up on Soyuz-212/6S. Vozdukh was then turned back on in Mode 5.
FE-1 Nikolai Budarin, assisted by Malenchenko, terminated regeneration for absorbent bed #2 of the BMP harmful impurities unit and switched the channel back to Purify mode. Both beds are now in this mode again. [The “bakeout” cycle in the filter beds is repeated every 20 days. Each bakeout to space vacuum takes about 24 hours.]
FE-2/SO Donald Pettit collected all 16 RAMs (radiation area monitors) from the Service Module (6), Lab (5), Node (3) and Airlock (2) and placed them in a Ziploc bag for stowage in the Soyuz 5S DM.
In preparation for tomorrow’s planned robotics operations, CDR Ken Bowersox, Don Pettit and the Increment 7 crew had a one-hour joint review of SSRMS DOUG (space station remote manipulator system/dynamic operational ubiquitous graphics) software. [Since tomorrow, last day before undocking, has a busy schedule and SSRMS operations are not planned for Increment 7, performance of the robotics activities is left to the crew’s discretion. They would involve initial DCP (display & control panel) switch tests, MSS (mobile service system) camera settings, a joint OCAS (operator commanded auto sequence) to a Lab PDGF (power & data grapple fixture) pre-grapple position, followed by grapple, release and a single joint maneuver to final stow position.]
Malenchenko removed and replaced the two PS1/PS2 dust collector filters in the FGB air ventilation system, disposing of the old filters (last time done: 4/4/03).
FE-1-7 Edward Lu and Ken Bowersox worked on two EMUs (extravehicular mobility units) in the Airlock, resizing them for the Increment 7 crew.
Lu and Bowersox also collected fluid samples from the ITCS (internal thermal control system), drawing them from the MTL (moderate temperature loop) port, for analysis with an ammonia test strip and return of a sample bag to the ground.
Nikolai Budarin conducted his daily checkup of the BIO-5 “Rasteniya-2/Lada-2” zero-G plant growth experiment.
Don Pettit switched the EarthKAM camera from a 50mm to a 180mm focal length lens. [Ground team to crew: “EarthKAM is on its way to setting a record for capturing images during ISS ops. This has been a terrific finish for Increment 6 and an awesome start for Increment 7. We’re anxious to get the 180mm images, since the detail is so much greater than the 50mm images. Thanks for keeping a close eye on our operations”.]
Nikolai Budarin continued yesterday’s run of the Russian Uragan earth observations program, using the Nikon D1 digital camera from SM windows 5-8. [Targets of interest were the Rhine River and Danube River valleys, cities of Regensburg, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade, panoramic shots of the Carpathian Mountains, Bucharest, western and southern coast of the Black Sea, Ankara/Turkey, the Amman-Baghdad highway along the northern lake shore, El-Kuwait, and the coast of the Arab Emirates.]
Pettit completed the daily routine task of SOZh life support systems maintenance and also prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system) “delta” file for updating the IMS database.
In observance of Russia’s (and many other countries’) May Day holiday, the two crews engaged in an excellent live televised downlink for the VESTI TV program on the Russian RTR TV channel, from the “Destiny” Lab.
The external TV camera on the S1 truss segment failed during the Soyuz docking. It was later restored to full functionality by a power-cycle (off/on) from the ground.
The crew yesterday repaired the damaged RED (resistive exercise device) canister (#1009) by replacing its three Flexpack assemblies and reassembling the canister for nominal ops. The IFM (in-flight maintenance) was a full success.
MCC-H is working an issue with the hatch handle on the Node starboard hatch (to the Airlock). [On 4/29, while performing handover and demonstrating hatch closing and opening operations to Increment 7, the crew was able to unlatch the Node starboard hatch, but could not open it. The hatch handle on the other (Airlock) side was not in the stowed position and was interfering with the hatch latching mechanism. After some reconfiguration of valves, the crew used a long Russian wire tie through the MPEV opening to move the latch handle to clear the obstruction and open the hatch. No planned activities were lost because of due to the extra airlock work.]
Operation of the ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer has at first been nominal but over the past 24 hours has indicated several current oscillations with commensurate temperature rises. Experts feel that the equipment is slowly going to fail again. The present run is to continue till Saturday, 5/3, then ARCTIC will be switched off. It will not be needed during Increment 7. [Good try, team and crew!]
U.S. and Russian flight surgeons have developed a modified ACLS (advanced cardio life support) algorithm for only two crewmembers, to be used in a medical emergency. [The logic flowchart was uplinked in both languages. A new ISS Med checklist and ACLS algorithm will be flown when we return to a three-member crew.]
All crewmembers worked out on the RED resistive trainer, CEVIS cycle ergometer and TVIS treadmill, completing their daily physical exercise program.
Current ISS flight attitude continues in LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9.4 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management. Solar Beta angle: -16.8 deg (magnitude decreasing). Orbit decay: ~200 m per day.
Upcoming Crew Rotation Events (all on Saturday, 5/3):
- Exp. 6/Exp. 7 Change of Command Ceremony — 2:11pm EDT
- Farewells & Hatch closing — 3:32pm EDT
- Soyuz TMA-1/5S undocking (Exp. 6): 6:40pm EDT (2:40am Moscow, 1:40am DMT (TsUP), on 5/4);
- Soyuz TMA-1/5S landing: 10:03pm EDT (6:03am Moscow; 5:03am DMT; 8:03am Kazakhstan, on 5/4).
Today’s optional CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including cities during daylight and at night (again available as targets in the current LVLH attitude) were Danube River basin (Dynamic event. High pressure system moving east: Lower Danube is clearer than it has been for weeks. Land use patterns on the valley floor in fast-changing Eastern Europe are of prime interest), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (near-nadir views of the series of new man-made lakes, with surrounding fields and road and airport infrastructure), Kuwait City, Kuwait (nadir pass; ESC (electronic still camera), Western Mediterranean Dust (as the high pressure system over NW Europe begins to move, the storm over Spain is moving into the Mediterranean, with associated dust plumes visible today. Looking right for probable plumes exiting off Libya. ISS pass tracked directly over Sicily’s Mt. Etna, which should be smoking), Saharan dust, Senegal (dust plume with sharp margin visible on satellite image), Bamako, Mali (nadir pass; ESC), Industrialized SE Africa (looking left of track towards the Witwatersrand metroplex for probable smog haze. The crew may have seen the high Lesotho plateau immediately left: atmospheric layering may be visible, with clearer air over the plateau, hazier air at lower levels), Denver, Colorado (nadir and a touch left; ESC), Dallas, Texas (nadir pass; ESC), Central American smoke (the crew was to document a smoke mass blowing NNE from major forest fires in Guatemala and southernmost Mexico), Caracas, Venezuela (nadir pass; ESC) and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (nadir pass; ESC).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
