Status Report

ISS On-Orbit Status 10 Apr 2003

By SpaceRef Editor

April 10, 2003

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

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Space Day 138 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch on 11/23/02).

The second reboost by Progress M-47/10P this morning took place as scheduled (6:55am EDT). The burn was nominal, establishing the proper orbital phasing angle for 6S launch and 5S landing in northern Kazakhstan. [Preliminary data indicate an actual delta-V of 1.49 m/s, against 1.48 planned. Altitude increase: 2.6 km. The maneuver consumed 100 kg props; total prop usage, including handover and attitude control burns, was 140 kg. The previous maneuver, on 4/4, used 130 kg (179 kg total).]

In preparation for his approaching return to gravity, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin underwent session 2 of the biomedical protocol KARDIO-ODNT, a shortened (one-hour) part of the MBI-5 cardiovascular test of human pericardium (heart muscle) activity as well as primary parameters of central and regional blood circulation at rest and under the effect of lower body negative pressure (LBNP, Russian: ODNT). The test was controlled from MCC-Moscow by an MBI (biomed) specialist. Budarin was assisted by FE-2/SO Don Pettit during the setup of the equipment and the procedure. [The LBNP, generated by the specially designed „Chibis‰ suit (PVK), applies suction on the lower body ranging from 10 to 60 mm Hg, thereby exerting a functional loading roughly equivalent to 10-60 kg of force on the musculoskeletal system to test the body‚s adaptation to prolonged exposure to micro-G. After an initial setup period, during which a large number of electrodes are attached to the test subject’s head, body and extremities, cardiographic readings on the oscilloscope of the Gamma-1M medical complex were taken during two Russian ground sites (RGS) comm passes, first without, then with the Chibis suit.]

All crewmembers performed their regular daily physical exercise program. For Nikolai, TsUP uplinked a reminder that he will be scheduled for TVIS treadmill workouts twice a day starting 4/14 in preparation for the return to Earth, using nominal SLDs (subject load devices) with a minimum load of 52 kg.

CDR Ken Bowersox initiated the planned discharge of the EMU (extravehicular mobility unit) batteries used during the EVA on 4/8, for which he retrieved an interface cable from the SPCE (service, performance, and checkout equipment) maintenance kit in the Airlock (A/L).

At about 11:00 am EDT, regeneration of the Metox (metal oxide) CO2 adsorbent canisters in the A/L oven was terminated. This allowed Pettit, later in the day, to deactivate the CDRA (CO2 removal assembly) in the Lab.

Bowersox and Pettit prepared and reviewed the DOUG (dynamic operations ubiquitous graphics) software version for tomorrow’s SSRMS/Robotics operations. [Ops will start out at about 10:45am with the “fast checkout” of the Tip LEE (latching end effector) which could not be performed yesterday because the needed SSRMS redundant string was unpowered due to power constraints. Then, Sox and Don will perform a ten-step single joint maneuver to move the arm into position to grapple MBS PDGF1 (mobile base system power & data grapple fixture #1), after which SSRMS will switch base from the current Lab PDGF to MBS PDGF1 for subsequent performance of a series of LEE operations to complete remaining LEE OCRs (on-orbit checkout requirements). As final task, the arm will be maneuvered to the FMS (force moment sensor) data gathering position #2. This places theTip LEE in a specific orientation which provides desired lighting conditions to collect FMS data. The latter will be collected by the ground at the completion of Ops.]

Nikolai Budarin meanwhile terminated the bake-out/regeneration cycle for adsorption bed #1 of the BMP micropurification unit and switched it back to Purify mode. He then started the regeneration cycle on filter channel 2. [The regeneration of the air purifier filter beds is repeated every 20 days. Each bakeout to space vacuum takes about 24 hours.]

Budarin performed his regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions. Later, he transferred the accumulated data files to a floppy disk for storage, and conducted photography of the payload. [The experimental seeds of acacia-leaf type pea are planted between wicks in a root tray, with environmental control powered on. Regular daily maintenance of the experiment involves monitoring of seedling growth, humidity measurements, moistening of the substrate if necessary, and photo/video recording.]

“Kolya” Budarin also continued the periodic preventive maintenance of the air ventilation system in the RS, today changing out the four dust filter inserts (PF1-4) in the SM (last changeout: 3/19).

Sox took care of the regular daily maintenance of the SOZh life support system in the SM, while Don prepared the daily inventory update file for downlink to the IMS (inventory management system) database.

Science Officer Pettit had a good MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) session with the InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) payload. The glovebox worked without a hitch. [After activation and visual inspection of the rack, Pettit exchanged the InSPACE coil assemblies in the box and replaced video tapes in the MSG recorders. Later in the day, the experiment (run 27) was started, with Don monitoring its operation and replacing video cassettes as required.]

The post-EVA session of the PuFF (pulmonary function in flight) assessment by Bowersox and Pettit yesterday yielded good data downlinks. Last PuFF session for Expedition 6 is scheduled for next week.

After yesterday’s installation of the EarthKAM (EK) equipment at the Lab science window, pictures are being received on the ground, as requested by the participating schools. It is planned to have the payload active through next Monday (4/14). EK images are immediately posted on the Internet at
http://datasystem.earthkam.ucsd.edu/cgi-bin/datasys/ek_images_station

The CGBA (commercial generic bioprocessing apparatus) isothermal containment module (ICM) facility remains active. Purpose of its current operation is not to conduct science research but to verify various temperature configurations over the next few days. [On Stage 9A, CGA worked as expected, but it was stymied by a human error committed during ground ops, that did not let it get to the expected temperature at a certain point in the mission. The ground team worked around the issue as best as it could and got reasonable results from experiments with yeast and renal cell, but a salmonella experiment was lost. The current system check is to make sure that nothing, radiation or otherwise, has compromised the performance of the equipment, so that new CGBA experiments, possibly flying up on a Progress flight, would not be endangered.]

Since last December, the ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer has been inoperative due to a failed thermo-electric cooling unit. A repair procedure to restore some capability to the system by bypassing the failed unit has now been finalized for review and approval. [The procedure would reduce ARCTIC’s cooling capability, but tests are needed to show by how much. If ARCTIC’s functionality can be reasonably restored, new research activities are being looked at which might be flown up on Progress.]

The Molniya-SM experiment using French LSO equipment, observing from Service Module (SM) window #3, had another proposed run today on the Russian optional task list. The experiment will be dismantled on 4/14 (Monday), hopefully after catching some sprites. [Objective of LSO is to study rare optical phenomena occurring in the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere, so-called “sprites” (i.e., puzzling glow phenomena observed above thunderstorm clouds). LSO was originally part of Claudie Haigneré’s French “Andromeda” payload package of taxi mission 3S that could not be performed as planned during Increment 4 due to an ISS flight attitude conflict. LSO research objectives are very similar to those of the Russian Molniya-SM, being about storm phenomena and other related events in the Earth’s equatorial regions. LSO is controlled from the French EGE-1 laptop, which needs to be loaded with orbital sighting predictions using an up-to-date NORAD tracking TLE (two-line element).]

Budarin performed another observation and photography session with the Russian GFI-8 Uragan (“hurricane”) program, as cloud cover permitted. [Areas of interest today were Serversky Donets near Kharkov, “Dalnyaya Polubyanka” black-earth soils at an erosion test site, flooding at the River Don inflow, Veshenskaya Stanitsa (village), and panoramic small-scale shots of the Volga River. Photos were taken with the Nikon D1 digital camera.]

At 2:13pm EDT, the crew engaged in a live-TV downlink in an interactive 17-min. session with students and teachers from Southwest Region Schools in Anchorage, Alaska. A list of student questions had been uplinked beforehand. [“Can satellite pictures help to predict weather patterns that might affect Alaska months in advance?”; “How do astronauts wash in space?”; “Do you enjoy your job of being an astronaut?”]

Earlier today (4:15am), the crew downlinked greetings from ISS during the by-now traditional annual comm pass with the participants of the XIIIth Aerospace Festival for Ulyanovsk schoolchildren. [The festival is sponsored by the Soyuz All-Russian Young Aerospace Association (VAKO). VAKO President is Alexander A. Serebrov, a former Soyuz/Mir cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-17, 1993).]

The U.S. solar array efficiency testing yesterday was successfully concluded. Good data were downlinked and are currently being analyzed.

Weekly IMMT (ISS Mission Management Team) updates of on-board ISS consumables continue to show good margins for water, food, propellants, EVA/EMU capability (incl. cooling water and battery life), and remaining TVIS treadmill and RED resistive exerciser lifetime, based on two-man occupancy for Increment 7 and the SSCB (Space Station Control Board)-recommended logistics plan. [The latter involves three Progress vehicles this year (11P on 6/10, 12P on 9/1, 13P on 11/22) and two Soyuz spacecraft (6S on 4/26, 7S on 10/20).]

At Johnson Space Center, NASA today is holding the formal Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for the upcoming mission 6S/Soyuz TMA-2 with Edward Lu and Yuri Malenchenko (backups Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri), and the return of Expedition 6 on 5S/Soyuz TMA-1. At the end, a readiness poll will be taken by the Assoc. Admin. for Space Flight, William F. Readdy. [The FRR looks at the ISS Program (including Increment 7, 6S pre-launch and 5S post-landing ops, ISS de-manning philosophy, and detailed systems and subsystems status), Russian Segment (RS) readiness, Mission Ops, EVA, Flight Crew, Space and Life Sciences, Safety, Reliability & Quality Assurance, etc. Early results indicate that the on-orbit station, including the RS, currently has no issues that would prohibit 6S launch or Expedition 7 installation on board, and that the Soyuz TMA-2 vehicle is ready for flight, provided that all launch preparations of the Soyuz rocket at Baikonur are successfully completed. Launch is scheduled for 4/26, at 9:53am local Baikonur time (11:53pm on 4/25 EDT). 6S docking is expected at 4/28, 9:54am Moscow time (1:54am EDT).]

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current LVLH attitude, were Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (nadir pass over this East African port and capital city. ESC [electronic still camera]), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (dust was again predicted to be blowing north off the Egyptian coast), Buenos Aires, Argentina (nadir pass; ESC), Sao Paulo, Brazil (nadir pass; ESC), Recife, Brazil (nadir pass over this ancient Portuguese city; ESC), Dakar, Senegal (nadir and a touch right; ESC), Algiers, Algeria (nadir and a touch left; ESC), Rome, Italy (nadir and a touch right; ESC), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (nadir pass. Crew was to shoot shorelines), Caracas, Venezuela (nadir and a touch right; ESC), London, England, Great Britain (nadir pass; ESC. It is months since the ground has been able to call out London for daylight photography. Crew was to try to get the city in as few shots as possible, for ease of analysis), Havana, Cuba (nadir pass; ESC) Los Angeles, California (nadir pass; ESC) and Las Vegas, Nevada (nadir pass; ESC).
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 1:55pm EST).

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

Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp Mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On (manual mode 5). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. 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 Regeneration mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.

SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 735; temperature (deg C) — 27.1; ppO2 (mmHg) — data invalid; ppCO2 (mmHg) — data invalid.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 19.3.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 22.0.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 743.25; temperature (deg C) — 22.1 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 745.52; temperature (deg C) — 22.7; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 748.76; temperature (deg C) — 21.4; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.5, ppO2 (mmHg) — 170.4; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 1.3.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.8
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 19.3

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS):

Total propellant load available [SM(774) + FGB(2746) + Progress(474] — 3994 kg (8805 lb) as of 4/3/03. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg). before today’s reboost

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in dual-angle “directed” mode (eclipse drag reduction configuration, “night glider”).
SM batteries: Battery #4 is disconnected; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
FGB batteries: Battery #5 is disconnected; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode (after the EVA)

Command & Data Handling Systems:

C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 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): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.

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-2

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: -9.1 deg (magnitude increasing).

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.
Ku-band is operating nominally.
Audio subsystem operating nominally.
Video subsystem operating nominally (VTR1 is operable again).
HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings (after EVA).
MBS: KA power on both strings.
MT: latched at WS4, with KA power.
POA: KA power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 11:45am EDT [= epoch]):