ISS On-Orbit Status 11 Dec 2002

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

Upon wake-up (3:00am EST), the crew received thanks for yesterday’s good job with the PuFF (pulmonary in flight) breathing experiment.  Later today, FE-2/SO Don Pettit stowed away the PuFF hardware until the next session.

Pettit completed a one-hour CBT (computer-based training) refresher session for operating the HRF rack (human research facility) Workstation.  [This was in preparation for tomorrow’s activities with a helium checkout of the GASMAP (gas analyzer system for metabolic analysis physiology) and a functional test of the Workstation.]

Subsequently, Pettit installed the ARIS (active rack isolation system) snubber cup isolator on EXPRESS Rack 2 (ER2), which mechanically dampens rack motion for improved micro-G quality.

Troubleshooting continued of the failed Russian Vozdukh CO2 scrubber by FE-1 Nikolai Budarin and CDR Ken Bowersox.  [After yesterday’s electrical checkout of the BVK1 vacuum valve group by taking resistance measurement from specific connector pins, activities today focused on a checkout of the BVK1 drive motor, again by checking resistances between contacts with an ohmmeter after first disconnecting the associated TMI-connector of the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry system (BITS was later re-mated).]

Meanwhile, CDRA (carbon dioxide removal assembly) continues to function nominally.

As reported by ground specialists, the ppCO2 (carbon dioxide partial pressure) has been gradually increasing in the U.S. segment, and the IMV (intermodular ventilation system) is suspect.  [It is planned to conduct airflow measurements and imagery of Service Module (SM) air ducts (soft ducts) to try to determine the possible location of blockages.  A procedure for taking the airflow measurements is being developed.  This activity will probably be scheduled after the New Year, while the imagery activity may be set for next week.]

Nikolai Budarin conducted the regular periodic inspection of the BRPK water condensate separator in the SM.  He also completed the daily routine tasks of SOSh life support systems maintenance (replacements in ASU toilet system), and IMS inventory update file preparation.

The ground ran a sampling analysis with the onboard VOA (volatile organics analyzer) and later conducted a calibration of the instrument.  Earlier in the day, MCC-H also commanded a “zero” calibration run of the MCA (major constituents analyzer).

Regular routine PMCs (private medical conferences) were held with all crewmembers, via S-band for Sox and Don, and via VHF for Nikolai.

The crew performed their daily physical exercise program on RED (resistive), TVIS (aerobic), CEVIS (aerobic) and VELO with load trainer (aerobic+resistive).  CEVIS specialists are looking into a crew request to increase the stability of the bike.

Instructions were uploaded for the upcoming 2.5-hr. procedure of installing a 35-ft. VAJ (vacuum access jumper) umbilical inside the Joint Airlock (A/L).  [The VAJ, routed under the A/L deck platform, will be connected to the EMPEV (emergency manual pressure equalization valve) and the VRIV (airlock vacuum relief isolation valve), then stowed behind A/L closeout panels.]

When the solar Beta angle reaches 67 degrees on 12/20, ISS flight attitude will be changed to ZLV YVV (z-axis in local vertical, y-axis in velocity vector, i.e., ISS flying “sidewise”, turning once horizontally on circling Earth).  The more regular ZLV XVV attitude will be restored on 12/27, after 6.5 days.  [The YVV/”Barbecue” mode protects the Progress batteries from overheating and allows the Russian BOKS star mapper take navigation sightings, instead of the U.S. GPS/SIGI system.  It also permits easy transition back to XPOP (X-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) without a major maneuver, if necessary.  Choice of this attitude was predicated on a symmetrical ISS configuration, i.e., P1 truss installed opposite to current S1.  Without P1, propellant use during YVV/”Barbecue” would have increased considerably.]

Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were Sea surface features, Oman (Dynamic event.  Sun glint opportunity right of track of complex upwelling features in the sea surface.  Zones of oceanic upwelling are relatively few and relate to vast increases of biologic productivity), Lahore, Pakistan (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]. Himalaya Mts right of rack were unusually clear), Urumqui, China (nadir pass; ESC.  This newly rich oil city in China‚s “Wild West” has experienced civil unrest as the local Moslem Turkic speakers agitate for independence), Khartoum, Sudan (nadir and a touch right; ESC), SW Atlantic plankton bloom (Dynamic event.  As the amount of sun‚s energy rapidly increases in the southern hemisphere, significant blooms are developing–visible as darker [green, black] and lighter sinuous zones.  The affected area is widespread, stretching hundreds of miles from southern Patagonia [near the tip of South America] as far as the major estuary at Buenos Aires, and out into the Atlantic as far as the Falkland Islands), Algiers, Algeria (nadir pass over Algiers, capital of Algeria. ESC.  Detailed views were also requested for coastal geology.  400mm lens ideal for landform history interpretation in this tectonically active region;  data to be combined with ground data.  Detailed mapping sequence of oblique views of the coastline, right of track, were requested), Landslide hazard site, Chile (mapping pass of Andean landforms with landslide site.  Mapping pass series of detailed views requested left of track and parallel with track for about one minute.  Axis of interest is the city of Calama and the extremely large copper mine of Chuquicamata, visible as a large open pit mine), Lake Poopo, Bolivian Andes (lake levels, left of track, indicate average amounts of rainfall in the basin as the present El Nino gets into full swing.  Our data predicts that the lake level should fall for the duration of the El Nino), Caracas, Venezuela (nadir pass over Venezuela‚s capital city.  ESC camera), Monterrey, Mexico (nadir pass over Mexico’s major iron and steel center. ESC camera), and Inland deltas of SE Australia (crew was to shoot panoramas right of track of the continuous series of inland deltas [very wide valley floors, with distributary river lines] for about two minutes.  Documentation of this new class of landform, recently discovered from handheld photos, is needed for a global study).

CEO images can be viewed at the website
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:34pm EST today).

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

• Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is Off.  U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is On. TCCS is operational.  BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

Propulsion System (PS):  

• Total propellant load available (SM + FGB + Progress) — 3792 kg (8360 lb) [as of 12/5/02].

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B both in dual-angle mode (directed position)..
• SM batteries:  Battery #1 in “Cycle” mode.  All other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge”: mode.  FGB batteries:  Batteries #4 is off line; battery #3 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (4) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby; PCU-2 is in Standby.

Thermal Control Systems:

• Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off, SKV-2 is Off.

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 (new patches loaded on both).
• EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is off.
• LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
• PL-1 MDM is On (primary); PL-2 MDM is off (diagnostic
• APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
• SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is down (as of 11/14).
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

Attitude Source:

• 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
• State vector — U.S. SIGI-1
• Attitude — U.S. SIGI-1
• Angular rates — U.S. RGA-1

Communications & Tracking Systems:

• FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operating.
• 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.
• MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF3 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
• MBS: KA power on both strings.  MT: at WS7, 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, 6:00am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 395.5 km
• Apogee — 397.6 km
• Perigee — 393.3 km
• Period — 92.47 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0003216
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.57
• Solar Beta Angle — -21.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 23130
• Current 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]) until December 14, then XPOP.

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html