ISS On-Orbit Status 11 Oct 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. A light duty day for the station residents.
Wakeup today was at 5:15am EDT. The crew was congratulated by Flight
Control on a great day yesterday and a "terrific job" on the
S1 install and EVA-1. As reported, all scheduled EVA-1 tasks were completed
successfully in 7 hrs 1 min; in addition, the crew coupled the CETA (crew
EVA translation aid) cart to the MBS (mobile base system) and performed
a "get-ahead task" by releasing the S1/S3 line clamps.
CDR Valery Korzun started transfer of gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the
Shuttle to the HPGTs (high-pressure gas tanks) outside the U.S. Airlock
(A/L).
FE-1/SO Peggy Whitson transferred the new PCG-STES (protein crystal growth-single
locker thermal enclosure system) experiment from the Shuttle to the ISS,
swapping out PCG-STES unit 008 with the new unit 007. She then activated
all cylinders.
Subsequently, Whitson transferred the STELSYS (commercial refrigerator
incubator module-commercial Stelsys) sample to the cryodewar. [The one-hour
activity involved removal of three cryodewars from the Atlantis middeck
and their transfer to the ARCTIC payload in EXPRESS Rack 4 (ER4), transfer
of four CBOSS (cellular biotechnology support systems) "Koozies"
of STELSYS samples from ARCTIC to two cryodewars and of 15 preserve culture
syringes to the third cryodewar, exchange of the desiccant pack in ARCTIC-2,
and return of the three cryodewars to their original location in middeck
for return to Earth.].
Korzun completed another EVARM (EVA radiation monitoring) badge reading
procedure, fulfilling the post-EVA requirement. The badges were placed
back in the EMU servicing kit in preparation for EVA-2.
After Whitson installed the new grounding strap on EXPRESS Rack 2, POC
(Payload Operations Center) powered the rack up. Peggy then activated
the laptop and removed the alignment guides.
The regular daily routine task of SOSh life support system maintenance
was performed by Sergei Treschev, who also prepared the daily IMS inventory
delta file for downlink. Peggy Whitson performed the daily checkup on
Lab payload status.
At 2:56pm EDT, the Shuttle crew is scheduled to participate in a life
televised interview with CBS Radio Network, FOX News Network and CNN.
At 9:05am, CDR Valery Korzun conducted a scripted interchange with a
Russian census taker, Irina Aleksandrovna Zbarskaya, engaging in the required
interview and "filling out" his personal census form. This public
event was to demonstrate the process required by the new federal law "On
The Nation-Wide Census in Russia", in order to persuade all citizens
of Russia to participate in the first post-Soviet population head-count
on October 9 to 16. Prior to Korzun’s public interview, Treschev and Fyodor
Yurchikhin had already filled out their forms. The filled-out questionnaires
will return to Earth on Soyuz 5S or STS-112/9A.
Later, at 11:46am, the three cosmonauts will also participate in a televised
interview (via Ku-band over TDRS-E) on the census and the ongoing mission
by Russian press media gathered at MCC-Moscow.
Yesterday’s software glitch of the SSRMS (space station remote manipulator
system), which caused a loss of communication during power swaps between
the prime and backup string, has been resolved. The SSRMS software configuration
was not in sync at the time of power up, resulting in a non-operational
SSRMS, requiring the EVA crew to perform the installation of the S1 nadir
camera group in free-float. The SSRMS is now operational on the primary
string with no issues anticipated for EVA 2 support.
CDR Korzun yesterday took fluid samples of the ITCS LTL (internal thermal
control system/low temperature loop), including port inspection. Telemetry
indicated that the MTL (moderate temperature loop) sampling, scheduled
for today, may also have been performed at that time.
FE-2 Sergei Treschev completed today’s session of the Russian Uragan
earth imaging program. Today’s target was Mt. Elbrus, and photographs
were taken of its glacier tongues flowing northeast, east, south and southwest
(imagery of northwest and north flowing tongues already exists).
Ground engineers working on the RED (resistive exercise device) troubleshooting,
recommend that the aft Flexpack canister should not be used at this time.
Crew description and calibration data indicate compression still exists
within the can, with the most likely cause being either a ‘slipped disk’
or twisted spoke. Continued use of can could damage hardware, would provide
uneven loading during exercise and would not achieve full life. Future
RED operation/resupply options will be discussed today and tomorrow.
The SASA (S-Band antenna subassembly) installed yesterday by the EVA
team was activated and configured overnight. The station now operates
on this string (String 1) until about 1:15pm EDT today when the system
will be switched back to String 2.
Both PCUs (plasma contactor units) continue to operate in Discharge mode,
to protect the spacewalkers.
Both BGAs (beta gimbal assemblies) are tracking the sun in Autotrack.
Sleep time today begins at 7:45pm.
