ISS On-Orbit Status 15 Apr 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Flight Day 8 of Mission 8A — and Day 529 of continuous station occupancy.
The crews had a relatively "light" workload today, after yesterday’s highly successful EVA-3 and before tomorrow’s final spacewalk, EVA-4.
Overnight, a lot of planning has gone into a redesigned EVA-4 timeline, which accommodates two tasks deferred from yesterday (prepositioning of EVA hardware/tools and Airlock "Spur" installation) and ensures proper prioritization of other work items for Jerry Ross (EV3) and Lee Morin (EV4). Besides the deferrals, EVA-4 will focus on releasing LCA (Lab capture assembly) capture interface and the LRMs (loads release mechanisms), removal of MBS (mobile base system) bolt debris covers, installation of CETA (crew and equipment translation aid) light fixtures on Node and Lab, etc.
SSRMS/Canadarm2 was checked out and found to operate flawlessly after the reconfiguring of S0 truss connectors during EVA-3, drawing power from the truss and utilizing a new video distribution system. The SSRMS will be used tomorrow for the Airlock Spur installation, the Node and Lab EVA lights deployment, installation of handrails on the S0, and other tasks.
The new GPS (global positioning satellite) system has checked out OK. After GPS antennas #1 and #2 were powered up on 4/13 (Saturday), both acquired four satellites and started generating state vectors (ISS position and velocity data). Yesterday (4/14), the ISS U.S. segment (USOS) successfully transitioned its GNC (guidance, navigation and control) system to the GPS state vector, including to GPS time. GNC then selected the GPS #1 state vector as the primary source for the GNC MDM computers. The Russian state vector was "voted out" of the set as it had a 4 km down-track error.
As suspected, GPS antenna #2 indeed shows some S/N (signal-to-noise ratio) degradation, thought to be due to its MLI (multilayer insulation) blanket extending somewhat above the antenna’s flat top surface. During tomorrow’s EVA, Jerry Ross, on the SSRMS, will pat down the MLI around the antenna and fasten it if necessary to remove it from the antenna’s viewing field.
The MT (mobile transporter) railcar on its S0-mounted tracks had its "inaugural" run this morning, with first motion of the "railroad in space" at 8:22 am EDT, lasting seven minutes. Controlled from an RWS (robotics workstation) laptop by FE-1 Carl Walz, the transporter, with a mass of 1950-lbs. and measuring 108 x 103 x 38 inches (2.74 x 2.62 x 0.97 m), rolled slowly from its launch position through a distance of 8 ft (2.4 m) to worksite #4 on starboard, where it was supposed to lock down automatically. However, the computer interrupted the latching sequence, safing the MT, when it lost location indication from position sensors. Further MT translations were put on hold until the issue, which is understood and considered part of expected "learning", is resolved later today with a sequence of (1) manual unlatching, (2) regaining the location sensors, (3) doing manual lock-down, and (4) letting Walz continue the driving from the RWS, going from worksite #4 to #5 (a distance of about 8 m. [The MT railcar will be able to stop at the 10 pre-designated worksites on the fully-assembled line, where it can be locked down with a 7000-lbs grip to hold it in place so the SSRMS can maneuver with its payload capacity of 46,100 lbs (20,910 kg). Magnetic sensors locate iron strips in the aluminum rails to indicate when the MT has reached a stop. It appears that today the onset of clamping down floated the cart slightly off the sensors. Such behavior in zero-G cannot be duplicated on the ground with a railcar as massive as the MT and constitutes new engineering insight.]
Another new task added to the EVA-4 timeline is troubleshooting of the TUS (trailing umbilical system) disconnect actuator (TDA) which would be used to cut the MT’s TUS cable from inside the station (IVA) if required. The attempt to remove its safing bolt (#3) during EVA-2 failed when the bolt could be turned out only 2.5 turns (instead of 7), before stopping. This could indicate that the pyro initiator of the cable cutter has inadvertently fired during ascent. The bolt will be tested by screwing it in again, and the number of turns required will be an indicator whether the actuator has indeed fired or another failure mechanism has occurred. Currently, the only capability lost is to cut the TUS cable from IVA (cutting via EVA remains feasible).
The second of three reboosts was performed last night as planned, beginning at 5:52 pm and lasting one hour, with the result being another nominal mean altitude increase of 1 s.mi. (1.6 km). The third reboost is planned for the morning of 4/17 (Wednesday), shortly before undocking. [At present, an extra docked day above the nominal mission is not planned. One reason is to maximize the time between 8A conclusion/cleanup and the upcoming Soyuz spacecraft relocation from the FGB nadir port to the DC-1 docking module on 4/20 or 4/21.]
A second round of N2 (nitrogen) and O2 (oxygen) transfers from the Shuttle to the ISS HPGTs (high pressure gas tanks) on the Airlock (A/L) has been completed nominally. While N2 transfer is accomplished by the pressure differential between Shuttle and ISS (from high to low), O2 transfer requires the oxygen recharge compressor assembly (ORCA) pump (low to high). At one point the crew inhibited ORCA ops momentarily due to the noise of the pump but then continued O2 transfer when assured that the high-pitched whining of the pump was normal and due to the high pressure in the HPGTs.
The Shuttle BTR (biotechnology refrigerator) is currently indicating 5.7 deg C, and the contents of the ISS BTR were transferred to it last night as planned. The latter is currently being dried out and will be reactivated in the future after some modifications.
When humidity and temperature in the BPS (biomass production system) test facility began to rise since transferred into the ISS, the crew removed its sound muffler and reported a temperature decrease by 8.5 deg C. The chamber is currently operating nominally at 27 deg and 74.5% humidity. However, without muffler the facility may exceed acoustic cabin constraints. The configuration without muffler has not formally been approved until an evaluation of the issue has been conducted, for which noise data are required.
During the water dump from Atlantis yesterday (4/14), one PWR (portable water reservoir), #1003, was inadvertently contaminated when the waste dump isolation valve was left open, resulting in 5 lbs of waste water flowing into the PWR before the valve was closed. It is currently being discussed to stow and return the PWR and its hose and adapter on the Shuttle. This will leave three PWRs on the ISS, which is considered sufficient for EMU ops.
FE-2 Dan Bursch, assisted by MS3 Lee Morin and MS5 Steve Smith, modified the A/L manual pressure equalization valve (AMPEV) in an attempt to increase the A/L depressurization rate. 8A had delivered a special tool to remove the AMPEV, and the idea is to replace all 45 screens inside the AMPEV, inspect one of them and replace it. If this configuration change increases depressurization rates, A/L depress for EVA-4 will be done with it.
Bursch also took another reading of the EVARM (EVA radiation monitoring) badges, which served as post-EVA-3 and pre-EVA-4 measurements of the formal EVARM protocol. The badges were then returned to the EVA servicing kit for tomorrow’s use by Ross and Morin.
Meanwhile, other crewmembers transferred cargo between ISS and Shuttle, and Ross and Morin prepared their EVA equipment and tools for tomorrow. A comprehensive EVA-4 procedures review was completed by all crewmembers later in the day.
CDR Yuri Onufrienko reconfigured the Russian digital video cam (DVCAM-05) television feed system with a new cable, following it with a test of the setup. He also completed the regular daily systems tasks of SOSH life support systems maintenance, BRPK-1 water condensate separator inspection and IMS delta file preparation.
All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise.
All crew members participated in a joint crew news conference with U.S. press representatives at NASA centers, followed by a conference with Russian media at TsUP outside Moscow. The joint crews also took their traditional crew photo around noon, before being generally off duty for the remainder of the day.
A few days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree awarding cosmonaut Konstantin Kozeyev the title of ‘Hero of the Russian Federation’. Kozeyev, an RSC-Energia employee, served as Flight Engineer #2 on the October 2001 Soyuz TM-33 taxi mission 3S with Viktor Afanasyev as Commander and French woman Claudie Deshays-Haigner=E9. It was Kozeyev’s first flight to space. The same decree awarded the ‘Order for Services to the Fatherland, Second Class,’ to Viktor Afanasyev, a GCTC (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center) cosmonaut, and Yuri Usachev, an RSC-Energia employee who served as Commander of ISS Expedition 2.
Today’s target areas for the combined CEO (crew earth observations) and Shuttle Earth imaging program were Nile tributaries (pass along mountain front between Ethiopian Highlands and Sudanese plains. River patterns in this extremely remote region are poorly mapped and understood. Handheld photos are the best way to understand stream flow direction, meandering or braided pattern, and location of wide areas [often green swamp vegetation]. Obliques left and right of track were requested), Lake Chad (detailed views of water levels and associated swamp vegetation immediately right of track. Oil discoveries in this basin have led to new interest in this remote region. New seismic survey roads in the dunes around the north side of the lake may have been visible), Kazakhstan passes (mapping passes [overlap frames] along track of any farm patterns. Landuses changing fast since 1990. Handheld photos are said to be the best method of documenting such changes, involving change in crop type and field size. Views right of track toward coal mining city of Karaganda), Andes and neighboring plains (Chile’s capital city just right of track. Then, straight volcanic line of the "narrow" Andes. Then, crew was to look left for the wide Andes [Altiplano] where seasonal dust may have been visible especially in this oblique view [study of dust events under way]. Then, mapping views of remote northern Argentina [river patterns and especially threatened swamplands]), Easter Island (Chile’s Pacific island is famous for the collapse of its society [from AD 400 when the group arrived, to 1600 when almost complete depopulation occurred] through ecological breakdown by complete deforestation. Off track right about 45 degrees), Galapagos-Bahamas (pass over the Galapagos Islands. Then, the Isla del Coco immediately left of track [never photographed despite repeated crew attempts]. Then, Costa Rica in dry season for details of coastal landuse change and panoramas of cloud distribution [controlled by easterly winds and 12,000-ft central mountain range]. Then, nadir pass over Jamaica and eastern Cuba [Guantanamo Bay near nadir]. Then, panoramas along the Bahamian island chain left and right of track), New Zealand (panoramas right of track of the north end of North Island), Central Australia (recent widespread rains in the dry parts of Australia were documented by the STS-109 crew. Observing for three minutes, crew was to shoot any of the numerous river courses or "dry" lakes for signs of water [muddy water, sun reflecting off water]. The sun glint point region [just right of track] is a powerful aid in this kind of wide areal documentation).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:54 am EDT after reboost 2:
Mean altitude — 388.0 km
Apogee — 390.7 km
Perigee — 385.2 km
Period — 92.3 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0004076
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.60
Altitude increase — 1600 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 19423
Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal =3D “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -7 deg., roll: 0 deg]).
For more on ISS orbit and naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
