ISS On-Orbit Status 16 Apr 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.  Day 144 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02).

Before breakfast and physical exercise, the crew conducted another round of the Russian crew health-monitoring program’s medical assessment MO-9.  [MO-9 is biochemical urinalysis, conducted regularly every 30 days (and also before and after EVAs), and it is one of five nominal Russian medical tests adopted by NASA for US crewmembers for PHS (periodic health status) evaluation as part of the “PHS/Without Blood Labs” exam.  The analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus “Urolux” developed originally for the Mir program.  FE-1 Nikolai Budarin stowed the equipment after the sessions.]

Shortly before dinnertime tonight, CDR Ken Bowersox will set up and install equipment and hardware for the PHS (periodic health status) with blood labs examinations scheduled for tomorrow. [The tests are performed with the crew’s AMP (ambulatory medical pack) and the MEC (medical equipment computer), which the crew can move to the Lab for convenience at their preference.  All PHS will be recorded by the CMOs (crew medical officers) on the MEC’s IFEP (in-flight examination program) software.]

Budarin terminated the recording of his ECG (electrocardiogram) under the Russian MedOps MO-2 protocol and stowed the five-electrode Holter harness which recorded his dynamic (in motion) heart function from two leads over the past 24 hours.

FE-2/SO Donald Pettit had another successful session with the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), today running tests 26 and 20 of the InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) payload, which were very similar to yesterday’s run.  [InSPACE experiment dynamics reportedly were at a high level yesterday.  As a result of Pettit’s advice in the early morning, some activities were modified, especially video recording, by going to continuous recording mode, which will show much more detailed phenomena.  This together with some additional frequency changes suggested by the PI (principal investigator) resulted in more numerous and extensive observations especially during procedures that sweep the field of view and the focus.]

Nikolai Budarin made preparations for another run of the Russian Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3, Plazmennyi Kristall-3) payload, setting up the Telescience hardware and video recording.  [After conducting a leak check of the vacuum lines and chamber (EB), he initiated the evacuation procedure.  For the test, the SKV-1 air conditioner had to be temporarily deactivated.  After the vacuum integrity of the setup is established, the experiment will be performed on fine charged particles (plasma) which are studied inside the evacuated work chamber for mixture modes at various discharge power and pressure levels, residual charge after removal of charging (relaxation), wave dispersion in mixtures, particle agglomeration without plasma, etc.]

Budarin later completed the regular periodic change-out of the urine receptacle and filter insert in the ASU toilet facility in the Service Module (SM), disposing of the old units.

As part of periodic preventive maintenance, Nikolai replaced two OSP-4 portable fire extinguishers (PFEs) with new ones (OKR-1) in the SM and one in the DC-1 docking compartment.  Total number of available PFEs installed in the two modules was then to be reported to MCC-M.

In the SM, FGB and Lab, Budarin collected air samples for analysis, using the standard Russian AK-1M sampler device.  The samples were sealed in separate containers, labeled and stowed for return to Earth on Soyuz.
 
CDR Ken Bowersox ran the periodic 90-day health check of the GASMAP (gas analyzer system for metabolic analysis physiology) payload.  After the unit was set up and powered up in the morning (5:20am EDT), it had to warm up for five hours before Sox could run the check, using the HRF (human research facility) computer.  Afterwards, he powered down, decabled and stowed the equipment.   [The 90-day health check is essentially intended to verify that a vacuum has been maintained inside the GASMAP’s analyzer module (AM) chamber.  The instrument measures a crewmember’s metabolic activity, in conjunction with exercise equipment, in a shirtsleeve, intravehicular space environment.  It consists of a quadruple mass spectrometer, known as the AM, the calibration module (CM) and a stored gas supply.]

Budarin performed another deployment check of the IP-1 airflow sensors which are installed in the various RS hatchways.  [Last check done: 4/3.]

FE-2/SO Don Pettit completed the daily routine maintenance of the SOZh life support system (including the ASU toilet facility), while Bowersox readied the IMS inventory system for the daily automated export/import of updates and performed the regular status checkup on the autonomous Lab payloads (PCG-STES010, CGBA).

The crew continued their preparations for the upcoming handover activities to the Expedition 7 crew on 4/28-5/3 and their own return on Soyuz-TMA-1 on 5/4.

All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on the RED resistive trainer and TVIS treadmill.  After his run on the treadmill, Pettit performed its monthly 30-min. maintenance, consisting of a series of inspections of the bungee system.

Budarin completed his regular daily 5-min. inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment.

At 10:20am EDT, the crew had a 30-min. conference with the ground to discuss various FCT (flight control team) questions on hardware and equipment.  [One of the issues engineers are trying to understand is why one of Nikolai’s TVIS bungee cords has failed.]
 
At 6:32am EDT, Nikolai Mikhailovich talked to schoolchildren selected from all 53 schools in the Russian city of Tver (Kalinin).  The students had prepared a list of questions, and the exchange dealt with the past, present and future of cosmonautics.

MCC-Moscow activated heaters in the FGB and SM Kurs systems for an FGB Kurs loop test scheduled for overnight.

The three U.S. CMGs (control moment gyros) continue to work nominally after yesterday’s temporary loss of communications with CMG-3 at 5:48am and its subsequent recovery by ground operators through power cycling of the electronics assembly.

Event Dates/Times for the upcoming Crew Rotation:

• Soyuz TMA-2/6S launch (Exp. 7):   4/25 — 11:54pm EDT (4/26 — 7:54am Moscow; 9:54am Kazakhstan);
• Soyuz TMA-2/6S docking:   4/28 — 1:50am EDT (9:50am Moscow);
• Soyuz TMA-1/5S undocking (Exp. 6):   5/3 — 6:40pm EDT (5/4  2:40am Moscow);
• Soyuz TMA-1/5S landing:   5/3 — 10:03pm EDT (5/4 — 6:03am Moscow; 8:03am Kazakhstan).

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current LVLH attitude, were Sao Paulo, Brazil (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]), Recife, Brazil (nadir pass; ESC), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (shooting lake shores and those of nearby usually dry lakes), Havana, Cuba (nadir pass; ESC), Fires in Mongolia (Dynamic event: Crew was asked to shoot obliques of any fires or smoke), East Asia smoke (Dynamic event: Reports of large Asian smoke palls drifting east into the Pacific Ocean), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (dust predicted over eastern Libya blowing out into the Mediterranean Sea.  Looking nadir, left and right), London, England (suddenly clear; nadir pass; ESC), Berlin, Germany (suddenly clear; nadir pass; ESC), and Kujira typhoon, W Pacific (Dynamic event: Oblique night view of this Category 4 typhoon [130 kts gusting to 160 kts] about three degrees left of track, heading WNW.  Lightning should have been spectacular).
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 12:34pm EST).

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

• Elektron O2 generator is powered On (32 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 Purify mode.  RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.
• SM Working Compartment:  Pressure (mmHg) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 27.4; ppO2 (mmHg) — data invalid; ppCO2 (mmHg) — data invalid.
• SM Transfer Compartment:  Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 21.4.
• FGB Cabin:  Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 22.3.
• Node:  Pressure (mmHg) — 738.16; temperature (deg C) — 23.3 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• U.S. Lab:  Pressure (mmHg) — 740.57; temperature (deg C) — 22.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):  Pressure (mmHg) — 740.57; temperature (deg C) — 23.2; shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.3, ppO2 (mmHg) — 161.2; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.7.
• PMA-1:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 25.0
• PMA-2:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 13.2

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS):

• Total propellant load available: 3798 kg (8373 lb) as of 4/10/03 [SM(774) + FGB(2670) + Progress(354)].  (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Autotrack (sun-following).
• SM batteries:  Battery #2 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• FGB batteries:  Battery #5 is disconnected; battery #6 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (4) 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:

• XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 0.5 deg, pitch: -8.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management.
• Solar Beta Angle: -31.1 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; VTR2 in troubleshooting).
• HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
• 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, 6:35am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude  392.8 km
• Apogee — 397.2 km
• Perigee — 388.4 km
• Period — 92.41 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) —  51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0006504
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
• Solar Beta Angle:  -31.1 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 120 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 25137
• For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html