Status Report

ISS On-Orbit Status 16 Feb 2003

By SpaceRef Editor

February 16, 2003

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

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. A quiet Sunday with lots of rest time for the crew, including an expanded Sunday-type cartoon section uplink. Ahead: Week 13.

FE-1 Nikolai Budarin completed the weekly routine tasks of collecting SP toilet flush counter and SVO water supply readings for calldown, as well as the periodic inspection of the “Elektron” oxygen generator’s VM gas/liquid system for the air bubble that usually lingers after an in-flight maintenance.

CDR Ken Bowersox performed the daily routine maintenance of the SOSh life support system, incl. ASU toilet subsystem, and FE-2/SO Don Pettit prepared the IMS inventory database for automated file import/export.

Pettit also took the daily ppCO2 (carbon dioxide partial pressure) readings in Lab and SM with the CDMK (CO2 monitoring kit), after breakfast (1:40am EST) and again before dinner (3:00 pm).

All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization), RED (resistive exercise device), CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation), and VELO (Russian cycle ergometer) with load trainer.

The crewmembers’ weekly PFCs (private family conferences) were scheduled today for Budarin on Russian VHF early in the morning, and for Bowersox and Pettit on S-band later in the day.

Sox and Don also had their regular periodic PPCs (private psychological conference).

Science Update (Expedition Six — 11th):

MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox): ESA and Astrium suspect the MSG failure to be due to one or several sensors in the electronics box. For testing the sensors, MSG will have to be powered up, but only when it is fully understood what damaged the PDC (power distribution controller), to prevent damage repetition. NASA and ESA specialists are currently looking into design details, with earliest possible troubleshooting not before late next week.

Science Downmass: Plans are being made for returning Expedition 6 science on Soyuz. Requested downmass consists of Renal (kidney) collection samples and a subset of the 29 processed ZCG (Zeolite crystal growth) autoclaves. Five individually wrapped autoclaves, with motor removed, have been specified, in priority order for descent, but the Soyuz 5S descent manifest is still very much in flux.

Extra-Vehicular Activity Radiation Monitors (EVARM): Continuing.

GASMAP/Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF): The next session is in late February.

Renal (Kidney) Stone Experiment: Completed for Increment 6. Bowersox and Pettit continue to take pills.

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.

Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Space Flight (FOOT): Foot team has received all data form the last run. The PI (Principal Investigator) is reviewing the data and will have words for the crew shortly.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): On hold pending MSG PDC (power distribution controller) and ESEM3 (exchangeable standard electronic module 3) replacement. Will remain in MSG until further notice.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS continues to collect acceleration data for vibratory characterization of the microgravity environment, including the recent reboost activities.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS continues measurement of microgravity environment in the quasi-steady regime for general characterization.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES): Temperatures are nominal. PCG-STES is currently in heating mode.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): On hold until the MSG (microgravity science glovebox) is operational.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside. Nominal and collecting data.

Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG): ZCG has finished science operations for Inc 6.

EarthKAM (EK): All activities complete for Increment 6.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Until further notice, the crew is to use the digital camera systems only for CEO targets. Their recent image of reefs and volcanoes sequence in French Polynesia and a striking night view of London have been selected for publication in Earth Observatory. Now that light is returning to the Northern Hemisphere, the extent and rapid seasonal change of winter‚s snow and ice patterns will offer good targets for Earth photography by the ISS crew. But while in XPOP attitude, use of the Science Window in the Lab is constrained by Flight Rule.
Today’s CEO targets, accounting for XPOP window constraints, were Mexico City, Mexico (DYNAMIC EVENT TARGET: Reports early Friday morning indicated that Mexico‚s Popocatepetl volcano had just erupted with a 3-mile high column of smoke. ISS track was over Mexico City itself, but the volcano is south of the city. Crew was to look right of track to document this event), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (with improving weather at the time of this pass, the crew should have had an excellent view right of track of the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers in sun glint, especially over Iraq), Albuquerque, New Mexico (although Albuquerque is nearly at nadir, crew was advised to look left of track, northward toward the Sangre de Cristo and the Front Range of the Rockies to document snow pack conditions), Labrador Ice Floes (massive ice floes are swept down the coast of Labrador during late winter and typically achieve their maximum extent in February. For best views, looking obliquely left of track where clouds and weather permit, and trying to include landmarks where possible), Sierra Snow Pack (from the crew’s track position over northern California, they had an excellent oblique view down the spine of the High Sierras to their right, for documenting conditions of the snow pack), and James Bay Ice Pack (this is a frequently encountered target for ISS orbits. Crew was asked to begin documenting the state of pack ice in James Bay to the left of track, especially near Akimiski Island).
CEO images can be viewed at the website
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 4:19am EST [= epoch]):