ISS On-Orbit Status 17 Apr 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.  Day 145 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02).

After yesterday’s medical assessment MO-9 (biochemical urinalysis), early in the morning all crewmembers today performed part 2 of the MedOps PHS (periodic health status) assessment, collecting blood samples for analysis with the U.S. PCBA (portable clinical blood analyzer) and the Russian MO-10 “Hemokrit” equipment.  After the PHS data registration, FE-2/SO Don Pettit stowed all hardware (last time done: 2/20/03).

FE-1 Nikolai Budarin performed the periodic preventive maintenance of the Group B ventilation fans in the SM, including a checkout of the ventilators and a thorough cleaning of fan screens and flexible air ducts (last time done: 2/11/03).

Budarin continued preparations of the Russian Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) payload, activating the evacuation turbopump, installing the experiment software uplinked by Packet comm, setting up the vacuum chamber and finally deactivating the turbopump and Telescience equipment.  [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.]

FE-2/SO Donald Pettit conducted another highly successful session with the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), today running CA (coil assembly) 003 of the InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) payload, which contains the largest particle sizes to date (0.6 microns), later switching CAs.  [Each processing run takes 1 hr. 50 min.  Test results on CA003 have reportedly been quite significant; the next test will be with CA005 which has particles of 0.4 microns diameter.  Pettit completed the coil exchange and continued observation.]

In preparation of the last round of the Renal (kidney) stone experiment activities by Expedition 6, CDR Kenneth Bowersox unstowed and installed the payload equipment.  FE-2/SO Donald Pettit then began the round by starting his diet log.   [This long-range preventive medicine investigation features daily random ingestion of either potassium citrate or placebo tablets.  It is Dr. Peggy Whitson’s double-blind research study investigating methods to prevent formation of kidney stones in zero-G.  Part of the experiment consists in keeping a metabolic diet log (food and fluid intake), followed by collection of urine samples several times per day during each week-long session.  There are I6 experiment samples on board, all of which  should come down soon (they are viable for up to one year), but there is the possibility that only a portion of the samples will make the manifest cut for Soyuz 5S on 5/4.]
 
Flight surgeon and POC (Payload Operations Center) have requested another, final session with the FOOT (Foot/Ground Reaction Forces During Space Flight) experiment before the end of the current increment.  The run would be conducted on a non-interference basis and will probably be task-listed to be done at crew convenience.

The detailed procedures for the partial repair of the ARCTIC refrigerator/freezer have been uplinked and are being scheduled for next week.  The majority of the steps involved will be task-listed and thus may be performed sooner at the crew’s choice.
 
Bowersox performed the T + 2 days microbiological analysis of water samples collected on 4/15 in the SM at the potable water SRV-K hot port and from the EDV container of the SVO-ZV water supply system.

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

Sox performed the daily routine maintenance of the SOZh life support system (including the ASU toilet facility) and prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system) “delta” file for updating the IMS database

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.

The R3 software transition for the two EXT MDMs is being prepared for implementation next week on 4/21 and 4/22 (Monday and Tuesday).

At 12:45pm EDT, the crew conducted a 20-min. live interactive TV event with students and teachers from Mountain Park Elementary School in Roswell, GA.  A list of questions prepared by the kids was uplinked beforehand (“What does it feel like to be weightless, and can you demonstrate some of the things you can do in microgravity that you couldn’t do on Earth?”; “I would like to ask Mr. Budarin if it is difficult to sleep in space?”).

Moscow reported this morning that yesterday’s tests of the Kurs-P (passive part of the automated radio rendezvous and approach system) in Service Module (SM) and FGB went well, with no issues.

Ballistics experts from MCC-M and MCC-H are continuing planning for the next station reboost.  [Assuming a projected Shuttle/ULF-1 launch date NET (not earlier than) October ’03, a NASA-preferred optimum reboost plus subsequent natural orbital decay would yield a ULF-1 rendezvous-compatible altitude no later than early January ’04.  Current plans are to conduct the first of two Progress burns on 5/8 when ISS is still in the preferred LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal) attitude, using up all propellants remaining in the Progress refueling system tanks and lines (delta-V ~1.6 m/s).  This would also provide the proper phasing for the June 8 launch of 11P/Progress M1-10.  The second burn, using back-pumped props from the FGB tanks, would be decided later when more is known about ULF-1 launch date.  Station attitude will be XPOP in the period of 5/9-5/16, followed by YVV/”Barbecue” mode (y-axis in velocity vector).]

MCC-H is investigating a slight attitude error trend discovered in the U.S. CMG (control moment gyroscope) attitude determination system.  [The trend exhibits a 0.08 deg/min error growth in LVLH, that can grow to 1.5 deg in 15 min.  The error then comes down again, being removed slowly from the attitude computation loop with increasing influx of data from the SIGI (space integrated GPS/inertial navigation system).  Evaluation of the issue for the upcoming Soyuz rendezvous is underway by a FIT (Flight Investigation Team), but there are no system effects or issues for critical systems such as antenna pointing, radiator performance, and solar array power performance.]

Moscow today confirmed the following Dates/Times for the upcoming Crew Rotation:

• Soyuz TMA-2 fueled:  yesterday;
• Soyuz TMA-2 roll-out to launch pad:  4/24;
• Test of Soyuz attitude control system (with particular focus on a linear accelerometer which was an issue at the recent GDR):  4/24;
• First on-board training session of Expedition 6 crew for 5S return:  4/25;
• Soyuz TMA-2/6S launch (Exp. 7):  4/25 — 11:54pm EDT (4/26 — 6:54am DMT (Decreed Moscow Time); 9:54am Kazakhstan);
• Soyuz TMA-2/6S docking:  4/28 — 1:56am EDT (8:56am DMT);
• Integrated training of 5S/6S crews:  5/2;
• Soyuz TMA-1/5S undocking (Exp. 6):   5/3 — 6:40pm EDT (5/4 — 2:40am Moscow, 1:40am DMT);
• Soyuz TMA-1/5S landing:   5/3 — 10:03pm EDT (5/4 — 5:03am DMT; 8:03am Kazakhstan).

Note on Times:  Moscow is on summertime (GMT+4h), but MCC-M/TsUP always remains on standard time, called DMT (GMT+3h, EDT+7h).  Thus, Baikonur time is DMT+3h, Moscow time+2h, GMT+6h, and EDT+10h.

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current LVLH attitude, were SE Sudan wetlands (Dynamic event:  Sun glint point passed over the complex wetlands of SE Sudan where numerous poorly mapped rivers produce an enigmatic landscape at the foot of the Ethiopian highlands), Alexandria, Egypt (nadir and a touch right; ESC [electronic still camera]), Lima, Peru (nadir and a touch left; ESC), Mexico City, Mexico (nadir pass; ESC.  Crew was to try to get the whole city in a minimum number of shots [two?]), Atlanta, GA (nadir and a touch right; ESC),Washington, D.C. (nadir pass; ESC. Crew was to try to get the whole city in a minimum number of shots [two?]), Jarvis Island, Pacific Ocean (nadir pass.  Shooting fringing coral reefs), Labrador Ice (sea ice pushed up against the protected west coast of Newfoundland, and strung out along the open coast of Labrador), and French Frigate Shoals (nadir pass.  Shooting tracery of this complex network of coral reefs).
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 1:00pm 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) — 21.6.
• FGB Cabin:  Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 22.3.
• Node:  Pressure (mmHg) — 740.07; temperature (deg C) — 23.3 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• U.S. Lab:  Pressure (mmHg) — 741.79; temperature (deg C) — 22.6; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):  Pressure (mmHg) — 741.89; temperature (deg C) — 23.2; shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.3, ppO2 (mmHg) — 162.3; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.8.
• PMA-1:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.6
• PMA-2:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 13.0

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS):

• Total propellant load available: 3668 kg (8086 lb) as of 4/17/03 [SM(774) + FGB(2642) + Progress(252)].  (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 #5 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• FGB batteries:  Battery #5 is disconnected; battery #3 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: -33.8 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, 7:16am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude  392.8 km
• Apogee — 397.2 km
• Perigee — 388.3 km
• Period — 92.41 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) —  51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0006536
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
• Solar Beta Angle:  -33.8 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 50 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 25153
• For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html