ISS On-Orbit Status 17 Dec 2002

After wake-up at 1:00am EST, the crew was congratulated for yesterday’s nice job in performing the IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system) structural dynamics experiment (by bouncing off the walls).

Today is a short day for the crew, since an early bedtime of 12:30pm EST is scheduled for tomorrow’s early wake-up to support the Russian Kurs-P Soyuz/Progress/SM ring test.

Before breakfast, all crewmembers completed their first session of the periodic Russian medical experiment protocols PZEh-MO-7 (calf volume measurement) and PZEh-MO-8 (body mass measurement).  CDR Ken Bowersox set up the MO-8 equipment and later broke it down and stowed it away.  [Calf measurements (left leg only) are taken with the ISOG device, a custom-sewn fabric cuff that fits over the calf, using the knee and lower foot as fixed reference points, to provide a rough index of deconditioning in zero-G and effectiveness of countermeasures.  For determining body ass in zero-G, where things are weightless (but not massless), the Russian IM “scales” measure the inertial forces that arise during the oscillatory motion of a mass driven by two helical metering springs with known spring constants.  By measuring the time period of each oscillation of the unknown mass (the crewmember) and comparing it to the period of a known mass, the crewmember‚s mass is calculated by the computer and displayed].

Bowersox activated the ZCG (Zeolite crystal growth) experiment furnace heaters and started the experiment run after a first functional test.  Later, he monitored the payload ops three times in the course of the day.  [Sox noticed bubble formation and suggested to spin the autoclaves in order to bring all bubbles to the center.  This was approved by the ground and will now be included as standard instruction.  Each bubble would have been a nucleation point, which adversely impacts crystal synthesis.]

FE-2/SO Don Pettit collected the data of the FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit) monitors deployed yesterday.  [Collection of air samples in the U.S. and Russian segments is performed once every month, and SSAS (solid sorbent air sampler), FMK and GSC (grab sample container) operations are scheduled to occur concurrently.  Special constraints require some of the sample ops be conducted at specific scheduled times.]

For the Kurs-P ring test tomorrow morning, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin reviewed procedures and tagged up with ground specialists.

Pettit performed the daily routine preparation of the IMS inventory update file for downlink, and Bowersox completed the regular daily maintenance of the SOSh life support system, incl. ASU toilet system.

Yesterday’s uplinking and loading of the 2B solar array PVCU (photovoltaic controller unit) and PMCU 1 (power management controller unit 1) computers with the Rev. 2 (R2) software went well.  [2B PVCU is now in Primary mode and controlling the 2B solar array swivelling.  The 4B solar array PVCU and PMCU 2 are still running R1 software and will be transitioned to R2 today per the plan.  When this is all done, the final configuration will be 4B PVCU and PMCU 2 in Primary.]

Don Pettit was scheduled to conduct preparations for future operations with the WORF Lab window research facility operations, by installing a power jumper cable to the window heater cable and new WORF rack pivot pin fittings.  He then was to perform a fit check with CEVIS (cycle ergometer).
 
At 10:10am EST, the crew was scheduled to support a live television downlink for a Texas Middle School Aerospace Scholars educational event at Hutto Middle School, Hutto, TX.  [The event was preceded by a quick check of the crew’s camera setup in the Lab and a voice check on S/G 2 (space-to-ground #2.]

Don Pettit performed the weekly maintenance/checkup of the TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization).

The crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS, CEVIS and RED (resistive exerciser).

All crewmembers had their regular PMCs (private medical conferences), Sox and Don via S-band, Nikolai via VHF.

While the Airlock VAJ (vacuum access jumper) installation was completed OK by Don Pettit, a leak check has not been performed yet.

Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were Kinshasa, Zaire (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]. Crew was to look on the south side of the Congo River at the wide part [„Stanley Pool‰]), Mapping site, Chile (maps of coastal and inland landforms may help date the onset of aridity [beginnings of the Atacama Desert], important as basic data for GCMs [Global Climate Models].  Also, landslide hazards are being investigated on steep slopes of the inner Atacama Desert.  Crew was to photograph a swath of detailed views parallel with track, just left of nadir, from the coast to the top of the Andes Mts [where the volcanoes start], for approx. 1.5 minutes), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (this saline lake lies at a latitude intermediate between wetter climates around Lake Titicaca [which is fresh] to the north, and dry salt lakes to the south in the arid Andes.  Poopo is sensitive to longer term rainfall trends in a large basin south of Titicaca, and should be decreasing in size as this El Nino progresses. Crew was to shoot shorelines), Caracas, Venezuela (nadir pass; ESC), Western Mediterranean Dust (dust plumes should be kicked up the Algerian coast [dust is best visible with dark sea surface as backdrop] as a new Atlantic storm approaches), and Ohio R valley aerosol (smog buildup likely.  Crew to shoot obliques right of track and to document any margins of the smog mass[es].)

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of yesterday).

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

• Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On.  U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS is operational.  BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

Propulsion System (PS):  

• Total propellant load available (SM + FGB + Progress) — 3792 kg (8360 lb) [as of 12/12/02].

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B both in dual-angle mode (directed position)..
• SM batteries:  Batteries #5 and #7 are off line (suspected failed); battery #3 in “Cycle” mode.  All other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge”: mode.  
• FGB batteries:  Batteries #4 is off line; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby; PCU-2 is in Standby.

Thermal Control Systems:

• Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off, SKV-2 is On.

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 (new patches loaded on both).
• EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is off.
• LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
• PL-1 MDM is On (primary); PL-2 MDM is off (diagnostic
• APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
• SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is down (as of 11/14).
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

Attitude Source:

• 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
• State vector — U.S. SIGI-1
• Attitude — U.S. SIGI-1
• Angular rates — U.S. RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

• XPOP 3-CMG Momentum Management (yaw/pitch/roll = 0.52/-8.81/-0.04 deg)
• Solar Beta Angle:  -50.1 deg (magnitude increasing)

Communications & Tracking Systems:

• FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operating.
• 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.
• MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF3 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
• MBS: KA power on both strings.  MT: at WS7, with KA power. POA: KA power on both strings.
• RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.