ISS On-Orbit Status 17 Feb 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
Second weekend restday for the crew, as Week 10 begins.
While FE-1 Carl Walz inspected the BRPK-1 condensate water separator in the SM, followed by the daily status check of Increment 4 payloads in the Lab, CDR Yuri Onufrienko terminated BMP micropurification unit absorbent bed #2 regeneration, switching it to purification mode, with both filter cartridges now in this mode.
Yuri also checked on the CO2 readings of the suspect IK-0501 gas analyzer again twice today and inspected the SVO water supply and the SP toilet system counters, calling the readings down to MCC-M on VHF during daily orbit 2.
FE-2 Dan Bursch performed the daily SOSH life support maintenance. As part of yesterday’s SOSH maintenance, CDR had deactivated the Vozdukh CO2 gas analyzer on advise from the ground, due to the end of service life of its CO2 filter assembly.
After Yuri configured the LIV video camera 2 with lights and monitor, the TV system was activated automatically on Daily Orbit 1 (4:00 am EST) for a live message to MCC-Moscow/TsUP. The crew downlinked a video greeting for taping and replay on 2/25 during the ceremony observing the 10th anniversary of the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos. The crew will congratulate Rosaviakosmos on the anniversary and emphasize the ISS as a model of peaceful collaboration: “Despite the continuous international conflicts and wars, national and religious clashes taking place on Earth, here in Space, thanks to the efforts of leading countries of the world — primarily Russia and the United States — the International Space Station is taking shape. This is an example of international relations, an example of peaceful cooperation, which is more in tune with peoplesâ hopes than confrontation and military competition. We are certain that the world community will eventually reach understanding in all areas of modern life Êboth in space and on Earth.” ÊÊOur congratulations to RSA, and many more decades!
All crewmembers had their regular private family conferences today, Dan via S-band, Carl via OCA/audio and video, and Yuri via phone patch to Moscow using US resources and S-band.
At 3:21 pm EST, Russian thrusters maneuvered the ISS from LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal) to XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane). Flight attitude changes are commanded from the ground, with no crew intervention required. The station is now again on momentum management by the four U.S. CMGs.
The CEO (crew earth observations) program today had the following optional targets: Angolan Biomass Burning (approaching the Angolan coast from the SW, crew was to look to the left of track for evidence of dust and possible smoke moving out to sea), Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes; Egypt (of interest: documenting conditions in upper Lake Nasser to left of track. Of particular interest at this time is volume and color of Nile River waters entering from the south), E. Mediterranean Dust and Smog (as ISS crossed the Libyan coast, crew was advised to look to the right of track for views of Saharan Dust moving out to sea in advance of a storm system over the central Mediterranean Sea), Fuego Volcano, Guatemala (Dynamic Event Site: Vulcanologists are monitoring seismic activity around this volcano in southeastern Guatemala and feel an eruption is imminent. Crew to use the ESC to detect early venting plumes or possibly the eruption itself, and to downlink the images as soon as possible to assure a quick turnaround and public release) Eastern United States (the pass was well off shore from the US East Coast. Crew to look well the left of track and use oblique and limb shots to detect aerosols there), and Tuamotu Archipelago (as ISS crossed this island chain at its greatest width, crew should have detected numerous reef and atoll targets to map with the ESC).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:13am EST):
- Mean altitude — 382.5 km
- Apogee — 385.9 km
- Perigee — 379.1 km
- Period — 92.2 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0005092
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.62
- Decay rate — 380(mean) in last 24 hours
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. â98) — 18536
- Current Flight Attitude — XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane [yaw: 359.4 deg, pitch: 355.0 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
