ISS On-Orbit Status 18 Apr 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.  Day 146 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02).

FE-1 Budarin spent a few minutes in the DC-1 “Pirs” docking compartment to perform the regular monthly check-up of the circuit breakers (AZS) on the BVP amp switch panel — they should all be On — and the 14 LEDs of the fuses in fuse panels BPP-30 and BPP-36.

Budarin then initiated the first experiment session with the Russian Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) payload, activating the evacuation turbopump, tagging up with ground specialists and starting the vacuum chamber operation.  Later, the experiment was terminated and the turbopump deactivated shortly before sleep time.  [The experiment is performed on plasma, i.e., fine particles, charged and excited by RF/radio frequency power, inside the evacuated work chamber, where they are studied in three parts: (1) structure modes without void in center, manually (5 min); (2) structure modes without void in center at various RF-discharge power levels, various pressures, and various quantities of particles in automatic mode (60 min); (3) structure modes without void in center at various RF-discharge power levels in automatic mode and excitations (20 min).]

FE-2/SO Donald Pettit conducted another very successful session with the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), today doing an extended run test with CA (coil assembly) 005, at four frequencies at the highest field strength.  After yesterday’s run, this was the second test with the 0.4 micron particles.  [For the relatively new study area of magnetorheological (MR) fluids, yesterday was an intriguing day.  As the Principal Investigator (PI) reported, the observed microstructures show that gravity breaks their symmetry and causes different structures on the ground than in zero-G.  Also, at high magnetic field strengths the PI seems to get “one-dimensional” (1D) columns, while with lowered field strength 2D sheets develop.  Presumably, at still lower fields, one might get 3D structures.]

In continuing the last round of Expedition 6’s renal (kidney) stone prevention experiment activities,  CDR Ken Bowersox started his turn by logging his food and fluid intake.  Nikolai Budarin was already into his second day, which required him to collect urine samples in the course of the day besides diet logging.  After each collection, the sample ID is scanned and the sample then stowed.  [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 need to be brought down (they are viable for up to one year), but probably only a portion of the samples will make the manifest cut for Soyuz 5S on 5/4.]

The crew completed their last monthly PuFF (Pulmonary Function in Flight) session planned for the payload’s final increment.  Bowersox activated the hardware and performed the initial calibration and the first standard test.  Budarin and FE-2/SO Don Pettit did their share later during the day, and Bowersox deactivated and stowed the equipment after final calibration.  [PuFF is a human life sciences investigation into the effects of EVA and long-term exposure to microgravity on human lungs and their respiratory function.  Each session included five lung function tests, which involve breathing only cabin air.  The test measures changes in the evenness of gas exchange in the lungs, and attempts to detect changes in respiratory muscle strength.  Unevenness of gas exchange is a hallmark of virtually every pulmonary disease, and gas exchange can be temporarily disrupted by the filtration by the lungs of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream.  Staying in microgravity for long periods of time may cause changes in respiratory muscle strength.  The experiment uses equipment in the HRF (human research facility) located in the U.S. Lab, such as GASMAP (gas analyzer system for metabolic analysis of physiology), which Peggy activated for several hours yesterday for checkout.  Today’s first session consisted HRF rack activation (by the ground) and PuFF calibration, running the tests with data collection, and equipment takedown and stowing.  Data were stored on the HRF PC for subsequent transmittal to the ground.]

Final on-orbit repair procedures for the failed ARCTIC-1 freezer/refrigerator IFM (in-flight maintenance) were uplinked, to be executed mostly from the “job jar” task list, i.e., at the crew’s choice.  Today, Don Pettit set up the ARCTIC MWA (maintenance work area) with its containment system and utility kit, then removed the ARCTIC from its locker and readied the tools required.  [ARCTIC has failed TEDs (thermoelectric devices) which are the heat pumps providing the refrigeration function.  In-leaking humidity is suspected as failure cause, and the repair will attempt to repair or jumper-bypass the affected TEDs, restoring ARCTIC, even if at reduced performance.  The IFM is divided in five stages: (1) removal of outer structural fasteners, (2) TED heat pump disassembly, (3) TED assessment, (4) TED repair, (5) TED reassembly, (6) ARCTIC reassembly closeout.]

Budarin collected swab samples from hardware and surfaces in the FGB module for microbial analysis from behind ten selected wall panels, using test tubes as containers.  The kit with samples was then stowed for return to Earth.  [Last time done: 12/1/02.]

Nikolai also completed his regular daily 5-min. inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment.  Later, he performed the regular weekly inspection of the BRPK air/condensate separator.

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

Don Pettit conducted another weekly inventory audit of the available CWCs (collapsible water containers) and their condition.  [Last time done: 4/11.]

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.

Yesterday, a caution alert in the Service Module (SM) indicated negative power balance when the TVIS treadmill was activated in an unplanned exercise session.  A second SNT voltage and current stabilizer unit (transformer) was activated to provide the necessary additional SM power.  [The four SM SNT-50MPs, at this assembly stage, connect the Russian segment (RS) electrical power supply system (SZP) with the U.S. orbital segment (USOS), converting the 120 V dc electrical power coming from the PMA-1 (pressurized mating adapter #1) to 28.5 V dc used in the RS (after mission 12A, USOS voltage will go up to 160 V).  Yesterday’s activation added SNT 23 to the active SNT22.]

The crew had their weekly teleconference with the Flight Director.  Bowersox and Pettit also tagged up with the ISS Crew Office.

Yesterday’s checkout of the cardiac defibrillator showed that the unit is working fine.  An open-circuit voltage check on its battery also yielded nominal results.  The battery was then stowed to prevent inadvertent damage.

A task for Budarin to correct software on the “Wiener” power laptop in the RS was added to the Russian task list.  [Testing by MCC-M has shown that the recent (4/9) upgrading of the SUBA BSMM multiplex bus synchronization unit of the Russian OpsLAN network with new software (rev. 1.2) from a CD-ROM did not work.  The upgrade will be attempted again, but first Nikolai will have to make a slight modification in the script code.]

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, currently restricted by limited the use of the science window in the Lab including near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current XPOP attitude, were High Central Andean Glaciers (obliques of the volcano landscape in early morning sun may yield dramatic views.  Looking left and right), Volga delta (Dynamic event:  sun glint opportunity, right of track, to document detail of regional flooding caused by rising sea levels of the Caspian Sea), Western Mediterranean Smog (looking left for probable smog being channeled down the Rhone R. valley of France into the Mediterranean basin), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]), Ireland panorama (Dynamic event:  clearest weather in months over the Emerald Isle: looking left for oblique views of the island), and Germany (Dynamic event: unusually clear weather should allow panoramas of the distant Baltic well north into Norway.  Crew was also to look for remnant ice in bays, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia that leads towards St Petersburg).
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 12:46pm 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) — 27.1; 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) — 23.5 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• U.S. Lab:  Pressure (mmHg) — 742.19; temperature (deg C) — 22.4; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):  Pressure (mmHg) — 742.29; temperature (deg C) — 23.4; shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.5, ppO2 (mmHg) — 162.5; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.0.
• 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 #6 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• FGB batteries:  Battery #5 is disconnected; battery #4 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: -36.0 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, 6:20am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude  392.7 km
• Apogee — 397.2 km
• Perigee — 388.2 km
• Period — 92.41 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) —  51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0006677
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
• Solar Beta Angle:  -36.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 65 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 25168
• For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html