ISS On-Orbit Status 18 Mar 2002

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. First day of Week 14 for the Expedition 4 crew. (And today 37 years ago [1965], Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first human to step out in space on an EVA [and almost didn’t make it back in]).

Assisted by FE-1 Carl Walz, CDR Yuri Onufrienko today closed off the Progress 6P for tomorrow’s undocking. [After the recent loading of the cargo ship with waste material and discarded equipment as well as yesterday’s installation of the “Kolibri” micro satellite in its ejection container on the 6P docking ring, first step today was removal of quick-disconnect screw clamps (BZV), with ACS (attitude control system) thrusters inhibited from the ground (until 4:50pm EST) as the ISS continued under U.S. CMG control. Onufrienko recorded the interface between Progress and SM with the DVCAM on videotape, which was subsequently downlinked on S-band for evaluation by specialists. Next step was closing of thehatch between Êtransfer chamber and docking port (PrK-SU), followed by initiation of leak checking, after the transfer chamber was depressurized by radio command via the Progress cargo bay. The leak check, using the vacuum manometer (MB), extends over several hours. If a hatch leak is detected, the compartment would be repressurized, the seal surface inspected and the hatch closing repeated.]

The crew had an hour reserved for reviewing the 8A EVA tasks training material uplinked at an earlier time. Afterwards, remaining questions and issues regarding the upcoming four EVAs were discussed with the STS-110 crew (currently at KSC) in a tagup via S-band. [During EVA-1 and -3, including preps, Carl Walz and Shuttle astronaut Jerry Ross will be the IVs (intravehicular crewmembers), while for EVA-2 and 4 Dan Bursch and Steve Smith will be IV. Grappling of the S0 truss in the Shuttle payload bay (PLB) with the SSRMS (by Ellen Ochoa and the IVs), will take place before start of EVA prep. Should the SSRMS Redundant string fail, the S0 transfer will be performed on the Primary string, using the 6DOF (six degrees-of-freedom) software patch, and an EVA crewmember on the Shuttle RMS would then manually drive the WR (wrist roll) joint from 47 degrees to 210 degrees after S0 has been lifted out of the PLB. Even with only the modified Primary string, it is believed that all Category 1 and 2 objectives of flight 8A can be accomplished, albeit requiring more time, thus Êpushing all of the lower-category EVA-4 content “off the plate” (primarily installation of EVA aids and cleanup steps for on-orbit operation of the S0 system).]

Onufrienko also tagged up with specialists at MCC-Moscow to report on the current used memory percentage of the “Spika-S” experiment. Spika (KNT-15) is a Russian payload of the “technical studies” category for the investigation of the impacts of spaceflight factors on the radiation tolerance of electronic components. Its electronics unit, located in the SM working compartment (panel 417), uses about 7 W power, running either in Acquisition or Monitoring mode, and storing its data on a PCMCIA (portable computer memory card international adapter) card.

Dan Bursch completed today’s planned sampling of the ADVASC (Advanced Astroculture), taking three samples (condensate, nutrient, and gas) from the growth chamber, about 50 mL of each.

On PCG-STES007 (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System 7), ÊDan activated another cylinder (#10), while Carl conducted the regular daily Lab payload status check, IMS “delta” file preparation, and SOSH life support systems inspection.

As a periodic task (nominally Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), Êthe TEPC (tissue equivalent proportional counter) was power-cycled, today by Bursch, to enable its remote commanding by the ground.

All crewmembers performed their physical exercise on TVIS, RED and VELO. After using the RED, Carl Walz performed periodic (every two weeks) inspection on the device.

Crew sleep cycle will be shifted Êa bit tomorrow to accommodate the Progress departure (undocking at 12:43 pm EST). Wakeup will be at 2:00 am, i.e., one hour later than usual, and sleep period begins one hour earlier, at 4:30 pm.

Crew earth observation (CEO) target areas today were Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes, Egypt (Nile River delta left of track: crew was to look for complex land use patterns, especially along the margins of the green agricultural region, and also for dense air pollution trapped in the shallow valley of the Nile, centered on Cairo), W. Mediterranean Dust and Smog (Italy pass. Of interest: looking obliquely right to document any aerosols. Western Alps, entire boot of Italy [with Rome], and all of Greece left of track), Angolan Biomass Burning (major cloud mass may have moved offshore allowing views south down the Angolan coast. Regionally extensive hazes [composed of smoke, dust and industrial pollution from South Africa] moved offshore at this point, embedded in the subcontinental-sized circulation system. [These hazes accumulate in the central Atlantic; on dispersal, atmospheric chemistry fingerprints are detectable as far away as Australia.]), Eastern United States (cloud mass will probably have moved east from the E USA to allow viewing from central Michigan and Lake Erie to Chesapeake Bay. Good views north to New Jersey and south to the Carolinas), and Lakes, Eastern Sierra Nevada (crew to look left of track for Sierra Nevada and several lakes immediately beyond. Lake levels fluctuate strongly and water is oversubscribed).< U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 2:32 pm EST today):

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

• Elektron O2 generator is On (32 Amps mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is ON in MANUAL cycle mode #5 (vacuum pump failed). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is in Standby.
  
• BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, #2 in Purify mode.
  
• SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 762, temperature (deg C) — 27.3, ppO2 (mmHg) — 159.5, ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.6.
  
• SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 762, temperature (deg C) — 20.5; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756, temperature (deg C) — 20.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 754.70, temperature (deg C) — 22.6 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 757.24, temperature (deg C) — 25.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
  
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 757.04, temperature (deg C) Ê21.9; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.0, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.9.
  
• PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 17.6.

  
  

(Note: Partial pressures ppO2 and ppCO2 in U.S. segment (USOS) not available because MCA [major constituent analyzer] is failed and in Extended Life mode [= a state that preserves mass spectrometer vacuum but produces no pp data]).

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B in Autotrack mode, BGA 4B in Directed (“parked”) position at 125 degrees.
  
• SM batteries: #4 in “capacity restoration” mode (ROM); all other batteries (7) in “partial charge” mode.
  
• FGB battery #5 is in ROM; all other batteries (5) are in “partial charge” mode.
  
• Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Standby mode.

  
  

Thermal Control Systems:

• Air conditioner SKV-1 is Off (Freon leak). 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 back-up.
  
• LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
  
• APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
  
• SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
  
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

  
  

Communications Systems:

• S-band is operating nominally.
  
• Ku-band is operating nominally.
  
• Audio subsystem operating nominally.
  
• Video subsystem operating nominally.
  
• MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) operating nominally.

  
  

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 at PMA-3 clearance position, with Keep Alive power on both strings.
  
• RWS (robotics workstations) are Off.

  
  

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:43 am EST):

• Mean altitude — 393.7 km
  
• Apogee — 396.3 km
  
• Perigee — 391.2 km
  
• Period — 92.4 min.
  
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
  
• Eccentricity — 0.0003812
  
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
  
• Altitude decrease — 350 m (mean) in last 24 hours
  
• Solar Beta Angle: +22.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
  
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 18989
  
• Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed” [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -7 deg., roll: 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