ISS On-Orbit Status 21 Mar 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
The crew’s photo survey of the portside (4B) solar array wing yesterday has turned out well (ground to crew: “just what we were looking for”). Today, the task-listed survey of the starboard (2B) wing panels was also completed, while the ISS was still in LVLH attitude (local vertical/local horizontal, i.e., “earth-fixed”).
Later tonight (5:20 pm EST), control of station attitude will be “handed over” to the Russian MCS (motion control system) and its SM thrusters. At 5:34 pm, they will turn the ISS through a ten-minute maneuver into XPOP attitude (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane, i.e., “sun-fixed”), as required by the current increase in solar Beta angle. Control authority will then be returned to the U.S. CMGs at 6:20 pm for momentum management mode. [In XPOP the Lab nadir window will face into the flight (or “ram”) direction for at least half an orbit every revolution. Flight Rules require that during these times its shutter needs to remain closed for protection. The Lab window shutter will also need to remain closed when the Progress cargo ship approaches within 3000 ft (914 m) next Sunday, 3/24.]
FE-1 Carl Walz completed the installation of the TeSS (temporary sleep station) brackets in the Lab. Ê[An earlier attempt on 3/16 failed when the crew discovered that there was hardware already installed on the racks that interfered with the bracket installation. The obstruction had now been removed.]
FE-2 Dan Bursch and Carl installed so-called seam supports over panel junctions in the Node, near the nadir- and starboard hatches. These T-shaped plates had originally been removed during closeout panel access procedures for the Node’s radial ports. The plates were attached to the pre-existing holes in the closeout panels with eight hex-head fasteners each.
Dan worked again on the PCG-STES007 (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System 7), today deactivating cylinders #10, the final cylinder deactivation for this unit.
Both flight engineers completed another session with the biomedical PuFF (pulmonary function in flight) experiment. After setting up and activating the equipment, Bursch performed initial calibration, followed by the standard test for himself and FE-1 Carl Walz, then final calibration, archiving, deactivation and stowage of the equipment. HRF (human research facility) Rack activation and power-down was performed from the ground. [In zero-G the human lungs change their form. This experiment investigates both the effects of EVA and long-term exposure to zero-G on the pulmonary (lung) function, laying the groundwork for future experiments which are key to understanding and maintaining crew health. Each PuFF session, occurring monthly, involve five lung function tests. It utilizes the GASMAP (gas analyzer system for metabolic analysis physiology) in the Human Research Facility, along with a variety of other PuFF equipment such as a manual breathing valve, flow meter, pressure-flow module, pressure and volume calibration syringes and disposable mouthpieces.]
Both Bursch and Walz performed the periodic MedOps WinSCAT (spaceflight cognitive assessment tool) experiment, a time-constrained test of cognitive abilities that is routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS (periodic health status) test or on special CDR’s, crewmember’s or flight surgeon’s request.
Carl Walz was thanked by the POIC (Payload Operations Integration Center) and EXPPCS (experiment of the physics of colloids in space) team for his repair efforts on the EXPPCS yesterday. The ground had him attempt to start up the EXPPCS computer and reset incorrect BIOS settings caused by radiation or a computer event, but EXPPCS did not boot correctly, and the repair procedure had to be abandoned. For today, ground specialists have a plan to reconfigure EXPPCS, but the final configuration was still being worked.
Carl was also thanked for yesterday’s ARIS-ICE hammer tests, which appeared to have gone well. POIC received good data and anticipated receiving more today from storage via downlink.
CDR Yuri Onufrienko completed video taping of specific panels, ducts and mufflers in the SM from various angles, for closer inspection by MCC-Moscow of airflow passages (of interest: to see whether mufflers or ducts obstruct ventilation grilles of fans, thus possibly restricting airflow, which could give rise to mildew growth).
Instructions were uplinked by Moscow to Onufrienko for setting up and running the new biotechnology experiment SPC with its CPCF-2 “apparatura” Ê(commercial protein crystallization facility-2) coming up with Progress 7P next Sunday.
A cleaned up version of the 8A pre-pack list was uplinked, but since Bursch had already completed all of the pre-pack items for which he had a Go, he was advised to use the reserved time to work on UF-2 packing, for which an early UF-2 Pre-Pack List was also uplinked (the mission UF-2/STS-111 is scheduled for May).
Yuri tagged up with IMS (inventory management system) specialists at MCC-M via S-band (audio) to clear up some stowage/location questions uplinked by TsUP for IMS updating.
Later, Onufrienko and Walz configured the Russian segment (RS) television system for downlinking video footage of Sunday’s Progress M1-8 docking over U.S. Ku-band. [Since the U.S. VDS (video distribution system) can accept only the American NTSC format, whereas the RS system uses both European Secam and PAL formats, an SSC (space station computer) laptop needs to be connected into the video line, to convert the Russian video system’s output into NTSC before putting it on Ku-band Ê(SSC is capable of converting PAL and black/white SECAM only). After the 3/24 downlink, the SSC will be reconfigured.]
The CDR completed regular systems maintenance activities, i.e., SOSH life support system inspection, UF-1 payload status checks, and termination of regeneration of filter bed #2 of the BMP micropurification unit, with both absorbent beds back in purification mode.
FE-2 Bursch transferred TVIS/RED files to the MEC (medical equipment computer) and CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation) protocol data to from the MEC to the CEVIS PCMCIA storage card.
All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS (running) and RED (“weight” lifting).
Later in the day (12:40 pm EST), Bursch used a ham radio pass to establish contact with an amateur radio group of students of St. Thomas Episcopal School of Nassau Bay, Texas, relayed via “telebridge” stations in California and Hawaii.
Ê
Of interest: As Astronaut Frank Culbertson, CDR of Expedition Three, said in his address to staff members at NASA Headquarters today, the three top priorities for any ISS crew, and of critical importance to living and working on board the station, are (1) time management, (2) stowage management, and (3) space/ground communications. flow.
Today’s target areas for the U.S. CEO (crew earth observations) program were Angolan Biomass Burning (clear, dry conditions should have permitted documentation of burning of Angolan agricultural lands. Broad context views [NE, left of track[ as ISS approached the coast are needed, in addition to shots of individual fires [point sources of smoke]. Of interest: recording the edges of any smoke plumes/masses), Industrialized Southeastern Africa (the source area for much South African smog lies immediately left of track — Johannesburg and the Vaal River valley industrial complex. ISS track also crossed the urban center of Durban on the Indian Ocean coast. Crew was advised to watch for smog movement SE-ward over the sea, as well as for local concentrations. Just past where the Vaal leaves the higher, greener country is the circular Vredefort meteor impact structure), Tuamotu Archipelago (the NW-aligned cluster of atolls of the northern Tuamotus lie along track. Detailed nadir views of these coral-rimmed islands are needed to aid in international reef mapping efforts. Details of the interior lagoons are particularly needed), American Samoa (the islands and shoals of American Samoa are seldom photographed and detailed mapping views are needed. Crew had a rare opportunity to record the small islets that lie just SE of larger Sava’i and Upolu islands).
U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 2:40 pm EST today):
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
- Elektron O2 generator is On (24 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) — 763, temperature (deg C) — 27.4, ppO2 (mmHg) — 159.9, ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.6.
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 767, temperature (deg C) — 20.5; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756, temperature (deg C) — 22.0; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 755.98, temperature (deg C) — 22.6 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 758.35, temperature (deg C) — 24.9, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 758.15, temperature (deg C) — 21.6; shell heater temp (deg C) — 21.3, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.2.
- PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 18.5.
(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 Autotrack mode (for photo survey).
- SM batteries: #4 is in cycle mode; all other batteries (7) in “partial charge” mode.
- FGB battery #6 is offline, in capacity restoration mode (ROM), #3 is in “cycle” mode; all other batteries (4) 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, 7:52 am EST):
- Mean altitude — 392.6 km
- Apogee — 395.1 km
- Perigee — 390.2 km
- Period — 92.4 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0003643
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
- Altitude decrease — 360 m (mean) in last 24 hours
- Solar Beta Angle: +35.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 19036
- Current Flight Attitude — XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: ~180 deg, pitch: 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
