ISS On-Orbit Status 23 Apr 2002

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.

Another relatively light day, with emphasis on science payloads and
preparation for the visiting crew, due in four days.

The new GPS (global positioning satellite) system hardware has
checked out well.  Overall, the state vectors (position and
velocity data) received from GPS 1 and 2 this past week have been
excellent.  All three state vector sources are available.
 Attitude data are currently provided by the Russian star
mapper, and attitude rates (angular rotations around body axes) by
the Russian GIVUS system, while the checkout of U.S. attitude, rate,
and state vector data is continuing. Except during major maneuvers,
the U.S. attitude and rate solutions are fine, although currently
inhibited for selection.

CDR Yuri Onufrienko completed today’s monitoring of the ZCG (Zeolite
crystal growth) experiment.  The ground reminded him to take
great care in avoiding disturbances since a large disturbance could
cause the ARIS rack to bump its snubbers resulting in ARIS
transitioning to the No-Go state.

FE-2 Dan Bursch completed today’s scheduled harvesting of BPS
(biomass production system) plants in PGC3 (plant growth chamber #3),
without having to video record harvest activity, to save time.
 He later recorded his evaluation of the harvesting technique
used, which has been updated to minimize the time the HCS (humidity
control system) is exposed to dry cabin air.

The crew reviewed the timeline for the upcoming visit by the visiting
crew (VC) CDR Yuri Gidzenko, FE-1 Roberto Vittori, and SFP (space
flight participant) Mark Shuttleworth, who will bring the fresh Soyuz
crew return vehicle.  [During their stay, a packed science
experiment program sponsored by Italy and the Republic of South
Africa will be conducted.  It includes four experiments in the
Italian "Marco Polo" program, five experiments in the Mark
Shuttleworth program (South Africa), and two Russian experiments.
 Marco Polo consists of CHIRO (study the effects of
microgravity on the muscle contraction mechanism and the performance
of astronaut upper extremities during space flight), ALTEINO
(study the effects of heavy charged particles [HCP] and
phosphenes [light flashes] on the central nervous system [brain
functions] and the ability of astronauts to function), BMI Blood
Pressure Measurement Device (demonstrate the functionality of a
blood pressure measurement device under space flight conditions, for
the purpose of studying prospects for its further use), VEST
(study of the effect of a new clothing design on astronaut comfort
levels). South African experiments are SPC (study of
crystallization of soluble proteins), ESCD (study of the
development of embryo and stem cells in microgravity; the experiment
will start during the Soyuz free flight phase), CCE (study of
the effects of microgravity on autonomous cardiovascular activity and
skeletal muscles), PLANKTON LENS-M and PLANKTON LENS-S
(study of bioproductivity of the ocean in the continental shelf and
continental slope regions of Africa), Education (video
recording of the effects of weightlessness and scenes illustrating
life and work in weightlessness).  The Russian experiments are
PLASMA CRYSTAL (obtain ordered structures from charged dust
particles in a high-frequency plasma discharge), and MBI 7 —
Biotest-1 (assessment of biochemical status in weightlessness for
the purpose of adapting the metabolism to long-duration space flight
conditions).]

Onufrienko was advised to retrieve all VC experiment gear from
the Progress 7P
tomorrow, place it in the Russian segment (RS) as required, update
the IMS (inventory management system) accordingly and ensure
accessibility to the payloads and related sites for the two
"paying guest" cosmonauts Shuttleworth and Vittori.

At 9:30 am EDT, all crewmembers participated in a live televised PAO
media event for CBS Radio (Peter King and Bill Harwood) from KSC, via
Ku-band.  The interview went very well, as usual.

FE-1 Carl Walz performed the routine daily maintenance of the SOSH
life support system in the SM, prepared today’s IMS delta file and
completed his portion of the weekly TVIS (treadmill) maintenance.
 FE-2 Dan Bursch did the other part during his own exercise.

Today’s target areas for the Russian Uragan earth viewing program
were Caucasus mountain passes, oil pipelines in the
Budennovsk-Neftekumsk area, S. Siberian river valleys, Sardinia and
central Italy, Kharkov, vicinity of Ilek Town, and the Ural
Mountains.

The Diatomeya ocean bioproductivity experiment today focused on
coastal upwellings and bloom in the area of N. Atlantic current
branching.

Target areas for the U.S. CEO (crew earth observation) program were
E. Mediterranean Dust/Smog (a frontal system has moved out
of eastern Europe affording a chance to document any smog
accumulations in the Danube basin NE of the Carpathian Mts. From the
area of Bucharest, in the valley between the Transylvanian and Balkan
ranges, the ISS track paralleled the isthmus between the Black Sea
and Sea of Marmara. Looking left of track, crew was to document
urban-industrial aerosols around Istanbul and the Bosporus. Smog
transport over the Sea of Marmara and into the Aegean is of
interest), W. Mediterranean Dust/Smog (as the ISS left
the Bay of Biscay the crew passed over the Aquitaine Basin of S.
France, following the northern front of the Pyrenees. Any industrial
aerosol accumulations along the Pyrenees front at the S. edge of the
basin should be noted. Marseilles and the wetlands of the Rhone River
delta were just left of track. Clouds were likely blanketing Sardinia
and Sicily), Salton Sea Drying (Dynamic Event: Water
rights conflicts between California and Mexico have continued for
decades. New agreements call for cessation of pumping water into the
Salton Sea agricultural complex, in order that Mexico can receive its
legal allotment. Water level changes in the Sea should become visible
as summer approaches. ISS photos will serve as baseline data for
change in this politically volatile area. Subnormal precipitation
over the desert Southwest has raised concerns as well. As the crew
traversed the high, dry Colorado Plateau, it was to photograph any
remaining snow, as well as stream and lake levels), Gulf of
St. Lawrence (the track followed the length of the St.
Lawrence Seaway, from E. Lake Erie into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Of
interest: recording any remaining scraps and patches of ice in the
bays, particularly along the southern shore of the estuary and around
Anticosti Island. The northern shore of Newfoundland is another
likely place to record ice remnants), Canadian Rocky
Mountains (the long, narrow Rocky Mt. trench and the high
country west of Calgary should have been clear, permitting the crew
to document snowpack and glaciers in this segment of the Rockies. The
city of Calgary was on track).