ISS On-Orbit Status 24 Apr 2002

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.   Day 538 of continuous station
occupancy.

Before breakfast, all crewmembers underwent the periodic Russian
medical tests PZE MO-9 (Urinalysis) and PZE MO-10 (Hematocrit).
 [MO-9 is performed with a sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic
apparatus called “Urilux” (developed by Boehringer/Mannheim in
Germany for the Mir program), using a urinary dipstick to measure
specific gravity, nitrates, protein, glucose, ketones, urobilinogen,
bilirubin, and red and white blood cell counts.  If not used for
more than seven days, the device is first calibrated with prepared
calibration strips and then receives the measuring strips with the
subjectâs urine samples for automatic (photometric) analysis. LEDs
indicate immediately if the data are within (green) or outside (red)
the physiological norm, and they are also printed on a tape for
report to MCC-M.  If the unit should fail, test parameters can
also be visually evaluated with a color-coded scale.  MO-10
analyzes blood samples for their hematocrit value (percentile ratio
of volume of red blood cells to volume of whole blood; normal range:
30-45% — spaceflight decreases it).  This test is performed
every 60 days.]

Later, the crew also completed MedOps test PZE MO-1, the Russian
ECG-like study of cardiac bioelectric activity of the human heart at
rest.

Preparatory to more blood testing tomorrow, CDR Onufrienko unstowed
and set up the Russian blood chemistry apparatus Reflotron IV, which
analyzes blood samples "pricked" from the subject’s finger
for a wide range of specific clinical parameters such as hemoglobin,
glucose, bilirubin, amylase, cholesterol, triglycerides and urea.

All crewmembers completed their regular (Wednesdays) group psychology
NTXN "Interactions" protocol, requiring filling out a mood,
group and journal questionnaire on the HRF (human research facility)
laptop and saved automatically on the hard drive for the latter’s
return to the ground.

Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch also completed their U.S. PHS (periodic
health status) evaluation, taking turns to assist the other as CMO
(crew medical officer).  These tests are guided by software and
are done once every 30 days by each crewmember, also two weeks before
landing or as clinically indicated.

FE-2 Dan Bursch performed atmosphere sample collection with the GSC
(grab sampler container) and SSAS (solid sorbent air sampler). He
also deployed the FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit) badges, which
collect atmospheric formaldehyde in selected areas and/or on a
crewmember over a 24-hour period.

Later in the day, FE-1 Carl Walz was scheduled to activate the
IV-CPDS (intravehicular charged particle directional spectrometer),
which measures the flux of trapped, secondary, and galactic cosmic
rays as a function of time, charge, energy, and direction inside the
ISS and throughout the solar cycle.

CDR Onufrienko worked on the IK0501 gas analyzer in the SM, today
correcting/calibrating the oxygen (O2) channel and tagging up with a
Russian SOSH life support system specialist on the ground.

Dan Bursch completed today’s BPS (biomass production system) activity
by cross pollinating individual Brassica plants in PGC4 (plant growth
chamber #4) with flowers at the correct stage. He also was to
videotape the operation. New procedures were uplinked to ensure that
the HCS (humidity control system) remains wet during the pollination
operation. [The experiment uses a special dwarf stock of
rapid-cycling Brassica rapa (also called Wisconsin Fast Plants) bred
to have a 35- to 40-day life cycle so they could be used to teach
biology in the classroom.]

The ZCG (Zeolite crystal growth) furnace continues to run, and
Onufrienko is monitoring its operation from time to time.  The
ground has compressed the monitor activity and is in the process of
including it in the regular daily payload status check.  The
monitoring mainly consists of looking for alert lights or error
messages.

FE-1 Carl Walz downloaded the data collected at the EVARM (EVA
radiation monitoring) reader to the HRF laptop, for subsequent
downlinking to the ground. He then deactivated the equipment and
stowed it.

Soyuz TM-34 (#208)/4S is scheduled to launch tomorrow morning at
2:26 am EDT from Baikonur, carrying CDR Yuri Gidzenko, FE-1
Roberto Vittori and SFP Mark Shuttleworth.  On 4/26 (Friday) at
11:05 pm EDT, ISS attitude control will be handed over to the Russian
motion control system (MCS), and at 12:39 am Saturday morning, the
FGB’s KURS-P system will be activated (SM KURS-P follows at 12:07
am).  Automated rendezvous begins at 1:27am, and ISS will
maneuver to docking attitude at 1:32 am. Docking at the FGB nadir
port is scheduled at 3:57 am EDT on 4/27, six minutes after orbital
noon. The Soyuz spacecraft will replace the current Soyuz TM-33 as
crew return vehicle.  TM-33, currently at the DC-1 (since 4/20),
was launched on 10/21/01 and will have spent 196 days in space at the
time of separation on 5/5.

Yuri Onufrienko set up and prepared the workstations for the visiting
crew (VC3) and tagged up with a ground specialist at MCC-M on the
subject.

For the station’s SSC (space station computer) email system, Walz set
up IP addresses for the VC3 SFP arriving on Soyuz 4S. A procedure had
been uplinked for Carl to configure an account for SFP Shuttleworth
to receive his email, by logging in as "Vladimir" on any
SSC laptop (previously used by Vladimir Dezhurov).  For storing
his ECS camera images, Shuttleworth will use a micro drive delivered
on 8A for plugging in his laptop.  To send the images down
through the regular OCA (Orbiter communications adapter), Bursch or
Walz will transfer the files to their system on the
"visitor" folder and then send them down via OCA.

No extra food rations have been delivered for the VC3 crew. Instead,
MCC-M has specified Russian and US food rations to be made available
to them, i.e., containers with full assortment of food products not
used by the Expedition 3 and Expedition 4 crews (as long as they have
not gone past their expiration date).

As first part of a periodic IMS (inventory management system) audit
of Russian segment equipment, CDR Onufrienko today checked
availability and location of unused Draeger tube air samplers (IPD)
delivered on 1S, 2S, 2P, 3P, and 4P.  Inventory update of wipes
and towels (for deorbit/disposal) is scheduled for 4/29, and roundup
of accumulated Orlan gloves will follow on 4/30.

A major R&R (removal and replacement) operation is being planned
for the near future for the U.S. MCA MSA (major constituent
analyzer/mass spectrometer assembly) and VGA (verification gas
assembly) in the Lab’s AR (atmosphere revitalization) rack. The
systems will be returned to ground on UF-2 for refurbishment. A spare
VGA is already on orbit, and a new MSA will arrive on UF-2. Both
systems will be installed during the UF-2 stage.

Routine systems tasks completed today were SOSH life support system
inspection (Carl), IMS delta file preparation (Carl), Lab payload
status checks (Dan), and BRPK-1 water condensate separator inspection
(Yuri).

All crewmembers performed their regular physical exercise.

The CEO (crew earth observations) program today focused on Nile
River Delta (Alexandria was left of track as ISS gained the
coast of Egypt, and followed the edge of the delta over Cairo and the
pyramids. Detailed photos are needed of new irrigated agriculture
beyond the natural margin of the delta. As Nile waters are impounded
in Lake Nasser and diverted into new lakes in the western desert,
less reaches the intensively farmed northern delta; salt-water
encroachment is occurring and ground water salinities are increasing.
Crew was to watch for browning vegetation around the delta fringe and
document salt-evaporation works around Alexandria),
Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (as ISS traveled NE along the
border between Turkey and Syria, attitude should have been favorable
for shooting both left and right of track. New dams and reservoirs
are being built both in the highland headwater regions of the
Euphrates and the Tigris, as well as on the plains of Mesopotamia. Of
interest: to continue to document construction activities, new water
bodies, and irrigated agriculture in this region),
Nicaragua-Cuba-Bahamas Fires (Dynamic Event:  Crew to
look left as ISS approached the Costa Rican coast — wildfires are
raging in SW Nicaragua and Honduras. Of interest: Photography of
point sources of smoke, if possible, as well as smoke palls.
Continuing NE, crew to look left down the spine of Cuba and record
additional burning there. Depending upon surface winds, they may have
seen smoke from fires on Great Abaco, Bahamas, farther off to the
left), Eastern United States (from the SW end of the
Appalachians near Birmingham, crew was to look directly up-track to
record any smoke/haze along the Appalachian-Coastal Plain boundary.
They passed pass directly over Washington, D.C., Baltimore and
Annapolis, and New York City. Of interest: documenting urban aerosols
from the Chesapeake Bay northward), W. Mediterranean
Dust/Smog (weather is clear over France  crew to watch
for urban-industrial haze in the Rhone valley as ISS approached
Marseilles and the Rhone delta. Crew was to look for local
accumulations in the valleys as you cross the western Alps. Florence
was on track and the island of Elba jus to the right. From the French
Riviera onward, crew to look left toward the Po/Adriatic depression
and document smog there), E. Mediterranean Dust/Smog
(continuing down the boot of Italy, over the Peloponnesus and
across Crete, the crew had an opportunity to record aerosol movement
from the Po industrial complex SE-ward over the Mediterranean.
Detailed views of smog in local valleys and around low-lying towns
are needed, in addition to more regional views of smog
blankets).

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 2:38 pm EDT
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 Off.  BMP Harmful Impurities
unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

Node:  Pressure (mmHg) — n/a, temperature (deg C) —
22.0 (shell);
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):  Pressure (mmHg) — n/a,
temperature (deg C) — n/a; shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.7.
PMA-1:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 21.8
PMA-2:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 17.7
[Other data not available]

(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.
SM batteries: Battery #8 is cycling; all others (7) are in
"partial charge" mode.
FGB: Battery #1 is offline; 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 On. SKV-2 is Off.

Command & Data Handling Systems:
C&C-3 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-1
is in standby.
GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup.
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) continues to be
non-operational.

Robotics:
SSRMS/Canadarm2 at Progress viewing position, with Keep Alive
power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations) are Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:29 am EDT):
Mean altitude — 393.6 km
Apogee — 398.0 km
Perigee — 389.2 km
Period — 92.4 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0006485
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
Altitude decrease  220 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Solar Beta Angle:  -33 deg (magnitude increasing)
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 19566
Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal =
“earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector
[yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -7 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