ISS On-Orbit Status 25 Feb 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Space Day 94 for Expedition 6. “It’s amazing how good I feel inside this suit. I could live in here!” (CDR Ken Bowersox during EVA/EMU DTO, 2/24/03)
Very busy days are back again for the crew. All three started off, before breakfast, by completing the periodic Russian medical experiment protocols of calf volume measurement (PZhE MO-7) and body mass measurement (PZhE MO-8). FE-1 Nikolai Budarin set up the MO-8 “scales” equipment and later broke it down and stowed it away.
Ken Bowersox performed periodic preventive maintenance in the DC-1 docking compartment, cleaning the V1 and V2 fan mesh screens, then the VD1 and VD2 air ducts of its ventilation system.
Later, Bowersox moved to the FGB (funktsionalnyi-grusovoi blok) module for a thorough cleanup of the removable screens of its three GZhT gas-liquid heat exchangers.
Nikolai Budarin meanwhile performed another substantial IFM (in-flight maintenance) when he changed out of one of the 800A batteries in the FGB. A new storage unit replaced the failed battery #1,- a 1.5-hr task. The old 800A will be discarded on Progress. This restores all six FGB batteries to service.
Later, Budarin cleared a stowage area in the FGB, in preparation for another IFM. After lunch (7:40am EST), he removed a M34-03-B electronics block of the SUD motion control system, no longer required, then took digital photographs of the exposed area for later downlink via OCA. [The images are required to help establish the configuration of containers under development for installation in these areas.]
Bowersox set up and activated the IV-CPDS (intravehicular charged particle directional spectrometer), subsequently taking cabin radiation readings with the instrument.
As part of the ongoing MSG (microgravity science glovebox) troubleshooting, the ground started a test of the glovebox facility, assisted by FE-2/SO Don Pettit, by activating it in Standby mode. [Purpose of the test, running for an extended period of time, was to determine if a 12V circuit breaker in the new PDC (power distribution controller) tripped in this mode (it did not). Meanwhile, payload health was being ground-monitored during available Ku-band comm periods. The results of the test will help MSG personnel in choosing a path to continue with troubleshooting efforts, viz.: if no trip occurred, next steps would be to rotate the rack, unplug connectors from its back to run the MSG in lowest-level configuration, then reinstall connectors one at a time until the failure re-occurs, thus isolating the trouble spot. It is still hoped that the MSG can be recovered in the current increment.]
CDR Bowersox held a telecon with ground specialists to discuss the on-board consumables situation. [A detailed consumables analysis has been completed, and cargo/upmass manifests have been developed for 6S/Soyuz TMA-2 and 11P/Progress M1-10. Results indicate that current on-orbit supplies plus 6S and 11P upmass will get a two-men crew to 7S/Soyuz TMA-3 (late this year). More work needs to be done for the difficult stage to get from 7S to 8S. Major mass drivers are water, food, and spare parts, leaving little room for anything else (e.g., US-allocation on 6S: 10 kg). Detailed stringent conservation proposals are being discussed with the crew in the specific areas of water, paper, batteries, film/videocassettes, clothing, housekeeping (gray tape, etc.), and food.]
Two ppCO2 (CO2 partial pressure) readings were again taken by FE-2/SO Don Pettit with the CDMK (CO2 monitoring kit), one in the morning, the other in the evening. ppCO2 in the Lab this morning was 3.5 mmHg, and the difference between levels in Lab and Service Module (SM) is now only 0.3 mmHg (measured with CDMK), after the recent IMV (intermodular ventilation) cleanup.
Vozdukh continues to operate nominally in Manual mode. [MCC-Moscow wants to continue running Vozdukh in this mode (which tends to keep Lab ppCO2 down) until the failed second timer unit required for automatic cycle mode is replaced with the spare delivered by 10P.]
CDRA (CO2 removal assembly) in the Lab is deactivated. [Its recent failure of a stuck-open check valve is suspected to have been caused by a small amount of the adsorbent bed material (Zeolite) migrating in the system due to a known design problem. Expectations are that the contamination has cleared up during the recent single-bed operation by blowing downstream, and that CDRA should be able to run in dual-bed mode again at the next startup.]
Don Pettit completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOSh life support system and later prepared the IMS inventory delta file for downlink. [Current IMS records indicate that out of 841 total items of cargo delivered by Progress 10P, has been accounted for as transferred. The remaining remains to be done. The crew was requested to go ahead and free up all containers and areas in the Progress interior.]
All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise. After his run, Sox performed the weekly TVIS (treadmill) maintenance.
At 10:35am EST, the crew participated in an outstanding 20-min. live educational audio/video PAO event with students at the Oregon Museum of Science. The crew, floating in the cabin, responded to questions on life and work in the station asked by the students.
Rev. 3 software upgrading in the U.S. segment is complete, and all MDMs for C&C (command & control), GNC (guidance, navigation & control), INT (interior systems) and PCS (portable computer system) have been loaded. Loading of the Canadian MSS (mobile service system) computer files will follow later this week. [When it was discovered that the new INT MDM software stopped the INT from sending commands downstream to the Lab MDM while the CDRA is off, an inhibit was inserted to re-enable INT downstream commanding. The new INT software also had to be inhibited from cycling the secondary string of Airlock heaters along with primary string cycling. Under study.]
During yesterday’s no-IV suit demo, Bowersox and Pettit were able to perform all activities, and the test was judged highly successful. [One intermittent hardware anomaly occurred when the signal conditioner of one of the EMUs (EV1) caused a telemetry data drop-out for the first 20 minutes (under investigation). In doffing the HUT (hard upper torso) portion of the EMU entirely on their own, only one crewmember encountered difficulties, due to a tight fit. The other crewmember had a looser fit and experienced no problems. Budarin did a great job taking video of the activities.]
Planning for a possible EVA by Expedition 6 continues, now tentatively scheduled for March 20. Its purpose would be to do all tasks that, as far as foreseeable, could necessitate a spacewalk during two-crewmember station occupancy.
MCC-M/TsUP has cancelled propellant transfer operations from 10P/Progress M-47 originally scheduled for tomorrow, in view of the upcoming RCS (reaction control system) testing to isolate the thruster underspeed failure during the 2/11 reboost. [1.1 m/sec of the 1.8 m/sec delta-V deficit has been explained as due to operator error. The remaining 0.7 m/sec variance is still unaccounted for. Two dynamic tests of the Progress thrusters, one for each four-jet manifold, are planned for 3/12 and 3/14, each one “like a small reboost” (delta-V ~1 m/sec).]
Today’s targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were Yellow River Delta (while smog may have been present, the crew otherwise had an excellent view this pass of this active delta system under winter, low discharge conditions. Looking left of track towards the coast to the northeast), Ganges River Delta (fine weather and good lighting conditions combined with a pass over the western corner of this target area to offer good views of this large complex delta system. Looking left of track for oblique views), Singapore (although the city may not have been visible this pass, the crew was to look right of track towards the big island of Sumatra where this year’s fire season has gotten an early start, trying to spot smoke plumes and point sources), Eastern Mediterranean Smog (this descending pass offered multiple opportunities to document smog over the Po Valley, the Adriatic basin, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Aegean Sea. Trying for oblique and limb views to the left of track), and Western Mediterranean Dust (looking left of track along the Algerian and Tunisian coast for northward moving dust plumes).
CEO images can be viewed at the website
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:45pm EST).
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
- Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 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) — 753; temperature (deg C) — 26.9; ppO2 (mmHg) — 183.1; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.2 (suspect).
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 20.5.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 21.0.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 743.25; temperature (deg C) — 24.3 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — 167.3; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.0.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 745.22; temperature (deg C) — 21.8; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 745.32; temperature (deg C) — 22.1; shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.5
- PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 12.2
(n/a = data not available)
(* = sample location currently unavailable until completion of R3 s/w upload on 2/20)
Propulsion System (PS):
- Total propellant load available [SM(811) + FGB(2777) + Progress(576)] — 4164 kg (9180 lb) as of 2/14/03. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).
Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
- Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and 4B both in auto track (sun following) mode.
- SM batteries: Battery #4 is in “Cycle” mode (freshly installed); all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
- FGB batteries: Battery #1 is off line (replaced today); all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
- Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode.
Command & Data Handling Systems:
- C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
- GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 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): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is out of the set (as of 11/14/02).
- SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
Attitude Source:
- 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
- State vector — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Attitude — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Angular rates — U.S. RGA-1
Flight Attitude:
- XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 0 deg, pitch: -8.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/Thruster Assist Momentum Management).
- Solar Beta Angle: -51.8 deg (magnitude decreasing).
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).
- HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.
Robotics:
- SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF2 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, 7:17am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 391.2 km
Apogee — 399.4 km
Perigee — 383.0 km
Period — 92.38 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0012122
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 70 m
Solar Beta Angle — -51.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 24358
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
