ISS On-Orbit Status 26 Mar 2003

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

The crew awoke to compliments for yesterday’s good work, especially the downlinked video discussing the use of Soyuz for crew return and landing (to be used on NASA-TV on 5S landing day).

Before breakfast (1:40am EST), CDR Kenneth Bowersox started on the FOOT (foot/ground reaction forces during space flight) experiment, performing basic calibration exercises with video (VTR initiated by ground command), before starting the day-long experiment.   [Wearing black Lycra biking tights with 20 electrodes and shoes fitted with insoles that measure impact forces on the bottom of the foot for the 12-hr session, Bowersox first performed electromyography calibration (EMG, electric muscle currents recording), then completed a typical on-orbit day while reaction forces against the ISS structure were recorded passively on 14 channels to determine how much stress his legs and feet endure.  This provides better understanding of the bone loss and muscle mass loss experienced by astronauts in zero-G (on Mir, for example, cosmonauts lost as much bone mass in a month as post-menopausal women do in a year).  The experiment is led by the biomedical engineering department at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.]

FE-1 Nikolai Budarin had more servicing work in the Russian segment (RS), starting with preventive maintenance in the FGB (funktsionalnyi-grusovoi blok) module for a thorough cleanup of the removable screens of its three GZhT gas-liquid heat exchangers (done last by Bowersox on 2/25).

Budarin then worked in the transfer tunnel (PrK) of the Service Module (SM) and the Progress cargo module (GrO) to prepare for tomorrow’s task of making hard-wire connections between the Progress’ Kurs-A antenna (AKR-VKA) and the SM’s Kurs-P system.  [This internal test set-up is used for checking out the Kurs-P radio system via hard-wire instead radio frequency linkage.  Kurs-P (passive) will be needed for the upcoming docking of Soyuz 6S, and Kurs-A (active) in Progress 11P will be removed prior to the cargo ship’s undocking and deorbit.]

Afterwards, Budarin performed IFM (in-flight maintenance) in the SM, locating suitable cabling and connecting the U.S. food warmer (FW) as per nominal config layout.

As another inventory audit, in support of future onboard LAN (local area network) troubleshooting, Budarin was asked to make a list of all equipment plugged in to RS onboard power outlets (PBS), i.e., in SM, FGB and DC-1, with an identification of each item and its particular outlet.  The list was to be downlinked via Regul packet.

Nikolai also conducted his regular daily checkup of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment.

After yesterday’s R&R (removal & replacement) of the local temperature sensor commutator LKT4B2 TA251 in the SM, MCC-M/TsUP today ran a test of the LKT4B2 and its BITS2-12 onboard telemetry connection during Daily Orbit 14 (7:40-9:15am EST), with data-output-to-control-system mode (VD-SU) turned off.  [VD-SU exchanges data between BITS and the onboard computer system and is always turned off when BITS parts are replaced.  The testing also required the temporary power-down of the Elektron and the SKV air conditioner.]

TsUP, on Daily Orbit 2, also uplinked a software patch to the SM computer, correcting the new vers. 7.01 code to trigger the alarm signal for smoke if it is reported by two smoke detectors (SDs), rather than just by one.

FE-2/SO Don Pettit undertook the scheduled Week 17 water sampling for in-flight chemistry/microbiology analysis, using approved Russian sampling procedures with the U.S. WS&A (water sampler & archiver) for collection and the WMK (water microbiology kit) for processing within 6 hrs. of the collection.  [Samples were taken in the SM at the SRV-K cold port and from the EDV container of the SVO-ZV water supply system.]

At 6:00am, MCC-H commanded a calibration run of the onboard VOA (volatile organics analyzer) which usually lasts about 3.5 hours.  Air sample data were then taken by the VOA at about 9:30am.

Bowersox and Pettit started preparatory work for the Stage EVA2, scheduled for 4/8, starting with a checkout of EVA tools, particularly the all-important powered PGT (pistol grip tool), and proper tool configurations.

Joy among the EVA battery folks:  The EMU (extravehicular mobility unit) battery recharge on 3/24-25 went so well that the second set ofEMU batteries will not be subjected to the previously considered discharge/recharge cycle.  [A maintenance charging cycle on the first two EMU batteries,728J & 575J, is still required, later in the day.]

A planned tag-up by Bowersox with ground specialists to discuss safety and other inventory details of the yellow-tagged items was deferred.  [Yellow caution tags designate onboard equipment for which the safety certification process for USOS (U.S. segment) or RS has not been completed.]

Nikolai conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh life support system (including ASU toilet facilities), while Don prepared the daily IMS inventory delta file and Sox completed the regular payload status checkup in the Lab.

All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on RED (resistive exercise device), TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization), CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation), and VELO bike with load trainer. 

At 4:45am EST, amateur radio operator Don Pettit chatted with students of Higashi Kaneko Junior High School in Japan’s Iruma District.  A list of questions collected from the students had been uplinked beforehand.  Later, at 2:04pm, Pettit fielded a second ham radio session, this time with students at the primary school of Selnica-ob-Dravi (Selnica on the Drava) in the Republic of Slovenia.  [The school is over two hundred years old and today has 474 students.  The parish of Selnica lies 12 km west of Maribor, the second largest town in Slovenia (after its capital Ljubljana).]

Early preparations are underway for developing the carefully documented handover procedures for both segments between the current Expedition 6 crew and the two-man crew of Expedition 7, Edward Lu and Yuri Malenchenko.  [To be launched on Soyuz 6S on or about 4/26, Lu und Malenchenko were crewmates on STS-106/ISS-2A.2b in September 2000, the third ISS logistics/outfitting mission, during which they performed a successful 6-hr. EVA.  Malenchenko is a veteran Mir cosmonaut and “emergency-tested”.  As Mir Commander, in early September 1994 he accomplished manual TORU docking of the cargo ship Progress M-24 to the station, after several failed automatic docking attempts in August..  Malenchenko and Kazakhstan-cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev then performed two EVAs to inspect the (undamaged) space station where it had been struck by M-24 and by Soyuz TM-17 (after its undocking in January), as well as Mir’s “Safora” control mast.  In October ’94, Malenchenko had to cope with a serious power and attitude control failure of the station’s core module due to electric capacity overload.  They returned in November ’94, after 125 days, with visiting guest cosmonaut Ulf Merbold, whose launch on Soyuz T-20 would not have occurred without Malenchenko’s Progress/TORU docking.]

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, currently restricted by flight rule constraints limiting the use of the science window in the Lab, were Angolan Biomass Burning (with remarkably clear weather conditions over Angola and Namibia this pass, the crew was to look left of track for views of burns scars from previous seasons), and Nairobi, Kenya (even though good views of the Kenyan capital are not possible this pass, the crew was asked to look right of track for the small target of Mount Kilimanjaro and to try for as tight a view as possible of the small, retreating ice fields on this isolated volcanic peak).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 12:45pm EST).

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

• Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp).  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) — 745; temperature (deg C) — 27.2; ppO2 (mmHg) — 183.1 (suspect); ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.4 (data suspect).
• SM Transfer Compartment:  Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 20.9.
• FGB Cabin:  Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 23.0.
• Node:  Pressure (mmHg) — 739.44; temperature (deg C) — 23.4 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• U.S. Lab:  Pressure (mmHg) — 741.79; temperature (deg C) — 22.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):  Pressure (mmHg) — 741.89; temperature (deg C) — 21.5; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — 165.6; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.0.
• PMA-1:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.7
• PMA-2:  Shell heater temp (deg C) — 12.2

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS):

• Total propellant load available [SM(774) + FGB(2746) + Progress(474] — 3994 kg (8805 lb) as of 3/20/03.  (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Directed Position (278 deg & 82 deg) to minimize aerodynamic drag.
• SM batteries:  Battery #8 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
• FGB batteries:  Battery #2 is off line; 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): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.

Attitude Control Systems:

• 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
• State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
• Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
• Angular rate source — RGA-2

Flight Attitude:

• XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: -179.0 deg, pitch: -8.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management.
• Solar Beta Angle:  49.5 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 Lab PDGF 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, 6:49am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 390.0 km
• Apogee — 395.7 km
• Perigee — 384.4 km
• Period — 92.36 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) —  51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0008381
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
• Solar Beta Angle:  49.5 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 24810
• For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html