ISS On-Orbit Status 27 Mar 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
CDR Yuri Onufrienko and FE-1 Carl Walz continued unloading the Progress 7P cargo ship, using the IMS (inventory management system) to check off and keep track of the new items being added to the ISS inventory.
After Onufrienko had made all necessary electronic connections between SM and Progress yesterday, MCC-Moscow today conducted a remote checkout of the Progress reaction control thrusters on both jet manifolds (prime and backup). For this purpose, ISS attitude control was handed over to the RS (RussianÊ segment) at 8:15 am EST. Four thruster pulses were then fired at various times, maneuvering the ISS to specific attitudes in the XPOP reference frame. After about 3.5 hours (11:55 am), attitude control was returned to the U.S. MCS/CMGs (motion control system/control moment gyroscopes).
Earlier in the morning (3:25 am) Onufrienko, assisted by FE-2 Dan Bursch, performed a correction of the SM’s BINS strap-down inertial guidance system in support of the propulsive testing. [For the update/correction of the BINS, the crewmembers used the VP-2 and PUMA optical viewfinder devices at SM window #6 during eclipse (Earth shadow, 3:37-4:04 am), sighting on the two stars Alpha Ursa Major and Alpha Canis Venatici for navigation reference, with Epsilon Ursa Major and Beta Ursa Major as backup pair. The star coordinates were input in the RS laptop, and the BINS correction then executed from the PUMA software.]
The crew completed a study/review of the major tasks for the upcoming MSS (mobile servicer system) robotics activities, followed by a crew ground conference on the primary steps to be taken in the days ahead prior to 8A. Later in the day, Walz and Bursch went through the DOUG (dynamic operations ubiquitous graphics) systems. The latest DOUG target files from Astronaut Ellen Ochoa (SSRMS operator during 8A) are to be uplinked by next Tuesday (4/2). MCC-H today also uplinks (1) a patch to OCS (operations & control software) to fix the RWS (robotics workstation) hang-up problem encountered when trying to remove brakes on the Prime string, requiring reboot of arm and RWS every time, (2) a patch to fix a Resolver-to-Digital-Converter nuisance alarm, and (3) the last set of RECON data for 8A, which eliminates the need to use snapshot from Lab Approach to Pre-install during the S0 dry run.Ê
The S0 dry run, planned for tomorrow, will be performed on the Redundant SSRMS string so that the ground can monitor the Prime string during these ops. Checkouts are scheduled for Friday, 3/29, and the new 6DOF patch software should be on board on 3/31.Ê
Onufrienko and Bursch completed tear-down of the temporary routing arrangement set up for transmitting Russian video signals via U.S. Ku-band downlink during the Progress 7P docking.
Carl Walz monitored the ground-commanded power-up of the HRF (human research facility) rack, needed today for downlinking of H-Reflex, PuFF, and EVARM data collected over the past few weeks. HRF was then deactivated again.
Payload operators at POC also reset the PCG-STES007 (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System #7) back to its original 22C temperature setpoint, due to higher BTR (biotechnology refrigerator) inlet temperatures seen on the ground. It is believed that the additional heat generated by the STES unit has been affecting the BTR temperature. The ground is looking into this and will soon have additional words for the crew.
Early in the morning, Dan set up CHeCS (crew health care systems) photo/TV (P/TV) equipment for monitoring crew activities during the day. After about nine hours of operation, CheCS P/TV was disassembled and stowed.
Bursch also deployed the sampling badges (monitors) of the FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit) in the Lab and SM for a 24-hour period as a periodic check on atmospheric contamination. Walz earlier had set up two SSAS (solid sorbent air sampler) units in the Lab and SM to collect samples. He took two digital photos of the units to document where the samples are collected in relation to the module and the surroundings.
In the DC-1 docking compartment, CDR Onufrienko today checked out AZS circuit breakers and electrical fuses on the power switch panel (BVP) and fuse panels (BPP-30 & -36). This is a regular monthly task to ensure that all circuit breakers are in the ON position and no fuses are blown.
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Other tasks performed today were prepacking of 8A return items and UF-1 payload status checks by Bursch, weekly maintenance of the TVIS treadmill by Walz, and SOSH life support systems maintenance and IMS delta file preparation by Onufrienko.
At 12:44 pm EST, the crew conducted a live interactive educational TV event with Bath Elementary School in Bath, North Carolina. The exchange between the crew and the kids, who had presubmitted their list of questions, was attended by the Mayor of Bath and the Superintendent of Schools.
During yesterday’s software update of the GNC MDMs (guidance, navigation and control computers), the first attempt to reinitialize GNC MDM-1 (the new backup) failed. All pertinent data from the MDM were captured via dump, then MCC-H tried MDM reinitialization again, this time with success. The updates to both MDMs are now complete, and the system is in a nominal state with GNC-2 Primary, GNC-1 Backup. The ground is analyzing the downlinked data to find out why the first re-init failed.
Conjunctions: Object 27163 (debris of an Indian PSLV launcher) passed by the station this morning at 6:55 am at about 3 km separation. New object 22658 (a Delta 2 rocket body): tomorrow (3/28), time of closest approach (TCA) 3:44 pm EST. No issues at this time (with a predicted miss distance of about 10 km, a maneuver will most likely not be necessary).
Target areas for the CEO (crew earth observation) program today were Industrialized Southeastern Africa (a broad high-pressure system is parked over eastern South Africa, which should help to hold aerosols in the lower areas. Crew was asked to record any local concentrations of smog around the urban centers of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban which all lie along the ISS track, and also to watch for circulation of aerosol masses out over the southern ocean [SE]), North Patagonian Glaciers (atmospheric conditions are favorable for capturing the southern ice masses of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Clear conditions should hold for the west coast of Chile, all the way across the Andes. Of interest: focus on the large glaciers along the southern margin of the ice field), and South Patagonian Glaciers (this was an excellent pass for recording early autumn glacial extent in the southernmost Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Weather conditions looked favorable here, as well. Of particular interest: the less photographed southern glaciers, most of which end in large lakes along the eastern mountain front).
U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 2:00 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, bed #2 in Purify mode.
- SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 762, temperature (deg C) — 26.3, ppO2 (mmHg) — 157.6, ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.5.
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 767, temperature (deg C) — 21.0.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 768, temperature (deg C) — 23.0.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 755.98, temperature (deg C) — 23.6 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 758.25, temperature (deg C) — 24.9, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 758.05, temperature (deg C) — 22.0; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.1
- PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 13.2
(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 #2 offline (capacity restoration mode [ROM]); all other batteries (7) in “partial charge” mode.
- FGB battery #6 is offline (capacity restoration mode [ROM]); 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 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-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 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 Progress viewing position, with Keep Alive power on both strings.
- RWS (robotics workstations) are Off.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:12 am EST):
- Mean altitudInt 390.8 km
- Apogee — 393.3 km
- Perigee — 388.3 km
- Period — 92.4 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0003633
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
- Altitude decrease — 250 m (mean) in last 24 hours
- Solar Beta Angle: +54.0 deg (magnitude peaking)
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 19129
- Current Flight Attitude — XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: ~180 deg, pitch: -5 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
