ISS On-Orbit Status 29 Apr 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Day 157 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch, 11/23/02 [155 days aboard ISS]). Today is Nikolai Budarin’s 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Kolya! S dnyem rozhdeniya!
Handovers continued between Expedition 6 and the newly arrived Expedition 7 crews.
CDR-7 Yuri Malenchenko conducted the Russian BTX-10 “Conjugation” experiment, which pursues development of new methods of engineering of new recombinant strains of protein producers. [The payload kit was destowed from the Kriogem-03 freezer, which then was switched to 22 degC temperature for the experiment. Malenchenko activated the run, taking imagery throughout the day and replacing the ice packs with new ones from the Biocont-T container. This will be done daily until 5/3 for return on 5S/Soyuz).
In the Orbital Module of the Soyuz TMA-2, which now has become the crew return vehicle (CRV), Malenchenko installed the LKT local temperature sensor commutator (TA251M1B) of the BITS onboard telemetry system and its ROM (read-only memory) unit (TA765B).
FE-1 Nikolai Budarin, observed closely by the new CDR, started regeneration for absorbent bed #1 of the BMP harmful impurities unit, leaving channel 2 in Purify mode. [The “bakeout” cycle in the filter beds is repeated every 20 days. Each bakeout to space vacuum takes about 24 hours.]
Budarin then deactivated the IK0501 gas analyzer (GA) in the Service Module (SM) and exchanged its BF carbon dioxide (CO2) filter assembly with a new unit. GA was reactivated and the spent BF stowed for disposal (replaced last: 3/18). [IK0501 is an automated system for measuring CO2, O2, and H2O in the air as well as the flow rate of the gas being analyzed.]
Budarin also worked on the Russian SRV-K2M condensate water processor, replacing the BRPK-1 air/condensate water separator with a new unit (replaced last: 3/14). The SRV-K2M was reactivated afterwards. [When the BRPK exceeds its service life or is malfunctioning, incomplete separation of the atmospheric condensate occurs and water accumulates under the “sheet” of porous hydrophilic fluoroplastic.]
CDR Ken Bowersox, closely observed by FE-7 Edward Lu, went through the periodic inspection of the PBAs (portable breathing apparatus) and PFEs (portable fire extinguishers). [For the PFE inspection, Sox used a new uplinked procedure which shortens monthly inspection to a gauge check without removing hardware from the locker. For the PBA, the old procedure is still used until the new one is approved.]
Meanwhile, Nikolai Budarin and Yuri Malenchenko downlinked a TV message of greeting to the Cosmonaut Office’s trauma specialist, Dr. Zoya Sergheyevna Mironova, who observed her 90th birthday today.
Budarin set up the equipment for the Russian MBI-2 Deuraz (“Diuresis”) experiment, to be conducted by him and Malenchenko tomorrow and Thursday. They also collected air samples in the SM for subsequent ammonia (NH3) level analysis using Draeger tube air samplers; this will be repeated the day after completion of the experiment. [Deuraz requires them tomorrow to record toilet use time in the morning, perform urine sample collections throughout the day, and log meal and fluid intake on a record card. Additional work, to be completed on Thursday, consists of collecting venous blood samples from Budarin and Malenchenko, followed by centrifugation to separate the blood into cells and plasma, and finally closeout and stowage.]
Bowersox and Lu later disassembled the Ku-band configuration of the TV link used for transmitting the Soyuz docking yesterday.
FE-2/SO Don Pettit and Ed Lu activated the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) for another test of the InSPACE experiment (Investigating the structure of paramagnetic aggregates from colloidal emulsions). Today’s InSPACE operations by Don and Ed were a continuation of testing with the CA005 (coil assembly #5) that contains 0.4 micron particles, including changing the frequency value of the electric field during the all-day monitoring and switching the video cassette. The MSG was later powered down. [InSPACE obtains basic data on magnetorheological fluids, i.e., a new class of “smart materials” that can be used to improve or develop new brake systems, seat suspensions robotics, clutches, airplane landing gear, and vibration damper systems.]
Malenchenko deactivated the ESA experiment Bio-10 (Intercellular Interaction) which evaluates the cytotoxicity of human blood lymphocyte with joint cultivation of gonocyte culture under microgravity conditions. The payload was then deinstalled from the MSG.
For the Russian Starmail payload activity, Budarin and Malenchenko conducted a photo survey of the Starmail kit. [Starmail deals with photography of CDR Malenchenko and Earth surface views, to be downlinked via Regul-Paket (i.e., e-mailed).]
Pettit was scheduled to activate the repaired ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer, the culmination of his “fantastic troubleshooting efforts” (ground team).
The EarthKAM payload was activated yesterday and is running well. Over the next 24 hours alone, 1500 pictures will be snapped. “The school kids are in awe and amazed at the view you have from up there. It is an inspiration for them.” [EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) is using an ESC 460C electronic still camera mounted at the Lab’s down-facing window, equipped with a 50mm lens (f1.4). Powered by 16Vdc from a 120 Vdc adapter, EarthKAM takes pictures by remote operation from the ground, without crew interaction. It is available for Middle School-ers, who submit image requests and conduct geographic research. The requests are uplinked in a camera control file to an SSC (station support computer) laptop which then activates the camera at specified times and receives the digital images from the camera’s storage card on its hard drive, for subsequent downlink via OPS LAN.]
Bowersox completed the daily routine task of SOZh life support systems maintenance, while Pettit prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system) “delta” file for updating the IMS database.
Nikolai conducted his daily checkup of the BIO-5 “Rasteniya-2/Lada-2” zero-G plant growth experiment.
At 11:30am EDT, both crews participated jointly in a televised interactive downlink from the SM with U.S. media at NASA centers (11 minutes) and Russian media at TsUP (6 min.).
All crewmembers worked out on the RED resistive trainer, CEVIS cycle ergometer and TVIS treadmill, completing their daily physical exercise program.
Crew day/night is back to a nominal cycle of 2:00am EDT rise and 5:30pm sleep begin.
Current ISS flight attitude is LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9.4 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management. Solar Beta angle: -25.0 deg (magnitude decreasing). Orbit decay: ~120 m per day.
Upcoming Crew Rotation Events (all next Saturday, 5/3):
- Exp. 6/Exp. 7 Change of Command Ceremony — 2:11pm EDT
- Farewells & Hatch closing — 3:32pm EDT
- Soyuz TMA-1/5S undocking (Exp. 6) — 6:40pm EDT (2:40am Moscow, 1:40am DMT (TsUP), on 5/4);
- Soyuz TMA-1/5S landing — 10:03pm EDT (6:03am Moscow; 5:03am DMT; 8:03am Kazakhstan, on 5/4).
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including cities during daylight and at night (again available as targets in the current LVLH attitude) were Lahore, Pakistan (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera], Singapore (nadir pass; ESC. Looking right for the lights of this island state. No thunderstorms, only small cumulus forecast), Jakarta, Indonesia (nadir pass over this large coastal capital city. ESC. No thunderstorms, only small cumulus forecast), Rome, Italy (looking right to get the whole city region in one view. Rome can be hard to see: looking inland from the coast 20 miles), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (the high pressure system parked over Europe is allowing smog to build up in the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. There may have even been aerosols in the eastern Mediterranean near Lebanon/Israel), Athens, Greece (looking a touch left. ESC), Alexandria, Egypt (nadir pass; ESC), Cairo, Egypt (nadir pass; ESC. Pass continued down the Red Sea and over the Horn of Africa), Western Mediterranean Smog (the high pressure system parked over Europe is preventing the storm system over Spain from moving east: dust plumes should therefore have been visible over the Algerian coast), Southern Chad wetlands (Dynamic event. Sun glint opportunity to map enigmatic drainage patterns in a very large swampland. Looking right for a mapping series of shots), Lagos, Nigeria (nadir and a touch right; ESC), Navassa Island, Caribbean (crew was asked to document coral reefs around this island), Mexico City, Mexico (nadir pass; ESC), Puebla, Mexico (nadir pass; ESC), Lima, Peru (nadir pass; ESC), and Mexico City & Puebla, Mexico (looking left for Mexico City and right for Puebla).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
