ISS On-Orbit Status 5 Apr 2002

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

After yesterday’s scrub of the launch, the next attempt for STS-110/8A
is
now planned for Monday, 4/8, afternoon. This allows for complete
repair and retest of the GH2 (gaseous hydrogen) vent line on the launch
platform (by tomorrow afternoon) and topping off the spherical liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen storage tanks near the pad. The plan
calls for four additional launch attempts after Monday, with one
stand-down day in between for crew rest and cryo replenishment. Weather
forecasts for Monday and Tuesday look very favorable (90 percent chance
for Go).

Early this morning (1:15 am EST), Houston powered down the TCCS (trace
contaminant control subsystem) in the AR (air revitalization rack) so
that FE-1 Carl Walz could remove and replace the charcoal bed in its
CBA
(charcoal bed assembly) after the system had had several hours to cool
down sufficiently.

FE-2 Dan Bursch meanwhile completed a one-hour task of adjusting the
TeSS
(temporary sleep station) so that its structure does no longer
interfere
with SAMS (space acceleration measurement system) hardware in the Lab
overhead. [This procedure, which had been worked out
step-by-step on the ground, involved removal of various elements from
the
TeSS, such as a ventilation hood, bumpout, CCAA (common cabin air
assembly) flange and K-BAR capture mechanism, installation of four
standoff attachment brackets and reinstallation of the removed
items.]

CDR Yuri Onufrienko held a voice conference with MCC-Moscow to tag
up
on the current SM computer network configuration. [During the
recent installation of the “Relaksatsiya” experiment, ground
specialists were surprised to discover that their assumptions about the
current computer network setup has not kept up with onboard changes and
were “out of date”. The tag-up was to clarify questions
such as: what computers are currently connected, where are they and
their
power supplies physically located, and how are they connected
(end-to-end)?]

In a second telecon with TsUP, Onufrienko tagged up on IMS
(inventory
management system) questions. The ground wanted to know an
estimate
of Progress unloading work remaining, potential need for moving stowage
goods out of the DC-1 docking compartment before arrival of the next
Soyuz expedition, and current location and disposition of specific
“lost” items. Stowage inventorying/management continues
to represent one of the three major “headaches” of the space
station (the other two, according to CDR Frank Culbertson: time
management, and space/ground communications flow).

In support of NASA science operations during 8A, MCC-Moscow has agreed
to
create extra stowage space in the FGB for the PCG-EGN (protein crystal
growth-enhanced gaseous nitrogen) dewar which is a little larger than
one
standard CTB (cargo transfer bag). The crew was asked today to
select a totally quiescent environment in the FGB (for the duration of
the experiment) behind panel 229, clear out any stowage and not use
this
location until the experiment is over.

The crew was thanked for their continued efforts to help with the BTR
(biotechnology refrigerator) which has been dogged by unwanted
temperature fluctuations. CBOSS (cellular biotechnology
operations
support system) engineers have seen evidence that one of three TEC
(thermal electric cooler) banks is no longer functioning. Since
TEC
components are not accessible on orbit, the anomaly cannot be corrected
by the crew. The BTR lid was sealed with gray tape, and the
refrigerator will remain closed until its contents are transferred to
8A/Atlantis.

Walz and Bursch completed preparations for the 8A EMU pre-breath
activities, which, because they are ISS-based, differ from the
procedures
used on the Shuttle. The latter allows cabin depress to 10.2 psi
(for denitrogenation) many hours before the EVA. On ISS, nitrogen
gas in tissue and blood will instead largely be “washed out”
by
breathing pure O2 while exercising vigorously on the cycle ergometer,
followed by a much shorter 10.2-depress period in the Airlock.
 
Because of the launch delay. ER2 (EXPRESS rack 2) and ARIS (active rack
isolation system) remain powered and operating nominally for a few days
longer, in accordance with the new launch date. The PCG-STES010
deactivation, planned for yesterday, was delayed because the crystals
are
more stable and better preserved while in the growth state; once the
PCAMs are deactivated, the crystals will start to degrade due to an
uncontrolled environment.

The crew completed two major PAO television events, both for Russia:
(1)
a live videoconference with the participants of the International
Discussion Forum on “Space Exploration: Theory and Practice”
at
the Youth Space Center of Baumann Moscow State Technical University
(sponsored by Rosaviakosmos), which will also be broadcast on the
Internet on Cosmonautics Day (4/12), and (2) an address by the ISS crew
to the participants of the Cosmonautics Day celebration at Star City, a
state holiday in commemoration of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s
flight
into space on that day in 1961.

The crew also chatted with students at Pflugerville High School in
Pflugerville, Texas, during an amateur (ham) radio pass. Relay
contacts were ARISS telebridge stations in Australia and South
Africa.

The two Flight Engineers completed their MedOps PFEs (periodic fitness
evaluations) which check up on blood pressure and=20
electrocardiogram.

CDR Onufrienko completed the daily routine tasks of SOSH life support
systems maintenance, Lab payloads status checks, and IMS delta file
preparation.

All crewmembers performed their mandatory daily physical exercise
program
on TVIS, RED and VELO.

After ISS attitude control was handed over to RS (Russian segment), the
latter’s thrusters, at 10:08 am EST, maneuvered the station from XPOP
(x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) to the thermally more moderate
LVLH
(local vertical/local horizontal) flight attitude, as allowed by the
decreasing solar Beta angle. The maneuver took about 20 minutes,
and attitude control was returned to the USOS CMGs for momentum
management at 10:55 am.

CEO (crew earth observation) target areas today were South Sandwich
Islands (the southern ocean around the S. Sandwich Islands
should
have been reasonably clear for this pass, aside from a few high clouds.
Of interest: documenting any icebergs or floes and, if visible, the
margin of the sea ice. Light is beginning to fade now in this part of
the
Southern Hemisphere), Bombay, India (the fast-growing
city
of Bombay was left [NW] of track and the weather should have been clear
over the area), Rukwa Transform, Tanzania (the Rungwe
volcanoes are on the northern shore of Lake Rukwa, near the junction of
the Rukwa fault valley with the northern Lake Malawi rift valley. Such
intersections are common sites for volcanic activity and for
concentration of metallic mineral deposits. These dormant volcanoes are
rarely photographed because of persistent cloud cover. The volcanic
field
was right [SE] of track and the crew should have encountered only a few
scattered thunderstorms), L. Nasser, Toshka L.; Egypt
(the
rapidly changing landscape west of Lake Nasser was immediately left [W]
of track. Of interest: documenting the current extent of the Toshka
Lakes, as well as any evidence of settlement and/or construction around
them), E. Mediterranean Dust, Smog (northward-blowing
Saharan dust should have been visible left of track over the
Mediterranean as the ISS approached the Libyan coast. Normally exposed
photos will record thickness of any dust masses, while slightly
overexposed shots can reveal the outer limits of airborne silt. Crew
may
also have seen urban industrial smog drifting SW into the Mediterranean
ahead of a southwestward-moving storm system), Guatemalan
Volcanoes (Dynamic Event: The recently active volcanoes of the
Guatemalan cordillera were right [SE] of track. Good weather should
have
permitted documenting the extent of post-eruptive ash and lahars
[slurry-like flows of ash, mud], as well as any evidence of new
activity).
NASA gateway for Earth photography from space: 
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:51 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) — 759,
temperature
(deg C) — 29.0, ppO2 (mmHg) — 149.8, ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.6.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 767,
temperature
(deg C) — 23.0.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756, temperature (deg C) —
23.0.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 752.79, temperature (deg C) —
23.0
(shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 755.02, temperature (deg C)
—
23.8, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) 754.82,
temperature (deg C) — 22.8; shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.1, ppO2
(mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.0
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 17.1

(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 [=3D 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 #8is cycling; all other batteries (7) are 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 On (repaired). 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) 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, 6:30 am EST):
Mean altitude — 388.3 km
Apogee — 390.6 km
Perigee — 386.1 km
Period — 92.3 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0003336
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.60
Altitude decrease — 300 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Solar Beta Angle: 37.0 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 9298) — 19265
Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal 3D
“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