ISS On-Orbit Status 5 May 2002
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below. Day 549 of continuous station
occupancy.
Last night at 11:51 pm EDT (9:51 am local time, 5/5), Soyuz
TM-33, carrying the taxi crew of CDR Yuri Gidzenko, SFP Mark
Shuttleworth and FE-1 Roberto Vittori, landed safely within
its target zone near Arkalykh in Kazakhstan. Five Russian
planes, nine helicopters and five cross-country rescue vehicles were
on call to retrieve the crew after their one-week stay on the ISS.
The "old" 3S spacecraft had undocked last night on time at
8:31 pm EDT.
The ISS crew enjoys a well-deserved rest day today, with only a few
routine systems tasks, physical exercise sessions and private family
conferences (PFCs) for all three residents.
Regeneration of the Metox (metal oxide) contaminant absorbent
canisters is planned for 5/7 (Tuesday). Because MCC-H needs the
VOA (volatile organics analyzer) to be in a controlled powerdown
state to support air sampling during the regeneration, the crew was
requested to perform the controlled powerdown sometime after their
midday meal today.
After all the materials in the South African stem cell experiment
ESCD (study of the development of embryo and stem cells in
microgravity) were determined to have a zero toxicity level, MCC-H
and MCC-M are working on the disposal plan for the insert with
biological materials which the crew placed inside a thermally
insulated container yesterday.
FE-2 Dan Bursch was thanked for his work and attention to detail on
the BPS (biomass production system) payload. Today’s activities
are calibration and sample collection in PGC2 (plant growth chamber).
POC (Payload Operations Center) is planning some additional
configuration updates from the ground that may affect the PGC2 water
level. For today’s two BPS samples, a one-hour interval between
the samplings was requested.
FE-1 Carl Walz was asked to reboot the SAMS ICU (Space Acceleration
Measurement System/Interface Control Unit) laptop in Express Rack 4
(ER4). If the ICU Laptop proves un-responsive, Carl was to
power cycle it. If the normal SAMS login screen does not come
up upon reboot he was to notify POC.
CDR Yuri Onufrienko deconfigured laptop #3 for the
"Relaksatsiya" experiment, with which he collected data on
thruster plume interaction with the atmosphere during last night’s
Soyuz departure.
Onufrienko also performed routine maintenance on the SOSH life
support system and collected SP toilet flush and SVO water supply
counter readings for calldown to MCC-M.
Walz completed the daily Increment 4/8A payloads status checks.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observation) program has the following target
areas: L. Nasser, Toshka Lakes; Egypt (approaching
the Nile valley, ISS passed just right of the Qattara depression. Of
interest: documenting the extent of water in the depression, as well
as the condition of the marsh and cultivated lands in the area. This
was another good pass across the Toshka lake construction project
west of Lake Nasser), Rift Triple Junction, Ethiopia
(light was good over the dark basalt lavas that cover the surface
of Ethiopia and Djibouti. Three great rifts — Red Sea, Ethiopian and
the Gulf of Aden –radiate from this region of abundant faults and
volcanic vents. Crew was to take a stereo photo mapping strip [60%
overlap of frames] as they crossed this topographically low
area — the lowest part of Africa), Rukwa Transform,
Tanzania (this was an excellent pass for acquiring a stereo
photo mapping strip down the southern Lake Tanganyika rift valley and
stepping SE-ward along the Rukwa transform fault zone. At the
junction of the Rukwa valley and the Lake Malawi rift valley is the
cluster of volcanoes of the Rungwe complex, for which detailed
photos are needed. Although there may be minor afternoon
cumulus clouds, weather looked favorable for this needed mapping
strip), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (from Lake
Malawi onward the crew was to photograph the condition of vegetation
in southern Malawi and Mozambique. Conditions have been dry, crop
yields have been low, and there have been reports of in the coastal
belt. Any fires should also be documented. The Zambezi River delta
will be just right of track; the condition of the delta marshlands
are of concern as well).
