Status Report

ISS On-Orbit Status 7 April 2002

By SpaceRef Editor

April 7, 2002

Filed under ISS On-orbit status, NASA HQ, US

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

Countdown is underway for a Monday afternoon launch of 8A/STS-110. The
weld repair on the GH2 vent line was successfully completed early today
(about 5am EDT) followed by a three-pronged test to verify the intregrity of
the sleeve welded around the pipe at the break. When completed, workers
inspected additional welds along the same length of pipe that could have
assumed some of the structural load imparted when the broken weld loosened.
Everyone is pleased with the outcome, including the ISS crew. KSC weather
is marginal tomorrow, but all are hopeful that STS-110 will launch on time.
It is scheduled to be an 11-day mission with a planned KSC landing at about
12:42 pm on 4/19. STS-110/8A is the thirteenth Shuttle flight to the ISS
and the second Shuttle mission this year. It is the 25th flight of the
orbiter Atlantis and the 109th flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle
program.

The ISS crew enjoyed a quiet and restful Sunday, with only some minor
routine tasks.

CDR Yuri Onufrienko completed today’s assignment of HDTV (high-definition
television) earth imagery. This Japanese experiment has him focus the HDTV
system on selected Earth targets during appropriate overflight times,
accompanied by running voice commentary and registering of numbers of the
recorded and blank tapes remaining onboard. Designated targets were
Indonesia and Japan at 3:31-3:49 am EDT (tropical rain forest of Sumatra and
the atmosphere over parts of China and the Sea of Japan), as well as
Cameroon and Kazakhstan at 9:42-10:00 am (deserts from Chad to Egypt, Suez
Canal, Israel [Dead Sea], Syria, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea).

A second Earth imaging task was completed by Onufrienko for the Russian
Uragan (“hurricane”) research program. During two orbits, Kodak 760 still
camera and LIV video camcorder targets were Port Elizabeth (Africa), a track
across South Africa, and then the Red Sea, Persian Golf and Zagros
Mountains.

Yuri performed the regular daily tasks of SOSH life support systems
maintenance, followed by inspection of the SVO water supply and SGO-SP
toilet system flush counter, taking counter readings for calldown to TsUP.

FE-2 Dan Bursch checked up on the autonomous UF-1 payloads and had his
private family conference via video.

All crewmembers performed their full daily physical exercise regimen (2.5
hours).

Optional target areas for the U.S. CEO (crew earth observations) program, a
task list item, were Taiwan Smog (dense smog and dust have been blanketing
coastal China, Japan and Taiwan. This pass should have permitted good
oblique views of Taiwan and the Formosa Strait, which were right of track.
Normally exposed photos would provide information on thickness of aerosol
masses, while slightly overexposed views could reveal the feather edge of
dirty air), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (spring water levels in the Euphrates
and the Tigris should be documented, as well as any new construction
activities. The middle reaches of the Euphrates and most of the Tigris were
to the right of track. Crew was to document any construction activities
and/or new reservoirs along these rivers, where water for irrigated
agricultural is a critical resource), W. Mediterranean Dust/Smog (Gibraltar
and the southern coast of Spain lie right of track, permitting the crew to
record any western European smog that may extend seaward from the coast.
Satellite sensors have detected notable concentrations during the past
several days), European Smog (France, Italy and the upper Po valley, source
of much of the smog that travels down the Adriatic to Greece and beyond,
were also right of track as ISS continued this pass. Smog sources in
northern Italy were of particular interest).
NASA gateway for Earth photography from space: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/