ISS On-Orbit Status 7 May 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
CDR Yuri Malenchenko completed a three-hour job of periodic maintenance of the station’s ASU toilet system, changing out the replaceable elements, e.g., hoses, a receptacle, T-joint, elbow fitting and filter insert, with new parts delivered on Progress. The old components were stowed for subsequent deorbiting on 10P/Progress.
FE/SO Edward Lu meanwhile spent three hours doing a thorough inspection of the ELPS (emergency lighting power sources) in the U.S. segment (USOS). [There are three ELPSs in the Node, two units in the Lab, and one ELPS in the Airlock.]
Later, Malenchenko deactivated the IK0501 gas analyzer (GA) in the Service Module (SM) and exchanged its BF carbon dioxide (CO2) filter assembly with a new unit from the FGB. GA was reactivated and the spent BF stowed for disposal (replaced last: 4/29). [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.]
Yuri also completed today’s scheduled photo session 3 with the Starmail-U01 payload kit, consisting of Earth surface photography (land or ocean targets optional) from a DC-1 docking compartment window with the Nikon D1 (Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm lens). [The images were first transferred from the D1’s CompactFlash card to laptop TP1 and from there to the Russian payload laptop #3 for downlink.]
Ed Lu familiarized himself with onboard TV setup procedures and updated them for a two-person crew.
Ed also performed the daily routine maintenance/inspection of SOZh life support systems, prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system) delta file to update the IMS database, and did the daily status checkup of ISS-7 payloads.
CDR Yuri Malenchenko completed the regular inspection of the BIO-5 “Rasteniya-2/Lada-2” zero-G plant growth experiment.
The crew again had one hour set aside on their schedule for ISS familiarization, i.e., to adjust to their new surroundings and activities
Malenchenko set up and installed the equipment for tomorrow’s periodic Russian MO-10 “Hematokrit” (red blood cell count) testing.
Ed and Yuri also completed their daily physical exercise program, on TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization), RED (resistive exercise device), and, for Yuri, on the Russian VELO ergometer with load trainer. [Overnight, MCC-H uplinked a number of questions concerning the RED, for Ed to answer prior to his exercise session. The questions resulted from information called down by him yesterday on symptoms exhibited by the RED, in an attempt to determine their root cause.]
During yesterday’s downloading of the IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system) undock data files, an interruption occurred between the SSC (station support computer) and MACE (mass access computer equipment), leaving some RSU (remote sensing unit) #1028 files untransferred. [The ground is investigating whether crew support is required for an RSU data dump at a later time.]
Work is also underway by the ground to downlink the personal email files of Expedition 6, caught in the backup resulting from the recent File Server restoration.
MCC-H has reviewed the long and difficult sequence of procedures to be used in case of major power bus losses on the station, which often take out communications. [Objective of the review was to make the actions and procedures of recovering from critical bus loss clearer and easier for the current two-man crew to execute successfully.]
CRV Preparedness: Regular daily uplinks from MCC-Moscow include Form-14 with fresh daily deorbit data for the Soyuz CRV (crew return vehicle), should it be needed in an emergency. As part of their work preparations early in the morning, crewmembers print out this form and place it inside the Soyuz version of the ISS Emergency Book. [Form-14 contains retroburn delta-V, length of the burn, time for burn initiation, and retroburn angle for each of the day’s deorbit opportunities (Daily Orbits 1-15).]
Looking ahead: Next Progress launch (11P) is currently scheduled for 6/8; no reboost required for phasing angle adjust. Progress-48 (12P) is then to follow on 9/8, preceded by a phasing correction burn sometime in June (“the later the costlier ” in terms of prop expenditure). Soyuz 7S launch for crew rotation with Expedition 8 is planned for 10/18, followed by 13P/Progress in early December. Optimal ISS altitude strategy (reboosts) for 2003 and beyond is under joint study by MCC-H and MCC-M specialists.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, including cities during daylight and at night (again available as targets in the current LVLH attitude) were Danube River delta (Dynamic event. Good opportunity for sunglint view of this delta and associated vast wetlands, the largest in Europe. Look left. Looking right for Danube plain stream patterns actively under study), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (numerous very recent dams near nadir. Shooting new fields and associated infrastructure [roads, airfields, powerlines] of these rapidly developing communities), Kuwait City, Kuwait (looking right of track), Eastern Mediterranean aerosols (looking right of track for probable smog buildup emanating from the Adriatic [originating in the Po valley of northern Italy] and collecting around Greece, Crete and further east), Seattle, Washington (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]), Dallas, Texas (Metroplex just right of track; ESC), Guadalajara, Mexico (city at night; nadir pass), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (city at night, just left of track), and Delhi, India (city at night, nadir pass).
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U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:25pm EST).
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
- Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On (manual mode 3). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is operating. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.
- SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 27.6; ppO2 (mmHg) — data invalid; ppCO2 (mmHg) — data invalid.
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 20.0.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 744; temperature (deg C) — 21.0.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 736.89; temperature (deg C) — 22.4 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 742.80; temperature (deg C) — 22.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — 169.8; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.1.
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 742.9; temperature (deg C) — 21.7; shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.1, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 21.7
- PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 22.2
(n/a = data not available)
Propulsion System (PS):
- Total propellant load available: 3607 kg (7952 lb) as of 5/1 [SM(774) + FGB(2581) + Progress(252)]. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).
Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
- Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in directed position (Blind mode, non solar-tracking, drag reduction).
- SM batteries: (Data static) Battery #4 is disconnected, in stand-alone ops; all other batteries (7) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
- FGB batteries: Battery #5 is disconnected; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
- Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode.
Command & Data Handling Systems:
- C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
- GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup.
- INT-1 is operating; INT-2 is Off.
- EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is Off (both now upgraded to R3).
- LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
- PL-2 MDM is On (primary); PL-1 MDM is Off
- APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
- SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
- SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
Attitude Control Systems:
- 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
- State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Angular rate source — RGA-2
Flight Attitude:
- LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -7.2 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management.
- Solar Beta angle: 10.0 deg (magnitude increasing).
Communications & Tracking Systems:
- FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
- All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
- S-band is operating nominally.
- Ku-band is operating nominally.
- Audio subsystem operating nominally.
- Video subsystem operating nominally (VTR1 is operable again; VTR2 in troubleshooting).
- HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.
Robotics:
- SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF #1 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
- MBS: KA power on both strings.
- MT: latched at WS4, with KA power.
- POA: KA power on both strings.
- RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:48am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 390.4 km
- Apogee — 394.9 km
- Perigee — 385.9 km
- Period — 92.36 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0006636
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
- Solar Beta Angle: 10.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 175 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 25449
- For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
