ISS On-Orbit Status 9 Apr 2002

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

At 4:44pm EDT yesterday, the ISS crew observed the STS-110 launch from orbit with excitement, describing it as a “hot star on our tail”, as Atlantis
started on its 43h 27 min catch-up chase.

Sleep cycle shift is underway for both crews. Yuri Onufrienko, Carl Walz and Dan Bursch had wake-up this morning at 4:44 am EDT, while for the
Shuttle Seven (Mike Bloomfield, Stephen Frick, Rex Walheim, Ellen Ochoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steven Smith) workday began at 8:44 am.
Tomorrow, both crews will be “in sync” at 4:44 am (bedtime 8:44 pm) for the remainder of the 8A docked phase.

CDR Onufrienko and FE-2 Bursch worked several hours deinstalling and removing the box containing the KURS-A electronic rendezvous system from
the Soyuz , for reuse at a later time (KURS equipment comes from the Ukraine and is expensive). [KURS-A is the active half of the Russian space
program’s proven S-band radar system for automated flight, which measures relative motion parameters between Soyuz (or Progress) and the ISS
during rendezvous operations. There are two sets of KURS-A electronics (for redundancy) housed in a common container in the Orbital Module,
which is discarded shortly before reentry of the Soyuz Descent Module. The passive counterpart (KURS-P) of the system is on the SM, with one
antenna each at the tip of the two solar array wings.]

Yuri also recovered functionality of all eight SM batteries by replacing the failed storage block #4 with a new 800A unit delivered on 7P/Progress-257.
Like the R&R of #8 on 4/4, the task took about 1.5 hours. Its charge/discharge electronics (ZRU) was deactivated by MCC-Moscow via KRL
command radio link and later reactivated. The old battery was prepared for deorbiting in the Progress cargo ship.

After MCC-H had turned off the responsible remote power controller, Walz and Bursch removed and replaced the Node starboard valve of the sample
delivery system (SDS), which has been considered “suspect” for quite some time. Function of the SDS, a part of the AR (air revitalization) rack, is to
bring air samples from throughout the ISS back to the currently inoperative MCA (major constituent analyzer) in the AR for analysis.

In preparation for the pending 8A arrival, FE-1 Carl Walz set up equipment for the regular PMA-2 (pressurized mating adapter #2) hatch leak checks,
after the Atlantis has docked at that port.

CDR Onufrienko terminated regeneration of absorption bed #1 of the SM micropurification unit (BMP), switching it to Purify mode. Later, he initiated
the 24-hr “bake-out” process on filter channel #2.

Carl completed the daily routine tasks of SOSH life support system maintenance, UF-1 payloads status checks and IMS inventory “delta” file
preparation. In the payloads area, he performed the EVA-minus-2-days EVARM (EVA radiation monitoring) badge reading. The E-minus-1-day
EVARM badge read and placements are scheduled for tomorrow.

Dan meanwhile deactivated all PCAM cylinders (protein crystallization apparatus for microgravity) in the PCG-STES010 (protein crystal growth/single
locker thermal enclosure #10) payload. The powered STES 007 and STES 010 containers will be returned to Earth on 8A, along with other research
cargo, such as ADVASC (advanced astroculture), BTR (biotechnology refrigerator) samples, and voluminous recordings.

Walz performed the controlled power down of the EHS VOA (environmental health systems — volatile organic analyzer), deferred from yesterday.

Yuri Onufrienko participated in an educational event with Russian students at the 12th Aerospace Festival in Ulianovsk.

On STS-110/Atlantis, the NC2 rendezvous maneuver planned for 9:15 am EDT this morning was cancelled, in order to save 100 lbs of propellants (the
slight launch delay from optimum liftoff time had incurred a propellant “penalty” of about 150 lbs). Oxygen supplies protect for an 11+2 day mission.
Docking is scheduled for tomorrow at 12:10 pm EDT, with no ground site or lighting constraints during that time. After docking, leak checks will be
performed on PMA-2 and ODS (Orbiter docking system), and the ODS will be prepared for ingress. Crew handshake is expected for about 2:00 pm.
Thursday (4/11) is the Big Day for S-Zero, with S0 truss transfer/install and the first of four 6.5 hr-EVAs, starting at about 10:40 am. The other three
spacewalks are scheduled for 4/13, 4/14 and 4/16 (egress for each at about 9:40 am). Undocking: 4/17 (3:00 pm). Nominal landing at KSC: 4/19 (11:35
am). [For Jerry Ross, it’s a special flight: he is in space for the seventh time, more than any other U.S. astronaut, and by end of 8A he will also have
run up a record total of nine spacewalks.]

Target areas for the U.S. CEO (crew earth observation) program today were W. Mediterranean Dust/Smog (of interest: recording of any smog
masses in the Tyrrhenian Sea and western Mediterranean from the Tunisian peninsula, northeastward across Sicily and the boot heel of Italy.
Normally exposed views to the left of track should have given a sense of smog thickness; the limit of any aerosols should be visible in a slightly
overexposed photo), Central Andean Glaciers (clear weather conditions prevail over southern Peru, providing a chance to record the extent of
glaciers and snow pack in this stretch of the high Andes. Crew was advised to look right of track toward Lake Titicaca for this region of receding
glaciers), Cuban Fires (as ISS crossed Cuba, crew should have seen numerous fires to the left of track, throughout the central part of the island. Of
interest: documenting individual fires, where possible, as well as smoke palls and their dispersal patterns. Both smoke and fires are visible in satellite
images, so the ISS photos could provide significant details of the widespread burning).

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 12:02 am EDT 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 Off. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Regeneration mode.
  
• SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 757, temperature (deg C) — 27.4, ppO2 (mmHg) — 151.7, ppCO2 (mmHg) — 2.5.
  
• SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 767, temperature (deg C) — 20.1.
  
• FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756, temperature (deg C) — 21.3.
  
• Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 750.25, temperature (deg C) — 22.7 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 752.69, temperature (deg C) — 23.8, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a;
  
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) 752.49, temperature (deg C) — 22.9; shell heater temp (deg C) — 21.8, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2
  
• (mmHg) — n/a.
  
• PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 23.3
  
• PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 17.5
  

(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 [= 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 Directed position at 220 degrees.
  
• SM batteries: Battery #4 is offline; battery #5 is in cycle mode; all other batteries (6) are in “partial charge” mode.
  
• FGB: all batteries (6) 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, 6:52 am EDT):

• Mean altitude — 387.0 km
  
• Apogee — 389.0 km
  
• Perigee — 385.0 km
  
• Period — 92.3 min.
  
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
  
• Eccentricity — 0.0002936
  
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.60
  
• Altitude decrease — 340 m (mean) in last 24 hours
  
• Solar Beta Angle: 32.0 deg (magnitude decreasing)
  
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 19331
  
• Current Flight Attitude — LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal = “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.html