MRPO Daily Status Report 07-01-02

GMT Date: 182

Calendar Date: 07/01/02

Increment: 5

Stage: UF2

Week 4

Payloads currently on-board ISS:
ADVASC, BSTC, InSPACE, MAMS, MEPS, MSG (facility), PFMI, SAMS, StelSys, STES-8, SUBSA and ZCG. InSpace will not operate during this increment.

Status:
MRPO payloads ADVASC, MAMS, SAMS, STES 8 and ZCG continue nominal unattended operations. BSTC and StelSys operations have been successfully completed.

EXPRESS RACKS 1, 2 and 4 (ER1, ER2 & ER4) are powered and supporting payload operations. ER3 is installed in the US Lab and will be checked out later. ER5 was checked out during Increment 4 and powered down.

The Medium Rate Communication Outage Recorder (MCOR) has been turned-off due to overheating problems and is awaiting trouble-shooting by JSC. When MCOR is turned-off, payload data is lost during loss of signal periods.

ADVASC is downlinking nominal health and status data and the plants have developed rapidly.

MAMS is operating nominally in the quasi-steady mode. HiRAP was activated to capture Progress 8 docking disturbances Saturday. Since MCOR was turned-off, data capture was not accomplished because docking occurred during a loss of signal period. MAMS data is available on the acceleration measurement web page.MEPS was transferred to ER1 Saturday and initial operations are scheduled for week 6.
MSG checkout was initiated Saturday in preparation for SUBSA set-up later this week.
PFMI is stowed in the US Lab and is scheduled to operate in the MSG late in this increment.

SAMS equipment in all racks is operating nominally. SAMS was prepared to capture data during Progress 8 docking, but since MCOR was turned-off, and docking occurred during a loss of signal period, data capture did not occur. SAMS data is also being posted to the acceleration measurement web page.

STES-8 is downlinking nominal health and status data. Growth chamber number three was deactivated Saturday.

SUBSA set-up operations in the MSG are planned for Friday, 7/5.

ZCG furnace operations are nominal, using the payload primary Central Processing Unit (CPU). Attempts to activate the back-up CPU, prior to initiating operations, were unsuccessful. ZCG is in ER2, which is an ARIS rack, that provides the maximum micro-gravity environment available for a payload. ZCG operations are now planned to be terminated during week 5 rather than during week 7 as previously planned.

Near-term Outlook:

Week 4 (7/1-7/7) – Planning for this week was based on approximately 6.5 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Today and Thursday are crew off-duty days. The crew will spend significant time transferring materials from Progress 8. SUBSA set-up and historical photographs are planned. Historical photographs of SAMS and STES-8 are also planned.

Week 5 (7/8-7/14) ) – Preliminary planning is being based on approximately 18 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Progress 8 transfers will continue. MSG activation and continued check-out of the facility will occur. SUBSA initial operations inside the MSG are scheduled.

M. Vlasse, PhD, DSc
MRPO Increment Scientist

ACRONYMS:
ADVASC – Advanced Astroculture
ARIS–Active Rack Isolation System
BCSS — Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage
BSTC– Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (General status information on this payload will include coverage of the following items of support equipment: BTR, BCSS and GSM)
BTR — Biotechnology Refrigerator
CPU – Central Processing Unit
ER1– EXPRESS RACK 1
ER2 — EXPRESS RACK 2
ER3 – EXPRESS RACK 3
ER4 – EXPRESS RACK 4
ER5 – EXPRESS RACK 5
GSM — Gas Supply Module
InSPACE- Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates
JSC – Johnson Space Center
MAMS — Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System
MCOR -Medium Rate Communication Outage Recorder
MEPS – Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System
MSG – Microgravity Science Glovebox
PFMI – Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation
SAMS — Space Acceleration Measurement System II
STES – Protein Crystal Growth – Single Thermal Enclosure System
SUBSA – Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules
ZCG – Zeolite Crystal Growth