Status Report

MRPO Daily Status Report 07-17-02

By SpaceRef Editor
July 17, 2002
Filed under , ,

GMT Date: 198

Calendar Date: 07/17/02

Increment: 5

Stage: UF2

Week 6

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, and STES 8 continue nominal unattended operations. BSTC, StelSys and ZCG 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.

ADVASC is down-linking nominal health and status data. A second photograph session inside the growth chamber to determine if the plants are blooming is planned for next week (7/23).

MAMS is operating nominally in the quasi-steady mode. HiRAP is turned-off. MAMS data is available on the acceleration measurement web page.

MEPS operations are planned to begin tomorrow. Serial processing of eight samples is planned and the payload will be deactivated Friday, 7/19.

The MSG facility is currently powered to support trouble-shooting activities in preparation for the next SUBSA run. Successful file down-link from the MSG lap-top computer has been accomplished but data is not yet being received from the SAMS sensor in the MSG.
PFMI is stowed in the US Lab and is scheduled to operate in the MSG late in this increment.

SAMS equipment in all EXPRESS racks is operating nominally. The SAMS sensor in the MSG is not communicating with the SAMS Interface Control Unit. Trouble-shooting is continuing. SAMS data is also being posted to the acceleration measurement web page.
STES-8 is down-linking nominal health and status data. Growth chamber three was deactivated on day 180. Deactivation of growth chamber six is planned for day 200, (Friday, 7/19).

The second SUBSA operation is planned for Thursday, 7/18, assuming that MSG/SUBSA trouble-shooting is successful.

ZCG furnace operations were terminated last Friday, 7/12, after 15 days of successful operation. Several removal/stowage options are being evaluated prior to
removal of the samples from the furnace.

Near-term Outlook:

Week 6 (7/15-7/21) – Planning for this week was based on approximately 15 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. MEPS activation, operation and deactivation; MSG/SAMS troubleshooting; MSG/SUBSA operations; STES-8 growth chamber 6 deactivation and SAMS hard-drive and battery swap are planed.

Week 7 (7/22-7/28) – Preliminary planning is being based on approximately 25 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Several MSG/SUBSA operations are planned.

M. Vlasse, PhD, DSc
MRPO Increment Scientist

ACRONYMS:
ADVASC – Advanced Astroculture
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
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
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

SpaceRef staff editor.