MRPO Daily Status Report 07-30-02

GMT Date: 211

Calendar Date: 07/30/02

Increment: 5

Stage: UF2

Week 8

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, MEPS, 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 downlinking nominal health and status data. Gas and nutrient exchange samples are to be taken today.

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

The MSG facility is currently un-powered. The facility operated nominally today in support of SUBSA trouble-shooting activities and it is planned to be re-powered tomorrow in support of a SUBSA test run.

PFMI is stowed in the US Lab and is scheduled to operate in the MSG during Stage 9A.
SAMS equipment in all EXPRESS racks is operating nominally following an unplanned reboot of the SAMS Lap-Top Computer earlier today. The SAMS sensor in the MSG is currently un-powered. SAMS data is also being posted to the acceleration measurement web page.

STES-8 is downlinking nominal health and status data. Two of the six growth chambers have been deactivated.

The SUBSA team is continuing to trouble-shoot changing the Eurotherm controller set-point temperature. Stages one and two of a three stage trouble-shooting plan was successfully completed today. The third step, a verification test run without a sample, is planned for tomorrow. SUBSA operations with samples are tentatively planned for Thursday and Friday. Crew time priority may be diverted to the repair of the treadmill used by the crew for their daily exercise.

ZCG is working with ARCTIC to have seven of ZCG’s autoclaves removed from the ZCG furnace and placed in the ARCTIC freezer to assure no degradation occurs. The other twelve autoclaves are to be placed in normal stowage.

Near-term Outlook:

Week 8 ( 7/29-8/4) – Planning for this week was based on approximately 12 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. ADVASC and MSG/SUBSA operations are included.

Week 9 (8/5-8/11) – Preliminary planning is being based on approximately 15 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. Significant crew time will be devoted to preparation for an EVA during week 10. MSG/SUBSA operations are included.

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