Status Report

MRPO Daily Status Report 09-12-02

By SpaceRef Editor
September 12, 2002
Filed under , ,

GMT Date: 255

Calendar Date: 09/12/02

Increment: 5

Stage: UF2

Week 14

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, basically unattended, operations. BSTC, MEPS, StelSys, and ZCG operations have been successfully completed.

EXPRESS RACKS 1 and 4 (ER1 & ER4) are powered and supporting payload operations. ER2 is currently shut-down following successful check-out activities yesterday. Currently there are no active payloads requiring ER2 support so the un-powered period is not impacting science 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. From crew observations and recent photographs, the ADVASC team has confirmed the successful completion of a plant growth cycle that has resulted in mature seedpods and they are planning to begin seed dry-out operations next week.

MAMS is operating nominally in the quasi-steady mode. HiRAP was commanded on today to record acceleration data during today’s thruster test, but HiRAP data is not being received on the ground. The MAMS team is trouble-shooting. MAMS quasi-steady data is available on the acceleration measurement web page.

MSG was shut-down yesterday following the successful change-out of SUBSA and PFMI hardware. All MSG systems were nominal.

The sample from SUBSA run 8, which was the final run in this series, was removed from the thermal chamber yesterday and the SUBSA hardware was removed from the MSG and stowed.

After removal of SUBSA from MSG, PFMI hardware was transferred into the MSG yesterday and set-up for beginning operations next week. Plans call for a check-out run, without a sample, next Tuesday, 9/17, and then a run with a sample on Thursday, 9/19.
All SAMS sensors in EXPRESS Racks are operating nominally. The SAMS sensor in MSG is turned-off. SAMS sensor frequencies were adjusted today, via ground commanding, to maximize acceleration signatures during today’s thruster test. SAMS data is also being posted to the acceleration measurement web page.

STES-8 is down-linking nominal health and status data. Four of the six growth chambers remain activated.

Near-term Outlook:

Week 14 (9/9-9/15) – Planning for this week was based on approximately 16 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. The crew will perform robotic arm procedures during this week. ISS and Service Module thrusters will be tested today.

Week 15 (9/16-9/22) – Preliminary planning for this week is being based on approximately 9 hours of crew time availability for NASA payload operations. The crew will review plans for 9A joint operations, begin 9A pre-packing activities and prepare Progress 8 for undock in week 16. Two PFMI operations and removal of ADVASC fluid 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
ISS – International Space Station
MAMS — Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System
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.