NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 08 October 2012

ISS On-Orbit Status 10/08/12

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 15 of Increment 33 (three-person crew). U.S. Holiday – Columbus Day

>>>The SpaceX-1 “Dragon” cargo capsule was successfully deployed in a nearly perfect orbit of 203 mi. apogee & 122 mi. perigee, after launch on the SpaceX-developed Falcon 9 rocket this morning at 8:35am EDT despite shutdown of one of the nine Merlin-1C engines in the first stage about 80 sec into the launch. Compensating for the thrust loss, the remaining eight engines burned ~30 sec longer than planned. Dragon is now making its way toward rendezvous with the ISS where the capsule will be berthed by Sunita Williams & Akihito Hoshide with the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) on 10.10. at ~7:32am EDT. Dragon carries about 400 kg of cargo and will return a larger amount of mass.<<< After wakeup, FE-4 Malenchenko performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection. Yuri also completed the periodic (daily) reboot of the Russian RSS1 & RSS2 laptops. In addition, FE-4 conducted the weekly checkup behind ASU/toilet panel 139 in the SM of a fluid connector (MNR-NS) of the SM-U urine collection system, looking for potential moisture. FE-6 Hoshide continued his current extended session of the ESA ENERGY experiment. Urine collections are done with, but logging of all consumed food & drink continues until breakfast on Day 10. [Akihiko wears an armband monitor, positioned on the right triceps where it started automatically on skin contact. The instrument must be worn for the entire 10-day ENERGY measurement period and removed only during showers or if needed during blood draws. Activities without the armband monitor on the triceps must be carefully logged. The monitor will be removed at the end of the 10-day period, then data will be downloaded from the device. Background: The observed loss of astronauts’ body mass during space flight is partly due to the systematic ongoing negative energy balance in micro-G, in addition to disuse. Unfortunately, the reason for such unbalanced match between intake and output is not clear, but appealing data suggest a relation between the degree of energy deficit and the exercise level prescribed as a countermeasure. In the ENERGY experiment, astronauts are invited to participate in a study that aimed to evaluate how much food is needed for astronauts during long-term space missions. To do so, the science team will measure every component or variable of the astronaut’s energy expenditure reflecting his energy needs. Those variables will be measured twice: up to 4 months before flight and after at least 3 months in space but 3 weeks before landing. The changes in the astronaut’s energy balance and expenditure will be measured, which will help in deriving an equation for energy requirements in weightlessness. This will contribute to planning adequate, but not excessive cargo supplies for food. Purpose of the ENERGY experiment is (1) to measure changes in energy balance during long term space flight, (2) to measure adaptations in the components of the Total Energy Expenditure TEE (consumption), and (3) to derive an equation for the energy requirements of astronauts. TEE is the sum of resting metabolic rate (RMR, measured), diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT, measured oxygen-uptake minus RMR) and activity-related energy expenditure (AEE, calculated).] Sunita set up the USND (Ultrasound) with video camcorder and MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter), placed reference markers on thigh & calf of her right leg, donned the SPRINT thigh & calf guides and then, with the help of Aki Hoshide, performed her 4th SPRINT leg scan with remote guidance from ground teams. [SPRINT (Integrated Resistance and Aerobic Training Study) evaluates the use of high intensity, low volume exercise training to minimize loss of muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in ISS crewmembers during long-duration missions.] Malenchenko completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV & EDV on RP flow regulator.] Afterwards, Yuri performed the periodic (every Monday) verification of the automatic IUS AntiVirus definition update on the Russian VKS auxiliary network laptops RSS1, RSS2, RSK1-T61p & RSK2, as well as the manual update on the non-network laptops RSE-Med & RSE1. [Antivirus update procedures have changed since the SSCV4 software update. Before the installation (on 8/8/11) of the new automated procedure, the refresh was done manually on Mondays on RSS2, copying the files to the RSS2 service folder, then launching update scripts on the network laptops RSS1, RSK1-T61p & RSK2 and finally manually updating non-network laptops RSE-Med & RSE1. On Tuesdays, the anti-virus scanning results are regularly verified on all laptops. Nominally, Russian network laptops have software installed for automatic anti-virus update; fresh data is copied on RSK1-T61p & RRSK2 every time a computer is rebooted with a special login, and on RSS1 once daily. On Russian non-network laptops antivirus definition file update is done by the crew once every two weeks on Monday.] FE-6 Hoshide completed routine maintenance on the WRS (Water Recovery System) by filling a CWC-I (Contingency Water Container-Iodine, #2018) with iodinated water from the WPA PWD Water Processor Assembly Potable Water Dispenser) Aux Port to assist with water balance, using the H2O transfer common hose. Later, Aki also serviced the WRS in Node-3, manually transferring urine from an EDV-U container (#1029) to the UPA WSTA (Urine Processor Assembly / Waste Storage Tank Assembly) for processing [During such transfers, the crewmember always wears protective safety goggles, dust mask and nitrile gloves.] At ~6:40am EDT, Sunita powered up the SM’s amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) and at 11:00am conducted a ham radio session with students at St. George’s International School, Luxembourg. FE-4 supported the running experiment TEKh-22 “Identifikatsiya” (Identification) in the MRM1 Rassvet module by downloading the new batch of structural dynamics measurements of the IMU-Ts microaccelerometer to the RSE1 laptop for subsequent downlink to the ground via OCA. [IMU-Ts is a part of the MRM1 SBI onboard measurement system, installed in PGO behind panel 104.] At ~12:25pm, Williams & Hoshide tagged up with ground specialists via S-band audio/Ku-band video, discussing Dragon arrival operations. The crew worked out on the TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-4), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-4). [CDR & FE-6 are on the special experimental SPRINT protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5 hrs per day exercise regime and introduces special daily sessions involving resistive and aerobic (interval & continuous) exercise, followed by a USND (Ultrasound) leg muscle self scan in COL. No exercise is being timelined for Suni on Friday, for Aki on Thursday. If any day is not completed, Suni & Aki pick up where they left off, i.e., they would be finishing out the week with the last day of exercise on her off day. Suni’s protocol for today showed T2 (int., 30 sec.), with ARED/CEVIS (cont.), T2 (int., 4 min.) and ARED/CEVIS (cont.) for the next 3 days. Aki’s protocol for today showed T2 (int., 4 min.), with ARED/CEVIS (cont.), T2 (cont.) and ARED (cont.) on the following 3 days.] Before exercising on the T2/COLBERT treadmill, Aki Hoshide set up and checked out the G1 video camera for it to record his workout session on the machine, meeting the regular 30-day requirement for biomechanical evaluation of the on-orbit crewmembers, and evaluation of the hardware status. After her SPRINT workout on the T2 machine, Suni closed down the treadmill software on its laptop for data transfer, then turned off the T2 display. [After the display shutdown, the T2 rack is power cycled (turned off/on) from the ground, and T2 is then ready for use. These power cycles allow for the T2 data to be transferred to the Server for downlink.] Before Presleep (~3:30pm), the CDR powers up the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) and starts the Ku-band data flow of video recorded during the day to the ground, with POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routing the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link). After about an hour, Suni turns MPC routing off again. [This is a routine operation which regularly transmits HD onboard video (live or tape playback) to the ground on a daily basis before sleeptime.] Tasks listed for FE-4 Malenchenko on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were – • More preparation & downlinking of reportages (written text, photos, videos) for the Roskosmos website to promote Russia’s manned space program (max. file size 500 Mb),
• A ~30-min. session for Russia’s EKON Environmental Safety Agency, making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth using the NIKON D3X camera with the RSK-1 laptop,
• A ~30-min. run of the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X digital camera with Sigma AF 300-800mm telelens and PI emission platform using the SKPF-U (Photo Image Coordinate Reference System) to practice recording target positions on the surface of the Earth, and
• Recording a Russian PAO TV downlink with Suni & Aki, extending their greetings & congratulations to the participants of the 20th International Space Olympiad for School Children. [The 12th annual International Space Olympiad for Schoolchildren, dedicated to the 55th Anniversary of the first Earth man-made satellite launch, will take place from 10/17-10/27 in Korolyov. The participants of Olympiad are schoolchildren from Korolyov and Moscow Region, and also their mates from the Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Israel, Spain, USA, and Sweden.]

No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:52am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 415.0 km
Apogee height – 427.4 km
Perigee height – 402.6 km
Period — 92.87 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.001823
Solar Beta Angle — 45.3 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.50
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 65 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 79,359
Time in orbit (station) — 5071 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4358 days.

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————– Inc-33: Three-crew operations ————-
10/10/12 — SpaceX-1 docking — (~7:32am EDT)
10/23/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitsky/E.Tarelkin (6:51am EDT)
10/25/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking – (~8:40am EDT)
————– Inc-33: Six-crew operations ————-
10/31/12 — Progress M-17M/49P launch
10/31/12 — Progress M-17M/49P docking
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————– Inc-34: Three-crew operations ————-
12/05/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/07/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking
————– Inc-34: Six-crew operations ————-
02/11/13 — Progress M-16M/48P undocking
02/12/13 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
02/14/13 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
03/15/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————– Inc-35: Three-crew operations ————-
04/02/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
04/04/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking
04/23/13 — Progress M-18M/50P undock/landing
————– Inc-35: Six-crew operations ————-
05/16/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————– Inc-36: Three-crew operations ————-
05/29/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/31/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking
————– Inc-36: Six-crew operations ————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————– Inc-37: Three-crew operations ————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S docking
————– Inc-37: Six-crew operations ————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————– Inc-38: Three-crew operations ————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking
————– Inc-38: Six-crew operations ————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————– Inc-39: Three-crew operations ————-