NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 1 February 2009
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – rest day for CDR Fincke, FE-1 Lonchakov & FE-2 Magnus. Ahead: Week 15 of Increment 18.
Fincke & Magnus started the day with their daily download of the accumulated data of the SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment from their Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop as part of another week-long session with SLEEP, their second. [To monitor the crewmember’s sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, the crewmembers wear a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition and use the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment’s laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days, as part of the crew’s discretionary “job jar” task list. It is the third session for Mike, the second for Sandra.]
Afterwards, Fincke & Magnus performed their part of the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, focusing on the USOS (US Orbital Segment). FE-1 Lonchakov had preceded them yesterday with his share of “Uborka”. [Uborka, usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM (Service Module) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the FE’s sleep station with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.]
The FE-2 conducted the weekly “T+2d” inflight microbiology analyses for the samples collected on 1/30 from the PWD (Potable Water Dispenser) Ambient plus SVO-ZV and SRV-K Warm taps. [Sandy reported “yellow” for Coliform (= Negative), “still a lot–in the neighborhood of 70-100, but it did improve somewhat” (= Positive) on the MCD (Microbial Capture Device) and a (nominal) incubation bag temperature of 78 degC. Photos were taken for downlink to Earth via SSC12 (Station Support Computer 12).]
In the SM, Lonchakov performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS), including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow. Additionally, the FE-1 today checked up on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for reporting to TsUP-Moscow. [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 performing US condensate processing (transfer from CWC to EDV containers) if condensate is available.]
Yuri also conducted the periodic checkup behind panel 139 in the SM on a fluid connector (MNR-NS) of the SM-U urine collection system, looking for potential moisture.
Sandy completed the daily flushing of the ER6 PWD (EXPRESS Rack 6/Potable Water Dispenser), now from a CWC-I (Contingency Water Container-Iodinated, #1013, relabeled as Special Fluids) instead of drink bags. [The PWD had been found, via several microbial analyses by Magnus, to have bacteria growing in the ambient water leg. Latest microbial results indicate that not enough iodine may get into the system to kill off any microbes, since the amount of 250 mL used lately did not take into account the filter and, as ground testing has shown, it takes about 24 hours for the iodine to convert to non-biocidal iodide when left stagnant in a filter like the one used in the PWD. The amount of iodinated flush water was reduced last Friday (1/30) to 0.5 L.]
In preparation for the upcoming (overnight) Progress 31P propellant line purging preceding the undocking on 2/5, Mike will be closing the protective shutters of the Lab & JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) science windows. [The shutters can be re-opened tomorrow after EST.]
Mike & Sandy are scheduled for their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Sandy at ~2:40pm EST, Mike at ~4:10pm.
The station residents completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).
No CEO photo targets uplinked for today.
CEO photography can be studied at this “Gateway” website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 9/1/08, this database contained 770,668 views of the Earth from space, with 324,812 from the ISS alone).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:40am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 356.8 km
Apogee height — 362.3 km
Perigee height — 351.4 km
Period — 91.68 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0008073
Solar Beta Angle — -35.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 34 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 58461
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
02/02/09 — IMMT Go/No-Go on 2/4 Reboost
02/02/09 — MT Translation (WS4 to WS1; WS1 to WS6); RS thrusters disabled
02/02/09 – Progress M-01M/31P prop lines purge
02/04/09 — ISS Reboost (~2:50am EST), SM mid-ring thrusters, 0.5 m/s (not SM ME twin thrusters)
02/05/09 – Progress 31P undocking & deorbit (~11:00pm EST)
02/10/09 — Progress 32P launch
02/12/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment (7:32am EST)
02/13/09 — Progress 32P docking (2:20am EST); [crew wake: 10:30pm on 2/12]
02/14/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A docking (3:57am EST)
02/23/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A undocking (9:30pm EST)
02/26/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A landing (KSC, 1:50am EST)
03/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S launch
03/27/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S docking (DC1)
04/05/09 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S undocking
04/07/09 — Progress 32P undocking & deorbit
05/12/09 — STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
05/15/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
05/27/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S launch
Six-person crew on ISS
08/06/09 — STS-128/Discovery/17A – MPLM (P), LMC, last crew rotation
08/XX/09 — Soyuz 5R/MRM2 (Russian Mini Research Module, MIM2) on Soyuz
09/XX/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1)
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC3, ELC4
12/XX/11– Proton 3R/MLM w/ERA.
