NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 1 January 2010

Happy New Year!

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Off-duty day for the Expedition 22 crew of CDR Jeff Williams, FE-1 Maxim Suraev, FE-4 Oleg Kotov, FE-5 Soichi Noguchi, FE-6 TJ Creamer.

First thing in the morning, Creamer performed the first urine pH spot test of the Pro K protocol and later in the day also logged his diet intact of today. [Under Pro K, the crewmember measures and logs the pH value of a urine sample, to be collected the same time of day every day for 5 days. The crewmember also prepares a diet log and then annotates quantities of food packets consumed and supplements taken.]

Suraev started his day with the regular daily checkup of the aerosol filters at the Elektron O₂ generator. [The filters were installed by FE-1 Suraev on 10/19 in gaps between the BZh Liquid Unit and the oxygen outlet pipe (filter FA-K) plus hydrogen outlet pipe (filter FA-V). Photographs are to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]

Williams & Creamer continued their week-long session of the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight), TJ’s first, logging overnight data from their Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop. [To monitor the crewmembers’ sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, the crewmembers sometimes 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.]

Jeff, TJ & Soichi completed another Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS) protocol. [RST is performed twice daily (after wakeup & before bedtime) for 3 days prior to the sleep shift, the day(s) of the sleep shift and 5 days following a sleep shift. A total of 121 RST runs are assigned to Jeff for the duration of his orbital stay.]

The CDR filled out his weekly FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer). [On the FFQs, NASA astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MEC software. Recorded are the amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. The FFQ is performed once a week to estimate nutrient intake from the previous week and to give recommendations to ground specialists that help maintain optimal crew health. Weekly estimation has been verified to be reliable enough that nutrients do not need to be tracked daily.]

Williams also performed the periodic (once monthly) reboot of all active US PCS (Portable Computer System) and COL PWS (Columbus Orbital Laboratory Portable Workstation) laptops and recorded the battery state-of-charge for each active PC.

Kotov completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM (Service Module). [This includes checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]

A discretionary task for CDR Williams from today’s “job jar” task list was the reconfiguration of the T2 treadmill handrail, by removing the handrail’s horizontal pole and installing two vertical pole caps instead. Stowage location of the pole was to be reported.

The Russian discretionary task list for Maxim & Oleg for today called for –

• Cargo transfers from FGB panel 402 to free access (11 EDV covers, 2 bags with BK-3M oxygen tanks),
• Urine transfer from five EDV-U containers (four of them from US WHC/Waste & Hygiene Compartment) to Progress 35P Rodnik tank BV1 [afterwards, BV1 was to be flushed with ~5L of disinfectant solution],
• The regular status check on the running BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment in the SM, and
• Another photography run of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X with SIGMA AF 300-800mm telelens [targets were ice conditions in the vicinity of Bouvet Island and to the east of the island, the Andes (one out of five active volcanoes located along the flight path on the lake and bay shores in the mountain range), Patagonia Glaciers Southern ice field and Northern ice field glaciers.]

The crewmembers worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise on the TVIS treadmill (FE-1, FE-4), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-4, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

Later, Jeff transferred the exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on ARED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

CDR, FE-5 & FE-6 had their New Year PFCs (Private Family Conferences), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Jeff at ~9:00am, TJ at ~11:00am, Soichi at ~12:35pm.

WRM Update: A new WRM (Water Recovery Management) “cue card” was uplinked to the crew for their reference, updated with their latest CWC (Collapsible Water Container) water audit. [The new card (22-0003E) lists 86 CWCs (~2,043.5 L total) for the five types of water now identified on board: 1. technical water (19 CWCs with 658.7 L, for Elektron electrolysis, incl. 136.0 L in 7 bags containing Wautersia bacteria, 134.2 L in 3 clean bags for contingency use, 388.5 L in 9 bags still requiring sample analysis, 2. potable water (9 CWCs with 366.7 L, of which 66.6 L in 2 bags require sample analysis & 129.3 L in 3 bags are good for contingency use, 3. iodinated water (53 CWCs with 992.0 L), 4. condensate water (1 CWC with 5.9 L, 2 empty CWCs), and 5. waste/EMU dump and other (1 CWC with 20.2 L, 1 empty CWC). Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]

CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today were Maputo, Mozambique (looking left for this capital city on the far side of Maputo Bay, as seen from orbit. Two large city parks can be seen from orbit. Maputo’s recent growth [pop. 1.25 million] is related to the fact that it is the nearest port to the Witwatersrand, South Africa’s main mining and industrial region, 450 km inland. A disadvantage of this location is that Maputo lies fully 1900 km from the northern border of Mozambique, one of Africa’s longest countries), and Asuncion, Paraguay (this capital city and surrounding built-up areas [metro population ~2.8 million] stands out as a light-toned feature: looking right of track between two good visual cues, the Paraguay River and a lake. Since the Paraguay-Parana river system is the second largest in S. America, Asuncion is the chief port of Paraguay although it lies 1100 km from the sea. It is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Paraguay-Parana basin [founded 1537]).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:14am EST [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 338.6 km
Apogee height – 343.9 km
Perigee height – 333.4 km
Period — 91.31 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0007876
Solar Beta Angle — 28.5 deg (magnitude peaking)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.77
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 45 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 63,719

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
01/11-12/10 — ESP-3 relocation
01/14/10 — Russian EVA-24
01/21/10 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S relocation (from SM aft to MRM-2)
02/03/10 — Progress M-04M/36P launch
02/05/10 — Progress M-04M/36P docking
02/07/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 “Tranquility”+Cupola
03/18/10 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S undock/landing
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC (~1:30pm EST)
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch – Skvortsov (CDR-24)/Caldwell/Kornienko
04/04/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
04/27/10 — Progress M-03M/35P undock
04/28/10 — Progress M-05M/37P launch
04/30/10 — Progress M-05M/37P docking
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 (~2:00pm EST)
05/10/10 — Progress M-04M/36P undock
05/31/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S undock/landing
————–Three-crew operations————-
06/14/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch – Wheelock (CDR-25)/Walker/Yurchikhin
06/16/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
07/xx/10 — US EVA-15
07/xx/10 — Russian EVA-25
06/28/10 — Progress M-06M/38P launch
07/02/10 — Progress M-06M/38P docking
07/26/10 — Progress M-05M/37P undock
07/27/10 — Progress M-07M/39P launch
07/29/10 — Progress M-07M/39P docking
07/29/10 — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02) (~7:30am EST)
08/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P undock
08/31/10 — Progress M-08M/40P launch
09/02/10 — Progress M-08M/40P docking
09/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing
09/16/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) (~12:01pm EST)
09/18/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) docking
09/22/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) undock
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch – Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka
10/xx/10 — Russian EVA-26
10/26/10 — Progress M-07M/39P undock
10/27/10 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
10/29/10 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
11/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing
11/18/10 — ATV2 launch– Ariane 5 (ESA) U/R
11/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch – Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli
12/15/10 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/17/10 — ATV2 docking
02/08/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
02/09/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
02/11/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking
03/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch
xx/xx/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
05/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton