NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 1 November 2008
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – light-duty day for CDR Fincke, FE-1 Lonchakov & FE-2 Chamitoff.
As part of the crew’s regular morning inspection tour, FE-1 Lonchakov conducted the routine checkup of DC1 (Docking Compartment) circuit breakers and fuses. [The monthly checkup in the “Pirs” module looks at AZS circuit breakers on the BVP Amp Switch Panel (they should all be On) and the LEDs (light-emitting diodes) of 14 fuses in fuse panels BPP-30 & BPP-36.]
The crew performed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning. ["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.]
As part of the house cleaning, Yuri conducted regular maintenance inspection & cleaning on fan screens in the FGB (TsV2), DC-1 (V3) and SM (VPkhO, VPrK, FS5, FS6 & FS9). The FE-1 also cleaned the pre-filter in the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air purification subsystem.
CDR Fincke 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 and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]
Lonchakov performed routine maintenance on the Russian SRVK condensate water processor by removing & replacing its BRPK-2 (Condensate Separation & Pumping Unit)’s separator.
At ~10:15am EDT the crewmembers conducted their regular WPC (Weekly Planning Conference) with the ground, discussing next week’s "Look-Ahead Plan" (prepared jointly by MCC-Houston and TsUP-Moscow timeline planners) via S-band/audio, reviewing the monthly calendar, upcoming activities, and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
After the ground shut down the EarthKAM(EK/Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students)experiment, Gregory Chamitoff moved some of its equipment back to the US Lab (from Node-2) to support the BCAT (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test) experiment run. [Greg’s diligence in working through some Firewire-software issues was greatly appreciated in an uplink message. The EK run has netted over 1100 images.]
The FE-2 also set up and restarted BCAT-4 operations at the Avionics Racks 2 (LAB1D1) and 3 (LAB1D2), after the recent considerable troubleshooting to get the payload running. [The camera image was set up on Sample 3, after which Greg, with gloves on, homogenized samples 8, 9, 10, then 3 last. Immediately following the homogenization of Sample 3, the FE-2 took a few photos of the sample. Controlled by EarthKAM software, the camera is now automatically photographing Sample 3 once every hour for the next 6 days.]
For today’s VolSci (Voluntary Weekend Science) program, Mike Fincke & Greg Chamitoff had 3 hrs on their timelines for another exciting range of tests of the SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) experiment which include satellite spiral maneuvers for synthetic imaging mission, fuel balancing, docking using path planning, advanced path follower algorithms, failure detection and recovery using simulated failures in communications. [Today’s run (Test Session 14B) used two satellites and, if time permitted, also executed Test Session 14A with three satellites.]
The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (CDR, FE-2), TVIS treadmill (FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).
Later, Mike transferred the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
Working off the Russian discretionary “time permitting” task list, Lonchakov performed routine service on the Matryoshka-R radiation payload via its Lulin-5 electronics box, checking and adjusting date/time, taking readings and entering time tag.
Also off the work suggestions list, the FE-1 conducted another session for Russia’s Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on earth using the Nikon D2X with the SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens.
A third task item from the Russian discretionary job list for Yuri was a session of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the NIKON D2X digital camera to take telephotos. [Uplinked target zones were the Andes (general views from both side of flight track, discretionary snapshots for educational purposes), the Amazon jungle (looking for cut-down forest in Amazon basin), the Galapagos archipelago (ocean wave pattern near small islands in the northern part of the archipelago), South Andes (large glaciers flowing into fiords and lakes, focusing on the contact between glacier with water surface) and Ugra National Park (forest vegetation in the steppe, the northernmost island of the Galapagos archipelago, and Darwin Island).]
A voluntary task item for CDR Fincke today was to fill out his first FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire) on the MEC. [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.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Eighteen — Week 1)
3-D SPACE: In progress.
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.
ANITA (Analyzing Interferometer for Ambient Air): Continuing.
BCAT-3/4 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 3/4): After the 10/23 EarthKAM troubleshooting, BCAT-4 is looking forward to continuing homogenization and photography of sample 3. The homogenization of samples 8, 9 and 10 remains on the task list if not completed along with the sample 3 operations.
BIO-4: After 16S landing, the BASE-B/-C and XENOPUS biological samples have been very quickly retrieved and handed-over to science teams. Meanwhile, KUBIK incubators telemetry data have been downlinked and are being analyzed by PD (Payload Developer) team.
CARDIOCOG-2: Completed.
CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): “Thanks Mike, for working through the CBPD errors and getting it to work. For the next CCISS session, you will be using a newly refurbished unit that will arrive on ULF2. Also, thanks for the great video and call downs. It really helps us troubleshoot issues and ensures the PI gets the best data possible.”
CFE (Capillary Flow Experiment): Reserve.
CW/CR (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): Samples returned on 1J.
CSI-2/CGBA-5 (CGBA Science Insert #2/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5): In progress.
CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.
CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): Complete.
EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): Complete.
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations): Reserve.
ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.
EuTEF (European Technology Exposure Facility): Due to safety concerns identified for the PLEGPAY instrument when operated in Plasma Discharge mode, the entire EuTEF platform had to be put in survival mode on 9/1. Since then, the EuTEF power feeder#1 is de-activated and no science acquisition is possible. Request has been approved at IMMT for intermittent activation for 3 of the 9 EUTEF payloads. EuTEF platform power feeder#1 has been re-activated for 8-hrs periods on 10/17, 10/19, 10/21, 10/24, 10/26 and 10/29. This only mitigates the science loss for the EXPOSE, DOSTEL and MEDET instruments. The situation implies significant loss of science return for all EUTEF payloads. On 10/30, the ground commanding activity to erase the software instructions of the so-called “Experiment 1” (Plasma Generation) from the memory of PLEGPAY was performed nominally. A full memory dump of PLEGPAY instrument has also been performed and ground teams are now analyzing the outcome of the memory deletion. Once this activity is done the rest of the EuTEF instruments will be able to resume normal operations– DEBIE-2: Inactive;– DOSTEL: Inactive, part of proposed intermittent activation;– EuTEMP: Inactive;– EVC: Inactive;– EXPOSE: Inactive, part of proposed intermittent activation;– FIPEX: Inactive; — MEDET: Inactive, part of proposed intermittent activation; — PLEGPAY: Inactive, “Experiment 1” memory has been erased on 10/30;– TRIBOLAB: Inactive.
FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory): FSL is nominal.
GEOFLOW: The EC (Experiment Container) has been successfully installed back into the FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory) drawer. It is planned to resume the GEOFLOW science runs after ULF2 mission and 31P undocking and 32P docking.
HDTV System Test DL (JAXA): Complete.
IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): Complete.
InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): In progress.
Integrated Immune: In progress.
KUBIK-FM1/ KUBIK-FM2 Centrifuge/Incubators: Completed.
LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): In progress.
Marangoni Experiment for ISS in JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility): A part of the FPEF clean-up (preparation for the clean up) of Marangoni EXP was completed on 10/28. Once the FPEF clean-up is completed, Marangoni will resume operations.
Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.
MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment): Ongoing.
Moon Photography from ISS (JAXA EPO): Complete.
MOP (Motion Perception in Zero-G): Daily MOP questionnaires completed by the Space Flight Participant. Downloaded on 16S.
MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox): Complete.
MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC1 “Pirs”.
MULTIGEN-1: Completed.
MUSCLE-G (LBP/Low Back Pain): Daily MUSCLE questionnaires completed by the Space Flight Participant. Downloaded on 16S.
NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.
NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY: In progress.
PADLES (Passive Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): In progress.
PCRF (Protein Crystallization Research Facility) Reconfiguration (JAXA): Complete.
PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.
SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): Ongoing.
SAMPLE: Complete.
SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment): Complete.
SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): “Greg, you are currently scheduled to complete another week of Sleep logging next week. This will make up for the week that was lost during the SSC reload.”
SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory): The present Sun visibility window has started on 10/27, but due to ISS yaw angle, SOLAR only started to track the Sun on 10/29 early morning. Some anomalies are currently being worked for SOLACES and SOVIM instruments:– SOVIM: no science acquisition, non-nominal mode: instrument power consumption is zero, for the time being it is powered off as the ground teams are working out a recovery plan– SOLSPEC: daily science acquisition – nominal;– SOLACES: problem of synchronization of the instrument microcontrollers, some work-around procedures are being implemented since the start of the Sun observation window. On 10/29, some problem with file naming of the Command Sequence scripts have led to a delay of several hours to start the science acquisition.
SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): Complete.
SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): Reserve.
Swab (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): Complete.
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
ULTRASOUND: Planned.
WAICO #1 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels): The four remaining ECs (Experiment Containers) have been removed by Greg from the BIOLAB Rotor B on 10/29.
CEO (Crew Earth Observations): Through 10/30 the ground has received a total of 1,118 frames of CEO images for review and cataloging (the first 6 days of Increment 18). Photos with times corresponding to CEO target request times are being reviewed first and since the last report included: Santa Barbara Coast, California (acquisition confirmed – 28 frames under review); Yellowstone NP, Wyoming (acquisition confirmed – 24 frames under review); Santa Barbara Coast, California – 53 frames under review); Lake Nasser-Toshka Lakes, Egypt (acquisition confirmed – 23 frames under review); Lake Chad, Africa (21 frames – excellent imagery acquired for continued monitoring); Niwot Ridge Tundra, Colorado (acquisition confirmed – 21 frames under review); Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (17 frames – target not acquired – to be re-tried); Madrean Sky Islands, NW Mexico (acquisition confirmed – 34 frames under review); Khartoum, Sudan (acquisition confirmed – 38 frames under review); and Red River Basin, TX (acquisition confirmed – 43 frames under review). “You are off to an incredible start with sharp, well-composed imagery and lots of it! More feedback will come as we complete our reviews. Thanks for your patience as we transition from Increment 17 to 18.”
CEO photo targets uplinked for today were North African Dust Storm (Dynamic Event: North African Dust Storm – As ISS approached the Libyan coast, Mike & Greg were to look left of track, toward the eastern Mediterranean and eastern Egypt. The approach of a strong cold front should have created a large dust plume. Requested were panoramic views of the plume along the north coast of Egypt), B.P. Structure (the B.P. Structure is the first impact crater crossed today. It is small so it is a very challenging target. The crater is 2 km in diameter [similar in diameter to Meteor Crater in Arizona] and its age has been dated at less than 120 million years. The crater should have been close to under track. Mapping pass was requested), Oasis Impact Crater (Oasis impact crater is larger than B.P. [18 km in diameter] and probably a little easier to recognize. The age has been dated as less than 120 million years. Mapping pass along the orbit track was requested), and Amazon River Delta (Dynamic Event: Amazon River Delta. ISS had a nadir pass over the mouths of the Amazon River. CEO researchers want to continue their long-term image documentation of this dynamic delta. The delta is 210 miles wide and the sediment discharge extends hundreds of miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. Documenting the individual islands in the delta along with the extent of the sediment plume).
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).
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
11/02/08 — Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends
11/14/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 launch – MPLM Leonardo, LMC; 7:55pm;
11/16/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 docking
11/20/08 — ISS 10 Years
11/25/08 — Progress M-65/30P undocking & deorbit
11/26/08 — Progress M-66/31P launch
11/29/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 landing (~2:00 pm EST est.)
11/30/08 — Progress M-66/31P docking
02/09/09 — Progress M-66/31P undocking & deorbit
02/10/09 — Progress M-67/32P launch
02/12/09 — Progress M-67/32P docking
02/12/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment
02/14/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A docking
02/24/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A undocking
02/26/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A landing (nominal)
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 M-67/32P undocking & deorbit
05/15/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
05/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S launch
05/27/09 — Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 19S docking)
07/30/09 — STS-128/Atlantis/17A – MPLM (P), last crew rotation
10/15/09 — STS-129/Discovery/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A – MPLM(P)
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).
