NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 11 August 2012

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – Crew off duty.

At wakeup, Gennady Padalka performed the routine inspection of the SM PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.

Upon wakeup, FE-3 Acaba, FE-5 Williams & FE-6 Hoshide completed their weekly post-sleep session of the Reaction Self-Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self-Test on the ISS) protocol, the 28th for Joe, the 7th for Suni & Aki. [RST is done 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. The experiment consists of a 5-minute reaction time task that allows crewmembers to monitor the daily effects of fatigue on performance while on ISS. The experiment provides objective feedback on neurobehavioral changes in attention, psychomotor speed, state stability, and impulsivity while on ISS missions, particularly as they relate to changes in circadian rhythms, sleep restrictions, and extended work shifts.]

Padalka, Revin, Acaba, Malenchenko, Williams & Hoshide joined in conducting the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module). [“Uborka”, usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the sleep stations 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 Uborka house cleaning, Sergei, Yuri & Gennady also completed regular weekly maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) plus Group E fan grilles in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP), and the SKV air conditioner in the SM.

Williams had Day 3 of her 2nd (FD30) suite of sessions with the controlled Pro K diet protocol (Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery) with diet logging after the urine pH spot test, for a 5-day period after start of collections. After recording her diet input today, Sunita broke out the equipment for the associated urine collections for pH value, beginning tomorrow, followed by the blood sampling on Monday (8/13). [For the Pro K protocol, there are five in-flight sessions (FD15, FD30, FD60, FD120, FD180) of samplings, to be shared with the NUTRITION w/Repository protocol, each one with five days of diet & urine pH logging and photography on the last day. The crewmember prepares a diet log and then annotates quantities of food packets consumed and supplements taken. Urine collections are spread over 24 hrs; samples go into the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) within 30 min after collection. Blood samples, on the last day, are centrifuged in the RC (Refrigerated Centrifuge) and placed in MELFI at -80 degC. There is an 8-hr fasting requirement prior to the blood draw (i.e., no food or drink, but water ingestion is encouraged). MELFI constraints: Maximum MELFI Dewar open time: 60 sec; at least 45 min between MELFI dewar door openings. Background on pH: In chemistry, pH (Potential Hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a watery solution. Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25 degC. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are “acidic” and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are “basic” or “alkaline”. pH measurements are important in medicine, biology, chemistry, agriculture, forestry, food science, environmental science, oceanography, civil engineers and many others.]

Padalka performed 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.]

In COL, Sunita reached midpoint at about 1:00pm EDT for her on-going 2nd Ambulatory Monitoring session of the ESA ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular) assessment, after which she began the second 24h data collection period, with Makita batteries swapped and recharged during the day. [For the second 24 hr period, the Cardiopres was temporarily doffed and the HM2 HiFi CF Card and AA Battery were changed out to allow continuation of the session for another 24 hours. After data collection is complete, the Actiwatches and both HM2 HiFi CF Cards are downloaded to the HRF PC1, while Cardiopres data are downloaded to the EPM (European Physiology Module) Rack and transferred to the HRF PC1 via a USB key for downlink. The sessions are scheduled at or around FD14, FD30, FD75, FD135 and R-15 (there will be fewer sessions if mission duration is less than six months). (ICV activities consist of two separate but related parts over a one-week time period: an ultrasound echo scan & an ambulatory monitoring session.)]

After retrieving the 4 HiMassSEE (Spacecraft Single Event Environments at High Shielding Mass) kits from Lab stowage, Akihiko posed with their contents for photographs taken by Joe Acaba for historical documentation. [Aki removed the kits from their stowage, fastened them with Velcro in specific lockers and had each installed kit photographed by Joe, restowing the locker contents afterwards. HiMassSEE measures space radiation interactions with spacecraft structure & shielding using several passive track detector technologies to provide a more accurate definition of ISS payload accommodation, characterizing the combined primary & secondary ionizing radiation environments in the high shielding mass environment on board the station. It also strives to support the selection and verification of avionics and materials through the precise description of nuclear reactions induced by secondary particle showers inside the ISS. The median shielding mass, where the HiMassSEE experiment is located, is estimated to be between 20 and 50 g/cm2 Aluminum (Al) equivalents. One of the major role’s of the experiment is to determine the accuracy of some of the prediction models used on board. HiMassSEE also provides flight demonstration of recently developed FNTDs (Fluorescence Nuclear Track Detectors). The advanced materials that are studied for radiation damage are nonvolatile ferroelectric RAM, graphene film nanoelectronic materials, chalcogenide RAM, magneto resistive RAM, rare Earth element vanadate Quantum Dots, and MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) flash memory.]

Acaba & Hoshide filled out their standard FFQs (Food Frequency Questionnaires) on the MDLT (Medical Laptop). It was Joe’s 10th, Aki’s 3rd. [On the FFQs, USOS astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MDLT 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.]

Joe again had a time slot/placeholder reserved for making entries in his electronic Journal on the personal SSC. [Required are three journaling sessions per week.]

FE-5 & FE-6 conducted 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), Aki at ~11:40am, Suni at ~2:55pm EDT.

At ~8:45am EDT, the entire crew held the regular WPC (Weekly Planning Conference) with the ground, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP-Moscow timeline planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.

At ~10:15am, Yuri (,Yura”), Sergey & Gennady (“Ghena”) engaged in the monthly PAO phone interview via S-band with Ekaterina Beloglazova, Editor of Rossiyskiy Kosmos (Russian Space) Magazine and an old friend of ISS cosmonauts. [“At the end of July-August you saw off and welcomed Russian and Japanese cargo vehicles. Progress M-16M became the first resupply vehicle to reach ISS per new plan just in 6 hours. It delivered 2.6 tons of cargo to the ISS. Which ones were the most anticipated? Did you find any hidden surprises? What hardware was delivered on the vehicles? Unpacking cargo vehicles requires certain skills. Can it be mechanized? How do you proceed? How much time do you spend on it? Do you have a special procedure? Or do you act based on circumstances? Gennady and Yury, there is a little more than a week left before your EVA. How do you prepare for it? Please tell us what you have to do on the surface of ISS. What are your objectives? What will Sergey Revin be doing during your space walk?”]

At ~11:40am, Joe Acaba activated the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) routing to downlink the recording of his CFE VG2 (Capillary Flow Experiments / Vane Gap 2) experiment session of yesterday, stopping it at ~3:10pm. POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routed the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link).

The crew worked out on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-3, FE-5), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (CDR, FE-2, FE-4), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-2, FE-3, FE-5), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (CDR, FE-4). ). [FE-6 is 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 Fridays. If any day is not completed, Aki picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day. Today’s exercise called for T2 (aerobic/interval 2 min.), with ARED+T2 (resistive+aerobic/continuous), T2 (aerobic/interval 30 sec), ARED/CEVIS (resistive/aerobic/continuous) and T2 (aerobic 4 min) following in the next 4 days.]

Tasks listed for Revin, Malenchenko & Padalka on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were –
. 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,
. Recording their responses to questions from Roskosmos TV for the “Lesson from Space” project; [Roskosmos TV studio along with Ministry of Education are working on the “Lesson from Space” project, to be shown in Russian schools on October 4, launch day of Sputnik 1, the first man-made Earth satellite. The TV studio is also recording a footage for the “Kosmonavtika” show on the Rossia 24 news channel], and
. 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).
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Thirty-Two – Week 6).

2D NANO Template (JAXA): Mission completed.

3D SPACE: Complete.

ACE-1 (Advanced Colloids Experiment 1, NASA): On 8/1, we began nine days of continuous operations investigating ACE Sample S/N 2003 using the LMM Microscope from the ground. This is the first of many planned colloids experiments in the LMM with the PI-provided samples containing particles. These particles form 3D structure that cannot occur on earth due to gravity. This first experiment consists of self-assembly, in which particles form new structures due to geometry and attractive/repulsive coatings. This is a theoretical experiment; the next experiment is with Proctor & Gamble to study product aging, which is a challenging problem for P&G. For ACE Sample S/N 2003, we started with imaging using the 2.5x objective and calibrating the stage/microscope alignment for the ten wells in the sample. Once calibrated, we collected image data for the ten wells at 10x magnification using script commands that take 12 images at five layers. We observed 3D structure (that cannot form on earth) during the calibration operation. We have completed approximately 50 data cycles of sample well imagings. The PI team reports good image quality and is analyzing the data. Next week, we will decide which sample to install next after the crew provides us with video and photo documentation data of the remaining samples. The next sample will be installed next week with powered operations starting right after the sample change out. One of the FIR White Light Lamps has burned out. The FIR White Light Lamp provides illumination of the sample via a FIR White Light F/O Cable. FIR has a redundant lamp already installed. During the activities to change out the ACE Sample, we hope to schedule the corrective procedure to swap the FIR White Light F/O Cables so we can use the other FIR White Light Lamp for sample illumination.

ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.

ALTEA SHIELD Shielding (NASA/ASI): On 8/4, Health & Status data (and thus also H&S, Housekeeping and Scientific data) were lost. Thank you Joe for the restart activity on-board! To date, around 54 cumulative days of measurements have been performed. Session#1 must be pursued for a minimum of 40-60 cumulative days, hence the minimum required duration on the first location has been met. Thank you, Aki, for the exchange of the shielding tiles on GMT222 with a second set to start the second session. Also for the second measurement session, the minimum duration is 40 days, preferred duration 60 days. [Cosmic radiation consists of very small, atomic-sized particles that are flying around in space at tremendous speeds. Their energy is so high that these particles, like tiny bullets, can permeate through the complete structure of the ISS. Exposure of astronauts to cosmic radiation is risky from a medical point of view. The best way to protect our astronauts against cosmic radiation is to build the complete ISS from lead! This would solve the problem but the enormous mass can impossibly be launched into space. Therefore different materials, much lighter than lead, are being tested to be used as shielding materials. Two of those will be investigated in the ALTEA-SHIELD experiment. The effectiveness of the shielding materials will be measured on board by a set of special radiation detectors. Some detectors will be covered with tiles made of shielding materials, some others will not. We are looking forward to find out what difference it will make!”]

Amine Swingbed (NASA): The Amine Swingbed team continues to investigate the anomaly with the Swingbed valve.

AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer): No report.

APEX (Advanced Plant Experiments on Orbit) -Cambium: No report.

APEX-TAGES (Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System): No report.

Asian Seed 2010 (JAXA): Returned on ULF6.

BASS (Burning and Suppression of Solids, NASA): This week we performed 3 tests. The first two tests burned the last of our thin flat cotton-fiberglass samples. In the first test, we obtained the concurrent flow spread rate for a 20 cm/s air flow. In the second test, we performed opposed flow tests at varying air flow speeds, from 10 cm/s at ignition then stepped down to 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, and finally 0 cm/s. Spread rates as a function of each of these speeds can be deduced, as well as an estimate of the flow speed below which the flame goes out. In the final tests, we used one of the SLICE igniters to demonstrate that it could be effective in igniting our acrylic spheres. There are approximately four SLICE igniters available for us to use if all the BASS igniters are burned out.

BCAT-6 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 6): No report. [Colloids are particles as small as a few tens of nanometers (a thousandth of a thousandth of a millimeter) that are suspended in a medium, usually a liquid or a gas. The name “colloid” comes from the Greek word for “glue”, and expresses very important properties of colloids: when small and light enough, particles can be influenced in their behavior by forces of electromagnetic origin, and make them stick together, or repel each other depending on the configuration. Colloids are widely studied in science because the forces between particles can be controlled and tuned and because particles, while being small enough to be influenced by such forces, are big and slow enough to be seen with a relatively simple and inexpensive laboratory instrument like a microscope. This is why colloids are often studied as model for molecular systems (like standard gases or liquids) where molecules, the individual constituents, are much smaller than colloids and cannot be seen with light. As mentioned, forces between colloids can be tuned giving rise to a rich variety of phenomena. One of them is aggregation, which is when particles stick together and tend to form structures. Among the many ways to induce particle aggregation, one allows to do so by controlling the temperature of the solution in which the particles are immersed, thanks to very weak forces called “critical Casimir forces” that have been predicted more than 30 years ago but just partially verified in experiments. The objective of SODI COLLOID is to measure such forces and produce a controlled aggregation of tiny plastic particles. This would allow to shed light on critical Casimir forces and to make a step towards the fabrication of new nanostructured materials with remarkable optical properties for industrial applications.]

BLB (Biolab, ESA): Joe, thanks for your help with the BIOLAB Handling Mechanism (HM) Arm Gripper P-Axis loosening activity. This activity was planned after it was found out that the HM gripper upon upload was stuck in the P-axis direction. After the crew activity, the BIOLAB rack was activated and the HM Positioning Test confirmed a successful P-Axis loosening, but unfortunately found the X-Axis blocked. A recovery attempt was performed by applying the maximum force for the X-Axis, but was unsuccessful and was aborted.

BIORHYTHMS (JAXA, Biological Rhythms): “Aki and Suni, many thanks for the Actiwatch and ECG measurement. Ground Team started to analyze the data.”

BISE (CSA, Bodies in the Space Environment): No report.

BISPHOSPHONATES: No report.

BXF-Facility (Boiling eXperiment Facility, NASA): No report.

BXF-MABE (Microheater Array Boiling Experiment, NASA): No report.

BXF-NPBX (Pool Boiling Experiment, NASA): No report.

CARD (Long Term Microgravity Model for Investigating Mechanisms of Heart Disease, ESA): No report.

CARDIOCOG-2: Complete.

CB (JAXA Clean Bench): No report.

CBEF-2 (JAXA Cell Biology Experiment Facility)/SPACE SEED: No report.

CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): No report.

CERISE (JAXA): No report.

CCF (Capillary Channel Flow, NASA): No report.

CFE-2 (Capillary Flow Experiment 2, NASA): “Joe, there is little more that can be said except that we are absolutely thrilled with your work this week. You narrowed down all of the critical angles going in the CCW direction and many bonus angles going CW as well! Additionally you were able to identify a previously unseen biased bulk shift phenomenon! We are happy to have you on our science team and are looking forward to future experiments with you.”

CFS-A (Colored Fungi in Space-A, ESA): No report.

CSI-5/CGBA-5 (CGBA Science Insert #5/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5): No report.

CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.

CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack), MDCA/Flex: No report.

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS (ESA): “Aki, the science data of your first session of last week have been downlinked on 8/8 via Portable PFS after Suni’s VO2max session. The data have been passed on the science team and are pending their assessment, we will let you know!”

Commercial (Inc 23&24, JAXA): No report.

Commercial (Inc 25 & 26, JAXA): No report.

CSAC (Chip-Scale Atomic Clock, SPHERES): No report.

CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): No report.

CsPins (JAXA): No report.

CubeLab: No report.

CW/CR (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): Complete.

DECLIC-ALI (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids & Crystallization-ALICE-like, CNES/NASA): No report.

DomeGene (JAXA): Complete.

DOSIS (Dose Distribution Inside ISS, ESA): Nominal science acquisition with active and passive dosimeters inside Columbus.

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): No report.

EDR (European Drawer Rack, ESA): No report.

EKE (Endurance Capacity by Gas Exchange and Heart Rate Kinetics During Physical Training, ESA): “Suni, the fact that there was no turbine signal in the turbine gain calibration has science impact for the ESA EKE experiment. This experiment uses in-flight data of VO2max via a data sharing agreement and also uses the turbine signal data. Thank you greatly for all your efforts in trying to reseat and tighten and trying with the alternative TFM insert!”

ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.

EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): “Thanks, Andre, for your help with the EMCS Relief Valves check.”

ENERGY (ESA): No report. [Background: 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.]

ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.

EPM (European Physiology Module): “Aki, thank you greatly in your help with the check-out of the Legg / Arm Cuff System (LACS). The data was downlinked and confirmed good, so the check-out was a success! The teams on both CSA and ESA side are very happy that this equipment is operating as expected, since it will be used for the future CSA BP-Reg experiment.”

EPO (Education Payload Operations, NASA) Demos: “Aki, thank you for completing the EPO Orientation Demo. The video footage will be edited and used on NASA education websites including STEM on Station www.nasa.gov/education/STEMstation . The intent of EPO demos is to encourage excitement about STEM among students.”

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Eye in the Sky; Sleep 2): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Sesame Street): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Kids in Micro-G): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Earth/Moon/Mars Demo): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Space Sports): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (ISS Orbit): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, ESA): No report.

EPO CONVECTIONS (ESA): “No report.

EPO MISSION X (ESA): No report.

EPO Spaceship Earth (ESA): No report.

EPO LES-2 (ESA): No report.

EPO GREENHOUSE (ESA): No report.

EPO 3-min Video (JAXA): No report.

EPO J-Astro Report (JAXA): No report.

EPO Dewey’s Forest (JAXA): Closed out on 3/15.

EPO Space Clothes (JAXA): Complete.

EPO Hiten (Dance, JAXA): No report.

EPO Lego Bricks (NASA, JAXA): No report.

EPO Moon Score (JAXA): No report.

EPO OpticSphere & ISSOrbit-Demo (NASA): No report.

EPO Kibo Kids Tour (JAXA): Complete.

EPO Paper Craft (Origami, JAXA): No report.

EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.

EPO-5 SpaceBottle (Message in a Bottle, JAXA): No report.

EPO-6 Spiral Top 2 (JAXA): No report.

EPO-7 Doctor Demo (JAXA): No report.

EPO-7 Green Tea Preparation (JAXA): No report.

EPO-7 Ink Ball (JAXA): No report.

EPO-7 Video (JAXA):

EPO-7 Try Zero-G (JAXA): No report.

EPO-8 Space Sakura (JAXA): No report.

EPO-8 Space Musical Instruments (JAXA): No report.

EPO-9 (JAXA): “Aki, thank you very much for JAXA-REPORT01 and JAXA-REPORT02.”

ERB-2 (Erasmus Recording Binocular, ESA): [ERB-2 aims are to develop narrated video material for various PR & educational products & events, including a 3D interior station view.] No report.

ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.

FACET-2 (JAXA): No report.

FERULATE (JAXA): No report.

FIR/LMM/CVB (Fluids Integrated Rack / Light Microscopy Module / Constrained Vapor Bubble): No report.

Fish Scales (JAXA): Completed on FD7/ULF-4 and returned on STS-132.

FOAM STABILITY EPO (ESA): No report.

FOCUS: No report.

FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): “Suni, your installation of the FSL Video Monitoring Unit (VMU) Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) 12V power filters on 8/7 was so swift and smooth! Soon after the FSL rack was activated and a short checkout verification of the VMU was performed successfully.”

FWED (Flywheel Exercise Device, ESA): No report.

GENARA-A (Gravity Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis A/ESA): No report.

GEOFLOW-2 (ESA): Experiment completed! [Background: Everybody is familiar with liquids. In an average day we get to use, handle or drink water or other liquids. And everybody knows how fluids (that is liquids and gases) behave: when subjected to a net force, may be pressure, a temperature difference or gravity, they can move freely. Scientists have been studying how fluids move for centuries, and managed to write mathematical formulas that can describe and predict such movements. Unfortunately, these equations are extremely complex and only approximate solutions are known. As a result, our quantitative understanding of fluid movement is just partial. This is especially true for natural phenomena where the forces can be enormous and unpredictable, like in oceans or in the atmosphere, or the interior of the earth, where rocks are exposed to pressures and temperatures so incredibly high that they slowly move and adapt their shape. That is, over hundreds of years rocks flow just like a very viscous liquid. Scientists try to study such flows but cannot observe them directly due to the fact that they take place deep beneath the surface of our planet. The only way is to have computers simulating those movements starting from the equations, but how to check whether computers are correct? This is what Geoflow II is trying to answer on board the International Space Station. Geoflow II is a miniature planet that has some of its essential ingredients: a fluid can freely move inside a spherical container that rotates, has temperature differences and has a simulated gravity directed towards the centre just like in a real planet. By taking pictures of the fluid movements, scientists are able to understand the essential characteristics of the flows and determine whether computer simulations are correct or whether they need to be refined and improved towards a better understanding of the elusive movements that take place inside our planet.]

GLACIER (General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator, NASA): “Thank you for your work this week on the battery and desiccant replacement.”

HAIR (JAXA): No report.

HDTV System (JAXA): No report.

Hicari (JAXA): No report.

Holter ECG (JAXA): No report.

HQPC (JAXA): No report.

HREP (HICO/Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean & RAIDS/Remote Atmospheric & Ionospheric Detection System/JAXA): HICO has taken 6168 images to-date and some interesting images from March 2012 are included with this status. The most recent HICO images include parts of the Australian coastline, parts of South Africa and part of the Amazon River. RAIDS is continuing to collect secondary Science data including nighttime atmospheric disk photometry, spectra and temperatures. Extreme Ultra Violet airglow spectroscopy and optical contamination studies will also be performed.

HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1, NASA): No report.

HydroTropi (Hydrotropism & Auxin-Inducible Gene Expression in Roots Grown under Microgravity Conditions/JAXA): No report.

ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.

ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “After performance of Joe’s Ambulatory Monitoring data download on Wednesday, we were able to successfully downlink all of Joe’s files and confirm the expected file sizes. Unfortunately, despite re-downloading Aki’s Holter cards along with Joe’s on Wednesday, we were still unable to successfully downlink the same two Holter files which had previously presented problems. Given the recommended order of card download (5, then 7), we know that these files reside on card 7. The team is investigating recovery options for these files, particularly since all files are needed to process and read the full 24 hours of data on this card. For subsequent sessions we will move to another Holter kit to avoid continued issues.”

IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): No report.

INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.

InSPACE-3 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 3): No report.

IRIS (Image Reversal in Space, CSA): No report.

ISS Amateur/Ham Radio: “Aki, thank you for your efforts at contacting the Canada Science and Technology Museum Summer Day Camps this week. We are looking into some possible causes for the missed contact, and are looking forward to a successful contact next week.”

ISSAC (ISS Agricultural Camera, NASA): No report.

IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.

JOURNALS (Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement, NASA): No report. [Studies conducted on Earth have shown that analyzing the content of journals and diaries is an effective method for identifying the issues that are most important to a person. The method is based on the reasonable assumption that the frequency that an issue or category of issues is mentioned in a journal reflects the importance of that issue or category to the writer. The tone of each entry (positive, negative, or neutral) and phase of the expedition also are variables of interest. Study results will lead to recommendations for the design of equipment, facilities, procedures, and training to help sustain behavioral adjustment and performance during long-duration space expeditions to the ISS, asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Results from this study could help to improve the behavioral performance of people living and working under a variety of conditions here on Earth.]

KID/KUBIK6: No report.

KUBIK 3/6 (ESA): No report.

LMM/PACE-2 (Light Microscopy Module / Preliminary Advanced Colloids Experiment): No report.

LEGO Bricks: “Suni: Thank you for performing the Spinner activity. Future robotic model experiments are planned.”

LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): No report.

MAMS (Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System, NASA): No report.

Marangoni Exp. (JAXA): No report.

Marangoni DSD – Dynamic Surf (JAXA): Payload name was change from Marangoni DSD to Dynamic Surf.

Marangoni UVP (JAXA): No report.

MARES (Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System, ESA/NASA): No report.

Matryoshka-2 (RSA): No report.

MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, JAXA): External payload. Continuing telemetry monitoring. VSC Imagery was downloaded via ground activity on 7/2 and 7/4. MAXI MRDL data has been back on normal.

MDCA/Flex-2: “Joe: Thank you for all your hard work to replace the MDCA Needle 2 and the MDCA Igniter Tips on 8/7. On 8/8, we successfully ran four MDCA/FLEX-2 Quiescent test points using the newly installed igniters! We ran these test points using the Location 1 fuel pathway, so we have yet to confirm if replacing the MDCA Needle 2 resolved the obstruction issue with the Location 2 fuel pathway. We plan to use the Location 2 fuel pathway during our test points scheduled next week. A more detailed summary of the 8/8 test points will be included in next week’s input.”

MEIS (Marangoni Experiment for ISS) in JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility): No report.

MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS, NASA): “Joe: Thanks for all the effort on the EU R&R. MELFI1 is cooling nominally.”

Microbe-2 (JAXA): Sample returned by ULF6.

Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): No report.

MISSE-8 (Materials ISS Experiment 8): MISSE-8 ReflectArray, HyperX and SEUXSE-II experiments continue with nominal operations. PASCAL is performing nominal commanding that produced IV curves of the solar cells. IV curves are plots of the current versus voltage for solar cells and tell a lot about how these are performing. The SpaceCube experiment is running code for new radiation hardening by software.

MMA (JAXA/Microgravity Measurement Apparatus): No report.

MPAC/SEED (JAXA): No report.

MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox, NASA): “Joe: Thank you for your work on locating and photographing the video arms this week. We’re looking forward to returning the hardware to the functional list.”

MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox -Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment): No report.

MSPR (Multi Purpose Small Payload Rack, JAXA): On 6/13, Don completed greasing the QDs of the MSPR Work Volume and Combustion Chamber QD successfully, thank you very much.

MSL (Materials Science Laboratory, ESA): Three processed Sample Cartridge Assemblies (SCA’s) have been returned with SpX-D.

MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC-1 “Pirs”.

MULTIGEN-1: Completed.

MYCO 3 (JAXA): On 9/22, Mike and Satoshi completed sample collection.

MyoLab (JAXA): Completed on 4/20.

NanoRacks (NASA): No report.

NANOSKELETON (Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity, JAXA): No report.

NANO STEP (JAXA): “Aki, we very much appreciate your strong support for the Nano Step unstable interference fringe matter. Though it still remains to be unstable, it can be used for the analysis. So we decided to continue the run #1 experiment, which continues for 35 days, and it looks pretty good so far. Further trouble shoot will be done by the ground team.”

NEURORAD (JAXA): No report.

NEUROSPAT (ESA/Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing and Sensorimotor Integration): No report. [During microgravity stay, the human body goes through multitude of physiological changes in order to accommodate to the new environment. As the brain is a master organ where major crucial processes take place, it is fundamental to understand how it manages adaptation for living in Space. One of the main purposes of Neurospat (NES) experiment is to focus on how microgravity environment influences cerebral activity of astronauts aboard ISS. For this, the global electrical activity of the brain of the astronaut is measured thanks to electroencephalogram (EEG) technique, while he or she is executing specific tasks through a computer as if it was a kind of videogame. In practice, the astronaut is wearing a specially equipped cap with passive, gel filled electrodes that are in contact with his/her scalp while he or she is performing the specific tasks that we have designed. These are visual-orientation perception and visuo-motor tracking tasks that may be encountered on a daily basis. The tasks allow the study of 5 cognitive processes: Perception, Attention, Memorization, Decision and Action. Besides there are also task-irrelevant images that are showed to the astronaut in order to assess how well he or she processes novel visual stimuli. The electrodes all over the scalp are linked to sensitive amplifiers that allow us to measure small variations of electrical potential between different regions of the scalp. These signals are in turn used to estimate activity in the cerebral cortex related to the task being performed. Also, they serve to identify the mental processes associated with these tasks and to localize in the brain the sources of the underlying neural activity. After analysis of the data we can better understand whether the novel environment of microgravity accompanied by a multitude of stressors may place an increased load on the cognitive capacity of the human brain and whether the sensory signals and motor responses of astronauts are processed and interpreted differently because a new reference frame.]

NightPod (ESA): NightPod images have been presented in a news blog on the ESA PromISSe website: http://blogs.esa.int/promisse/2012/04/05/nightpod/

NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.

NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: No report.

ODK-2 (Onboard Diagnostic Kit 2, JAXA): “Aki, thank you for the EEG acquisition, auscultation, pulse oximetry, imaging, body temperature measurement, sphygmomanometry and sthenometry. Ground Team successfully down loaded the data except the 2nd-day EEG data. Ground team will continue for the further troubleshoot for the missing EEG data.”

PADIAC (Pathway Different Activators, ESA): No report.

PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 6/7; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): The 17 dosimeters installed inside the JEM continue to acquire radiation data. This experiment will continue until 30S return.

PASSAGES (JAXA): No report. [PASSAGES is an experiment about the strategies involved in the perception of the world around us. Seeing correctly the world is necessary to success our gestures, our actions, such as catching a ball, stepping an obstacle on the ground or passing through an opened door. In this experiment, we want to know if the strategies involved on Earth continue to be used when the astronaut is in a weightlessness environment for a long period. To investigate this question, the participant sees 3D scenes on the screen of a laptop such as a video game. The scene is a room with an opening which can vary in width. The task of the participant is to decide if yes or no he or she could pass through the aperture without rotating or scrunching the shoulders. The science team uses typical methods from psychophysics and manipulates several factors to highlight the strategies used by the participant. Then, the science team will compare the performances obtained on ground with those obtained onboard.]

PCDF-PU (Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility – Process Unit): No report.

PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): Mission completed last week.

PCRF (Protein Crystallization Research Facility) Reconfiguration (JAXA): See PCG.

PLSG (Plant Signaling, NASA/ESA): No report.

PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.

POLCA/GRAVIGEN (ESA): Complete.

Portable PFS: Used for Suni’s first VO2max session. Refer to VO2max / EKE / THERMOLAB.

Pro K: No report.

RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.

RadSilk (JAXA): No report.

Reaction Self Test (RST/Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Joe, Suni, and Aki, thank you for your continued participation in Reaction Self Test! Your efforts are greatly appreciated!”

Reversible Figures (ESA): “Suni, thank you for your second session of Reversible Figures. Also thank you for the feedback that you did not see any black screen anymore based on the hint in the Daily Summary, that is useful!” [Background: The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between gravity and depth perception. Another objective is to identify the problems associated with depth and distance perception in astronauts with the goal of developing countermeasures to reduce any associated performance alteration. This experiment investigates cases in which what astronauts might think to see, fails to achieve a correct representation of the environment, namely, optical illusions. Ten ambiguous figures, with or without depth cues, are presented to an astronaut in virtual reality goggles. These figures are ambiguous because they can be seen at first sight in two different ways. The figure does not change, but after some time the brain reverses (flip-flops) its interpretation. The astronaut is asked to look closely at each figure and to indicate with a mouse trackball which view he/she sees first, and when the view flip-flops. The interval between the views will be compared between 1g and 0g conditions. In 0g, the astronaut will do the test while free-floating to eliminate all orientation cues. This experiment will be performed three times pre-flight, then up to six times in-flight, and again three times post-flight. The science team will then compare the results of these tests across these gravitational environments. It is expected that the frequency of flip-flops of figures with depth cues will be different in between 0g and 1g, and that an adaptation to long-term exposure to weightlessness, as well as a re-adaptation to Earth gravity, will take place.]

ROALD-2 (Role of Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression 2, ESA): No report. [Background: The ROALD-2 experiment studies how the function of T-cells from the immune system are affected by microgravity and spaceflight. T-cells play an important role in controlling the immune systems response to infection. It has previously been shown that the immune response of astronauts can be reduced following spaceflight and it has also been shown that the activation of T-cells in culture is reduced in microgravity. A series of experiments on T-cells and other immune system cells have been previously performed by different scientific teams on Space Shuttle and the ISS over the last 30 years. The data from these individual experiments provides information which together can be used to understand the mechanisms by which gravity or the absence of gravity can affect T-cell function.]

Robonaut (NASA): No report.

RYUTAI Rack (JAXA): No report.

SAIBO Rack (JAXA): No report.

SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): No report.

SAMPLE: Complete.

SCOF (Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, JAXA): No report.

SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload, JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.

SHD (Space Headaches, ESA): “Joe, we are so impressed that every week you remember to fill in your questionnaire! All your questionnaires up to last week have been downlinked and passed on to the science team.”. [Background: The neurologists from Leiden University want to study the question whether the astronauts, while in space, suffer from the headaches. With the help of simple questionnaires the astronauts will register the headache episodes and the eventual accompanying symptoms. The results will hopefully help to characterize the frequency and characteristics of space headache and to develop countermeasure to prevent/minimize headache occurrence during the space flight.]

SHERE II (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment II): No report.

SLAMMD (Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device): No report.

SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): No report.

SLICE (Structure & Liftoff In Combustion Experiment): No report. [See under BASS.]

SMILES (JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.

SODI/IVIDIL (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Influence of Vibration on Diffusion in Liquids, ESA): No report.

SODI/COLLOID (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Colloid): No report.

SODI-DSC (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Diffusion & Soret Coefficient, ESA): No report. [Background: Fluids and gases are never at rest. This statement is in apparent contradiction with our experience: when we pour water in a glass and wait until all flows have disappeared and the temperature of the liquid is in equilibrium with that of the room, we see that water appears to be completely at rest. However, if we were able to see the individual molecules of water with a very powerful microscope, we would discover that they are incessantly moving and collide with each other following frantic, random paths even if the liquid appears to be quiescent at naked eye. Scientists are interested in observing and measuring such movements because they reveal important, practical information: how fast does heat propagates in a fluid? How fast do liquid mixtures mix? Such phenomena occur in absence of a macroscopic flow, that is when the fluid appears to be at rest, and are called heat and mass diffusion respectively. While the theoretical prediction of heat and mass diffusion is still quite challenging, its measurement is a standard laboratory practice, but may become extremely difficult or impossible when dealing with mixtures of many liquids, due to the fact that such measurement needs to be carried out when the fluid is quiescent, a condition sometimes impossible to achieve on ground. This is precisely the objective of the SODI DSC experiment carried out on board the International Space Station: the measurement of diffusion in mixtures of liquids. By using very sensitive optical techniques, it will be possible to measure mass diffusion, compare with current theories, and improve our present understanding of how molecules move in liquid mixtures. The results will be used by the large team of scientists involved in the project to try to understand which of the many existing theories for mass diffusion is correctly predicting the experimental behavior.]

SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory, ESA): Currently out of Sun Visibility Window. SOLACES was in heated mode until 8/5. Some SOLSPEC calibrations performed on 8/8. Next SVW#56 expected to start on 8/17.

SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): No report.

Space-DRUMS (Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix System): No report.

Space Food (JAXA): No report.

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): No report.

SPHINX (SPaceflight of Huvec: an Integrated eXperiment, ESA): No report.

SPICE (Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment): No report.

SPINAL (Spinal Elongation): No report.

SPRINT: No report.

SS-HDTV (Super Sensitivity High Definition Camera, JAXA): Mission completed last week.

STP-H3 (Space Test Program – Houston 3): A video survey of STP-H3 was performed by ROBO using the SSRMS from the ground on 8/7. The areas of focus were the DISC lens, VADER VEDs, VADER Aerogel blanket, MHTEX radiator and Canary sensor face. During the survey performed in January 2012 the VADER VED #3 showed extensive damage but no conclusive cause could be determined. This survey did not reveal any new anomalies during real-time viewing but the video will be studied in detail over the next month. MHTEX is continuing with a test of the Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) and the CPL is currently in a steady state. VADER continues to characterize the performance of the Aerogel blanket attached to the backside of the experiment. Canary is downloading and analyzing data taken for previous events this week. DISC did not take new images this week but is processing images that were taken in previous weeks.

SWAB (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): No report.

TASTE IN SPACE (ESA): No report.

THERMOLAB (ESA): “Thank you, Suni, for also collecting THERMOLAB data with the sensors during your VO2max protocol. The data have been downlinked and passed on to the science team, pending their feedback.”

TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.

TREADMILL KINEMATICS: “Thank you, Suni, for repeating your first Treadmill Kinematics session for us! Thanks for your 4th Treadmill Kinematics session, Joe.”

TRIPLELUX-B (ESA): No report.

ULTRASOUND: Planned.

UMS (Urine Monitoring System (NASA): No report.

VASCULAR (CSA): “Many thanks for recording the Vascular Podcast on Thursday. This video will be watched with interest by the public.”

VCAM (Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Module, NASA): No report.

VESSEL ID System (ESA): Nominal data acquisition with the NorAIS receiver. [Background: As the ISS circles Earth, it has been tracking individual ships crossing the seas beneath. An investigation hosted by ESA in COL module has been testing the viability of monitoring global maritime traffic from the station’s orbit hundreds of kilometers above since June 2010. The ship-detection system being tested is based on the AIS (Automatic Identification System), the marine equivalent of the air traffic control system. Astronauts were instrumental in enabling the COLAIS experiment, which is an in-orbit demonstration project of ESA’s General Support Technology Program. COL was not originally outfitted with VHF antennas to capture the AIS signals; they were installed on the outside of the module during a spacewalk in November 2009, with the remaining piece of hardware, the ERNOBox control computer, installed inside COL along with the NORAIS receiver in May 2010.- The two operational phases with the first receiver from Norway, or NORAIS, which is operated by FFI/Norway, have been extremely successful, with data telemetry received by the N-USOC, in Trondheim, Norway, via ESA’s COL-CC in Germany. Data has been received by NORAIS in almost continuous operation, and all modes of operation have worked extremely well. On a good day, approximately 400,000 ship position reports are received from more than 22,000 different ship identification numbers (Maritime Mobile Service Identity, or MMSI).– The NORAIS Receiver has a sample mode that can collect the raw signal, digitize it and send it to ground for analysis of signal quality, which is proving very helpful in making additional improvements/ refinements to the system. This is used both to investigate the signal environment and to evaluate the performance of new receiver technologies on the ground. Several hundred data sets have been collected and processed with new candidate algorithms for next generation receivers.– From the assessment of these data sets, an updated version of the decoder algorithm has been worked. The development benefits from the investigations of the sampled data and ongoing work in other ESA projects. The firmware was uploaded to the NORAIS Receiver through the station’s communications network. This upgrade #1 (“NORAIS Receiver FPGA firmware v18”), was activated on 1/20/2012.– The on-orbit data of the NORAIS Receiver v18 have been analyzed since and show very good results. The teams are confident in the operation and performance of v18 and have now preliminary results of the comparison of the performance of the upgraded NORAIS Receiver (v18) relative to the version operated prior to the upgrade (v16).– Changes of the signal environment on ISS can influence the number of correctly decoded messages, which makes it important to compare the results of this upgrade to a period running the old algorithm with a similar background level.– The daily averages are calculated for 11 days for both receiver versions. For the upgrade, the period considered for comparison is 1/21-1/31/2012, which are the first 11 days of operation. When selecting the period for the reference data it was important to find a period with the same background signal level as the 11 days with the upgraded NORAIS Receiver. The period from 11/27 – 12/7/2011 was. Even though the two 11 day periods are 45 days apart, the ship traffic should not be very different around the world, except for some regions in the north that may be hampered by sea ice.– The performance has been studied as the average number of decoded messages per day for the current upgrade v18 of the firmware and the original NORAIS Receiver software. The improvement is the ratio of these numbers (so average numbers of messages per day before the upgrade divided by number of messages after the upgrade). The number of messages from ships in various geographic areas shows a variation in the ratio of messages from 1.2 to 2.0, whereas the ratio of MMSI’s ranges from 1.1 to 1.9. The improvement in the Mediterranean is almost a factor of 2.0 in number of messages, and more than 1.6 in number of distinct ships per day. The improvement in other high-traffic zones, at the Gulf of Mexico and East Asia, is even higher.]

VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): “Thank you, Aki, for your first VESSEL IMAGING scan session. The science team reported very good scan images!” [Background: It is known that the ability of blood vessels to vasoconstrict – the ability of the muscular vessel wall to narrow the diameter of the blood vessel – is impaired during and after a human has been in space. “Vessel Imaging” is using the Ultrasound scanner on board the ISS to take images of the five different blood vessels in the lower abdomen and in the legs to study what changes occur to cause the blood vessels to be less able to vasoconstrict. For each vessel, a 5 second scan is performed to observe the blood vessel during several heart beats, followed by a scan where the ultrasound scan-head is tilted to allow a “cut through the blood vessel wall”. The same scans are also performed before flight, and these pre-flight images are used as the baseline to which the in-flight data is compared with. The images are analyzed to detect any changes in the blood vessel wall properties, such as wall thickness, elasticity or structure, changes in the size of the blood vessel or blood flow (volume) while the crewmember is in orbit.]

VIABLE (eValuatIon And monitoring of microBiofiLms insidE the ISS Payload Touch, NASA): “Thank you Suni for performing the touch activity this past Monday.”

VO2max (NASA): “Suni, great job on your first VO2max session, especially your maneuver to get the nose clip out without detaching from everything, very acrobatic! Thank you for all of your efforts to try and recover the Portable PFS Turbine Flowmeter (TFM) data. The team will be looking over the data and determine what steps can be taken to recover the data during your next session. There are a few more inserts other than the three that you tried last week, and we will likely include trying those additional inserts, as the inserts have historically proven to be the issue with this hardware. This TFM data loss isn’t an impact to VO2max, but is an impact to the ESA EKE study that collects data at the same time as VO2max. The PI has received the data and is in the process of reviewing it.”

VLE (Video Lessons ESA): No report.

WAICO #1/#2 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels; ESA): No report.

YEAST B (ESA): No report.

YOUTUBE SpaceLab: “Thanks so much for all of your work on the spiders and the B. subtilis experiments this week. We greatly appreciate all of your efforts especially in taking such excellent photos! Your care has made these experiments and overall YTSL program an incredible success! We know the students will be so excited to see all of your work. As we mentioned in our email to you earlier, the bacteria seems to be growing and we are looking forward to comparing the space photos with the ground controls as well as doing the analysis on this experiment when the flight samples return home. We have received great imagery of Nefertiti but Cleo remains camera shy! We are keeping our fingers crossed that she lets us get at least one image before habitat removal from CGBA4 on Monday.”

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 8/5 the ground has received 3,552 of ISS CEO frames from Expedition 32 for review and cataloging. “We are pleased to report that we have received imagery with times corresponding to our CEO target request times as follows: Pretoria, South Africa – 15 frames – target successfully acquired – this site will be REMOVED from our target request list; and Mbabane, Swaziland – 15 frames – target not acquired. Thanks for your efforts to acquire useful imagery of our target sites. Thanks also for your continued photography of cities at night. The illumination and focus of these views are some of the best we have ever seen. We are continuing to review and catalog them as time permits. Your excellent context view of Perito Moreno Glacier, Lake Argentino, Argentina was published on the NASA/GSFC Earth Observatory website this past weekend. Your view nicely illustrates the periodic process whereby this large active glacier periodically dams the flow of snow and ice melt water from reaching the large freshwater lake, Lago Argentino. Cool!”

CEO targets uplinked for today were Shark Bay Seagrass, Australia (the Shark Bay Ecosystem Research Project is an international research collaboration with the goal of understanding the dynamics of one of the world’s most pristine seagrass ecosystems. In addition, the researchers at Florida International University will strive to disseminate the results of their work to a wide audience through documentary films, their website, and curriculum and teacher resources for secondary schools. This area of interest is the northern part of Shark Bay on the coast of Western Australia. ISS had a mid-afternoon pass in clear weather with approach from the SW and much of the target area just left of track. The crew was to try for detailed views of this target’s features), Jakarta, Indonesia (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION SITE: The Indonesian capital of almost 9 million is located on the north coast and near the western end of the island of Java in the southwestern part of the Indonesian Archipelago. While this area is seldom cloud free researchers anticipated only haze and perhaps a few mid-afternoon clouds over Jakarta. They are looking for a context, nadir view of this sprawling coastal city within a single frame. At this time as ISS approached Java from the SW, the crew was to begin looking for this urban area), Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (ISS had a mid-afternoon, near-nadir pass over Africa’s highest mountain located in northern Tanzania near the border with Kenya, roughly midway between the large Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean. ISS approach was from the SW, and while the surrounding area may have been partly cloudy, the summit area should have been cloud-free. At this time the crew was to look just left of nadir and try for detailed views of the summit ice fields, glaciers, and snow cover), Chiloe Island, southern Chile (HMS BEAGLE SITE: ISS had an early afternoon pass with partly cloudy weather expected. At this time, the crew was to look near nadir for this large, rugged and forested island as ISS approached the southern coast of Chile from the SW. Trying for context views of the island as a whole. Darwin and the Beagle arrived at this island on June 12, 1834, surveyed the west coast, gathered provisions and left the next day. The crew was to try for either a single-frame view or a mapping set of this target), St. Paul Rocks islets, Brazil (HMS BEAGLE SITE: Darwin and the Beagle briefly visited this isolated, equatorial Atlantic site in early February of 1832. This tiny group of islets and rocks is also known as the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. The islands are of particular interest to geologists as they expose rocks associated with the Earth’s mantle above sea level. At this time the crew was to look carefully near nadir for these small features marked best by breaking waves. With partly cloudy weather expected they may have been able to photograph at least a few of them in a detailed mapping pass), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (ISS approached this high-elevation interior basin target from the SW. The effects of the past La Nina episode were felt markedly in the high Andes last year but are transitioning to El Nino conditions now. Lake Poopo fluctuates greatly under the influence of the El Nino/La Nina cycle. ISS had a good mid-afternoon pass in fair weather for mapping along orbit track to document water levels in Lake Poopo and the nearby dry lakebeds [salars]), and Quito, Ecuador (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION SITE: ISS had a late-afternoon pass in fair weather for this target with approach from the SW. The capital of Ecuador with a population of 2.25 million is located in the northern part of the country at an elevation of 9,350 feet making it the highest capital city in the world. At this time the crew was to look to spot this N-S oriented urban area within an interior mountain valley just west of Pichincha Volcano).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:38am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 401.9 km
Apogee height – 402.9 km
Perigee height – 400.8 km
Period — 92.60 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0001522
Solar Beta Angle — 62.1 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.55
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 59 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 78,660
Time in orbit (station) — 5013 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4300 days.

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————-
08/20/12 — Russian EVA-31
08/30/12 — US EVA-18
09/06/12 — HTV3 undocking
09/08/12 — HTV3 reentry
09/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/25/12 — ATV3 undocking
10/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitsky/E.Tarelkin
10/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/01/12 — Progress M-17M/49P launch
11/03/12 — Progress M-17M/49P docking
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/26/12 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
12/28/12 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
03/19/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/16/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-