NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 12 May 2010

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. “Take it easy”-day for the crew, resting for the upcoming ULF-4 mission (see Flight Plan Overview, below).

Soyuz TMA-17 (21S) relocation went smoothly, freeing up the FGB Nadir port for the installation of the MRM1 (Mini-Research Module 1) “Rassvet” during the upcoming STS-132/ULF-4 mission. After a brief ride in their crew return vehicle, CDR Kotov, FE-5 Noguchi & FE-6 Creamer docked at the SM (Service Module) Aft port at 9:53am EDT, completing the spacecraft’s relocation in about 27 minutes. [After undocking (9:26am), Soyuz CDR Oleg Kotov backed away from the station 25-30 m at ~0.12 m/s, then translated the spacecraft to the left, slewing sidewise through 90 deg along the ISS toward the aft end before rotating (“indexing”) the Soyuz around its longitudinal axis to align its periscope with the docking target on the SM, spending a short time in station-keeping mode. Final approach began at ~9:48am, with docking at ~9:53am. After hooks and latches were engaged, the crew conducted leak checks, opened hatches (~12:40pm) and then re-entered the station through the SM.]

No crew sleep cycle shifting was required for the relocation.

Before hatch closing & leak checking (6:22am-6:43am), CDR Kotov configured and checked out communications from 21S (~5:15am), while the ground deactivated the LKT (Local Temperature Sensor) on Soyuz and the SKV-1 air conditioner on ISS.

In TMA-17, after hatch closure the three crewmembers donned their Sokol pressure suits and performed Soyuz checkout operations.

Next, Oleg, Soichi & Timothy conducted the standard fit check of the Kazbek couches, the contoured shock absorbing seats in the Soyuz Descent Module. [For the fit check, crew members removed their cabin suits and donned Sokol KV-2 suit and comm caps, getting into in their seats and assessing the degree of comfort and uniform body support provided by the seat liner. Using a ruler, they then measured the gap between the top of the head and the top edge of the seat liner facing the head crown. The results were reported to TsUP. Kazbek-UM couches are designed to withstand g-loads during launch and orbital insertion as well as during reentry and brake-rocket-assisted landing. Each seat has two positions: cocked (armed) and noncocked. In cocked position, they are raised to allow the shock absorbers to function during touchdown. The fit check assures that the crewmembers, whose bodies gain in length during longer-term stay in zero-G, will still be adequately protected by the seat liners for their touchdown in Kazakhstan, either emergency or regular return.]

RS (Russian Segment) thrusters were disabled at ~8:04am for the FGB QD (quick disconnect, BZV) screw clamps removal and hook opening.

For the relocation, ISS attitude control authority was handed over to RS motion control at 8:42am. After relocation, control returned to US momentum management at ~11:55am.

After 21S separation from the nadir port (i.e., toward Earth), FE-3 Kornienko took photographs of the spacecraft’s docking assembly for subsequent inspection by ground specialists.

For observing the Soyuz thruster plumes, FE-1 Skvortsov had installed the GFI-1 “Relaksatsiya” (Relaxation) Earth Observation experiment at SM window #9; later he took down the equipment and stowed it. Objective: to measure the interaction of the Soyuz propulsion system with the external atmosphere around the ISS during relocation operations [Using the GFI-1 UFK “Fialka” ultraviolet camera, SP spectrometer and HD (High Definition) camcorder, the experiment is designed for spectral observations of the Earth atmosphere and surface, with spectrometer measurements controlled from Laptop 3. “Relaxation”, in Physics, is the transition of an atom or molecule from a higher energy level to a lower one, emitting radiative energy in the process as equilibrium is achieved.]

After Soyuz re-docking, the crew completed the standard 1-hr Soyuz/SM AO (Assembly Compartment) leak checking and Sokol suit & glove drying.

RS thrusters were again inhibited at ~11:25am for leak checking, hatch opening and post-docking clamp installation (~12:50am); they were re-enabled at ~1:35pm. TMA-17 deactivation began about 2:10pm, completing with the transition of the 21S spacecraft to ISS/combined power at ~2:22pm.

TJ Creamer had powered down the amateur/ham radio equipment and closed the protective shutters of the Lab, JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) & Cupola windows before going on his relocation trip.

Afterwards TJ tore down & removed the RS video “scheme” which employs TV conversion to U.S. NTSC format and Ku-band of the RS video signal from the SONY HDV camera via MPEG-2 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 2) encoder from FGB & SM, in order to downlink “streaming video” packets via U.S. OpsLAN and Ku-band. [Deactivation included the A31p SSC-1 (Station Support Computer 1) laptop in the FGB, used by Alexander Skvortsov to monitor the video stream to the ground.]

Also after the re-docking, Kornienko terminated the BRTK Ku-band video transmission which he had turned on earlier, and FE-1 Skvortsov reconfigured STTS station comm to nominal mode,

At wake-up, Skvortsov had performed the regular daily early-morning check of the aerosol filters at the Russian Elektron O₂ generator which Maxim Suraev had installed on 10/19/09 in gaps between the BZh Liquid Unit and the oxygen outlet pipe (filter FA-K) plus hydrogen outlet pipe (filter FA-V). [FE-1 again inspected the filters before bedtime, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]

Alexander also did the daily morning check on the TBU Universal Bioengineering Thermostat container and reported its current internal temperature to TsUP-Moscow.

Later, FE-1 completed the periodic inspection of the SRV-K2M Condensate Water Processor’s sediment trap insert (VU). [The Russian SRVK-2M converts collected condensate into drinking water and dispenses the reclaimed potable water.]

Before climbing aboard 21S for the fly-around, FE-5 Noguchi finished up work on the WAICO-2 (Waving & Coiling of Arabidopsis at Different Gravity Levels 2) experiment in the Kibo JPM BLB (Biolab), removing the remaining ECs (Experiment Containers) from the incubator and transferring them to TCU1 (Temperature Control Unit 1) for cold storage.

Mikhail Kornienko had 2h 50m reserved for undertaking his second onboard session with the Russian biomedical MBI-15 "Pilot-M"/NEURO signal response experiment after setting up the workplace and equipment, assisted by Skvortsov. Later, the Pilot-M & Neurolab-2000M gear was disassembled & stowed away, data files were downloaded, and Alexander reported to TsUP on his run. [MBI-15 requires the Multipurpose Hardware Bench as a table, ankle restraint system, eyeball electrodes for an EOG (electrooculogram), and two hand controllers (RUO & RUD) for testing piloting skill in “flying” simulations on a laptop (RSK1) with software (v. 2.0) under stopwatch control, as well as for studying special features of the psychophysiologic response of cosmonauts to the effects of stress factors in flight.]

Continuing the current round of periodic preventive maintenance of RS ventilation systems, Kornienko used a vacuum cleaner and soft brush to clean the detachable VT7 fan screens 1, 2, and 3 of the three SOTR gas-liquid heat exchangers (GZhT4) in the FGB (Funktsionalnyi-Grusovoi Blok), followed by the VD1 & VD2 air ducts in the "Pirs" DC-1 (Docking Compartment), while Sasha Skvortsov did his share by cleaning the V3 fan screen in DC-1 and interior panel ventilation grills in the FGB.

Creamer collected the three acoustic dosimeters which he had deployed yesterday, downloaded their accumulated data records and stowed the devices.

Tracy Caldwell-Dyson worked her way through an activity list comprising –

• The periodic status check & necessary maintenance of the CGBA-5 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5) payload,
• Calibrating two handheld CSA-O₂ (Compound Specific Analyzer-Oxygen) units (#1041, #1045), the third calibration after their delivery on 20A, plus downlinking their measurements [readings: Pressure 1600 psi; O₂ content of cabin air 21.0% for both],
• Inspecting & cleaning the COL OSS1 (Columbus Orbital Laboratory / Optical Smoke Sensor 1), a 50-min job,
• Performing another RFTA (Recycle Filter Tank Assembly) removal & replacement on the WRS (Water Recovery System) and stowing the old unit (#003) for return [RFTAs collect the substances cleaned from the pretreated urine to turn it into water], and
• Configuring the WHC (Waste & Hygiene Compartment) to start working with the UPA (Urine Processor Assembly) and begin filling the new RFTA.

In the US A/L (Airlock), Tracy later –

• Completed the EVA Systems preparations not finished yesterday [i.e., pre-gathering & pre-configuring mesh bags, wrist mirrors, 8 EHIP (EHIP (EVA Helmet Interchangeable Portable) light batteries, 5 PGT (Pistol Grip Tool) batteries, 2 EMU batteries (#2087, #2088), 1 REBA (Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly, #1008), etc.],
• Performed pre-EVA checkouts of the 5 PGTs, and
• Checked out, with Soichi Noguchi, the two SAFER (Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue) units (#1005, #1006) to be used during STS-132/ULF-4.

Misha conducted 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.]

FE-6 Creamer performed the periodic cylinder maintenance of the ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device), evacuating its cylinder flywheels to maintain proper vacuum condition and sensor calibration.

At ~4:20pm, TJ is scheduled for his weekly PFC (Private Family Conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop).

The crew completed today’s physical workout protocol as time permitted on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-2, FE-5, FE-6), TVIS treadmill (FE-1, FE-3), and ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-1, FE-2).

CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today were Beijing, China (looking to the right of track for Beijing. There may have been some haze in the area. Short lens context imagery was requested to augment existing high resolution imagery), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (weather was predicted to be clear over the capital of Mongolia. Looking to the left of track for the city. Context views of the urban area and surroundings were requested), Damascus, Syria (ISS had a nadir pass over this ancient capital city. Context views of the urban area and surroundings were requested), Tripoli, Libya (looking to the right of track for capital city of Libya. The city is located on a point projecting into the Mediterranean Sea, and is the country’s largest seaport. Short lens views of the urban area and surroundings were requested), Valletta, Malta (looking to the left of track for the island nation of Malta. The capital city of Valletta is located on the central eastern shoreline of the larger island. Overlapping frames of the Valletta metropolitan area and the islands of Malta were requested), and Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico (Dynamic Event. Some scattered cloud cover will have been present during this opportunity to photograph the ongoing oil spill. The spill was located to the left of track. Attempts to seal the wellhead are continuing, but so far have proved unsuccessful. Images with sunglint would be particularly valuable for delineation of the oil extent).

STS-132/Atlantis/ULF-4 Flight Plan Preview:

• Atlantis’ 12-day mission will deliver the Russian-built MRM-1 (Mini Research Module-1) that will provide additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz & Progress spacecraft. MRM-1, also known as Rassvet (“Dawn” in Russian), will be permanently attached to the nadir port of the station’s FGB module. MRM-1 will carry important hardware on its exterior including a radiator, airlock and a European robotic arm. Atlantis also will deliver additional station hardware stored inside a cargo carrier. Three spacewalks (by Reisman, Bowen & Good) are planned to stage spare components outside the station, including six spare batteries, a Ku-band antenna and spare parts for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm. Shuttle mission STS-132 is the final scheduled flight for Atlantis.

• Launch: 5/14, 2:20pm EDT
• Docking: 5/16, 10:20am
• Undocking: 5/23, 11:12am
• Landing: 5/26, 8:33am.

• Atlantis, on its last flight, is crewed by

• CDR – Ken Ham (Prime Loadmaster)

• PLT – Tony Antonelli
• MS1 – Garrett Reisman (EV1)
• MS2 – Mike Good (EV3)
• MS3 – Steve Bowen (EV2)
• MS4 – Piers Sellers

• MRM-1 Main Activities:

• FD2: Ku Scheme/Video Test for MRM-1 Docking

1. Setup and testing will be similar to Soyuz Docking video
2. Equipment left in place until FD5

• FD5: MRM-1 Docking (performed by STS crew)

3. SRMS unberth MRM-1 from PLB
4. SRMS handoff MRM-1 to SSRMS
5. SSRMS will berth to FGB Nadir
6. RS laptop deployed in USOS for docking ops

• FD7: MRM-1 Hatch Open/Leak Check

7. Initial ingress to scrub air
8. Hatch will be left “ajar”
9. Final, full ingress to occur TBD date post flight

• Other Main Activities:

• FD3: Docking and ICC Unberth
• FD4: EVA1 (5/17, 8:14am)
• FD5: MRM-1 Docking to FGB Nadir and Focused Inspection
• FD6: EVA 2 (5/19, 7:44am)
• FD7: STS Water Dump and MRM-1 Hatch Open (5/20, 6:34am)
• FD8: EVA 3 (5/21, 7:14am)
• FD9: ICC Berthing in PLB and Reboost
• FD10: Undocking

• Focused inspection is nominally planned for FD5, though due to limited time availability this activity may be scheduled on its own flight day, if required. On the evening of FD3, the Debris Assessment Team will start reviewing the RPM imagery.
• Late inspection will be completed in its entirety the day following Shuttle undock, on FD11.
• EVA Summary:
• Three EVAs are planned during the mission.
• General tasks for each EVA are:

• EVA 1 (Reisman & Bowen): SGANT & SGANT Boom Install, EOTP Install

Ground-controlled MT translate & SSRMS walkoff to MBS PDGF3 will occur during crew sleep on Flight Night 3 in preparation for EVA1

• EVA 2: (Bowen & Good) P6 Battery R&R (3)

Ground-controlled walkoff MBS PDGF3 & MT translate will occur during crew sleep on Flight Night 5 in preparation for EVA2

• EVA 3: Reisman & Good) P6 Battery R&R (3), PDGF Retrieval (time permitting).

ISS Orbit (as of this noon, 9:13am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 347.7 km
Apogee height – 354.2 km
Perigee height – 341.2 km
Period — 91.49 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009647
Solar Beta Angle — 16.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 76 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 65,785

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————–
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 launch (~2:19pm EDT) – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 “Rassvet”
05/16/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 docking (~2:19pm EDT) – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 “Rassvet”
05/26/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 nominal landing (KSC ~8:36 am EDT)
06/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S undock/landing (End of Increment 23)
————– Three-crew operations ————-
06/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch – Wheelock (CDR-25)/Walker/Yurchikhin
06/17/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
06/22/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S relocation (SM Aft to MRM1)
06/28/10 — Progress M-06M/38P launch
06/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P docking
07/07/10 — US EVA-15 (Caldwell/Wheelock)
07/23/10 — Russian EVA-25 (Yurchikhin/Kornienko)
07/26/10 — Progress M-05M/37P undock
08/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P undock
08/31/10 — Progress M-07M/39P launch
09/02/10 — Progress M-07M/39P docking
09/16/10 — STS-133/Discovery launch (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM)
09/16/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing (End of Increment 24)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch – Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka
10/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/xx/10 — Russian EVA-26
10/27/10 — Progress M-08M/40P launch
10/29/10 — Progress M-08M/40P docking
TBD — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02)
11/26/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing (End of Increment 25)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/10 – ATV-2 launch– Ariane 5 (ESA) U/R
12/10/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch – Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli
12/12/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/15/10 — Progress M-07M/39P undock
12/17/10 — ATV-2 docking
12/26/10 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/27/10 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
12/29/10 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
01/27/11 — HTV-2 docking
03/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S undock/landing (End of Increment 26)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch – A. Borisienko (CDR-28)/R, Garan/A.Samokutayev
04/01/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
04/27/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
04/28/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/30/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking
05/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S undock/landing (End of Increment 27)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/31/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch – M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov
06/01/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
06/21/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
06/23/11 — Progress M-11M/43P docking
08/30/11 — Progress M-12M/44P launch
09/01/11 — Progress M-12M/44P docking
09/16/11 – Soyuz TMA-22/26S undock/landing (End of Increment 28)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-24/28S launch
10/02/11 – Soyuz TMA-24/28S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/28/11 — Progress M-13M/45P launch
10/30/11 — Progress M-13M/45P docking
11/11/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/25/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S launch
11/27/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.