NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 December 2008
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – off-duty day for CDR Fincke, FE-1 Lonchakov & FE-2 Magnus. Ahead: Week 8 of Increment 18.
CDR Fincke’s first activity this morning was to start on the second day of his FD60 (Flight Day 60) session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository. This was an all-day session, the third for Mike, of collecting urine samples several times for 24 hrs, to continue through first void tomorrow morning. [The NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by supercold MELFI dewars), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.]
For FE-2 Magnus, it was the first day of her second (FD30) NUTRITION w/Repository session of collecting blood and urine samples, after last night’s start of her 8-hr fast for today’s blood sampling. [After performing phlebotomy with the help of CDR Fincke, i.e., drawing blood samples (from an arm vein), Sandra’s samples were first allowed to coagulate in the Repository for 20-30 minutes, then spun in the HRF RC (Human Research Facility/Refrigerated Centrifuge) and finally placed in MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). No thruster activity was allowed during the blood drawing. The RC was later powered off after a temperature reset to limit wear on the compressor, and cleaned.]
FE-1 Lonchakov performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the Service Module (SM), including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow. Additionally, the FE-1 today checked up on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for reporting to TsUP-Moscow. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and performing US condensate processing (transfer from CWC to EDV containers) if condensate is available.]
In preparation for the Orlan dry-run on 12/19 and the EVA-21 on 12/22, Lonchakov terminated the charging on the first Orlan 825M3 battery pack started yesterday in the DC1 (Docking Compartment) and initiated the process on the second pack.
CDR Fincke serviced the US WRS (Water Recovery System) by refilling the WSTA (Water Storage Tank Assembly) with pretreated urine from EDV-U container for processing by the UPA (Urine Processing Assembly). [The WSTA should be filled to no more than 60%. Recycled water from the PWD may now be used by the crew for non-oral hygiene purposes.]
Mike Fincke also completed the visual “T+2 Day” microbial (bacterial & fungal) analysis of the potable water samples collected by Sandy on 12/12 from the WRS (Water Recovery System) and processed on board with the MCDs (Microbial Capture Devices) and CDBs (Coliform Detection Bags). [WRS samplings are regularly conducted for 90 days, specifically every 4 days: WRS water hose (TOCA inflight analysis) & microbial bag sample (inflight bacterial visual enumeration plus archival for return on 15A), every 8 days: an archival water sample (return on 15A), and monthly: a TOCA bag sample from the PWD (Potable Water Dispenser, tested inflight). Coliform bacteria are the commonly-used bacterial indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water. They are defined as rod-shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming organisms that ferment Lactose with the production of acid and gas when incubated at 35-37 degC. Coliforms are abundant in the feces of warm-blooded animals, but can also be found in the aquatic environment, in soil and on vegetation. In most instances, coliforms themselves are not the cause of sickness, but they are easy to culture and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present.]
In JAXA’s Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Mike supported SSIPC (Space Station Integration & Promotion Center)/Tsukuba activities by activating the MMA (Microgravity Measurement Apparatus) and its laptop (MLT), first powering up the MMA’s NCU/RSU (Network Control Unit/Remote Sensor Unit) set from the Ryutai rack’s UDC (Utility DC-to-DC Converter), then turning on both NCU/RSU and MLT. [All payload activities except UDS/MMA on/off can be performed remotely by the ground.]
For Yuri Lonchakov, it was time again for recharging the Motorola Iridium-9505A satellite phone brought up on Soyuz 17S, a monthly routine job and his third time. [After retrieving it from its location in the TMA-13/17S Descent Module (BO), Yuri initiated the recharge of its lithium-ion battery, monitoring the process every 10-15 minutes as it took place. Upon completion at ~10:15am EST, the phone was returned inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed back in the BO’s operational data files (ODF) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry & landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown (e.g., after an “undershoot” ballistic reentry, as happened during the recent 15S return). The Russian-developed procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials. During the procedure, the phone is left in its fire-protective fluoroplastic bag with open flap. The Iridium 9505A satphone uses the Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to relay the landed Soyuz capsule’s GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to helicopter-borne recovery crews. The older Iridium-9505 phones were first put onboard Soyuz in August 2003. The newer 9505A phone, currently in use, delivers 30 hours of standby time and three hours of talk, up from 20 and two hours, respectively, on the older units.]
The station residents conducted 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 (FE-2), TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).
The crewmembers had 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), Yuri at ~6:20am, Sandy at ~1:10pm, Mike at ~3:35pm EST.
Working off the Russian discretionary “if time permits” task list, Lonchakov performed a session of the DZZ-2 "Diatomeya" ocean observations program, using the NIKON-F5 DCS still camera and the HDV (high-definition) video camcorder from SM window 8 for two periods of ~20 min each for recording bio-luminescent glow of high production zones in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. According to the available data, the glow can be observed as light spots having a weak greenish tint. [Target zones in the Indian and Pacific Oceans were from the west of Australia to the east of New Zealand, and from south of the Madagascar Island to the north of New Zealand.]
Also off the work suggestions list, Yuri 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.
As a third item on the discretionary job list, the FE-1 conducted the frequent status check on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-1 ("Plants-1") experiment, verifying proper operation of the BU Control Unit and MIS-LADA Module fans (testing their air flow by hand). [Rasteniya-1 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the LADA-14 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP). The payload hardware includes a module (MIS/Module for the Investigation of Substrates), the MIS control unit (BU), a nitrogen purge unit (BPA) and other accessories. During its operation, the experiment requires regular daily maintenance of the experiment involving monitoring of seedling growth, humidity measurements, moistening of the substrate if necessary, and photo/video recording. LADA consists of a wall-mounted growth chamber that provides long-term, ready access for crewmember interaction. It provides light and root zone control but relies on the cabin environmental control systems for humidity, gas composition, and temperature control. Cabin air is pulled into the leaf chamber, flows over the plants and vents through the light bank to provide both plant gas exchange and light bank cooling.]
No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo target uplinked for today due to lighting conditions in the northern hemisphere that place targets outside the CEO team’s criteria for illumination and visibility. Normal targets are expected to return on 12/18.
CEO photography can be studied at this “Gateway” website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 9/1/08, this database contained 770,668 views of the Earth from space, with 324,812 from the ISS alone).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:25am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 353.5 km
Apogee height — 358.1 km
Perigee height — 349.0 km
Period — 91.61 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0006785
Solar Beta Angle — -74.8 deg (magnitude peaking)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 36 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 57691.
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
12/19/08 — Russian EVA-21 Suited Exercise (wake 11:30pm 12/18; sleep 3:00pm 12/19);
12/22/08 — Russian EVA-21 (wake 9:30am; hatch opening ~7:15pm; sleep 7:10am 12/23);
02/09/09 — Progress M-01M/31P undocking & deorbit
02/10/09 — Progress 32P launch
02/12/09 — Progress 32P docking
02/12/09 — STS-119/Endeavour/15A launch – S6 truss segment
02/14/09 — STS-119/Endeavour/15A docking
02/24/09 — STS-119/Endeavour/15A undocking
02/26/09 — STS-119/Endeavour/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 32P undocking & deorbit
05/12/09 — STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
05/15/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
05/27/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S launch
Six-person crew on ISS
08/06/09 — STS-128/Discovery/17A – MPLM (P), LMC, last crew rotation
08/XX/09 — Soyuz 5R/MRM2 (Russian Mini Research Module, MIM2) on Soyuz
09/XX/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1)
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC3, ELC4
12/XX/11– Proton 3R/MLM w/ERA.
