NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 June 2009

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – off-duty day for CDR Gennady Padalka (Russia), FE-1 Michael Barratt (USA), FE-2 Koichi Wakata (Japan), FE-3 Roman Romanenko (Russia), FE-4 Robert Thirsk (Canada) and FE-5 Frank DeWinne (Belgium). Ahead: Week 3 of Increment 20.

Upon wakeup (~2:00am EDT), Mike Barratt & Koichi Wakata continued their new recording rounds for the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) logging data from their Actiwatch to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop as part of a week-long session. It is the third for Mike, the fourth for Koichi. [To monitor the crewmember’s sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Mike & Koichi wear a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition and use the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment’s laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days.]

The six-member crew performed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo. ["Uborka", usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM (Service Module) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the 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 the house cleaning, Padalka & Romanenko conducted regular maintenance inspection & cleaning on fan screens, Group A, in the FGB (TsV2), DC1 (V3), and SM (VPkhO, VPrK, FS5, FS6 & FS9), plus dust filter replacement in the FGB.

Later, the FE-3 performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow.

Romanenko 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 and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]

Roman also did the periodic checkup behind ASU panel 139 in the SM on a fluid connector (MNR-NS) of the SM-U urine collection system, looking for potential moisture.

As part of SOZh maintenance, Roman continued the extended leak integrity checking of the spare BZh Liquid Unit (#056) for the Elektron O₂ generator, charging the unit as required with pressurized N₂ from the BPA Nitrogen Purge Unit (#23) to 1 atm (1 kg/cm²). The last test pressurization test to monitor for leakage was on 6/4. [Objective of the monthly checkout of the BZh, which has been in stowage for about 2 years, is to check for leakage and good water passage through the feed line inside of the BZh (from ZL1 connector to the buffer tank) and to check the response of the Electronics Unit’s micro switches (signaling “Buffer Tank is Empty” & “Buffer Tank is Full”. During Elektron operation, the inert gas locked up in the BZh has the purpose to prevent dangerous O₂/H₂ mixing. A leaking BZh cannot be used.]

In the “Pirs” DC1 (Docking Compartment), CDR Padalka terminated the discharge of Orlan 825M3 battery pack 3, initiated yesterday.

FE-2 Wakata mated the ITCS MTL (Internal Thermal Control System Moderate Temperature Loop) return umbilical with QD (Quick Disconnect) at the Lab CHeCS (Crew Health Care System) rack UIP (Utility Interface Panel) to provide cooling to the rack. [Bob Thirsk had disconnected the line on 6/10.]

All crewmembers had their 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), Gennady at ~6:40am, Roman at ~7:40am, Frank at ~10:40am, Koichi at ~11:00am, Bob at ~1:50pm, Mike at ~3:50pm EDT.

The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-1, FE-4), TVIS treadmill (FE-2, FE-5), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2, FE-4, FE-5) and VELO cycle ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-3/2.5h). [On the CEVIS, the actual loads remain slightly lower than the commanded loads, but this was expected. A manual correction of the pertinent calibration coefficient via the control panel touch screen will be done at a later time when the new value has been determined.]

The Russian discretionary “time permitting” task list for Roman & Gennady today had two suggested job items –

• Another run of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D2X digital camera photography (with 800mm telelens), and
• A 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.

No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today.

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 EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 348.3 km
Apogee height – 354.4 km
Perigee height — 342.2 km
Period — 91.50 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009102
Solar Beta Angle — -22.4 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 71 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 60553

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
06/XX/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
06/XX/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A docking
06/XX/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A landing
07/17/09 – Progress M-02M/33P undock & deorbit
07/20/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S relocation (from SM aft to DC1)
07/24/09 — Progress 34P launch
07/26/09 — Progress 34P docking (SM aft)
08/07/09 — STS-128/Discovery/17A – MPLM (P), LMC (~8:49am EDT)
09/01/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) launch – tentative
09/07/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) berth
09/30/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S launch
10/02/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S docking (SM aft, until MRM-2 w/new port)
10/08/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) unberth
10/11/09 – Soyuz TMA-14/18S undock
10/15/09 — Progress 35P launch
11/10/09 — 5R/MRM-2 (Russian Mini Research Module 2) on Soyuz-U
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/07/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S launch
12/26/09 — Progress 36P launch
02/03/10 — Progress 37P launch
02/04/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch
04/27/10 — Progress 38P launch
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1
05/29/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch
06/25/10 — Progress 39P launch
07/29/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC4, MPLM
08/11/10 — Progress 40P launch
09/16/10 — STS-134/Discovery/ULF6 – ELC3, AMS
09/29/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch
10/19/10 — Progress 41P launch
11/??/10 — ATV2 – Ariane 5 (ESA)
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton