NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 May 2011

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

CDR Kondratyev, FE-1 Samokutyayev & FE-2 Borisenko worked several hours in the SM (Service Module) on the Elektron-VM electrolysis machine to restore it to function. Activation of the O2 generator is scheduled on Monday (5/16). [After yesterday’s deinstallation & removal of the failed Elektron BZh Liquid Unit, the crew today installed the spare BZh #056 and its BSSK signal & command matching unit, then connected BZh & BSSK to the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry system for ground checkout, supported by ground specialist tagup via S-band. The Liquid Unit BZh #056, delivered on Progress M-59/24P in 2007, has been in storage since March 2007, regularly serviced by cosmonauts over the years by pressure-testing it with N2 (nitrogen) for hermeticity. It now replaced the failed unit which has exceeded its certified life time by a factor of 3. A new BZh will be delivered on Progress M-11M/43P on 6/23.]

The six-member crew 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 (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.]

After yesterday’s successful activation of the MCA (Major Constituent Analyzer) in the Lab by the ground and its pump-out, FE-3 Garan today closed its HV01 valve and disconnected the “anaconda” air hose. [The MCA stays in Operate State for 3 days to allow the mass spectrometer to settle out, followed by a full calibration on Monday, 5/16. The data is not valid until full calibration is performed, and “special accuracy” will be used until 6 full calibrations are completed. After a successful full calibration the Lab MCA it will be considered prime for the upcoming ULF6 mission and Stage. The issue, exhibiting erroneous data last year, was due to its newer firmware (Vers. 4.24). The Node-3 MCA continued to operate nominally with the older firmware (Vers. 4.18) without issue. Modifications to the new MCA firmware are in work that will eliminate a data problem and the erroneous calculation of water vapor ECVs (Electrometer Calculation Values).]

FE-6 Coleman activated the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) and started playback/downlink of her “Kids in Micro-G” recordings yesterday. POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routed the on-board HRDL (High-Rate Data Link) system. After ~2 hrs, MPC was turned off again.

CDR Kondratyev completed his 3rd preliminary orthostatic hemodynamic endurance test run with the Russian Chibis suit in preparation for his return to gravity on 5/23 with Soyuz 25S (along with FE-5 Nespoli & FE-6 Coleman. Dmitri conducted the ODNT exercise protocol in the below-the-waist reduced-pressure ODNT device (US: LBNP/Lower Body Negative Pressure) on the T2/COLBERT treadmill, assisted by FE-1 Samokutyayev as CMO (Crew Medical Officer). The CDR was supported in his one-hour session by ground specialist tagup via VHF at 6:43am EDT. [The Chibis provides gravity-simulating stress to the body’s cardiovascular/circulatory system for evaluation of the crewmember’s orthostatic tolerance (e.g., the Gauer-Henry reflex) after his long-term stay in zero-G. Data output includes blood pressure readings. The preparatory training generally consists of first imbibing 150-200 milliliters of water or juice, followed by one cycle of a sequence of progressive regimes of reduced (“negative”) pressure, set at -20, -25, -30, and -35 mmHg for five min. each, while shifting from foot to foot at 10-12 steps per minute, while wearing a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure and the REG SHKO Rheoencephalogram Biomed Cap. The body’s circulatory system interprets the pressure differential between upper and lower body as a gravity-like force pulling the blood (and other liquids) down. Chibis data and biomed cardiovascular readings are recorded. The Chibis suit (not to be confused with the Russian “Pinguin” suit for spring-loaded body compression, or the “Kentavr” anti-g suit worn during reentry) is similar to the U.S. LBNP facility (not a suit) used for the first time on Skylab in 1973/74, although it appears to accomplish its purpose more quickly.]

FE-2 Borisenko 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, 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.]

At ~4:55am, Italian Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli powered up the new amateur radio station in the COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and at ~5:05am conducted a ham radio session with students at the Primary school “Pasquale Luisi”, Castelluccio Valmaggiore, Foggia, Italy.

At ~7:17am, Aleksandr Samokutyayev had 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).

At ~9:00am, Dima, Sasha, Andrey, Ron, Paolo & Cady 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 ~11:20am, CDR, FE-1 & FE-2 used the SM’s amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) for another ham radio session with students, schoolchildren and participants in the “Science-Technology & Innovation Achievements of Russia” Exhibition in Madrid, Spain. [These ham radio sessions, organized by Kursk South-West University, were scheduled last Friday, yesterday and today.]

The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-3), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (FE-2, FE-3, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR/2x, FE-1, FE-2, FE-5, FE-6) and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-1).

WRM Update: A new WRM (Water Recovery Management) “cue card” was uplinked to the crew for their reference, updated with their latest CWC (Contingency Water Container) water audit. [The new card (27-0041H) lists 113 CWCs (2,169.7 L total) for the five types of water identified on board: 1. technical water (10 CWCs with 392.0 L, for Elektron electrolysis, incl. 87.0 L in 3 bags containing Wautersia bacteria and 134.2 L in 3 clean bags for contingency use; 2. Silver potable water (no CWCs); 3. iodinated water (91 CWCs with 1,668.3 L for reserve (also 14 expired bags with 251.5 L); 4. condensate water (76.6 L in 5 bags, plus 5 empty bags); and 5. waste/EMU dump and other (32.8 L in 2 CWCs from hose/pump flush). Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twenty-Seven — Week 8)

2D NANO Template (JAXA): No report.

3D SPACE: No report.

AgCam (Agricultural Camera): No report.

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

ALTEA SHIELD (NASA/ASI): “Thanks Paolo for performing the ALTEA-SHIELD reboot on 5/6. This allowed us to recover the two SDU’s which had lost communication. Since then, measurements with all six SDU’s are continuing nominally. The three days between 5/3 and 5/6 will not be counted against the minimum duration of 20 days.”

AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer): AMS: “GO” on ULF-6. AMS Laptop: Daily commanding and weekly downlinks progressing nicely. 5/11: file loading issue from the rack RIC EMU into the Laptop is resolved.

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

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

Asian Seed 2010 (JAXA): Photo session is on the task list.

BCAT-4/5 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 4/5): No report.

BIOLAB (ESA): No report.

BIORHYTHMS (JAXA, Biological Rhythms): Biorhythm for Cady was performed on 5/4 & 5/5. Biorhythm for Paolo began on 5/5 and was completed on 5/6.

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

BISPHOSPHONATES: No report.

BXF-Facility (Boiling eXperiment Facility, NASA): The team will discuss the accomplishments of this past week, and send in a report for next week’s Weekly Science Summary. Thank you! In the meantime, we can say that we measured the first boiling curve in zero-g for steady-state conditions, ever.

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): “Thanks, Paolo, for your the CARDIOLAB Kits consolidation activity on 5/9”.

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): No report.

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

CSI-3/CGBA-5 (CGBA Science Insert #2/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5): Ongoing.

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

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

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

Commercial (Inc 25 & 26, JAXA): Sample launch & return by ULF6.

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

CsPins (JAXA): Run1-3 was performed on 4/27 & 4/28. The sample was fixed and stowed in MELFI. And the samples of Run1-2 and Run1-3 are waiting for ULF6.

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): Acquiring science data with DOSTEL-2 detector.

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): No report.

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

EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): No report.

ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.

EPM (European Physiology Module): No report.

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

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Kids in Space): 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-5 SpaceBottle (Message in a Bottle, JAXA): No report.

EPO Moon Score (JAXA): No report.

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

EPO Kibo Kids Tour (JAXA): Complete.

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

EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.

EPO Spiral Top 2 (JAXA, EPO-6): Planned for 5/12.

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 (ESA): No report.

FOCUS: No report.

FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): Active for GEOFLOW-II experiment. Refer to GEOFLOW-II.

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

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

GEOFLOW (ESA): On-going operations, however impacted by 3 anomalies over the last couple of weeks: 1) Experiment Container PID control is skipping some experimental set-points; 2) FSL encountered some TEC control board trip; 3) problem with the Experiment Container Rotating Tray (belt slipping). These anomalies restrict the parameter ranges (Delta T, rotation speed) to perform science runs for the moment. A new EP (Experiment Procedure) was developed and validated to resolve the two first anomalies listed. This EP was uplinked on 5/9. A no-rotation run was started (run#6) with the temperature of the coldest sphere (Tcold) = 30.5degC (hottest possible) and with increasing delta temperature between the two spheres (delta T). However this was not successful, for none of the setpoints thermal convergence could be obtained. After some setpoints, a TEC control board trip occurred, so the run was aborted. Not to lose time, it was decided to do a repetition of a high-rotation run (run 19c) for which one setpoint was missed on 5/3. This was successfully performed with the old EP. On 5/10, it was then decided to try if the new EP works for the other thermal environment in which the temperature of the coldest sphere (Tcold) = 20degC (lowest possible). Such a new no-rotation run (run 9) was started on 5/10 and could be successfully completed on 5/11. Only one setpoint was skipped (for delta T at 7.8K). Another similar no-rotation run (run 10) with Tcold = 20degC and decreasing delta temperature between the two spheres (delta T) was started and is running nominally at the time of writing. The reason why the new EP seems to work for the thermal environment with Tcold=20degC and not for the thermal environment with Tcold=30.5degC is under investigation.

HAIR (JAXA): Hair for Ron, Paolo and Cady was performed on 5/4. Many thanks for “OUCH”!

HDTV System (JAXA): Was delivered by HTV1.

Hicari (JAXA): Continued troubleshooting GHF Heating Unit over-current.

Holter ECG (JAXA): No report.

HQPC (JAXA): Was delivered by 34P.

HREP (HICO/Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean & RAIDS/Remote Atmospheric & Ionospheric Detection System/JAXA): HICO has taken 3131 images to date. The most recent HICO images include images of the Australian coastline, Monterey Bay, CA, the coast off of Venice and the mouth of the Thames River in England. RAIDS is collecting secondary science including nighttime atmospheric disk photometry, spectra and temperatures. Extreme Ultra Violet airglow spectroscopy and optical contamination studies are also being performed.

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

ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.

ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “Cady, the ICV team would like to say a BIG THANK YOU for everything you’ve done for the experiment in-flight! We especially appreciate your initiative and perseverance in trying various options on the Cardiopres. Your findings with the medium finger cuffs are being discussed with the hardware developer and we are hopeful that your reports will shed additional light on the source of the difficulties with that unit. Regarding your question about the number of Cardiopres files, 35 appears to be a magic number. We were able to confirm that both Holter cards were downloaded (35 files each) and it just happened that there were the same number of Cardiopres files, so no worries! Now that all in-flight data collection is complete, the ICV team is looking forward to postflight BDC. Since you may be wondering about the usefulness of postflight blood pressure measurements given the paucity of in-flight data, we wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that the postflight measurements will address science objectives that are independent of the objectives related to the in-flight data – namely, the postflight data will help determine whether crewmembers experience clinically significant orthostatic hypotension during normal activities upon landing as opposed to during the artificial environment of the tilt test. Thanks again for all you have and continue to do for ICV and for all ISS science!”

IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): Complete.

INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.

InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): No report.

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

ISS Amateur/Ham Radio: No report.

ISSAC (ISS Agricultural Camera, NASA): “Ron, thank you very much and we really do appreciate your extra effort and time in completing our part 1 & 2 of setup and activation successfully on 5/6, as well as Part 3 today (5/13). Thanks also for your manual startup actions; we will work with the WORF team to better understand why the automated Wake On LAN isn’t working every time, and get that resolved. When we did move our sensor, the motion of the camera appeared quite nominal to us, and with your slight adjustment of the cable routing we are good to go for image operations. First images will be after shuttle un-dock. Paolo, Thank you very much for completing our Ghost Load, Re-label and Hardware Gather activity on 5/5.”

IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.

KID/KUBIK6: No report.

Kids in Micro-G: “You all have done a great job with the kids’ experiments. We appreciate all that you do for K-12 education. Your defining of an alternate orientation of the x-y plane during Flight of Paper Rockets will help challenge the students to think beyond of the “up” and “down directions they’ve come to know here on Earth. We did notice that there was a mix up in the labeling of the launch angles (45o, 30o, 90o instead of 30o, 45o, 90o), but we may be able to edit the labels out of the video. Great explanation of Newton’s Laws at the end of the experiment. Thanks for also completing Pepper Oil Surprise, Pondering the Pendulum, and Buoyancy in Space this week. We’ll provide feedback on those videos once we view them. Thanks Ron for blogging about the Kids in Micro-g experiment.”

KUBIK 3 (ESA): No report.

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

Marangoni Exp (JAXA): 24th run was completed on 12/22.

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

Marangoni UVP (JAXA): The MI cassette removal and stow was performed on 5/2 in preparation for return on ULF7.

Matryoshka-2 (RSA): No report.

MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, JAXA): No report.

MDCA/Flex: “Ron: We appreciate the care in inspecting our hardware for potential leak paths during the MDCA Fuel Reservoir replacement. The o-ring tear you identified is of particular interest and was also observed on an MDCA Needle assembly recently returned. Our initial assessment is that the o-ring tear does not result in a leak path. The engineering team still suspects a leak path on the fuel reservoir you removed during the operation.”

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

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

Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.

MISSE-7 (Materials ISS Experiment): MISSE-7 is operating nominally except for PEC B which is powered off and awaiting retrieval during STS-134. The CMOS Imager Experiment (CIE) is testing the radiation effects on a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) based imager chip. A CIE image download is expected to be completed this week in order to examine in detail the nature of radiation degradation. The SpaceCube experiment has the ability to be reconfigured from the ground with updated code and the process of uploading new radiation hardening by software experiment algorithms is in progress. About 57% of the SpaceCube file uploads are complete and the remaining uploads will be spread out over at least another month.

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

MPAC/SEED (JAXA): Completed on 19A FD4.

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

MSL (Materials Science Laboratory, ESA): Last Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) returned with STS-133 (ULF5).

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

MULTIGEN-1: Completed.

MYCO 3 (JAXA): No report.

MyoLab (JAXA): Completed on 4/20.

NANOSKELETON (Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity, JAXA): Experiment Exp2 completed on 4/8.

NEURORAD (JAXA): No report.

NEUROSPAT (ESA/Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing and Sensorimotor Integration):

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

NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: “Ron: With the conclusion of your blood ops this morning, you have successfully completed 2 sessions of the 5 planned. Your next session is your FD60 session which as agreed to on the ground will not be scheduled until the 27S crew has docked. Cady: Job well done! All of your activities were successfully accomplished within the science constraints. Your final MELFI insert today marked the completion of your Nutrition in-flight sessions. Thank you for participating in the Nutrition study. We look forward to your arrival. Happy Landings Cady!!”

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

PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 3/4; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): No report.

PASSAGES (JAXA): No report.

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

PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): No report.

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

PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.

POLCA/GRAVIGEN (ESA): Complete.

Pro K: “Paolo: You have successfully completed your in-flight blood and urine operations. Your diet log and pH logsheet information have been received on the ground. We would like to thank you for your hard work, dedication as well as your participation in Pro K. Happy Landings Paolo!!”

RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.

RadSilk (JAXA): No report.

RST/Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Paolo, Cady and Ron, thank you for your participation in Reaction Self Test!”

RYUTAI Rack (JAXA): On 5/9, PCRF Maintenance Unit relocation 1 was performed. At unit location #1, one of the plastic fasteners was broken due to over-torque (needed a special torque driver, but a different torque driver was used). It was temporarily fixed using the remaining fasteners. There was also some trouble regarding the software, and the rest of the checkout was aborted. PCRF Maintenance Unit relocation 2 will be re-planned in the future. There is no impact for the next PCG experiment, because we can use unit location #4, #5 and #6 which are already confirmed.

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): Continuous operation from Inc 19&20.

SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment): Complete.

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

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

SMILES (JAXA): Recooling mode #13 continues.

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

SODI/COLLOID (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Colloid): COLLOID flash-disks returned with STS-133 (ULF5).

SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory): SOLAR platform has been put in Pointing Mode on 4/28. This Sun Visibility Window#40 ended on 5/11. On 5/10, the COL Mass Memory Unit (MMU) experienced an anomaly. For that reason one orbit of SOLAR science data has been lost. Recovery of the MMU anomaly could be performed on the same day.

SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): No report.

Space-DRUMS (Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix System): 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.

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

TASTE IN SPACE (ESA): No report.

THERMOLAB (ESA): No report.

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

TREADMILL KINEMATICS: No report.

TRIPLELUX-B (ESA): No report.

ULTRASOUND: Planned.

VASCULAR (CSA): “Cady: the team would like to express their sincere thanks to you for finding our blood collection kit!”

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

VESSEL ID System (ESA): Acquiring science data with NorAIS receiver.

VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): No sessions possible due to Ultrasound anomaly.

VO2max (NASA): No report.

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.

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 5/11, 17,596 ISS CEO frames were received on the ground for review and cataloging. “We are pleased to report your acquisition of the following target with times corresponding to those of our daily CEO Target Request lists: Lusaka, Zambia – several well composed frames were acquired of this capital city that meet our requirements – this target now will be removed from our request list. You have been maintaining an extraordinarily high volume of imagery acquisition. We now have quite a backlog of imagery to review. Your strikingly detailed and favorably illuminated view of river delta patterns in Lake Ayakum on the Tibetan Plateau of China was published this past weekend in NASA/GFSC’s Earth Observatory website. This view, with its vivid colors illustrates nicely the ongoing hydrology and geomorphology of delta systems present even in remote, arid environments such as this. Thanks for your alert photography of such interesting landforms! See the tab entitled ‘CEO additional info’ for a write-up of the River Deltas, Lake Ayakum, China.”

CEO targets uplinked for today were Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (this rarely photographed capital city of 1.2 million is located in north central Mongolia within the valley of the Tuul River. As ISS approached from the WNW in mid-afternoon light with fair weather, the crew was to look just left of track for this target), Guatemala City, Guatemala (today’s pass for this target area was in early morning light with fair weather expected. Although lighting was minimal, diurnal cloudiness over the mountains should have been minimal as well. This sprawling urban area of just over 1.1 million is located in a mountain valley in the south central part of Guatemala. As ISS tracked northeastward from the Pacific Ocean over the coast at this time, the crew was to look nadir for this target and try to acquire the entire city within a single frame), and Zagreb, Croatia (the Croatian capital city is located in the NW of the country and lies in the valley of the Sava River on the southern slopes of Medvednica Mountain. ISS had a fair weather pass in mid-afternoon light with its approach form the WNW. At this time, the crew was to aim near nadir for this target for a context view of the entire city in a single frame).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:45am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 344.7 km
Apogee height – 346.3 km
Perigee height – 343.0 km
Period — 91.43 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0002443
Solar Beta Angle — -31.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.75
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 131 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 71,559

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/16/11 — STS-134/Endeavour launch ULF6 (ELC-3, AMS) ~8:56am EDT
05/16/11 — Soyuz 25S thruster test firing
05/18/11 — STS-134/Endeavour docking – 6:15am
05/23/11 — Soyuz TMA-20/25S undock – 7:06pm EDT (End of Increment 27)
05/23/11 — Soyuz TMA-20/25S landing – 10:26pm (8:26am local on 5/24)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/11 — STS-134/Endeavour undock – 11:53pm
06/01/11 — STS-134/Endeavour landing – ~2:32am
06/07/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S launch – M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov
06/09/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S docking (MRM1)
————–Six-crew operations————-
06/xx/11 — ATV-2 “Johannes Kepler” undock (SM aft)
06/21/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
06/23/11 — Progress M-11M/43P docking (SM aft)
06/28/11 — STS-135/Atlantis launch ULF7 (MPLM) ~3:30pm EDT NET
06/30/11 — STS-135/Atlantis docking ULF7 (MPLM) NET
07/27/11 – Russian EVA #29
08/29/11 — Progress M-11M/43P undocking
08/30/11 — Progress M-12M/44P launch
09/01/11 — Progress M-12M/44P docking (SM aft)
09/16/11 – Soyuz TMA-21/26S undock/landing (End of Increment 28)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-03M/28S launch – D.Burbank (CDR-30)/A.Shkaplerov/A.Ivanishin
10/02/11 – Soyuz TMA-03M/28S docking (MRM2)
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/25/11 — Progress M-10M/42P undocking
10/26/11 — Progress M-13M/45P launch
10/28/11 — Progress M-13M/45P docking (DC-1)
11/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S launch – O.Kononenko (CDR-31)/A.Kuipers/D.Pettit
12/02/11 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S docking (MRM1)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
12/26/11 — Progress M-13M/45P undock
12/27/11 — Progress M-14M/46P launch
12/29/11 — Progress M-14M/46P docking (DC-1)
02/29/12 — ATV3 launch readiness
03/05/12 — Progress M-12M/44P undock
03/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/28S undock/landing (End of Increment 30)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/K.Volkov
04/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S docking (MRM2)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
05/05/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – launch on Proton (under review)
05/06/12 — Progress M-14M/46P undock
05/07/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) – docking (under review)
05/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
05/31/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/31S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
09/18/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/02/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin
10/04/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-08M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/02/12 – Soyuz TMA-08M/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-12M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-12M/37S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-