NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 15 December 2012

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

After wakeup, FE-1 Novitskiy performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection and also completed the daily reboot of the Russian RS1 & RS2 laptops.

Next, FE-1 completed the periodic checkup of the circuit breakers & fuses in the MRM1 Rassvet module, while FE-2 did the same in the MRM2 Poisk module. [The monthly checkup in DC1, MRM1 & MRM2 looks at AZS circuit breakers on the BVP Amp Switch Panel (they should all be On) and the LEDs (light-emitting diodes) of 14 fuses in fuse panels BPP-30 & BPP-36. MRM2 & MRM1 were derived from the DC1 concept and are very similar to it.]

FE-2 Tarelkin rebooted the Russian RSS1 & RSS2 laptops.

Evgeny also performed maintenance on the BRI smart switch router (SSR), checking its temperature via DeviceControl on the RSS1 laptop to ensure nominal operation. [The BRI fan module consists of 4 individual fans. If one or several of these exhibit malfunction or rotation speed decreases, a combined warning is sent to the DeviceControl application on the RSS1 laptop to generate an emergency message and telemetry signal, “BRI1”. The fan module is an ORU (On-orbit Replaceable Unit).]

Working as a team, Ford, Novitskiy & Tarelkin conducted the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including all USOS (US Orbit Segment) modules like Lab, Nodes, 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, Oleg & Evgeny conducted regular weekly maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) plus Group E fan grilles in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP), the SKV air conditioner in the SM and the periodic cleaning of Russian Potok-150 (150 micron) pre-filters of the SM’s & FGB’s SOGS air purification subsystem.

CDR Ford re-installed the three PaRIS (Passive Rack Isolation System) lock-down alignment guides on the CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack) at Lab starboard bay S3, engaged the snubber pins and locked safety pins to protect its ARIS (Active Rack Isolation System) from external loading (dynamic disturbances).

Ford also restowed the hardware/tools which he used during his IFM (Inflight Maintenance) on the CIR on 12/13.

Oleg activated the Russian payload TEKh-39 LCS (Laser Communications System, Russian: SLS) in the SM. About 5 hrs later, FE-1 copied the collected test data from the RSE-SLS A31p laptop to the RSS2 laptop for data downlink and log file dump.

Evgeny concluded his first session with the standard 24-hour ECG (electrocardiogram) recording under the Russian MedOps PZE MO-2-1 protocol, started yesterday. [After the ECG recording and blood pressure measurements with the Kardiomed system, Tarelkin doffed the five-electrode Holter harness that read his dynamic (in motion) heart function from two leads over the past 24 hours, recording data on the “Kardioregistrator 90205” unit. The examination results were then downloaded from the Holter ECG device to the RSE-Med laptop, controlled by the Kardiomed application. Later, the data were downlinked as a compressed .zip-file via OCA.]

Kevin performed the regular (~weekly) inspection & maintenance, as required, of the CGBA-4 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4) and CGBA-5 payloads in their ERs (EXPRESS Racks) at Lab O2 & O1, focusing on cleaning the muffler air intakes.

Novitskiy completed the daily routine task of servicing 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.]

The CDR filled out his standard FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire) on the MDLT (Medical Laptop Terminal), the 6th time for Kevin. [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.]

At ~7:00am EST, Tarelkin 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 ~7:55am EST, the three crewmembers held the standard 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 ~9:30am, Oleg & Evgeny supported a Russian PAO TV event, responding to questions from Ekaterina Beloglazova, Editor of Rossiyskiy Kosmos Magazine, an old friend of ISS cosmonauts. [“Hello, Oleg and Evgeny, most likely, you are well adjusted to the station by now. – Where are your sleeping stations now? Do you have your favorite nooks or hobbies? How different are modules from mockup-trainers? – There are only three of you in this huge facility. Perhaps you are missing some company, live interaction. How do you spend your leisure time? – Less than a week remains before the launch of your crewmates. This time you are going to be the hosts. How are you going to welcome them? Where are you going to accommodate them? – The New Year is almost here. You are going to celebrate it on orbit as a big international team, and more than once. Isn’t it fantastic? Did you get your greenery yet? What New Year wishes would you have for the people? – This week you conducted Plazmennyi Kristall experiment. Specialists are expecting something from it, and what was your role in it? Please tell us at least about some of the experiments which you have already performed or still performing. – Oleg, how was your conference with your home town residents? Who else would you like to talk to? – What are your plans for January?”]

The three crewmembers worked out on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (CDR), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1, FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-2).

Tasks listed for Evgeny & Oleg on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were –
* 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),
* A 10-min. photography session for the DZZ-13 “Seiner” ocean observation program, obtaining SKPF-U (Photo Image Coordinate Reference System) HDV (Z1) camcorder footage of color bloom patterns in the waters of South-Eastern Atlantic (SEA), South-East Pacific (SEP), South-Western Atlantic (SWA) and Central-Eastern Atlantic (CEA), then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop,
* A ~30-min. run of the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X digital camera with Sigma AF 300-800mm telelens and PI emission platform using the SKPF-U to record target sites on the Earth surface, and
* 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.

Reboost Preview: Tomorrow morning at ~8:34am EST, the ISS will perform the reboost maneuver deferred from 12/13, to test the new cyclogram-controlled PDAM (Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver) procedure and to set up orbital phasing angle for the upcoming launches of Soyuz 33S and Progress 50P. [The 7m 50s maneuver, performed by Progress 48P mid-ring thrusters, is expected to provide a delta-V of 0.5 m/sec and a mean altitude increase delta-h of 0.88 km, yielding a mean altitude of 411 km, with 427.5 km apogee height and 394.4 km perigee height. For the maneuver, ISS attitude control authority will be handed over to Russian MCS at 7:14am, followed by the maneuver to reboost attitude at 8:13am. After the reboost, attitude control authority will be returned to US CMG control moment management at 9:14am. PDAM is good for “late notification” objects up until TIG – 5h20m, thus reducing the likelihood of sheltering in the Soyuz.]

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Thirty-Four – Week 4)

2D NANO Template (JAXA): Mission completed.

3D SPACE: Complete.

ACE-1 (Advanced Colloids Experiment 1, NASA): No report.

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

ALTEA SHIELD Shielding (NASA/ASI): No report. [Background: 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): No report.

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): (The BASS hardware has been stowed until we resume tests beginning sometime in December 2012 or January 2013.)
BCAT-6 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 6, CSA): 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.]

BCAT-C1 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test C1, CSA): No report.

BLB (Biolab, ESA): No report.

BIORHYTHMS 48 (Biological Rhythms, JAXA): No report.

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

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): No report.

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

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

Commercial (Inc 32, 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): DECLIC was switched OFF on 12/11. The two days in Week 12 were devoted to downloading data to the ground and saving data (80GB) on the removable Hard Disk.

DomeGene (JAXA): Complete.

DOSIS-3D (3D Dose Distribution Inside ISS, ESA): Nominal science acquisition with active and passive dosimeters. A monthly data downlink was performed on 12/12. We are awaiting feedback from the science team.

DTN (Delay Tolerant Network, NASA): No report.

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): No report.

EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): A Water Pump Service (WPS) activity was nominally performed on 12/12 as part of a routine operation scheduled every 8-10 weeks.

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): The rack was activated in support of the DOSIS-3D monthly data downlink on 12/12.

EPO (Education Payload Operations, NASA) Demos: No report.

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 (MIB/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): No report.

EPO-10/11 (JAXA): No report.

EPO-10/Try Zero-G (JAXA): No report. No report.

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): “Thanks, Kevin, for relocating the SAMS sensor measurement head from FSL to ER-3 on 12/11. The next day, the FSL Rack was activated in support of ground activities; additional FSL Microgravity Measurement Assembly (MMA) and Microgravity Vibration Isolation Subsystem (MVIS) data have been acquired for engineering purposes. We are getting ready to resume the GEOFLOW-2 science program!”

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

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

GEOFLOW-2b (ESA): No report. [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): No report.

HAIR (JAXA): Samples collected from Inc. 27/28, 29/30 and 31/32 were returned by SpX-1.

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 6985 images to-date. The most recent HICO images include parts of Australia, a couple of locations in South America and one spot along the coast of South Africa. 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): No report.

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

INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.

InSPACE-3 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 3): “Kevin: Thank you for two more InSPACE-3 runs on Friday, 12/7. We tested two vials containing paramagnetic ellipsoid particles with different aspect ratios. The prior runs you’ve performed used a vial fluid sample containing ellipsoidal shaped particles with an aspect ratio = 2:1. The second run you performed last Friday was the first run of a fluid sample containing particles with an aspect ratio = 4:1. The PI is reviewing the data to understand the differences in the formed column-like structures and the kinetics of structure formation for non-spherical paramagnetic particles. Also, during setup of the second run, the vial was difficult to insert into the coil assembly due to residue from a silicon-based adhesive used to hold the walls of the vial assembly together. Thank you for quickly recognizing it was due to some excess adhesive and doing some on-the-spot scraping to make it fit in the magnetic coil.”

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

ISS Amateur/Ham Radio: No report.

ISSAC (ISS Agricultural Camera, NASA): “Kevin: Thanks for your help and support in our troubleshooting activities. The ISSAC payload and its software were working nominally on11/10 & 11/28, but we did not receive telemetry from our payload due to PLMDM issues onboard. A RIC reboot on 12/11 fixed our issue and we received nominal telemetry during your last activity. However, the PCMCIA card connection to our laptop came loose inadvertently and caused the payload to power down. We are currently working on scheduling a crew activity in the upcoming weeks to remove the ISSAC Jumpdrive from our laptop and to verify the PCMCIA connectivity. This activity will enable us to resume our nominal imaging operations. Once again, thanks for your help and we look forward to our next activity.”

IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.

JOURNALS (Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement, NASA): No report. [Background: 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.]

KUBIK 3/6, KID (ESA): No report.

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

LEGO Bricks: No report.

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

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

Marangoni Exp. (MEIS5, JAXA): “Kevin, thank you very much for performing the IPU Video Recording Unit (VRU) #3 troubleshooting on 12/10. The ground team confirmed that the recording function and the playback downlink function of VRU#3 works properly. Now, the IPU looks fine for starting the Marangoni experiment.”

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 raw image data was downloaded on 12/10 and 12/12. The MAXI science team submitted a paper titled “Is the Cygnus Superbubble a Hypernova Remnant?” and it was accepted.

MCE (Multi-Mission Consolidated Equipment, JAXA): Ground team continues operations for IMAP, SIMPLE, HDTV, REX-J and GLIMS.

MDCA/Flex-2: “Kevin: Excellent job replacing the MDCA Fiber Arm and the MDCA Igniter Tips! We appreciate all your hard work and attention to detail during the many complicated tasks. You replaced the fiber arm because it is dirty with combustion by-products, and you replaced the igniter tips for preventative maintenance. The CIR MDCA Science Overview video shows a “test-point view” of these hardware items and explains why they’re integral to the science we’re performing this increment. On 12/6, we successfully performed five MDCA/FLEX-2 Convective Flow test points using 100% decane fuel at a 1.0-atm chamber environment of 30% oxygen and 70% helium. The purpose of these specific test points was to replicate the Quiescent tests performed prior in the same chamber environment; therefore, we did not translate the fiber. With this test point data, we will be able to compare free floating fuel droplets versus fuel droplets tethered by the fiber, thereby isolating any effects of the fiber on burn behavior. An interesting observation with these helium-diluted tests is the occurrence of a brief period of flame contraction immediately before extinction. We did not observe this flame contraction for the same tests in atmospheres where nitrogen was used for dilution. This difference is likely due to the differences in the thermo-diffusive properties of the gases.”

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

MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS, NASA): No report.

METERON (ESA): No report.

Microbe-3 (JAXA): “Kevin, Particle Counter data was successfully downlinked on GMT 326”

Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.

Micro-6 (NASA): No report.

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): No report.

MISSE-8 (Materials ISS Experiment 8): MISSE-8 is nominal. PASCAL performed 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 continuing to run code for new radiation hardening by software.

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

MOST (Medaka Osteoclast, JAXA): “Kevin, thank you very much for performing the water maintenance on 12/10. All the Medakas look fine.”

MPAC/SEED (JAXA): No report.

MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox, NASA): No report.

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

MSPR (Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack, JAXA): No report.

MSL (Materials Science Laboratory, ESA): No report.

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 Plate Reader (NASA): No report.

NanoRacks Microscope-2 (NASA): No report.

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

NANO STEP (JAXA): The ground team has been continuing with Run#3 and are now in Phase 3. This run will be terminated on 12/15.

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): “Dear Kevin, many thanks for your interest in using the NightPod equipment. We hope that you enjoyed it! The ESA team has already screened most of the images you acquired. Please find some more detailed feedback in a separate tabsheet.”

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

NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: No report.

ODK-2 (Onboard Diagnostic Kit 2, JAXA): No report.

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

PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 6/7; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): No report.

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: No report.

Pro K: No report.

RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.

RadSilk (JAXA): No report.

Reaction Self Test (RST/Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Kevin, thank you for your work on Reaction Self Test! Your continuing efforts are greatly appreciated!”

REBR-2 (Re-Entry Breakup Recorder 2, JAXA): No report.

REM (Radiation Environment Monitor, NASA): No report.

Resist Tubule (RTS, JAXA): Samples returned by SpX-1.

Reversible Figures (ESA): No report. [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): “Kevin: Thanks for assembling and disassembling Robonaut this week. Unfortunately, we ran into communication issues with our new commanding software that precluded us from meeting any of our planned objectives for the ops. We are currently investigating the data on the ground and are working to determine the source of the issue.”

RRM (Robotic Refuelling Mission, NASA): In standby mode, awaiting the next task/run, refueling. [The RRM investigation demonstrates and tests the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically service and refuel satellites in space, especially satellites not originally designed to be serviced. RRM is expected to reduce risks and lay the foundation for future robotic servicing missions in microgravity.]

RYUTAI Rack (JAXA): No report.

SAIBO Rack (JAXA): No report.

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

SAMPLE: Complete.

SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation Testbed, NASA): SCAN Testbed continued Antenna Commissioning this week. The beginning of the week again focused on introducing errors in the Antenna Pointing System (APS) track files. The errors introduced were jump errors of 10 degrees to forcibly break the lock and test reacquiring the lock. This was successful and TDRS maintained auto-lock with SCAN Testbed. The remainder of the week was dedicated to exercising algorithm configuration changes. These include auto track gains, Avionics CPU efficiency, and Spiral Track (ST) lap size change. The results of this week’s tests were well correlated with the simulated models and we anticipate having sufficient data to make parameter selection for nominal closed-loop operations. The remainder of the APS Commissioning tests are events that will complete the test matrix. We will finish up with “sport mode” testing that involves off-nominal, aggressive gain selection. [Background: The SCaN Testbed provides an orbiting laboratory on space station for the development of SDR (Software Defined Radio) technology. These systems will allow researchers to conduct a suite of experiments over the next several years, enabling the advancement of a new generation of space communications. The testbed is the first space hardware to provide an experimental laboratory to demonstrate many new capabilities, including new communications, networking and navigation techniques that utilize SDR technology. The SCaN Testbed includes three such radio devices, each with different capabilities. These devices will be used by researchers to advance this technology over the Testbed’s five year planned life in orbit. Two SDRs were developed under cooperative agreements with General Dynamics and Harris Corp., and the third was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. JPL also provided the five-antenna system on the exterior of the testbed, used to communicate with NASA’s orbiting communications relay satellites and NASA ground stations across the United States.]

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): “Thanks, Kevin, for filling out your sixth weekly questionnaire on 12/7! ” [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): External payload. 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): Bridging of Sun Visibility Windows #59-#60 was completed on 12/12, and SOLAR has now entered the (normal) Sun Visibility Window #60. The active control of the ISS attitude so that Sun Visibility Windows #59 and #60 could be bridged, was performed very smoothly. Over the past week, many SOLSPEC and SOLACES measurements were successfully performed. A minor SOLACES anomaly (a stuck valve resulting in a pressure increase in one of the inner gas chambers) was successfully resolved. On 12/12, SOLACES was brought to heated mode in anticipation of the ISS reboost with Progress 49P, and the Pre-determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM) demonstration. As of 12/12, about 75% of the SOLACES scripts and about 70% of the SOLSPEC scripts planned for the extended/bridged SVW were successfully performed. The Sun Visibility Window#60 is predicted to end on 12/24.

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): “Kevin, thank you for a great test session with SPHERES-Smartphone. We were able to demonstrate ground control of the Smartphone and satellite as a mobile camera performing a survey. A ground controller in MCC commanded the satellite to perform a visual inspection of the interior of the ISS as well as search for known targets. The ground controller received SPHERES position data and real-time video from the Smartphone. The ground controller was able to run scripted plans, as well as demonstrate manual control to deviate from the plans as needed.”

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.

SSD (Small Satellite Deployer, JAXA): No report.

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

STP-H3 (Space Test Program – Houston 3): All STP-H3 experiments are functional and are in a nominal configuration. MHTEX conducted some test runs last week and is now in a repriming mode. VADER continues to characterize the performance of the Aerogel blanket attached to the backside of the experiment. Canary plans to take data during the 33S docking and thruster firing test events next week. DISC took new images this week and continues to process images that were taken in previous weeks.

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.

TRITEL (Three-Axis Telescope, ESA): Nominal data acquisition with the TRITEL active detector.

ULTRASOUND: Planned.

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

VASCULAR (CSA): No report.

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): No report. [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): No report.

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.

YOUTUBE SpaceLab: No report.

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): As of 12/12, the ground has received 1,307 of ISS CEO frames of imagery for review and cataloging. “We are pleased to report that we have received imagery this week with camera times corresponding to our CEO target request times as follows: Storm Bay, Tasmania – 31 frames – target acquired – more clouds were present than we anticipated – we shall continue to request this target; and City Lights – Time-Lapse – 41 frames – first imagery for this type of target request – under evaluation for content. We are excited to note you entry into the realm of nighttime photography and even more so about the potential for automated photo sessions that can be made into time-lapse videos. We will be providing feedback and recommendations on your technique and how we are using this imagery in the coming weeks. Thanks for your efforts and your willingness to acquire this type of photography for us. Your dramatic view of an eruption plume from the Ulawun Volcano, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea was published on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website this past weekend. Although we had requested photography of Ulawan at this time we had not expected to see an eruption in progress even though this is a very active volcano. Your excellent view in clear weather documents the extent and motion of the plume. Nice going!”

CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today were Moroni, Comoros (Capital Cities Collection Site: ISS had a fair weather pass for this target as it approached from the SW over the Mozambique Channel, with the possibility of some clouds over the area as a storm moves in from the W. This capital city is located on the western coastline of the island of Grande Comoros. Moroni has served as the capital since 1958. Looking left of track for the Comoros archipelago and Moroni. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area were requested), South Desolation Point, CHL (HMS Beagle Site: Darwin and the Beagle navigated the treacherous Strait of Magellan on June 10, 1834 and passed South Desolation Point into the open Pacific where the long swell of the open ocean constantly rages. Desolation Island, on the south side of the Strait and marks the western end of Tierra del Fuego. As ISS passed over Tierra del Fuego area, the crew was to aim right of track for South Desolation Point between the Strait of Magellan and the Pacific Ocean. If possible, the crew was to take detailed shots with a long lens), Freetown, Sierra Leone (Capital Cities Collection Site: Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, and is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean. Trying to get context views of this city, as CEO database has little imagery on this city), Popocatepetl Volcano, MEX (Volcanoes: As ISS tracked NE over the Pacific Ocean towards Mexico, the crew was to shoot just left of track to capture this volcano. Mexico’s second highest peak [17,802 feet] is a large, active volcano located 43 miles SE of Mexico City. If possible, the crew was to take detailed, long lens shots of the volcano and summit), and Tropical Cyclone Evan (Dynamic Event: Tropical Cyclone Evan continues to grow over the South Pacific islands. As of 12/14 at 10:30am EST, Evan was a Category 3 storm, with winds at 115mph and gusts at 145mph. It is forecasted that this storm will move WSW very slowly and eventually use the warmer waters between Samoa and Fiji to grow to a Category 4 storm at about the time of your pass. As ISS tracked NE just north of New Zealand, the crew was to begin looking up track towards the Samoan Islands and Fiji to take contextual views of the storm and the storm bands. If possible and applicable, they were to use a long lens to take detailed shots of the eye of the storm).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:22am EST [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 410.5 km
Apogee height – 422.0 km
Perigee height – 399.1 km
Period — 92.78 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0016833
Solar Beta Angle — 11.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.52
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 84m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 80,617
Time in orbit (station) — 5139 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4426 days.

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————– Inc-34: Three-crew operations ————-
12/16/12 — ISS Reboost, including PDAM (Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver) test,
12/19/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – 7:12:36am EST – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/21/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking – ~9:12:39am EST
————– Inc-34: Six-crew operations ————-
02/11/13 — Progress M-16M/48P undocking
02/12/13 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
02/14/13 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
03/15/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————– Inc-35: Three-crew operations ————-
03/28/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
03/30/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking
04/15/13 – Progress N-17M/49P undock
04/18/13 — ATV4 launch
04/23/13 — Progress M-18M/50P undock
04/24/13 – Progress M-19M/51P launch
04/26/13 – Progress M-19M/51P docking
05/01/13 — ATV4 docking
————– Inc-35: Six-crew operations ————-
05/14/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————– Inc-36: Three-crew operations ————-
05/28/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/30/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking
————– Inc-36: Six-crew operations ————-
07/23/13 – Progress M-19M/51P undock
07/24/13 – Progress M-20M/52P launch
07/26/13 — Progress M-20M/52P docking
09/11/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————– Inc-37: Three-crew operations ————-
09/25/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/O.Kotov(CDR-38)/S.Ryanzansky
09/27/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S docking
————– Inc-37: Six-crew operations ————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————– Inc-38: Three-crew operations ————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/M.Tyurin
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking
12/18/13 — Progress M-20M/52P undock
————– Inc-38: Six-crew operations ————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————– Inc-39: Three-crew operations ————-