NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 17 April 2011
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – Ahead: Week 6 of Increment 27.
Today 41 years ago (1970), NASA’s “successful failure” mission Apollo 13 came to a happy ending when the Command Module with James A. Lovell, John L. “Jack” Swigert & Fred W. Haise returned safely to Earth. The mission, which was launched six days earlier (4/11) to perform NASA’s third lunar landing, was aborted when an oxygen tank in the Service Module ruptured violently, severely damaging the electrical system. The Lunar Module became the crew’s “lifeboat”, saving the crew despite great hardship caused by the remaining limited power.
Upon wake-up, CDR Kondratyev performed the regular daily check of the aerosol filters at the Russian Elektron O2 (oxygen) generator which Maxim Suraev had installed on 10/19/09 in gaps between the BZh Liquid Unit and the oxygen outlet pipe (filter FA-K) plus hydrogen outlet pipe (filter FA-V). [Dmitri will inspect the filters again before bedtime tonight, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]
Afterwards Dmitri took ~15 min to transfer his latest video recording to SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop for downlink to TsUP-Moscow. [Dmitri’s Roskosmos “Videoblog” project, recorded by him at his convenience, began on 1/8, with frequent downlinks via OCA (not to exceed 300 Mb),]
Later, the CDR conducted the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM (Service Module), including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow. [This includes 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].
Dima also performed the weekly checkup on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s & FGB’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for reporting to TsUP.
With FE-1 Samokutyayev taking documentary photography, FE-2 Borisenko continued the disassembly, begun on 4/13, of the ESA/German Tekh-50/ROKVISS (KONTUR) REU (Robotic External Unit) robotics manipulator arm. The activity was supported by ground specialist tagup, and the disassembled joints were prepacked for return to Earth. [REU had been uninstalled by Yurchikhin & Skripochka from its external URM-D portable multipurpose work station during the Russian EVA-26 on 11/15/10.]
Later today, FE-6 Cady Coleman sets up the equipment for the important CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Vascular Blood Collection protocol scheduled tomorrow, her 2nd. [Samples will be spun in the RC (Refrigerated Centrifuge) prior to stowing them in the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS), after recording the blood tube bar codes. Led by the Canadian University of Waterloo’s Dr. Richard Hughson, VASCULAR is studying the long-term effects of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system. Previous medical tests have shown that astronauts who live and work in space for long periods of time experience changes in their blood vessels that are like the aging on Earth. But in space these changes happen in months instead of years and decades. The blood vessels become stiffer and lose their elasticity. This can change blood pressure and affect blood flow to vital organs such as the brain and kidney. Six international astronauts are taking part in VASCULAR, each staying about 6 months on the station. Their blood samples will be returned to Dr. Hughson’s laboratory for measurements of unique protein and hormone markers that could accelerate vascular aging. The results of VASCULAR will offer a better understanding of the inner mechanisms of cardiovascular changes during long-duration space missions. The findings can also help people who suffer from premature cardiovascular aging right now back home on Earth.]
At ~7:40am EDT, Dmitri, Andrey & Alex supported four Russian PAO TV events, downlinking greetings and words of welcome to participants and guests of –
* The Second International Forum on “Global Innovation Partnership”, held in Moscow from April 19-22. [Participants in the Forum are delegation heads and founders of the 22 largest venture funds in Europe who will meet with the leadership of the Russian Federation and visit the leading, innovative companies and sites in Russia. Among the organizers of the forum are the European Organization for Private Equity and Venture Capital (EVCA), Russia’s leading development institutions RUSNANO & the Russian Venture Company Skolkovo, with the participation of Global Technology Symposium, USA, and the Venture Investment Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan],
* The Olympiad “Star Relay” from 12/8/10 to 4/8/11, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the space flight by Yuri Gagarin, – the first stage of the International Children’s Olympiad “Starbaton”. [More than 3000 students from 20 countries took part in the Olympics. The Olympics Finale will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 4/18 to 4/22. The Jury of the Olympics includes Valentina Tereshkova, Georgi Grechko, Alexander Serebrov, Buzz Aldrin, Gerhard Thiele, Rendra Handari, Cindy Kollenz, Miroslav Germashevsky, Jean-Loup Chretien and Sergey Saveliev. The opening of the Finale will be attended by the Ambassadors of the member countries of UNESCO],
* The Partner Cities Summit on 5/7-5/19 in the Chinese city of Qingdao, hosting a meeting of heads of friendly twin cities of BRIX (BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). [These are the Heads of Rio de Janeiro, Saint Petersburg, Mumbai, Qingdao, and Cape Town], and
* The Russian Delphic Games from 5/13-5/18 in Tver. [The occasion is the Tenth Anniversary of the Youth Delphic Games of Russian Art, dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and to volunteering by the young. Games are held with a view to identify and support talented creative young people of Russia, to preserve and develop the cultural potential of the Russian Federation, the development of intercultural dialogue and the initiation of young talents to the best examples of art and culture of the peoples of the CIS, to facilitate the growth of creativity and harmonious personality, develop volunteer activities and facilitate the involvement of more young people in solving social problems.]
CDR, FE-2, FE-3, FE-5 & FE-6 had their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Andrey at ~7:10am & 11:45am, Dima at ~8:45am, Ron at ~10:20am, Paolo at ~12:00pm, Cady at ~3:10pm EDT.
The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise on the TVIS treadmill (CDR/2x, FE-1, FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (FE-2, FE-3, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-3, FE-5, FE-6) and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-1).
No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:07am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 348.7 km
Apogee height – 350.6 km
Perigee height – 346.8 km
Period — 91.51 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0002783
Solar Beta Angle — 62.0 deg (magnitude peaking)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 157 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 71,135
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations————-
04/22/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock ~7:41am EDT
04/26/11 — Progress M-09M/41P deorbit ~9:15am
04/27/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/29/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking (DC-1 nadir)
04/29/11 — STS-134/Endeavour launch ULF6 (ELC-3, AMS) ~3:47:49pm EDT
05/01/11 — STS-134/Endeavour docking ~1:31pm
05/11/11 — STS-134/Endeavour undocking ~6:23am
05/13/11 — STS-134/Endeavour landing (KSC) ~9:28am
05/16/11 – Soyuz TMA-20/25S undock/landing (End of Increment 27)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S launch – M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov
06/01/11 — 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————-
