Status Report

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 2 November 2012

By SpaceRef Editor
November 2, 2012
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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 2 November 2012
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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.

After wakeup, FE-4 Malenchenko, with FE-1 Novitskiy & FE-2 Tarelkin attending for “knowledge handover”, performed the routine inspection of the SM PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection and completed the periodic (daily) reboot of the Russian RSS1 & RSS2 laptops.

Sunita Williams & Akihiko Hoshide took the standard US post-EVA PHS (Periodic Health Status) exam, their 5th PHS session. They were joined by Kevin Ford who took his first PHS exam. [Working as a team, Aki first set up the equipment and was PHS subject, with Suni acting as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) both for him and Kevin. The latter then became CMO for Suni who finally transferred the data and stowed the hardware. The assessment uses the AMP (Ambulatory Medical Pack), stethoscope, oral disposable thermometer and ABPC (Automatic Blood Pressure Cuff) from the ALSP (Advanced Life Support Pack). All data were then logged on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) and the hardware stowed. The PHS exam is guided by special IFEP (In-Flight Examination Program) software on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop.]

Before breakfast & exercise, FE-1 Novitskiy & FE-2 Tarelkin each completed a 10-min session with the periodic Russian MedOps test MO-10 “Hematokrit”, which measures the red cell count of the blood, with one of them acting as CMO (Russian: “Examiner”). Oleg then stowed the equipment. It was the first session for both of them. [The blood samples were drawn from a finger with a perforator lancet, then centrifuged in two microcapillary tubes in the M-1100 kit’s minicentrifuge, and its Hematocrit value was read off the tubes with a magnifying glass. It is a well-known phenomenon of space flight that red blood cell count (normal range: 30-45%) tends to go down over time. After the exam, the data were saved in the IFEP software (In-Flight Examination Program) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer).]

FE-6 Akihiko Hoshide opened the protective window shutters of the Lab WORF (Window Observational Research Facility) for the ISSAC (ISS Agriculture Camera) equipment and activated the ISSAC laptop, so ground images can be captured by ground commanding. [ISSAC takes frequent visible-light & infrared images of vegetated areas on the Earth. The camera focuses principally on rangelands, grasslands, forests, and wetlands in the northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States. The images may be delivered directly upon request to farmers, ranchers, foresters, natural resource managers and tribal officials to help improve their environmental stewardship of the land. The images will also be shared with educators for classroom use.]

Working afterwards in the US A/L (Airlock), Aki serviced the EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) suits worn yesterday by him & Suni (3010 & 3011). [Activities included removing the METOX (Metal Oxide) CO2 absorption canisters & LLBs (Long-Life Batteries) from the PLSSs (Portable Lift Support Systems), removing the REBAs (Rechargeable EVA Battery Assemblies), installing vent port plugs, dumping & filling the EMU feedwater tanks to satisfy maintenance requirements for on-orbit stowage, and conducting the regular post-EVA ionic & particulate filtration (scrubbing) and biocidal maintenance (iodination) of EMU, LCVG (Liquid Cooling Ventilation Garment) and A/L cooling water loops and SCUs (Service & Cooling Umbilicals).]

Hoshide also performed post-spacewalk deconfiguration of the A/L compartment and returned hardware gathered in support of US EVA-20 to regular stowage.

In the Lab and Node-3, Aki shut off power to the Lab & Cupola RWS DCPs (Robotic Workstation Display & Control Panels). [This automatically dropped the CUP RWS to backup state, to be brought back to Active by ground commanding.]

FE-4 Malenchenko collected & downloaded the sensor readings of the Russian “Pille” radiation dosimeters carried by Aki & Suni on their EMUs (Extravehicular Mobility Units) yesterday during EVA-20, and then stowed the units.

Afterwards, Yuri switched STTS communications to MRM2 Poisk occupancy and continued equipment preparations for another run of the new KPT-21 PK-3+ Plasma Crystal-3+ (Plazmennyi-Kristall-3 plus) Telescience payload, the first time for Expedition 33. [Today’s activities focused on data copying and Log File dumping from the EB (Eksperimental’nyj Blok) Experiment Module, loading new software from a USB stick and conducting a vacuum leak check of the plasma chamber which he repeated before sleeptime. The PK-3+ equipment comprises the EB with a turbopump for evacuation, Ts laptop, video monitor, vacuum hoses, electrical circuitry, four hard storage disks for video, and one USB stick with the control application. The experiment is performed on plasma, i.e., fine particles charged and excited by HF (high frequency) radio power inside the evacuated work chamber. Main objective is to obtain a homogeneous plasma dust cloud at various pressures and particle quantities with or without superimposition of an LF (low frequency) harmonic electrical field. The experiment is conducted in automated mode. PK-3+ has more advanced hardware and software than the previously used Russian PKE-Nefedov payload.]

Oleg Novitskiy serviced the newly arrived BTKh-14 BIOEMULSIYA payload, removing the Recomb-K bioreactor from the TBU-V thermostat-controlled container (+4degC) and activating it, with Evgeny taking documentary photo/video.

Wearing “mess-up” mitts, safety goggle & dust mask, Sunita Williams worked in Node-3 on the WRS-2 (Water Recovery System) Rack 2 with Kevin Ford at her side for handover, replacing the UPA (Urine Processor Assembly)’s full RFTA (Recycle Filter Tank Assembly) #1 with a new unit (#2) retrieved from PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) stowage, and temporarily stowed RFTA #1 for subsequent draining.

Afterwards, Suni dumped the brine from the removed RFTA into an EDV-U container for disposal.

Working in the newly-arrived Progress M-17M/49P cargo vehicle, Oleg Novitskiy installed & hooked up the electronic LKT local temperature sensor commutator (TA251MB) of the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry measurement system and its PZU-1M ROM (read-only memory) unit.

Evgeny Tarelkin meanwhile had ~90 min for unloading the 49P transport ship, transferring cargo to the ISS for stowage with moves logged in the IMS (Inventory Management System) database.

Later, Yuri demonstrated to Oleg & Evgeny the onboard support of ground-controlled shutdown of the Elektron-VM oxygen (O2) generator. [Part of the standard deactivation process is the purging of the Elektron BZh Liquid Unit with N2 (nitrogen), controlled from laptop (not earlier than 30 min after deactivation), to prevent accumulation of dangerous hydrogen/oxygen mixtures.]

The three Russian Flight Engineers also joined up for another 60-min session dedicated to PAO “Symbolic” activities, signing & stamping commemorative items like posters, photos and envelopes. [The Soyuz- and Progress-delivered “Symbolic” kits with photos of K.S. Stanislavski, Russian flags, posters with Armenian alphabet and certificates. Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski was a famous Russian actor and theater director. His system of acting has developed an international reach. Stanislavski treated theater-making as a serious endeavor, requiring dedication, discipline and integrity.]

FE-3 Ford performed another weekly 10-min. CWC (Contingency Water Container) inventory as part of continuing WRM (Water Recovery & Management) assessment of onboard water supplies. Updated “cue cards” based on the crew’s water calldowns are sent up every other week for recording changes. [The current card (32-0005F) lists 20 CWCs (212.13 L total), including 6 empty bags, for the five types of water identified on board: 1. Silver technical water (3 CWCs with 113.1 L); 2. Condensate water (3 CWCs with 14.0 L, plus 2 empty bags); 3. Iodinated water (5 CWCs with 54.55 L, plus 3 empty bags); 4. Waste water (1 CWC with 9.68 L bag EMU waste water), 5. Special Fluid (OGS) (1 CWC with 2.5 L), and Off-Nominal Water (1 CWC with 18.3 L, plus 1 empty bag). One leaky CWC (#1024) with 8.5 L, was trashed in ATV3. No bags with Wautersia bacteria. Other CWCs are stowed behind racks and are currently not being tracked due to unchanging contents. Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]

Kevin also completed his (currently) daily task of filling out his SHD (Space Headache) questionnaire which he started after Soyuz launch on a daily basis and continues on ISS on an SSC/Station Support Computer for every week after his first week in space.

In Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), loc. D4, Sunita continued preparing MELFI-1 (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS 1) for future sample storage by retrieving 16 ice bricks (green) at -32 degC and inserting four each into Dewar 1, Trays A-D. [This activity was started by Aki on 10/30.]

Next, Malenchenko was joined by FE-1 Novitskiy in supporting the running experiment TEKh-22 “Identifikatsiya” (Identification) in the MRM1 Rassvet module by downloading the new batch of structural dynamics measurements of the IMU-Ts microaccelerometer to the RSE1 laptop for subsequent downlink to the ground via RSPI (High-speed Data Transmission Radio Link). [IMU-Ts is a part of the MRM1 SBI onboard measurement system, installed in PGO behind panel 104], and

Evgeny 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.]

Oleg took care of the daily IMS maintenance, updating/editing its standard “delta file” including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

Yuri conducted another ~65 minutes of general knowledge handover activities with Oleg & Evgeny.

FE-1 & FE-2 again had an hour of free time each for general orientation (adaptation, station familiarization & acclimatization) as is standard daily rule for fresh crewmembers for the first two weeks after starting residence, if they choose to take it.

Before Presleep (~3:40pm), Williams will power up the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) and starts the Ku-band data flow of video recorded during the day to the ground, with POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routing the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link). After about an hour, Suni turns MPC routing off again. [This is a routine operation which regularly transmits HD onboard video (live or tape playback) to the ground on a daily basis before sleeptime.]

At ~4:10am EDT, Malenchenko, Novitskiy, Tarelkin, Williams, Ford & Hoshide held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Main Flight Control Team (GOGU/Glavnaya operativnaya gruppa upravleniya), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP-Moscow via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.

At ~9:20am, Yuri & Oleg linked up with TsUP-Moscow stowage specialists via S-band to conduct the weekly IMS tagup, discussing inventory & stowage issues, equipment locations and cargo transfers.

At ~9:45am, Sunita Williams powered up the SM’s amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) and conducted a ham radio session with students at Primarschule Aesch in Forch, Switzerland.

At ~11:00am, Williams, Hoshide & Ford held a post-EVA debriefing teleconference via SSC (Station Support Computer) with spacewalk specialists at MCC-Houston on the ground by S-Band for audio and Ku-Band for video.

At ~12:05pm, Suni conducted the regular IMS stowage conference with Houston stowage specialists.

At ~3:20pm, the crew is scheduled for their regular weekly tagup with the Lead Flight Director at JSC/MCC-Houston.

The crew worked out on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-3), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1, FE-2, FE-4/2x), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (FE-2, FE-3, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-6) and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-1). [CDR & FE-6 are on the special experimental SPRINT protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5 hrs per day exercise regime and introduces special daily sessions involving resistive and aerobic (interval & continuous) exercise, followed by a USND (Ultrasound) leg muscle self scan in COL. No exercise is being timelined for Suni on Friday, for Aki on Thursday. If any day is not completed, Suni & Aki pick up where they left off, i.e., they would be finishing out the week with the last day of exercise on her off day. Suni’s protocol for today showed T2 (int., 4 min.). Aki’s protocol for today showed no exercise (Friday).]

Tasks listed for FE-4 Malenchenko 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 ~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, and
* 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 (Photo Image Coordinate Reference System) to record target sites on the Earth surface.

CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today were Eddies in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (DYNAMIC EVENT. The crew was ask to look right towards the sunglint point [but not directly into the glint point] to document mesoscale eddies. The glint point is relatively far off track giving a wide potential view of the “partial glint” zone. Eddies are common in the ocean, and range in diameter from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers. Eddies between ~10 and 500 km in diameter, which persist for periods of days to months, are commonly referred to as mesoscale eddies), Mississippi Delta Region (the crew was asked to shoot detailed overlapping images of the delta region on both sides of track. Wetland loss and infrastructure development are of major interest), and East Coast USA (DYNAMIC EVENT. Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Looking right toward the sunglint point between cloud patches for opportunities to document flooding and other damage as ISS tracked towards New York City).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:38am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 413.4 km
Apogee height – 424.3 km
Perigee height – 402.5 km
Period — 92.83 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0016024
Solar Beta Angle — -56.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.51
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 40 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 79,951
Time in orbit (station) — 5096 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4383 days.

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————– Inc-33: Six-crew operations ————-
11/04/12 — Standard Time begins at 2:00am
11/19/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————– Inc-34: Three-crew operations ————-
12/05/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/07/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking
————– 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 ————-
04/02/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
04/04/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking
04/23/13 — Progress M-18M/50P undock/landing
————– Inc-35: Six-crew operations ————-
05/16/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————– Inc-36: Three-crew operations ————-
05/29/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/31/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking
————– Inc-36: Six-crew operations ————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————– Inc-37: Three-crew operations ————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/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/TBD
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking
————– Inc-38: Six-crew operations ————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————– Inc-39: Three-crew operations ————-

SpaceRef staff editor.