NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 20 September 2009
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday — off-duty day. Ahead: Week 17 of Increment 20
Upon wakeup, FE-1 Barratt, FE-2 Stott, FE-4 Thirsk & FE-5 DeWinne continued their new week-long session of the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight), Nicole’s first, logging data from their Actiwatch to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop as part of a week-long session. [To monitor the crewmembers’ sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, the crewmembers wear a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition and use the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment’s laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days.]
For the SLEEP experiment, Bob Thirsk completed the monthly Actiwatch download, initialized the devices for the four participating crewmembers, then changed the Lithium battery and readied an Actiwatch for Jeff Williams.
CDR Padalka performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]
FE-4 Thirsk began the third day of his FD120 session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository, focusing today on the blood draw. Mike Barratt stood ready to assist with the phlebotomy from an arm vein if required. Bob also finished the urine collection of the past 24 hours. His next NUTRITION/Repository activity is the FD180 session. [After the phlebotomy, Thirsk’s samples were first allowed to coagulate in the Repository for 20-30 minutes, then spun in the HRF RC (Human Research Facility/Refrigerated Centrifuge) and finally placed in MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). No thruster activity was allowed during the blood drawing. The RC was later powered off after a temperature reset to limit wear on the compressor, and cleaned. The NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by supercold MELFI dewars), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.]
FE-5 De Winne closed out the third day of his FD120 session with the NUTRITION w/Repository experiment, terminating the 24-hr urine collections on or about 2:30am EDT. Frank’s next NUTRITION activity is the FD180 session.
In preparation of the Progress M-67/34P undocking tomorrow morning (3:22am EDT), Nicole Stott closed the protective shutters of the Lab & Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) science windows, and Bob Thirsk deactivated the amateur/ham radio equipment in the SM to prevent RF interference with Progress proximity radio traffic. [In support of the undocking, RS (Russian Segment) thrusters will be disabled in the time period 3:21am-3:27am.]
FE-1, FE-2, FE-3, FE-4 & FE-5 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), Roman at ~8:40am, Frank at ~9:20am, Nicole at ~11:20am, Bob at ~1:10pm, Mike at ~4:00pm EDT.
At ~8:05am, Frank De Winne participated in a live interactive TV event via Ku-band video and S-band audio with attendees of the annual German "Space Day" at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany. [The Germany-wide “Day of Aerospace” is organized jointly by ESA and the German Space Agency DLR, and about 80,000 visitors were expected.]
Working off the Russian discretionary “time permitting” task list, Padalka conducted a session of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the NIKON D3X digital camera with SIGMA 300-800 telephoto lens for subsequent downlinking on the BSR-TM payload data channel. [Uplinked targets for today were the Pamir mountains (glacier tips), RGS glacier, Altai Mountain, Katun river valley, Dagestan mountains, Aral, Taman mud volcanoes, Swiss Alps, Glaciers near dams, Allaline Glacier, and the Western slopes of the Carpathian mountains.]
A second voluntary job for Gennady was another run for Russia’s Environmental Safety Agency (EKON), making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on earth using the Nikon D2X with the SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens.
For FE-3 Romanenko, the discretionary task list for today suggested another session with the ocean observations program, DZZ-13 “Seiner”, to obtain data on color field patterns and current cloud cover conditions over the Atlantic (offshore area of Argentina – coastal area of Liberia), the Atlantic (coastal area of Brazil – Strait of Gibraltar), Pacific Ocean (geo-location to the east of New Zealand – Panama), taking advantage of sun glint at each location. [The experiment uses visual observation, videography (HDV camcorder, PAL mode) and selective photography (NIKON D2X with AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 80-200 mm lens) of color-contrast images and large discontinuities in cloud fields along the flight path, controlled from the RSK-1 laptop. Roman’s photography had to be accompanied by a continuous non-stop video recording of underlying terrain using the HDV camera securely fixed above SM Window #8 precisely in nadir using the LIV adapter.]
The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-2, FE-4), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation (CDR, FE-1, FE-3, FE-5), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-1, FE-2, FE-4, FE-5) and VELO cycle ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (FE-3). For Gennady, it was Day 2 of 2-hr work-out on TVIS, Day 1 for Roman on VELO+TVIS.
Later, Bob Thirsk transferred the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on ARED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today.
CEO photography can be studied at this “Gateway” website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 9/1/08, this database contained 770,668 views of the Earth from space, with 324,812 from the ISS alone).
ISS Orbit (as of this noon, 12:16pm EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 346.8 km
Apogee height – 353.0 km
Perigee height — 340.5 km
Period — 91.47 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.000927
Solar Beta Angle — 1.8 deg (magnitude bottoming out)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 76 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 62099
HTV Flight Day (FD) Overview:
FD 11+: EP Transfer to JEM-EF
· EP removal from ULC via SSRMS
· SSRMS to JEM RMS handoff of EP
· JEM RMS installation of EP on JEM-EF
FD 12+: Payload Transfer
· JEM RMS transfer of HREP from EP to JEM-EF
· JEM RMS transfer of NASA SMILES from EP to JEM-EF
FD 13+: EP Transfer to HTV
· JEM RMS removal of EP
· JEM RMS to SSRMS handoff of EP
· SSRMS installation of EP into HTV
FD 14-38: Cargo Transfer
· 70 hours of soft stowage transfer and trash stow
· 1 rack transfer
FD 38+: Prep for Release
· Remove GLAs, smoke detector, PFE/PBAs
· Install CPAs
· IMV deactivation
· SSRMS grapple HTV
FD 39+: Deactivation and Release
· Vestibule de-outfitting
· HTV deactivation
· CBM unberthing
· SSRMS maneuver to release position
· GNC activation, propulsion system priming
· SSRMS release and departure burns
Departure Sequence
· SSRMS unberths HTV and maneuvers HTV to release point (12 m)
· Crew releases HTV (initiates 90 second Retreat initiation clock)
· Crew commands Retreat
o Initiates HTV opening rate down R-Bar
o Initiates departure 4 burn sequence
· Trajectory is 24-hour safe and outside the approach ellipsoid after 2ndburn
FD 40+: Re-entry.
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
09/21/09 — Progress 34P undock (~3:22am) for several days of Plasma experiment
09/30/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S launch
10/02/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S docking (SM aft, until MRM-2 w/new port)
10/11/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S undock
10/14/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) unberth (under review)
10/15/09 — Progress 35P launch
11/10/09 — 5R/MRM-2 (Russian Mini Research Module 2) on Soyuz-U
11/12/09 — 5R/MRM-2 docking (SM zenith)
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2 (may move up to 11/9)
11/23/09 – Soyuz TMA-15/19S undock
12/07/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S launch
12/09/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S (FGB nadir)
12/24/09 — Soyuz relocation (20S from SM aft to MRM2)
12/26/09 — Progress 36P launch
02/03/10 — Progress 37P launch
02/04/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
03/05/10 — Progress 38P launch
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch
04/30/10 — Progress 39P launch
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1
05/29/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch
06/30/10 — Progress 40P launch
07/29/10 — STS-133/Endeavour (ULF5 – ELC4, MPLM) or STS-134/Discovery (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS)
07/30/10 — Progress 41P launch
09/16/10 — STS-133/Endeavour (ULF5 – ELC4, MPLM) or STS-134/Discovery (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS)
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch
12/??/10 — ATV2 – Ariane 5 (ESA)
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton
