Status Report

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 24 June 2012

By SpaceRef Editor
June 24, 2012
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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 24 June 2012
NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 24 June 2012

ISS On-Orbit Status 06/24/12

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – Crew off duty. Ahead: Week 9 of Increment 31 (six-person crew).

After wakeup, CDR Kononenko performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.

Oleg also completed the routine daily & weekly servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM and FGB. [This included the weekly collection of the ASU toilet flush counter (SPKU) and water supply (SVO) readings of SM & FGB for calldown to TsUP-Moscow, as well as 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 calldown. SOZh servicing 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 as required.]

First thing in post-sleep, prior to eating, drinking & brushing teeth, FE-5 Kuipers & FE-6 Pettit performed their 2nd liquid saliva collection of the INTEGRATED IMMUNE protocol (Day 1). The collections are made every other day for six days. [INTEGRATED IMMUNE (Validating Procedures for Monitoring Crew member Immune Function) samples & analyzes participant’s blood, urine, and saliva before, during and after flight for changes related to functions like bone metabolism, oxidative damage and immune function to develop and validate an immune monitoring strategy consistent with operational flight requirements and constraints. The strategy uses both long and short duration crewmembers as study subjects. The saliva is collected in two forms, dry and liquid. The dry samples are collected at intervals during the collection day using a specialized book that contains filter paper. The liquid saliva collections require that the crewmembers soak a piece of cotton inside their mouths and place it in a salivette bag; there are four of the liquid collections during docked operations. The on-orbit blood samples are collected right before undocking and returned to the ground so that analysis can occur with 48 hours of the sampling. This allows assays that quantify the function of different types of white blood cells and other active components of the immune system. Samples are secured in the MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). Also included are entries in a fluid/medications intact log, and a stress-test questionnaire to be filled out by the subject at begin and end. Urine is collected during a 24-hour period, conventionally divided into two twelve-hour phases: morning-evening and evening-morning.]

Kuipers also had Day 3 of the pH test and diet log entry for the Pro K pH plus controlled diet menu protocol of his 5th (FD180) Pro K Controlled Diet activity with diet logging after the urine pH spot test, for a 5-day period after start of collections. After recording his diet input today, André broke out and set up the equipment for the associated urine collections tomorrow (6/25). Blood sampling will follow on Tuesday (6/26). [For the Pro K (Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery) protocol, there are five in-flight sessions (FD15, FD30, FD60, FD120, FD180) of samplings, to be shared with the NUTRITION w/Repository protocol, each one with five days of diet & urine pH logging and photography on the last day. The crewmember prepares a diet log and then annotates quantities of food packets consumed and supplements taken. Urine collections are spread over 24 hrs; samples go into the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) within 30 min after collection. Blood samples, on the last day, are centrifuged in the RC (Refrigerated Centrifuge) and placed in MELFI at -80 degC. There is an 8-hr fasting requirement prior to the blood draw (i.e., no food or drink, but water ingestion is encouraged). MELFI constraints: Maximum MELFI Dewar open time: 60 sec; at least 45 min between MELFI dewar door openings. Background on pH: In chemistry, pH (Potential Hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a watery solution. Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25 degC. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are “acidic” and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are “basic” or “alkaline”. pH measurements are important in medicine, biology, chemistry, agriculture, forestry, food science, environmental science, oceanography, civil engineers and many others.]

FE-2 Revin conducted the periodic maintenance of the active Russian BMP Harmful Impurities Removal System, starting the “bake-out” cycle to vacuum on absorbent bed #2 of the regenerable dual-channel filtration system. Sergei will terminate the process at ~5:15pm EDT. Bed #1 regeneration was performed yesterday. (Done last: 6/2 & 6/3). [Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hrs and is conducted only during crew awake periods. The BMP’s regeneration cycle is normally done every 20 days.]

Sergei also worked on the BTKh-26 KASKAD experiment, mixing a new sample in the KT thermal enclosure in the GB/Glavboks-S (Glovebox-S) and transferred it to the TBU-V incubator (+29 degC).

Before bedtime, Don Pettit closed the protective shutters of the Lab, Node-3/Cupola & Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) to prevent their contamination from the planned propellant purge of the ATV-3 propulsion system tomorrow morning at 2:55am EDT.

CDR, FE-1, FE-2, FE-3 & 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), Oleg at ~6:00am, Gennady at ~6:00am, Sergei at ~8:00am, André at ~10:25am, Joe at ~3:25pm EDT.

At ~9:00am, André also held a CDE (Crew Discretionary Event) conference.

At ~10:00am, Oleg, Sergei & Gennady 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 and teachers of Ruzayevsky Polytechnical School. [Uplinked questions for the crew: “Soyuz-TMA-04M crew brought the St. George ribbons – the symbol of the Great Victory – aboard the ISS. We’d like to know, in which module they were placed and why?”; “How varied is your menu and what is your favorite dish on orbit?”; “Why was the Soyuz-TMA-04M crew named “Altairs”?”; “I have this question for you. While on orbit, you keep in touch with the loved ones via radio or phone. But is there a regular paper mail available on the ISS? If so, could you send me a letter from Earth’s orbit?”; “A question for Gennadiy Ivanovich. What changed aboard the station since your first ISS expedition?”; “Who controls cargo vehicles docking to the ISS, MCC ground control or cosmonauts?”; “Do you have an inner belief, that you are solving the problems of human life on Earth?”; “What kind of photo and video equipment is used to capture images aboard the ISS and images of Earth from space?”].

The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-6), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-2, FE-3, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-3, FE-5), and VELO bike ergometer with load trainer (FE-1). [FE-6 is 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 Fridays. If any day is not completed, Don picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day. If any day is not completed, Don picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day. Today’s exercise called for CEVIS (aerobic/interval), with ARED+T2 (Kinematics), T2 (aerobic/interval), ARED+T2 (resistive+aerobic/continuous) and CEVIS (aerobic/interval) following in the next 4 days.]

Tasks listed for Kononenko, Revin & Padalka on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were –
• A 10-min. photography session for the DZZ-13 “Seiner” ocean observation program, obtaining HDV (Z1) camcorder footage of color bloom patterns in the waters of the Central-Eastern Atlantic coast of Africa and the South-East Pacific coast of South America, then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop,
• Recording high-resolution video with the SONY HVR-Z7E to be used in a joint project of Roskosmos TV Studio with Karusel (Carousel) TV Channel for children ages 8 to 12 years, the “It’s Time to go to space!” program, which has a segment where Russian cosmonauts are discussing their work &, answer viewers’ questions; the footage was then to be downlinked to TsUP-Moscow,
• 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
• 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).

No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:01am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 399.9 km
Apogee height – 405.6 km
Perigee height – 394.2 km
Period — 92.56 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.00084
Solar Beta Angle — 14.4 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.56
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 38 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 77,915
Time in orbit (station) — 4965 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4252 days.

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————-
07/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S undock/landing — 12:48am EDT; land ~4:14am (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
07/14/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S launch – 10:40:03pm EDT — S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
07/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S docking — ~12:50am EDT
————–Six-crew operations—————-
07/20/12 — HTV3 launch (~10:18pm EDT)
07/22/12 — Progress M-15M/47P undock
07/24/12 — Progress M-15M/47P re-docking
07/27/12 — HTV3 docking
07/30/12 — Progress M-15M/47P undocking/deorbit
07/31/12 — Progress M16M/48P launch
08/02/12 — Progress M16M/48P docking
08/16/12 — Russian EVA-31
08/30/12 — US EVA-18
09/06/12 — HTV3 undocking
09/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitsky/E.Tarelkin
10/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/01/12 — Progress M-17M/49P launch
11/03/12 — Progress M-17M/49P docking
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/26/12 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
12/28/12 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
03/19/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/16/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–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
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 — Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-

SpaceRef staff editor.