NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 24 May 2009
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday — off-duty day for CDR Padalka, FE-1 Barratt & FE-2 Wakata. Ahead: Week 8 of Increment 19 (last 5 days with crew of 3).
STS-125/Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base at 11:40am EDT following several wave-offs at KSC due to inclement weather conditions. After a highly successful fifth servicing/repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, which included five spacewalks, Atlantis returned after 197 orbits and a total flight duration of 12d 21h 37m 9 s, having covered almost 5.3 million miles. It was the 126th Shuttle mission, the 30th for Atlantis and the second of five planned for 2009. Hubble has been in orbit since April 24, 1990, after its delivery by the STS-31 mission. Atlantis’ landing was the 53rd Shuttle landing at EAFB. Welcome home, Atlantis!]
On the ISS, FE-1 Barratt continued his second run of sleep logging for the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) from his Actiwatch to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop as part of a week-long session. This is similar to Barratt’s BCD (Baseline Data Collection) which was performed pre-flight for comparison. [To monitor the crewmember’s sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Mike wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition and uses 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.]
CDR Padalka performed the frequent status check on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, verifying proper operation of the BU Control Unit and MIS-LADA Module fans (testing their air flow by hand). [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the LADA-15 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP).]
For the CDR, it was time again for recharging the Motorola Iridium-9505A satellite phone brought up on Soyuz TMA-14, a monthly routine job and his third time (after the handover “tutorial” by Yuri Lonchakov on 4/1). [After retrieving it from its location in the TMA-14/18S Descent Module (BO), Gennady initiated the recharge of its lithium-ion battery, monitoring the process every 10-15 minutes as it took place. Upon completion at ~11:10am EDT, the phone was returned inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed back in the BO’s operational data files (ODF) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry & landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown (e.g., after an “undershoot” ballistic reentry, as happened during the 15S return). The Russian-developed procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials. During the procedure, the phone is left in its fire-protective fluoroplastic bag with open flap. The Iridium 9505A satphone uses the Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to relay the landed Soyuz capsule’s GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to helicopter-borne recovery crews. The older Iridium-9505 phones were first put onboard Soyuz in August 2003. The newer 9505A phone, currently in use, delivers 30 hours of standby time and three hours of talk, up from 20 and two hours, respectively, on the older units.]
Later, Padalka performed 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. Additionally, Padalka checked up on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for reporting 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.]
Gennady also conducted the periodic checkup behind ASU panel 139 in the SM on a fluid connector (MNR-NS) of the SM-U urine collection system, looking for potential moisture.
FE-1 Barratt broke out and set up the equipment for tomorrow’s scheduled U.S. PHS (Periodic Health Status) w/Blood Labs exam, a clinical evaluation of FE-2 Wakata as subject, with Dr. Mike assisting as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) for the blood sampling part. [Today’s task included an electronic function test and control analysis of the blood lab equipment, viz., the PCBA (Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer), which was then temporarily stowed.]
At the Lab CHeCS (Crew Health Care System) rack, Barratt mated the ITCS MTL (Internal Thermal Control System Moderate Temperature Loop) return umbilical with QD (Quick Disconnect) to the rack UIP (Utility Interface Panel) to provide cooling to the rack. [This allowed the ground to activate the CHeCS rack AAA (Avionics Air Assembly) and SD (Smoke Detector, prior to temporary activation of the AR CDRA (Atmosphere Revitalization Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) for two half-cycles.]
The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2) and VELO cycle ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-1, FE-2). [CEVIS and TVIS are currently unusable.]
At ~7:30am EDT, Padalka & Barratt participated in a PAO TV downlink to TsUP/Moscow, congratulating veteran cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on his 75th birthday, sending greetings to the participants of the 25th University Sports Games in Belgrade, Serbia, and being interviewed by Vladimir Kositsky, Zvezda TV channel correspondent, talking about Leonov and the ISS. [On May 30, 2009, Alexei Leonov will turn 75. Alexei Arkhipovich is the member of the first Corps of Cosmonauts since 1960. Originally considered the prime cosmonaut for the Soviet moon landing, in March 1965, in the course of his first space flight Leonov became the first human performing a spacewalk, and in July 1975, he participated in the joint ASTP Apollo-Soyuz flight. The XXV summer University Sports Games (Universiada) will take place from June 30 through July 12 2009 in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. Universiada is the international athletic competition among students of the International University Sports Federation (Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire, FISU). These days student games (Summer & Winter) are held every two years. Summer Universiada 2013 will take place in Kazan. Summer Universiada 2009 will have thirteen main sport events (track-and-field, modern rhythmic gymnastics, ping-pong, tennis, water polo, soccer, judo, basketball, fencing, volleyball, swimming, Olympic gymnastics, spring-board diving), and two additional events: Olympic shooting and taekwondo. The Zvezda interview will become a part of the Zvezda TV channel series dedicated to A. A. Leonov and the current ISS crew.]
CDR Padalka had two job items on his discretionary “time permitting” task list:
* A session 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.
* Another run with the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the NIKON D2X digital camera to take 800mm-lens telephotos for subsequent downlinking on the BSR-TM payload data channel,
TVIS Treadmill Troubleshooting: The exercise device is currently NO GO for nominal exercise. The crew was unsuccessful in troubleshooting the treadmill yesterday after it developed abnormal noise. Video was downlinked. Using the information provided, the crew was to follow up with some non-invasive troubleshooting, i.e., checking belt tension, verifying that components are properly secured and conducting an acoustic survey using a stethoscope from the AMP-1 (Ambulatory Medical Pack 1), to be performed at the crew’s earliest convenience. Once Part 1 is completed, a more detailed troubleshooting plan will be uplinked later this week.
Soyuz TMA-15/19S Update: At Baikonur, in the LV Integration & Checkout Facility basic integration of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the upper stage plus spacecraft has been completed. A meeting of the Technical Management chaired by RSC-Energia President & General Designer V.A. Lopota and the State Commission was held today. A decision on rollout of the launch vehicle with the Soyuz TMA-15 to the launch facility and its preparation for launch planned for 5/27 was adopted.
No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today (except for coordinates of major cities).
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 morning, 8:57am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 350.2 km
Apogee height — 356.7 km
Perigee height — 343.6 km
Period — 91.54 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009738
Solar Beta Angle — 20.0 deg (magnitude peaking)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 87 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 60222
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
05/27/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S launch (6:34am EDT)
05/29/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S docking (FGB nadir, ~8:36am)
Six-person crew on ISS
06/05/09 — Russian EVA-22
06/10/09 — Russian EVA-23
06/13/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD (7:26am)
07/17/09 — Progress M-02M/33P undock & deorbit
07/20/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S relocation (from SM aft to DC1)
07/24/09 — Progress 34P launch
07/26/09 — Progress 34P docking (SM aft)
08/06/09 — STS-128/Discovery/17A — MPLM (P), LMC
09/01/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) launch — tentative
09/07/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) berth
09/30/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S launch
10/02/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S docking (SM aft, until MRM-2 w/new port)
10/08/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) unberth
10/11/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S undock
10/15/09 — Progress 35P launch
11/10/09 — 5R/MRM-2 (Russian Mini Research Module 2) on Proton — tentative
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/07/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S launch
12/26/09 — Progress 36P launch
02/03/10 — Progress 37P launch
02/XX/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A — Node-3 + Cupola — tentative
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A — MPLM(P), LMC — tentative
03/05/10 — Progress 38P launch
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ULF4 — ICC-VLD, MRM-1 — tentative
04/30/10 — Progress 39P launch
05/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch
06/30/10 — Progress 40P launch
07/29/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 — ELC3, ELC4 — tentative
07/30/10 — Progress 41P launch
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch
10/30/10 — Progress 42P launch
11/??/10 — ATV2 — Ariane 5 (ESA)
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA — on Proton
