NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 26 September 2008

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.

After configuring the PFE-OUM (Periodic Fitness Evaluation – Oxygen Uptake Measurement) equipment at the HRF-2 (Human Research Facility 2) rack, Gregory Chamitoff conducted his second PFE-OUM session on the CEVIS cycle ergometer while wearing an HRM (Heart Rate Monitor), with Sergey Volkov as operator to obtain measurements of the subject. (First session: 8/21). [The equipment includes the HRF PFM/PAM (Pulmonary Function Module/Photoacoustic Analyzer Module), Mixing Bag System and GDS (Gas Delivery System). Today’s session used GDS tanks 1, 2 & 5. After calibration of the DPFM (Differential Pressure Flowmeter), Gregory, assisted by Sergey, worked through the protocol, changing the loads on the ergometer and recording data. Later, the FE-2 updated the evaluation protocol, deactivated & stowed the gear, and powered down the PFE-OUM laptop. Purpose of PFE-OUM is to measure aerobic capacity during exercise within 14 days after arrival on ISS, and once monthly during routine PFEs. The data allows exercise physiologists & flight doctors to assess the crew’s health & fitness and to provide data for modifying & updating crew-specific exercise regimes. By hooking up a special cable, continuous oxygen uptake measurements can now be taken while riding the CEVIS without requiring access to the CEVIS control panel as before. PFE-OUM is a collaborative effort between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency).]

FE-1 Kononenko underwent his first session of the biomedical MBI-5/KARDIO-ODNT protocol, an extensive cardiovascular test of human pericardium (heart muscle) activity as well as of primary parameters of central and regional blood circulation at rest and under the effect of lower body negative pressure (LBNP, Russian: ODNT). The test was controlled from TsUP-Moscow by a biomed specialist via VHF over RGS (Russian ground site) comm window (~9:08am EDT). CDR Volkov, who had his session yesterday, assisted as CMO (Crew Medical Officer). [The LBNP, generated by a specially designed “Chibis” suit (PVK), applies suction on the lower body ranging from 10 to 60 mm Hg, thereby exerting a functional loading roughly equivalent to 10-60 kg of force on the musculoskeletal system to test the body’s adaptation to prolonged exposure to microgravity. After an initial setup period, during which Sergey attached a large number of electrodes to Oleg’s head, body and extremities, cardiographic readings on the oscilloscope of the Gamma-1M medical complex were taken during two RGS comm passes, first without, then with the Chibis suit.]

In preparation for another run with the US SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment, FE-2 Chamitoff first changed the batteries in three Actiwatches & the Actiwatch Reader, then downloaded SLEEP data from his Actiwatch to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop for subsequent downlink and verification by the support scientist. Afterwards, he re-initialized all three Actiwatches. [To monitor his sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Chamitoff wears the special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout this run. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days. The other two Actiwatches were initialized for Soyuz 17S CDR Yuri Lonchakov and SFP (Space Flight Participant) Richard Garriott.]

After recharging the SONY camcorder battery, Oleg Kononenko installed the geophysical GFI-1 Relaksatsiya ("relaxation") experiment at Service Module (SM) window #1 from six GFI-1 hardware kits, reconfigured the Payload Laptop 3 for the experiment and installed the spectrometer (SP) lens accessory on the camcorder. [Purpose of the science experiment, which ran from 1:45pm to 2:10pm, was to contribute to a hyperspectral space/time study of radiation patterns from the Earth ionosphere and Earth limb. Afterwards the equipment was stowed again. Relaksatsiya normally deals with the study of the chemoluminescent chemical reactions and atmospheric light phenomena (emissions, i.e., molecular relaxation processes), including those that occur during high-velocity interaction between the exhaust products from space vehicles and the atmosphere at orbital altitude and during the entry of space vehicles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. For the Russian Relaxation experiment, ISS attitude was changed at 1:25pm for 20 min, with control authority handed over to Russian thrusters at 1:20pm, to be returned to US Momentum Management at ~3:08pm. Before the maneuvers, Chamitoff closed the protective Lab science window shutters; the Kibo laboratory window was already shuttered from earlier.]

Before sleeptime tonight, the FE-2 will set up NASA’s NUTRITION w/Repository experiment hardware for his fifth session, starting tomorrow with the standard blood draw (phlebotomy), for which Greg has to start fasting 8 hrs before, i.e., tonight, with only water consumption allowed. [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.]

Continuing the current round of periodic preventive maintenance of RS (Russian Segment) ventilation systems, Kononenko used a vacuum cleaner and soft brush to clean the detachable VT7 fan screens 1, 2, and 3 of the three SOTR gas-liquid heat exchangers (GZhT4) in the FGB (Funktsionalnyi-Grusovoi Blok). The CDR later did his share by cleaning the VD1 & VD2 air ducts in the "Pirs" DC-1 (Docking Compartment).

In preparation for upcoming adjustment work on four MFCVs (Manual Flow Control Valves) in the Lab, required for the installation of the Regenerative ECLSS racks arriving on ULF2, Gregory set up and tested the hardline power supply for the Non-intrusive Flowmeter, required for the valve adjustments and an ITCS MTL (Internal Thermal Control Systems/Moderate Temperature Loop) accuracy check. [These activities were originally scheduled in May this year, prior to 1J, but had to be aborted due to issues with the Flowmeter batteries. As a work-around, Greg will use the Shuttle Breakout Box to connect the Flowmeter to hardline power. The MFCV flow adjustments are scheduled on 9/29 & 9/30, along with time for removing stowage from the translation paths of racks that may need to be rotated for access, and an activity to configure the Flowmeter settings.]

The FE-1 completed another radiation data checkup for accumulated flux & dose rate data with the Matryoshka-R radiation payload (RBO-3-2) and its LULIN-5 electronics box.

CDR Volkov meanwhile worked in the SM on the “Sputnik” amateur radio station, removing the old Kenwood radio and replacing it with a new Kenwood VHF transceiver. After connecting it and its IBM ThinkPad web camera to the RSK2 laptop and power, Sergey configured the ham radio’s settings and conducted a health check.

The FE-2 turned off PCS (Portable Computer System) laptops not being used at the moment, and conducted the regular bi-monthly reboots of the OCA Router and File Server SSC (Station Support Computer) laptops.

The FE-1 completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS). [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.]

Oleg also handled the daily IMS (Inventory Management System) 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).

In the Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Gregory supported Tsukuba flight controllers by verifying a ground-commanded checkout of the CB (Clean Bench) subrack facility (except its microscope). [Ground commanding of JPM payloads is done by JAXA’s SSIPC (Space Station Integration & Promotion Center) at Tsukuba/Japan. The CB, a subrack of the Saibo (“living cell”) Rack, provides a germ-free environment for life science and biotechnological experiments. It has a specially designed microscope that operates with bright-field, phase-contrast and fluorescence modes.]

Chamitoff filled out the regular FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire), his 13th, on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer). [On the FFQs, NASA astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MEC software. Recorded are the amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. The FFQ is performed once a week to estimate nutrient intake from the previous week and to give recommendations to ground specialists that help maintain optimal crew health. Weekly estimation has been verified to be reliable enough that nutrients do not need to be tracked daily.]

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 CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-2/PFE-OUM), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation (CDR/2.5h, FE-1/2.5h), and RED resistive exercise device (FE-2).

Later, Oleg transferred the exercise data files to the MEC laptop for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

As generally every day now, today starting at ~5:30am and running until 11:30am, the US CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) is activated intermittently for two half-cycles to control ppCO2 levels. This configuration for the daily ops does not require connecting & disconnecting the ITCS cooling loop. [A forward plan is in work for cycling the CSV (CO2 Selector Valve) to prevent its sticking. CDRA remains “yellow” on the ISS critical systems list.]

At ~4:10am EDT, the crew held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Flight Control Team (GOGU/Glavnaya operativnaya gruppa upravleniya = “Chief Operative Control Group”), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP-Moscow via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.

At ~3:10pm, the ISS crew is scheduled for their regular weekly tagup with the Lead Flight Director at JSC/MCC-H via S-band/audio. [S/G-2 (Space-to-Ground 2) phone patch via SSC].

WRM Update: An updated WRM (Water Recovery Management) “cue card” was uplinked overnight for the crew’s reference, updated with yesterday’s water audit. [The new card (17-1016A) lists 29 CWCs (~1047.5 L total) for the four types of water identified on board: technical water (326.2 L, for flushing only because of Wautersia bacteria), potable water (647.8 L, incl. 194.8 L currently on hold), condensate water (56.5 L), waste/EMU dump and other (17 L). Wautersia bacteria are typical water-borne microorganisms that have been seen previously in ISS water sources. These isolates pose no threat to human health.]

Week 23/24 Scheduled Main Activities:

• Fri. (9/26): CB (Clean Bench) funct. checkout; PFE-OUM exam; VT-7 heat exch. fan grille cleaning, MBI-5/KARDIO-ODNT/LBNP; GFI-1; ham equipmt R&R; FS & OCA router reboot; FFQ; NUTRITION prep.
• Sat. (9/27): NUTRITION w/blood collect; station cleaning; POTOK maint.; PFCs (CDR, FE-1); prep for HRF-2 rack transfer (PC2 laptop decable).
• Sun. (9/28): NUTRITION w/urine collect; TVIS video; FMK deploy; SOLO diet mntr.; GFI-1 charge; PFC (FE-2).
• Mon. (9/29): NUTRITION; BMP ch.1 regen; VELO maint.; ASU toilet replmnts; Elektron maint.; MFCV valve adjustments; Node-2, A/L, Lab SD/BF maint.; GFI-1/Relax. exp. (ATV1); air sampling (CMS, GSC, AK-1M); IP-1 inspect.; KPT/BAR-RM power charge.
• Tue, (9/30): MO-7; BMP ch.2 regen; TEPC relocate; NOA1 exp.; RED inspect.; IWIS reprog.; Node-1 RFCA Flowmeter test, ITCS MTL (MFCV) adjust, A/L MTL Flowmeter meas.; FMK stow; Kazbek fit checks; crew dep. preps.

CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked for today were Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya (Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 meters. The highest point on Kilimanjaro is Uhuru Peak, located on the volcano Kibo. The top of Kibo is a 1.5 mile wide crater. Of interest to researchers is the documentation of the ice cap. Originally predicted in 2002 to be gone some time between 2015 and 2020 by paleoclimatologist Lonnie Thompson, new studies indicate the ice will remain until 2040. Other studies suggest that the retreat of the ice cap is due to decreased precipitation rather than rising temperatures), and Lake Poopo, Bolivia (Lake Poopo is a large saline lake located in a shallow depression in Bolivia at about 3,700 meters. This is a very shallow lake with a mean depth of no more than 3 meters. The surface area of the lake, however, varies greatly indicating the seasonal precipitation levels. Documenting the lake color and extent).

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, 6:19am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 352.5 km
Apogee height — 357.0 km
Perigee height — 348.0 km
Period — 91.59 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0006717
Solar Beta Angle — 25.7 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
Mean altitude loss in the last 48 hours — 57 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 56446

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
09/29/08 — ATV de-orbit (nighttime re-entry for observation from 2 NASA aircraft; ~9:12pm)
10/01/08 — NASA 50 Years (official)
10/02/08 — ISS Reboost (~1.8 m/s)
10/14/08 — STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4) 12:33am
10/12/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S launch (~3:03am EDT; Lonchakov, Fincke, Garriott)
10/14/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S docking (FGB nadir port, ~4:51am)
10/24/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (DC1 nadir) & landing
11/02/08 — Progress 30P reboost
11/16/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 launch – MPLM Leonardo, LMC (~7:02pm EST)
11/18/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 docking
11/20/08 — ISS 10 Years
11/25/08 — Progress M-65/30P undocking & deorbit
11/26/08 — Progress M-66/31P launch
11/30/08 — Progress M-66/31P docking
12/01/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 landing (~1:25pm EST est.)
02/09/09 — Progress M-66/31P undocking & deorbit
02/10/09 — Progress M-67/32P launch
02/12/09 — Progress M-67/32P docking
02/12/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment
02/14/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A docking
02/24/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A undocking
02/26/09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A landing (nominal)
03/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S launch
03/27/09 – Soyuz TMA-14/18S docking (DC1)
04/05/09 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S undocking
04/07/09 — Progress M-67/32P undocking & deorbit
05/15/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
05/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-15/19S launch
05/27/09 — Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 19S docking)
07/30/09 — STS-128/Atlantis/17A – MPLM(P), last crew rotation
10/15/09 — STS-129/Discovery/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 — STS-131/Atlantis/19A – MPLM(P)
04/08/10 — STS-132/Discovery/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).