NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 27 September 2009
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – Crew Off Duty. Ahead: Week 18 of Increment 20.
FE-1 Mike Barratt terminated his FD180 session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository (his fifth & final on board), after 24 hours of urine collections & sample placing in MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). [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.]
For FE-2 Nicole Stott, it was phlebotomy (blood-draw) day for her FD30 NUTRITION w/Repository session, her second on board, and also the end of her 24-hr urine collections. Nicole’s next NUTRITION/Rep activity is the FD60 session.
FE-5 Frank De Winne logged Block 2/Day 1 with the SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity) experiment, starting the high-salt diet block. [SOLO runs in two blocks of six days each. During the past Session 1 block, the FE-5 followed a special low-salt diet, during the new Session 2 a high-salt diet. For both diets, specially prepared meals are provided onboard. All three daily meals are logged on sheets stowed in the PCBA Consumable Kit in the MELFI along with control solution and cartridges for the PCBA. SOLO, an ESA/German experiment from the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Cologne/Germany, investigates the mechanisms of fluid and salt retention in the body during long-duration space flight. Background: The hypothesis of an increased urine flow as the main cause for body mass decrease has been questioned in several recently flown missions. Data from the US SLS1/2 missions as well as the European/Russian Euromir `94 & MIR 97 missions show that urine flow and total body fluid remain unchanged when isocaloric energy intake is achieved. However, in two astronauts during these missions the renin-angiotensin system was considerably activated while plasma ANP concentrations were decreased. Calculation of daily sodium balances during a 15-day experiment of the MIR 97 mission (by subtracting sodium excretion from sodium intake) showed an astonishing result: the astronaut retained on average 50 mmol sodium daily in space compared to balanced sodium in the control experiment.]
FE-3 Romanenko performed the periodic status checks on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment in the SM (Service Module). [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the LADA-16 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP), currently planted with Mizuna seeds. Mizuna (Brassica rapa nipposinica) is a tasty variety of Japanese mustard greens, also known as California Peppergrass, eaten as a salad.]
CDR Padalka completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, today 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.]
With the MCA (Major Constituents Analyzer) still inactive, FE-4 Thirsk again used the hand-held CDMK (Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Kit, #1002) to take CO2 readings in the Lab at mid-module, recording time, CO2 percentage and CDM battery ticks.
For further assurance, Bob checked CO2 levels in the Lab also with the CSA-O2 (Compound Specific Analyzer-Oxygen) instrument (#1046).
The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-2, FE-4, FE-5), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation (CDR/2h, FE-1, FE-3), and ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-1, FE-2, FE-3, FE-4, FE-5).
All crewmembers were scheduled for 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), Gennady at ~6:45am, Roman at ~7:30am, Frank at ~12:30pm, Nicole at ~2:05pm, Bob at ~2:50pm, Mike at ~3:40pm EDT.
Soyuz TMA-16 Update: Preparations continue at the Baikonur/Kazakhstan launch site for the launch of Soyuz TMA-16/20S. Basic integration of the Soyuz-FG rocket with the spacecraft has been completed In the Launch Vehicle Integration & Checkout Facility. A meeting of the Technical Management under the chairmanship of RSC Energia President & General Designer V.A. Lopota and the State Commission adopted the decision to roll out the TMA-16 assembly to the launch facility and to prepare it for launch on 9/30.
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 morning, 8:18am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 346.3 km
Apogee height – 352.4 km
Perigee height — 340.2 km
Period — 91.46 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009049
Solar Beta Angle — -27.3 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 87 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 62191
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
09/30/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S launch (3:14:42am, Baikonur: 1:14:42pm, Moscow DMT: 10:14:42am) — J. Williams/M. Suraev/G. Laliberte
10/02/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S docking (SM aft, until MRM-2 w/new port) (~4:37am)
10/10/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S undock (9:05pm)
10/11/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S land (~00:30am; Kazakhstan: ~10:30am)
10/14/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) unberth (under review)
10/15/09 — Progress 35P launch
10/27/09 — Ares I-X Flight Test
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 launch (ELC1, ELC2)
12/01/09 – Soyuz TMA-15/19S undock
12/21/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S launch — O. Kotov/S. Noguchi/T.J. Creamer
12/23/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S (FGB nadir)
01/??/10 — Soyuz 20S relocation (from SM aft to MRM-2)
02/03/10 — Progress 36P launch
02/04/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
02/05/10 — Progress 36P docking
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch
04/28/10 — Progress 37P launch
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1
05/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch
06/30/10 — Progress 38P launch
07/27/10 — Progress 39P launch
07/29/10 — STS-133/Endeavour (ULF5 – ELC4, MPLM) or STS-134/Discovery (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS)
08/31/10 — Progress 40P 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
10/27/10 — Progress 41P launch
11/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch
12/21/10 — ATV2 – Ariane 5 (ESA)
02/09/11 — Progress 42P launch
03/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch
xx/xx/11 — Progress 43P launch
05/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton
