NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 28 September 2011
FE-4 Sergei Volkov performed the routine checkup of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of the regular Daily Morning Inspection.
After ground-commanded overnight MDCA (Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus) payload test operations on the CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack) in the Lab (at S3), CDR Fossum installed the three PaRIS (Passive Rack Isolation System) lock-down alignment guides on the rack to protect its ARIS (Active Rack Isolation System) from external loading (dynamic disturbances).
Afterwards, Mike serviced the running BCAT-5 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-5) experiment, checking camera operations during the day and changing the camera battery in the morning and before sleeptime (change required after 8 hrs). [The new experiment session is with a Harvard University phase separation sample using a different setup than for the recent crystal samples 9 & 10, mainly requiring an SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop with EarthKAM timing software, power cables and camera USB cable. For illumination, the Mini-MagLite and Flash batteries do not need to be changed yet, but the camera will need a freshly charged battery. After Mike started the run on 9/21 by mixing the sample (#4) for phase separation and taking test photos, the EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) software on the SSC-13 laptop began taking pictures of Sample 4 for 13 days at different intervals throughout the run. This requires camera battery changes twice a day and image check with a battery change once per day. BCAT-5 is operating in the JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) because some time ago the crew deemed the US Lab too crowded for running it.]
FE-5 Furukawa conducted Part 2 of the periodic personal acoustic measurement protocol, retrieving the crew-worn acoustic dosimeters of the SMK (Sound Measurement Kit) from the crewmembers and deploying them for static measurements in the station. [#1011 in SM above TVIS treadmill; #1012 in SM at panel 404 near air conditioner; #1013 in Node-2 at P5.\
Afterwards, Satoshi spent several hours with the periodic inspection and cleaning of hatch seals in the USOS (US Segment), using a special vacuum cleaner and other tools,- part of regular ACS (Atmospheric Control System) maintenance. [Inspected were the open hatches in COL, US Lab, C/L (Crewlock), Node-2, Node-3, PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) and Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), checking Hatch Seals, Hatch Plate Sealing Surfaces, and Hatch Handle Mechanisms for FOD (Foreign Object/Debris) or damage.]
Sergei Volkov checked out proper MKSD Control & Data Acquisition Module communications between the BSPN Payload Server and the RSS1 laptop, then copied science & service data, accumulated from the GFI-17 Molniya-GAMMA experiment mounted externally since the Russian EVA-28, over to external media (16 GB flash card). Later (~11:40am EDT), he initiated their downlink from the RSK1 laptop to the ground via OCA. [GFI-17 “Molniya” FOTON-GAMMA investigates atmospheric gamma-ray bursts and optical radiation in conditions of thunderstorm activity.]
After recharging the FSS Photospectrograph battery in the morning, FE-4 used the Russian GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program with FSS science hardware at SM window #9 during a one-hour segment, taking frame-by-frame pictures of targets along the flight track, including North America, the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) and waters in the Atlantic Ocean. [The FSS (Fotospektralnaya sistema) consists of an image recording module with lens and a spectroradiometer module with an electronics module. FSS includes the ME Electronics Module & MRI Image Recording Module.]
Sergei also completed the periodic inspection and cleaning of the three CPC (Central Post Computer) laptops RS1, RS2, RS3 of the Russian BVS onboard computer system, working with vacuum cleaner and wipes to remove dust from vent screens and connectors and to clean dirt from the keyboard, display and laptop cases. [After first cleaning the standby laptops KTsP2 (RS2) and RS3, Sergei deactivated the running KTsP1 (RS1), activating RS2 instead, then cleaned RS1 and finally reversed the procedure, returning KTsP2 to standby and putting KTsP1 back in operation.]
Working on the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) in the Lab (loc. S2), Mike Fossum relabeled five specific locations on its control surface. [New labels were affixed over old ones for two fire ports (at Work Volume & Support Panel) and for showing contents of three stowage drawers (Logistics Drawer, Frequently Used Drawer, Low Usage Drawer).]
Later, spending several hours in the JPM, Fossum conducted Test Session 27A of the SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) experiment. After reviewing procedures and temporarily relocating a T61p laptop from CQ (Crew Quarters) to Kibo for viewing procedures during the test session, Mike set up the SPHERES equipment in the Kibo work areas, which involved cameras, 2 satellites, 5 beacons, a beacon tester and the primary LPTX antenna. With CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) operating, Mike dimmed GLAs (General Luminaire Assemblies) and then programmed & deployed the two satellites, using the SSC-15 (Station Support Computer) laptop to command the test program. The T61p was later returned to CQ. [Purpose of today’s two-satellite session was to investigate Orbital Dynamics & Formation Flight by simulating a relative satellite inspection maneuver which will be used as part of a future “vision-based navigation experiment” and by testing the response of a sped-up orbital dynamics simulation with different initial conditions. SPHERES was originally developed to demonstrate the basics of formation flight, autonomous docking and other multi-spacecraft control algorithms, using beacons as reference for the satellites, to fly formation with or dock to the beacon. A number of programs define various incremental tests including attitude control (performing a series of rotations), attitude-only tracking, attitude and range tracking, docking with handheld and mounted beacons, etc. The payload consists of up to three self-contained 8-inch dia. free-floating satellites which perform the various algorithms (control sequences), commanded and observed by the crew members which provide feedback to shape algorithm development. Each satellite has 12 thrusters and a tank with CO2 for propellant. The first tests, in May 2006, used only one satellite (plus two beacons – one mounted and one hand-held); a second satellite arrived on ULF1.1, the third on 12A.1. Formation flight and autonomous docking are important enabling technologies for distributed architectures. Per applicable Flight Rule, SPHERES operations have no CO2 output constraints if the CDRA (CO2 Removal Assembly) is operating in dual-bed or single-bed mode.]
Satoshi Furukawa had ~2 hrs set aside for gathering left-over “bonus/preferred food” packets in CUFCs (US Collapsible Food Containers) and BOBs (Bulk Overwrap Bags) launched originally for Scott Kelly, Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli, and prepared them for disposal on Progress 42P as trash.
Later, FE-5 undertook the regular monthly session of the CHeCS (Crew Health Care Systems) emergency medical operations OBT (On-Board Training) drill, a 30-min. exercise to refresh his CMO (Crew Medical Officer) acuity in a number of critical health areas. The video-based proficiency drill today focused on a review of all topics. At the end, Satoshi completed a self-assessment questionnaire. Answers were then provided at test conclusion. [The HMS (Health Maintenance Systems) hardware, including ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) equipment, may be used in contingency situations where crew life is at risk. To maintain proficiency, crewmembers spend one hour per month reviewing HMS and ACLS equipment and procedures via the HMS and ACLS CBT (computer-based training). The training drill, each crewmember for him/herself, refreshes their memory of the on-orbit stowage and deployment locations, equipment etc. and procedures.]
Furukawa also performed the regular (~weekly) inspection & maintenance, as required, of the CGBA-4 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4) and CGBA-5 payloads in their ERs (EXPRESS Racks).
FE-4 Volkov completed the daily inspection of the recently activated Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) payload with its LADA-01 greenhouse, verifying proper watering of the KM A32 & A24 root modules. [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants (currently wheat) under spaceflight conditions in the LADA greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP).]
Afterwards, FE-4 conducted the regular (weekly) inspection of the replaceable half-coupling of the 4GB4 hydraulic unit of the KOB-2 (Loop 2) of the Russian SOTR Thermal Control System, checking for coolant fluid hermeticity (leak-tightness).
CDR Fossum prepared the CubeLab payload for a working session, first reviewing OBT material for installing/activating the frame of the CubeLab payload, reconfiguring CubeLab modules and setting up/stowing the CubeLab USB Microscope, then checking out the microscope slide experiment which investigates microscopic interaction & behavior of particles in microgravity. Later, the microscope was stowed and the Cube Module was reconfigured inside CubeLab Frame 1001 with parameters selected. Module 5 was then installed free floating inside the locker. [CubeLab is a low-cost 1-kg platform for educational projects. It is a multipurpose research facility that interfaces small standard modules into the ERs (EXPRESS Racks). The modules can be used within the pressurized space station environment in orbit, with a nominal length, width, and height of 100 mm and a mass of no more than 1 g. Up to 16 CubeLab modules can be inserted into a CubeLab insert inside an ER.]
Volkov performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV & EDV on RP flow regulator.]
Sergei also took care of the daily IMS (Integrated 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).
At ~3:45am EDT, FE-5 Furukawa conducted the regular tagup with the Japanese Flight Control Team at SSIPC/Tsukuba via S-band/audio. [This conference is scheduled once every week, between the ISS crewmembers and SSIPC (Space Station Integration & Promotion Center).]
At ~6:20am, Satoshi supported a JAXA PAO TV event, chatting for about 20 min. with “Whiz-Kids” Anna Kijima & Reo Asaka plus junior high school students at Japan’s NHK Daitensai Television Show “Grand Whiz Kids Television!” in Tokyo, Japan.
CDR & FE-5 had their standard weekly PMCs (Private Medical Conferences) via S- & Ku-band audio/video, Furukawa at ~11:35am, Fossum at ~1:10pm EDT.
The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-5), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-4), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-5), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-4).
Before his sleeptime, FE-4 will initiate battery charging for the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging equipment with the FSS hardware for tomorrow’s planned observation session. [The FSS system consists of an image recording module with lens and a spectroradiometer module with an electronics module.]
Before “Presleep” period tonight, Satoshi turns on the MPC (Multi Protocol Converter) and starts the Ku-band data flow of video recorded during the day to the ground, with POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routing the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link). After about an hour, Mike will turn MPC routing off again. [This is a routine operation which regularly transmits HD onboard video (live or tape playback) to the ground on a daily basis before sleeptime.]
Conjunction Alert: Flight controllers are tracking a new conjunction, with Object 23335 (S/L-4 Rocket Body), a repeating conjunction with two TCAs (Times of Closest Approach) tomorrow, 9/29 (Thursday), at 3:02pm and 4:34pm (which are still moving around). Although the miss distances have moved out on some of the revs, one or more of them still could pose a risk to ISS. The current geomagnetic storm (which affects atmospheric density) is starting to subside, so it is hoped that the data will begin to stabilize prior to hitting the DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) planning milestones. The decision timeline for preparing maneuver data (the cyclogram) will be this afternoon at 3:32pm, for a DAM on 9/29 at 12:44pm EDT (est.).
CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today were Luanda, Angola (looking nadir for this major coastal city and capital of Angola. It appears as a large lighter-toned [devegetated] zone, inshore of protecting barrier islands), Johannesburg, South Africa (ISS had a nadir viewing pass over Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world; 180 mm lens imagery of the metro area will provide useful context for higher resolution photographs), Tropical Storm Philippe (Tropical Storm Philippe in the Atlantic has continued to move slowly northwestward since yesterday and has weakened to just 40kt winds as it has encountered wind shear aloft. Significant development was not expected by the time of the ISS pass. As the crew approached from the NW over the open sea, they were to look for Philippe right of track and try for short-lens context views of the overall cloud pattern), Central Cuba (looking left of track for context views of land use in central Cuba. Researchers at Florida International University are conducting an analysis of Cuban land cover change. Land cover change is indicated by color, change in vegetation, lack of vegetation, industrial and residential land use, etc.), and Hurricane Hilary (major Hurricane Hilary has continued to move westward and away from the Mexican coast. It unexpectedly, but briefly strengthened back to a Category 4 storm yesterday before resuming its weakening trend as it moves over cooler water. At the time of today’s ISS pass, it was forecast to only be a Category 1 storm with 75kt winds and beginning to turn northward. As the crew tracked southeastward over the eastern Pacific, they were to look left of track for either short lens context views of the entire storm structure or detailed views of the eye if present).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:24am EDT [= epoch])
* Mean altitude – 382.8 km
* Apogee height – 389.7 km
* Perigee height – 375.8 km
* Period — 92.21 min.
* Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
* Eccentricity — 0.0010272
* Solar Beta Angle — -0.2 deg (magnitude bottoming out)
* Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.62
* Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 140 m
* Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 73,704
* Time in orbit (station) — 4695 days
* Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 3982 days
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Three-crew operations (Increment 29)————-
10/05/11 — ISS Reboost
10/29/11 — Progress M-10M/42P undocking
10/30/11 — Progress M-13M/45P launch
11/01/11 — Progress M-13M/45P docking
11/14/11 — Soyuz TMA-03M/28S launch – D.Burbank (CDR-30)/A.Shkaplerov/A.Ivanishin
11/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-03M/28S docking (MRM2)
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/22/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/11 — SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon — Target date
12/26/11 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S launch – O.Kononenko (CDR-31)/A.Kuipers/D.Pettit — (date “on or about”)
12/28/11 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S docking (MRM1) — (date “on or about”)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
TBD — Progress M-13M/45P undock
TBD — Progress M-14M/46P launch
TBD — Progress M-14M/46P docking (DC-1)
02/29/12 — ATV3 launch readiness
TBD — Soyuz TMA-03M/28S undock/landing (End of Increment 30)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/K.Volkov
04/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S docking (MRM2)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
05/05/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – launch on Proton (under review)
05/06/12 — Progress M-14M/46P undock
05/07/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) – docking (under review)
05/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
05/31/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/31S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
09/18/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/02/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin
10/04/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-08M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/02/12 – Soyuz TMA-08M/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-07M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-12M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-12M/37S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 – Soyuz TMA-11M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-
