NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 29 June 2008

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday — off-duty for CDR Volkov, FE-1 Kononenko & FE-2 Chamitoff. Ahead: Week 11 of Increment 17.

Crew Sleep Cycle: Wake/sleep cycle currently remains shifted to the right (5:30am – 9:00pm EDT).

The FE-1 performed the periodic service of the active Russian BMP (Harmful Impurities Removal System) by starting the "bake-out" cycle to vacuum on absorbent bed 1 of the regenerable dual-channel filtration system. The regen process will be terminated before sleeptime, at ~8:30pm EDT. Bed 2 regeneration follows tomorrow. [Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hours and is conducted only during crew awake periods. The BMP’s regeneration cycle, normally done every 20 days, is currently performed four times more frequently to remove any lingering Freon-218 from the cabin atmosphere (last time: 6/19&20).]

The CDR conducted the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the Service Module (SM), 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.]

Volkov also gathered weekly data on Total Operating Time & “On” durations of the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem for reporting to TsUP.

For his Voluntary Weekend Science (VolSci) program today, FE-2 Chamitoff has selected a session with the new SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment) payload, first reviewing familiarization material, then going through the individual procedural steps of activating the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), gathering SHERE hardware for assembly in the MSG WV (Work Volume), setting up the camcorder equipment to take video of the assembly, powering up & starting the experiment and loading the updated software in the MSG laptop. Afterwards, the experiment will be terminated and everything powered down. [SHERE, which has never before been performed in micro-G, studies the effect of preshearing (rotation) on the stress and strain response of a polymer fluid (a complex fluid containing long chains of polymer molecules) being stretched in micro-G. The fundamental understanding & measurement of the extensional rheology of complex fluids is important for understanding containerless processing, an important operation for fabrication of parts (such as adhesives or fillers) using elastomeric materials on future exploration missions. This knowledge can be applied as well to controlling and improving Earth-based manufacturing processes.]

Later today, the FE-2 will also break out and set up the equipment for tomorrow’s scheduled U.S. PHS (Periodic Health Status) w/Blood Labs exam, a clinical evaluation of Chamitoff as subject, with Sergey Volkov assisting as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) for the blood sampling part. [The task today 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 ~3:10pm, Gregory is scheduled for weekly PFC (Private Family Conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop).

Working off his suggested “time permitting” task list, the CDR performed another session of the Russian GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program using the HVR-Z1J SONY digital cameral. [Uploaded target zones today were the Alps, glaciers above the arch-shaped dams on the south (left) slope of Rhone river falling into Lake of Geneva from the west, Allaline Glacier (7.37E; 46.00S), Balkan coast line, close-up views of Greece and her islands, fires (Athens), general video views of major faults of Earth’s crust – rifts in Africa stretched along rock-basin lakes, and the Indian Ocean coastline.]

Also from the Russian discretionary task list, Volkov conducts another run, his seventh, of the Russian DZZ-2 "Diatomeya" ocean observations program, using the NIKON-F5 DCS still camera and the HDV (high-definition) video camcorder from SM window 8 for ~20 min to record color contrast blooms and cloud patterns in flight path. [The spring & summer seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are distinguished by very strong bio-productive developments in the waters of North Atlantic. At this time the largest currents, upwelling areas, and near-estuary areas of the ocean should display large-scale spots and bands of green and greenish-brown fields of plankton. Target zones today in the North Atlantic were waters off Newfoundland Island, the coastal area of Morocco plus US and Venezuelan coastal areas.]

For Oleg Kononenko, the voluntary task list suggested another ECON KPT-3 session for today, making observations and taking aerial photography of environmental conditions for Russia’s Environmental Safety Agency (ECON) using the Nikon D2X digital camera with SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens.

For Greg, a new job on the voluntary “job jar” task list for today called for a CBT (Computer-Based Training) session of upcoming troubleshooting activities on the failed COL FSL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory/Fluid Science Laboratory). [The CBT, hard-scheduled tomorrow, focuses on operations overview, safety aspects, CEM Upper (Central Experiment Module), softshield CEM, and the halogen lamp unit.]

The three crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS treadmill (FE-1, FE-2), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-1).

No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked for today.

CEO photography can be studied at this “Gateway” website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 3/1/08, this database contained 757,605 views of the Earth from space, with 314,000 from the ISS alone).

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:47am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 345.0 km
Apogee height — 350.7 km
Perigee height — 339.4 km
Period — 91.44 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0008373
Solar Beta Angle — -10.2 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.75
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 84 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 55047

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
07/02/08 — Progress 29P line purging
07/10/08 — Russian EVA-20a (7/10, 2:18pm)
09/05/08 — ATV1 undocking, from SM aft port (may move to 9/25)
09/09/08 — Progress M-64/29P undocking, from FGB nadir (may move to 8/30)
09/10/08 — Progress M-65/30P launch
09/12/08 — Progress M-65/30P docking
10/01/08 — NASA 50 Years
10/08/08 — STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
10/11/08 — Progress M-65/30P undocking (from SM aft port)
10/12/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S launch
10/14/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S docking (SM aft port)
10/23/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (DC1 nadir)
11/03/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S relocation
11/10/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 launch – MPLM Leonardo, LMC
11/12/08 — STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 docking
11/20/08 — ISS 10 Years
11/26/08 — Progress M-66/31P launch
11/28/08 — Progress M-66/31P docking
02/10/09 — Progress M-67/32P launch
02/12/09 — Progress M-67/32P docking
1QTR CY09 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment
03/25/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S launch
2QTR CY09 — STS-127/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
3QTR CY09 — STS-128/17A/Atlantis – MPLM(P), last crew rotation
05/27/09 — Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 19S docking, May ’09)
3QTR CY09 — STS-129/ULF3/Discovery – ELC1, ELC2
4QTR CY09 — STS-130/20A/Endeavour – Node-3 + Cupola
1QTR CY10 — STS-131/19A/Atlantis – MPLM(P)
1QTR CY10 — STS-132/ULF4/Discovery – ICC-VLD, MRM1 (contingency)
2QTR CY10 — STS-133/ULF5/Endeavour – ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).