NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 6 February 2010

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – crew rest day. Sleep cycle shift in effect, to accommodate next week’s arrival of STS-130/20A:

• Wake: 7:10pm (last night) – 9:10am EST (this morning); Sleep: 9:10am – 5:40pm (tonight),

KSC: Countdown is underway for the launch of STS-130/Endeavour (20A) tomorrow morning at 4:36am EST. (There is also some excitement here about Super Bowl 44 at Miami…)

At wake-up last evening, FE-4 Kotov began the workday with the regular daily checkup of the aerosol filters at the Elektron O₂ generator. [The filters were installed by Suraev on 10/19/09 in gaps between the BZh Liquid Unit and the oxygen outlet pipe (filter FA-K) plus hydrogen outlet pipe (filter FA-V). Photographs are to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]

Right after Postsleep, CDR Williams, FE-5 Noguchi & FE-6 Creamer completed another Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS) protocol. [The RST is performed twice daily (after wakeup & before bedtime) for 3 days prior to the sleep shift, the day(s) of the sleep shift and 5 days following a sleep shift. A total of 121 RST runs are assigned to Jeff for the duration of his orbital stay.]

The five crewmembers performed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo. ["Uborka", usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM (Service Module) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the sleep stations with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.]

Oleg also completed the regular maintenance of the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air purification subsystems in the SM & FGB, cleaning the pre-filters with a vacuum cleaner with narrow nozzle attachment and later restarting POTOK in automatic mode.

Maxim performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow.

Working in the Lab on the MSRR (Materials Science Research Rack), FE-6 Creamer exchanged the used SCA (Sample Cartridge Assembly) #4 in the MSL (Microgravity Science Laboratory), replacing it with the next test sample, MICAST #2.

Afterwards, TJ shut down the EK (EarthKAM) system in Node-2 and stowed the equipment, then relocated the Ku-band power supply used for EK from Node-2 to the US Lab for 20A. [Over 8400 students from 119 education groups participated in this week’s image gathering session. There were 102 schools from the US, France, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland and Poland participating. The image total is over 1200 and still increasing. In addition, the image targeting/selection process was demonstrated “live” to teachers attending the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston.]

Jeff Williams & TJ Creamer continued troubleshooting work on the OGS WDS (Oxygen Generator System Water Delivery System), to clear the PWD (Potable Water Dispenser) of its suspected air bubbles. [The crew first reconfigured the WDS to supply water to the PWD (Potable Water Dispenser & WHC (Waste & Hygiene Compartment), then they were to perform a number of flushes on the PWD in an attempt to clear the PWD filter (based on the past performance of the PWD, this was not expected to be successful but was tried before the more invasive options later). Afterwards, Jeff attempted to flush the bubbles out of a vent port on the microbial filter with the Filter ORU (Orbit Replaceable Unit) remaining installed in PWD, followed by a second attempt where the PWD filter was spun around to gather the air bubbles together, and expel them from the vent port.]

The crewmembers worked out with their adjusted physical exercise on the TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1, FE-4), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-4, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-5, FE-6), and VELO bike ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twenty-Two — Week 10)

3-D SPACE: “Thank you, TJ, for performing your second 3D-SPACE session. The science team has been informed to use the second distance file created that day.”

AgCam (Agricultural Camera): No report.

ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.

ALTEA DOSI (NASA/ASI): No report.

APEX (Advanced Plant Experiments on Orbit) -Cambium: No report.

APEX-TAGES (Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System): No report.

BCAT-4/5 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 4/5): No report.

BIOLAB (ESA): “Thanks, TJ, for performing the pressure regulator adjustment and the valve check. We have confirmed that the delta pressure needed for nominal operations is available. And a big thank you for doing the BioGloveBox (BGB) containment activity as Voluntary Science.”

BIORHYTHMS (JAXA, Biological Rhythms): No report.

BISE (CSA, Bodies in the Space Environment): No report.

BISPHOSPHONATES: “Jeff: thanks for completing your pill ingestion. Your next session is scheduled for late on 2/6 due to sleep shifting. Soichi: thanks for completing your pill ingestion. Your next session is scheduled for late on 2/6 due to sleep shifting.”

CARD (Long Term Microgravity: Model for Investigating Mechanisms of Heart Disease, ESA): No report.

CARDIOCOG-2: Complete.

CB (JAXA Clean Bench): No report.

CBEF (JAXA Cell Biology Experiment Facility)/SPACE SEED: CBEF fan repair (micro-G section) on 1/29.

CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): No report.

CERISE (JAXA): Samples will return on the next shuttle.

CETSOIL (ESA): MSRR-1 activities have continued with the processing of the MICAST#3 Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) on 1/26 & 1/27. After the MSL facility activation, an issue occurred with an incorrect sample temperature reading preventing the chamber lid opening for the SCA exchange. Luckily, a manual workaround was able to override the thermocouple readings, which allowed the chamber lid to be opened. The SCA was exchanged for MICAST#6 on 1/25. This cartridge will be processed next week. Our plan is to process a total of four SCAs which will later be brought back on STS-130 (20A).

CFE (Capillary Flow Experiment): Reserve.

CSI-3/CGBA-5 (CGBA Science Insert #2/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5): Ongoing.

CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.

CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack), MDCA/Flex: All four planned target test points were successfully accomplished.

CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): Complete.

Commercial Photo (JAXA): No report.
CW/CR (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): Complete.

DECLIC (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids & Crystallization, CNES/NASA): No report.

DomeGene (JAXA): Complete.

DOSIS (ESA): Acquiring data. A ground-commanded downlink was performed on 02/02, this downlink covered data collected from 01/07 to 02/01. Ground teams have confirmed that the data files were complete and that the DOSIS main unit has been functioning nominally since the reboot on 01/07.

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): “Great week for EKAM! 119 schools participating, over 8471 students involved. Over 1200 images were downlinked. Thanks for use of SSC 14.”

EDR (European Drawer Rack, ESA): The rack is continuously active in support of the Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility (PCDF) experiment. EDR is providing power/data and temperature control (via cooling loop) to PCDF.

ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.

EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): No report.

ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.

EPM (European Physiology Module): No report.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA): “Jeff: EPO is very satisfied with the outcome of the Centripetal/Force/Acceleration demonstration. We thank you for your ingenuity and ability to ad-lib the talking points. It really adds to the video in making it a natural product. Great job. Thank you for your dedication to education.”

EPO LES-2 (ESA): No report.

EPO 3-min Video (JAXA): No report.

EPO J-Astro Report (JAXA): Ongoing.

EPO Dewey’s Forest (JAXA): Photography.

EPO Space Clothes (JAXA): Complete.

EPO Hiten (Dance, JAXA): No report.

EPO Moon Score (JAXA): No report.

EPO Try Zero-G (JAXA): No report.

EPO Kibo Kids Tour (JAXA): Complete.

EPO Paper Craft (Origami, JAXA): Making an origami (1/28, Soichi)

EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.

EPO Spiral Top (JAXA): No report.

ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.

FACET (JAXA): No report.

FIR/LMM/CVB (Fluids Integrated Rack / Light Microscopy Module / Constrained Vapor Bubble): No report.

FWED (Flywheel Exercise Device, ESA): No report.

FOAM STABILITY (ESA): Tapes were returned on ULF3.

FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): No report.

GEOFLOW: No report.

HAIR (JAXA): No report.

HDTV System (JAXA): Was delivered by HTV1.

Holter ECG (JAXA): No report.

HQPC (JAXA): Was delivered by 34P.

HREP (HICO/Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean & RAIDS/Remote Atmospheric & Ionospheric Detection System/JAXA): HICO has down-linked 435 images. 3 hyper spectral images of Port Au Prince have been taken to date (high priority). JEM-RMS (Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System) was used to perform survey of RAIDS instruments on 1/29. It was confirmed that the FUV (Far UltraViolet) sensor dust door opened fully and our team will pursue ground algorithms for high signal-to-noise ratios in data.”

ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.

ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “Jeff, the completion of this week’s activities marks the end of your FD135 ICV session, so only one more to go! The alternate finger cuffs to which we directed you obviously didn’t work out as well as planned, but your solution was a good one and the ICV team really appreciates your perseverance in helping us work through the issue. We’ll plan to stick with the large Cardiopres cuffs for your final session! In the coming weeks, we also plan to work with you to recover data from one of your Holter HiFi CF cards as it appears that the data from the first card you downloaded on GMT 034 was overwritten by the second card. Lastly, we appreciate your efforts to work with us through the tight Ku constraints during the Resting Echo. TJ was an excellent operator and the PI team was very pleased with the images obtained!”

IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): Complete.

INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.

InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): No report.

IRIS (Image Reversal in Space, CSA): No report.

LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): No report.

Marangoni UVP (JAXA): No report.

MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, JAXA): Continuing observation operation.

Marangoni UVP: Leak repair from 01/11-01/15.

MEIS (Marangoni Experiment for ISS) in JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility): No report.

MDCA/Flex: See under CIR.

Microbe-1 (JAXA): No report.

Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.

MMA (JAXA/Microgravity Measurement Apparatus): No report.

MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment): Ongoing.

MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox): Complete.

MSL (Materials Science Laboratory): The MSRR-1 activities have again continued this week with the processing of the MICAST#6 Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) on 2/2-2/3. The SCA was exchanged for CETSOL#2 on 2/3. This cartridge will be processed on 2/5-2/6. Our plan is to return 4 processed SCAs on STS-130(20A). The commissioning SCAs that have been returned are being analyzed and initial observations have been used to improve the processing parameters.”

MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC-1 “Pirs”.

MULTIGEN-1: Completed.

NEUROSPAT (ESA/Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing and Sensorimotor Integration): No report.

NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.

NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: No report.

PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 3; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): No report.

PASSAGES (JAXA): No report.

PCDF-PU (Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility – Process Unit): No report.

PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): No report.

PCRF (Protein Crystallization Research Facility) Reconfiguration (JAXA): Complete.

PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.

POLCA/GRAVIGEN (ESA): Complete.

RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.

RadSilk (JAXA): Samples were returned to ground on ULF3.

RST/Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Jeff, TJ, and Soichi: thank you for continuing to participate in Reaction Self Test! We have received the data that was downlinked on 1/25 and look forward to analyzing it. TJ, thank you for remembering the constraints for Reaction Self Test and for going out of your way to complete them. We appreciate it!”

SAIBO Rack (JAXA): “CB port cap reattached, 1/28.”

SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): No report.

SAMPLE: Complete.

SCOF (Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, JAXA): No report.

SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload, JAXA): Continuing observation operations.

SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment): Complete.

SLAMMD (Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device): No report.

SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): “We will status the Actiwatch download next week when we downlink the data.”

SMILES (JAXA): Continuing observations.

SODI/IVIDIL (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Influence of Vibration on Diffusion in. Liquids, ESA): IVIDIL hardware has been removed from the MSG on 1/28. Experiment considered complete. “Thanks to all crew who contributed!”

SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory) Currently out of sun visibility.

SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): No report.

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): No report.

SPICE (Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment): No report.:

SPINAL (Spinal Elongation): | No report.

SWAB (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): No report.

THERMOLAB (ESA): “Thanks Jeff for your fourth THERMOLAB session. The data has been provided to the science team.”

TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.

ULTRASOUND: Planned.

VASCULAR (CSA): “Jeff, thanks for completing your blood draw. The PI team will be in Russia to welcome you back and complete post-flight BDC with you.”

VO₂max (NASA): “Jeff, thanks for completing your fourth VO₂max session on 1/26! We received the data on the ground and everything looks good. We liked your recommendation of temp stowing the PPFS hardware in the JPM; hope that went well. If in the future you’d like to save a little time, it would be okay to temp stow the MBS.”

VLE (Video Lessons ESA): VLE-1 completed.

WAICO #1/#2 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels): No report.

YEAST B (ESA): No report.

CEO (Crew Earth Observations): Through 2/1, the ground has received a total of 40,346 frames of ISS-22 CEO imagery for review and cataloguing. “We are pleased to report your acquisition of imagery for the following CEO Target Requests: Bamako, Mali – good coverage of target area – clouds and haze were greater than we expected – will continue to request; and Astana, Kazakhstan – excellent, detailed views of this city with snow cover with low-light enhancement by shadows – good comparisons can be made with future snow-free views. Dr. Douglas Hardy, glacier-climatologist at the University of Massachusetts selected one of your recent views of Mount Kilimanjaro for use in his presentation at a Southern Hemisphere glacier conference this week. He really appreciates your imagery and felt your timely view of the snow-free summit would provide a dramatic visual for his paper. This past weekend, your Christmas Eve view of the Tsauchab River and the Sossus Vlei Lakebed in the coastal desert of Namibia was published on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website. It is a wonderful illustration of how long-term climate change to drier conditions has caused the river course to become buried in complex sand dunes and no longer reach the sea. Thanks for this beautiful shot.”

CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today were Kuwait City, Kuwait (the capital city of Kuwait is located on the northwestern Persian Gulf shoreline. Looking slightly to the left for a mapping swath, taken along track. Requested was a rural-urban-rural transect of the city that will be useful for analysis of land cover and land use patterns), Manama, Bahrain (Bahrain is an island nation near the western shore of the central Persian Gulf. The capital city of Manama with a population nearing 200,000 dominates the northeastern part of the main island), Valletta, Malta (ISS passed over the capital city of this island nation – looking slightly right of track. The city is located near an embayment on the northeastern coast of the largest island in the Malta archipelago. ISS CEO recently acquired some excellent views of the city. To complete the imagery for this target researchers requested complimentary context views of Valletta), Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes, Egypt (weather was predicted to be clear over these manmade lakes, created by spillover from nearby Lake Nasser. Imagery of the current lake shorelines is of particular interest to track changes in water level over time), Mogadishu, Somalia (ISS had a near-nadir pass over Mogadishu – the capital and largest city of Somalia. The city’s coastal location makes it an important Indian Ocean port. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area were requested), and N’Djamena, Chad (N’Djamena is the capital and largest city of this large central African country. The city should have been close to nadir from the orbit track and at the confluence of the Chari and Logone rivers. After a preliminary review of recent CEO imagery of N’Djamena, it appears that there was a lot of dust in the atmosphere that particular day. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area were requested.)

• Sleep shifting started with the Progress docking on 2/4. Tonight (2/6), crew wake shifts earlier, to 5:40pm EST. 20A Undock will drive Crew Wake one and a half hours earlier to 4:09pm by FD12. This shift is accomplished by moving Crew Sleep 30 min earlier on FDs 6-10, and then again on FD11 and FD12. Wake/Sleep table:

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:59am EST [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 342.5 km
Apogee height – 349.8 km
Perigee height — 335.2 km
Period — 91.38 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0010825
Solar Beta Angle — -43.1 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 112 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 64289

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
02/07/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 “Tranquility”+Cupola (launch 4:39am EST)
02/09/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A docking (~1:25am)

• 02/11/10 — EVA-1 (10:35pm)
• 02/12/10 — EVA-2 (10:05pm)
• 02/13/10 — Cupola relocation
• 02/15/10 — EVA-3 (10:05pm)

02/17/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A undock (7:15pm)
02/19/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A KSC landing (11:17pm)
03/18/10 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S undock/landing
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC (launch ~1:30pm EST)
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch – Skvortsov (CDR-24)/Caldwell/Kornienko
04/04/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
04/27/10 — Progress M-03M/35P undock
04/28/10 — Progress M-05M/37P launch
04/30/10 — Progress M-05M/37P docking
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 (~2:00pm EST)
05/10/10 — Progress M-04M/36P undock
05/31/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S undock/landing
————–Three-crew operations————-
06/14/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch – Wheelock (CDR-25)/Walker/Yurchikhin
06/16/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
07/xx/10 — US EVA-15
07/xx/10 — Russian EVA-25
06/28/10 — Progress M-06M/38P launch
07/02/10 — Progress M-06M/38P docking
07/26/10 — Progress M-05M/37P undock
07/27/10 — Progress M-07M/39P launch
07/29/10 — Progress M-07M/39P docking
07/29/10 — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02) (~7:30am EST)
08/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P undock
08/31/10 — Progress M-08M/40P launch
09/02/10 — Progress M-08M/40P docking
09/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing
09/16/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) (~12:01pm EST)
09/18/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) docking
09/22/10 — STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) undock
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch – Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka
10/xx/10 — Russian EVA-26
10/26/10 — Progress M-07M/39P undock
10/27/10 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
10/29/10 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
11/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing
11/18/10 — ATV2 launch– Ariane 5 (ESA) U/R
11/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch – Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli
12/15/10 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/17/10 — ATV2 docking
02/08/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
02/09/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
02/11/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking
03/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch
xx/xx/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
05/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.