Status Report

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 7 June 2009

By SpaceRef Editor
June 8, 2009
Filed under , , ,
NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 7 June 2009
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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – off-duty day for CDR Gennady Padalka (Russia), FE-1 Michael Barratt (USA), FE-2 Koichi Wakata (Japan), FE-3 Roman Romanenko (Russia), FE-4 Robert Thirsk (Canada) and FE-5 Frank DeWinne (Belgium). Ahead: Week 2 of Increment 20,

FE-4 & FE-5 continued their first session of sleep logging for the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) from their Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop as part of a 7-day-long session. [To monitor the crewmembers’ sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Bob & Frank wear a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by them as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition, and they use the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment’s laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days.]

Thirsk & DeWinne began the last day of their first session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository. For both, 24-hr. urine collections ended this morning, and Frank finished his session with his blood draw from an arm vein, assisted in the phlebotomy by the FE-4. [After the phlebotomy, Frank’s samples, like Bob’s yesterday, were first allowed to coagulate in the Repository for 20-30 minutes, then spun in the HRF RC (Human Research Facility/Refrigerated Centrifuge) and finally placed in MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). No thruster activity was allowed during the blood drawing. The RC was later powered off after a temperature reset to limit wear on the compressor, and cleaned. 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.]

The six-member crew 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.]

As part of the house cleaning, FE-3 Romanenko conducted regular maintenance inspection & cleaning on fan screens in the FGB (TsV2), DC1 (V3), and SM (VPkhO, VPrK, FS5, FS6 & FS9), plus dust filter replacement in the FGB.

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

Later, the FE-3 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. Padalka also checked up on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for reporting 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.]

Additionally, Romanenko conducted the periodic checkup behind ASU panel 139 in the SM on a fluid connector (MNR-NS) of the SM-U urine collection system, looking for potential moisture.

CDR Padalka & FE-1 Barratt meanwhile worked in the SM PkhO (Transfer Compartment) on early preparations for the next Orlan EVA-23 on 6/10. Specifically, they –

  • Configured communications from SM PkhO to S/G-2 (Space-to-Ground 2) audio while working there (restoring nominal settings afterwards),
  • Prepared Orlan replaceables, accessories and individual equipment, supported by ground specialist tagup, [by unstowing two BK-3 O2 tanks, two LP-9 LiOH (Lithium Hydroxide) canisters, an 825M3 battery, plus packing the Orlan ORU (Orbit Replaceable Unit) kit (USZ)] and
  • Terminated discharging of the first Orlan 825M3 battery unit and switched it to recharge,

Later, Padalka performed the frequent status check on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment, verifying proper operation of the BU Control Unit and MIS-LADA Module fans (testing their air flow by hand). [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the LADA-15 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP).]

Koichi Wakata worked on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer), setting up a personal PCMCIA memory card for FE-3 Romanenko for the CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation) by transferring CEVIS protocols and header information from his MEC folder to the card.

At the Lab CHeCS (Crew Health Care System) rack, Wakata mated the ITCS MTL (Internal Thermal Control System Moderate Temperature Loop) return umbilical with QD (Quick Disconnect) to the rack UIP (Utility Interface Panel) to provide cooling to the rack.

At ~4:00pm, the crew is scheduled for a 30-min teleconference with crewmembers of the next Shuttle mission, STS-127/Endeavour (2J/A), to launch on 6/13 (Saturday).

A new entry added to the discretionary US “job jar” list for Koichi was to perform a checkout of his CPSD (Crew Personal Support Disk), a task which he performed last night.

The crew completed their regular daily 2.5-hr. workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-1, FE-2, FE-4, FE-5), ARED (CDR, FE-1, FE-2, FE-4, FE-5), NS-1 Expander (FE-3), and VELO cycle ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-3). [With the TVIS treadmill currently out of service, Padalka & Romanenko were advised by TsUP/Moscow to include a Russian contingency exercise device, the full-body Expander NS-1, in their workout routine on a daily basis until the TVIS is restored.]

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, 8:35am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude — 348.9 km
Apogee height – 355.2 km
Perigee height — 342.6 km
Period — 91.52 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009354
Solar Beta Angle — -27.5 deg (magnitude peaking)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 142 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 60443

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible!):
06/10/09 — Russian EVA-23
06/13/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch – JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD (7:12am)
06/29/09 — STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A landing (12:18am EDT, KSC)
07/17/09 – Progress M-02M/33P undock & deorbit
07/20/09 — Soyuz TMA-14/18S relocation (from SM aft to DC1)
07/24/09 — Progress 34P launch
07/26/09 — Progress 34P docking (SM aft)
08/06/09 — STS-128/Discovery/17A – MPLM (P), LMC
09/01/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) launch – tentative
09/07/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) berth
09/30/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S launch
10/02/09 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S docking (SM aft, until MRM-2 w/new port)
10/08/09 — H-IIB (JAXA HTV-1) unberth
10/11/09 – Soyuz TMA-14/18S undock
10/15/09 — Progress 35P launch
11/10/09 — 5R/MRM-2 (Russian Mini Research Module 2) on Proton — tentative
11/12/09 — STS-129/Atlantis/ULF3 – ELC1, ELC2
12/07/09 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S launch
12/26/09 — Progress 36P launch
02/03/10 — Progress 37P launch
02/04/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 + Cupola
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC
04/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S launch
04/27/10 — Progress 38P launch
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1
05/29/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch
06/25/10 — Progress 39P launch
07/29/10 — STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 – ELC4, MPLM
08/11/10 — Progress 40P launch
09/16/10 — STS-134/Discovery/ULF6 – ELC3, AMS
09/29/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch
10/19/10 — Progress 41P launch
11/??/10 — ATV2 – Ariane 5 (ESA)
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton

SpaceRef staff editor.