NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 8 January 2010

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
FE-1 Suraev started his day 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.]
Later, Maxim broke out & set up the hardware for the Russian MBI-21 PNEVMOKARD experiment, then conducted the 1h15m session, his fourth, which forbids moving or talking during data recording. The experiment is controlled from the RSE-med A31p laptop, equipped with new software, and uses the TENZOPLUS sphygmomanometer to measure arterial blood pressure. The experiment, supported by ground specialist tagup, was then closed out and the test data downlinked via OCA. [PNEVMOKARD (Pneumocard) attempts to obtain new scientific information to refine the understanding about the mechanisms used by the cardiorespiratory system and the whole body organism to spaceflight conditions. By recording (on PCMCIA cards) the crewmember’s electrocardiogram, impedance cardiogram, low-frequency phonocardiogram (seismocardiogram), pneumotachogram (using nose temperature sensors), and finger photoplethismogram, the experiment supports integrated studies of (1) the cardiovascular system and its adaptation mechanisms in various phases of a long-duration mission, (2) the synchronization of heart activity and breathing factors, as well as the cardiorespiratory system control processes based on the variability rate of physiological parameters, and (3) the interconnection between the cardiorespiratory system during a long-duration mission and the tolerance of orthostatic & physical activities at the beginning of readaptation for predicting possible reactions of the crewmembers organism during the their return to ground.]
As part of the regular physical fitness check, Oleg Kotov & Maxim Suraev undertook the Russian MO-5 MedOps protocol of cardiovascular assessment during graded physical load on the VELO cycle ergometer, assisting each other in turn as CMO (Crew Medical Officer). [The assessment uses the Gamma-1 ECG equipment with biomed harness, skin electrodes and a blood pressure and rheoplethysmograph cuff wired to the cycle ergometer’s instrumentation panels. Measurements were telemetered down via VHF to RGS (Russian Groundsite) during a comm window (5:35am). For the graded-load exercise, the subject works the pedals after a prescribed program at load settings of 125, 150, and 175 watts for three minutes each. Data output involves a kinetocardiogram, rheoplethysmogram, rheoencephalogram and a temporal pulsogram.]
Jeff Williams re-installed the PaRIS (Passive Rack Isolation System) lock-down alignment guides on the FCF (Fluids & Combustion Facility) in the CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack) which he had removed previously to allow PaRIS activation for ground-commanded FCF ops in micro-G.
The two Russian Flight Engineers worked in the DC1 (Docking Compartment) to get the Progress M-03M/35P, docked at the nadir port, ready for the Russian EVA-24, which will use the DC1 as airlock. Activities by Maxim & Oleg included –
- Activation of the cargo ship,
- Removal of the rigidizing QD (quick disconnect) screw clamps (BZV) of the docking & internal transfer mechanism (SSVP),
- Closure of the two hatches between 35P & DC1,
- Conducting the standard one-hour leak checking of the docking vestibule and fuel/oxidizer transfer line interface between Progress and DC1 [during leak checking and initial clamp de-installation, Russian thrusters were inhibited due to load constraints],
- Inspection and photography of an area on the PkhO (+Y quadrant) with surface MLI insulation (EVTI, ekranno-vakuumnaya termoizplyatsyia, = vacuum-shield thermal insulation), and
- Downlinking the video which recorded the close-out activities, for review by ground specialists.
Jeff Williams completed the visual T+2 Day microbial (bacterial & fungal) analysis of the “Week 13” potable water samples collected by him on 1/6 from the WRS (Water Recovery System) and processed on board with the MCDs (Microbial Capture Devices) and CDBs (Coliform Detection Bags).
After setting up the video equipment to record activities, Soichi Nogushi undertook the U.S. PFE (Periodic Fitness Evaluation) protocol as subject, a monthly 1.5-hr. procedure which checks up on BP & ECG during programmed exercise on the CEVIS cycle ergometer in the US Lab. Readings were taken with the BP/ECG (blood pressure/electrocardiograph) and the HRM (heart rate monitor) watch with its radio transmitter. TJ Creamer acted as Operator/CMO. [BP/ECG provides automated noninvasive systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements while also monitoring and displaying accurate heart rates on a continual basis at rest and during exercise.]
For a checkout/training run on the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) for the upcoming ESP-3 (External Storage Platform 3) relocation, Jeff & TJ worked with the Canadarm, moving it to an overnight park position by first grappling PDGF-4 (Power & Data Grapple Fixture 4) on the MBS (Mobile Service System) with one LEE (Latching End Effector), then releasing its other end from its hold on PDGF-1. [Yesterday, ground controllers powered up the MT (Mobile Transporter), performed a pre-translation survey and then translated the MT from WS-4 (Worksite 4) to WS-7. The MRS MBS (Mobile Remote Servicer Base System) and SSRMS were then repowered to dual string “Keep Alive” mode. The ESP-3 will be relocated from the P3U (Port 3 Upper) Truss to the S3L (Starboard 3 Lower) Truss on 1/11 and 1/12/10. The Ground and crew were troubleshooting an issue that occurred with DOUG not receiving MSS (Mobile Servicing System) telemetry. DOUG is not required for Robotics operations.]
In the Lab, Jeff Williams performed IFM (Inflight Maintenance) on the ISS GPS-1 (Global Positioning System 1), upgrading the Honeywell receiver firmware, the GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) attitude firmware and the Trimble firmware. [The upgrade allows for 12-channel relative navigation calculations. To access the GPS-1 at the LAB1S7 position, Jeff first had to remove stowage equipment to clear the LAB1S6 Rack rotation path and later restored the rack and the stowage. GPS-2 will also be upgraded.]
In the COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory), FE-6 Creamer performed maintenance/repair on the BLB (Biolab), removing the Reference EC (Experiment Container) from Incubator Rotor B (pos. 6). [The planned exchange of its QD (Quick Disconnect) and re-installation of the EC at its former position was deferred.]
Later, TJ worked in the U.S. Airlock (A/L), using the MultiMeter voltage/current instrument to test electrical continuities in a search for the cause of an A/L shell heater RPC (Remote Power Controller) trip.
As part of Stage 20A maintenance of MELFI-2 (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS 2), the CDR inserted two ice bricks in each location of the unit’s Dewar 1 (Tray A/Sections 1 & 2; Tray B/Sec. 1 & 2; Tray C/Sec. 1 & 2; Tray D/Sec. 1).
In the SM (Service Module), Oleg Kotov did the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS). [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.]
In the U.S. Lab, TJ Creamer worked on the WHC (Waste & Hygiene Compartment), removing & replacing piping between the Russian-furnished MNR-NS pump separator and DKiV Pre-Treat Dispenser & Water Pump (also called “Dose Pump”), a regularly scheduled part of 180-day preventive maintenance (deferred from 1/4). [Done last: 7/6/09.]
Jeff & Soichi filled out their weekly FFQs (Food Frequency Questionnaires) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer). [On the FFQs, NASA astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MEC software. Recorded are the amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. The FFQ is performed once a week to estimate nutrient intake from the previous week and to give recommendations to ground specialists that help maintain optimal crew health. Weekly estimation has been verified to be reliable enough that nutrients do not need to be tracked daily.]
The FE-5 had an additional 2.5 hrs to clean up in the JPM (JEM Pressurized Module) after the recent RMS SFA (Robotic Manipulator System Small Fine Arm) assembly and closing out equipment stowage.
Also in the Kibo JPM, Noguchi took photographs of the JAXA Dewey’s Forest PUs (Plant Units) to check on and document plants growth. [Dewey’s Forest, one of the Japanese EPO educational payloads, is intended to show how gravity controls the laws of nature and influences our ways of thinking. The project is “a catalyst to rediscover our relationship with plants on the ground and the age-old history of our gardens.”]
In preparation for upcoming WPA (Water Processor Assembly) Reverse Flush activities, Soichi relocated the MWA (Maintenance Work Area) from the JPM to the U.S. Lab for installation.
Noguchi conducted a session (his first) with the MedOps experiment WinSCAT (Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows), logging in on the MEC laptop and performing the psychological evaluation exercise on the PC-based WinSCAT application. [WinSCAT is a monthly time-constrained questionnaire test of cognitive abilities, routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS (periodic health status) test or on special CDR’s, crewmembers or flight surgeons request. The test uses cognitive subtests that measure sustained concentration, verbal working memory, attention, short-term memory, spatial processing, and math skills. The five cognitive subtests are Coding Memory – Learning, Continuous Processing Task (CPT), Match to Sample, Mathematics, and Coding Delayed Recall. These WinSCAT subtests are the same as those used during NASA’s long-duration bed rest studies.]
The crewmembers worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-5), TVIS treadmill (FE-1, FE-4), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-6), and VELO bike ergometer with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1, FE-4).
Later, Noguchi transferred the exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on ARED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
At ~3:15am EST, the crew held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Flight Control Team (GOGU), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.
At ~8:35am, all crewmembers convened for their standard bi-weekly teleconference with the JSC Astronaut Office (Steve Lindsey), via S-band S/G-2 audio & phone patch.
At ~8:55am, CDR Williams conducted his regular IMS (Inventory Management System) tagup with stowage specialists at MCC-Houston.
At ~2:10pm, the ISS crew is scheduled for their regular weekly tagup with the Lead Flight Director at JSC/MCC-H via S-band/audio. [S/G-2 (Space-to-Ground 2) phone patch via SSC (Station Support Computer).]
CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today were Tropical Cyclone Edzani, Indian Ocean (Dynamic Event. Tropical Cyclone Edzani was predicted to be at Category 3 strength at the time of ISS closest approach. The predicted position of the storm center was to be ahead and to the left of track – well-developed cloud bands and an eye feature should be present. The current predicted storm track is heading E-SE towards Mauritius), Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (ISS had a nadir pass over the capital city of Guinea-Bissau, one of the smallest countries in continental Africa. Bissau is located along the coast, northwest of the Bijagos Archipelago. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area were requested), St. Georges, Grenada (scattered clouds may have been present over the capital city of Grenada. The city is located on a horseshoe-shaped harbor along the southwestern coast. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area are requested. First of three Lesser Antilles capital city targets that will be visible in short succession; weather conditions will be similar for all three targets), Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (the capital city of Kingstown is located on the southwestern coastline of the large island of St. Vincent. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban area were requested. Second of three Lesser Antilles targets), and Castries, St. Lucia (the capital city of Castries is located on an embayment of the northwest coastline of the island of St. Lucia. One of the larger cities of the Lesser Antilles, it is a port that receives both cargo and cruise ships. Overlapping frames of the urban area were requested. Third of three Lesser Antilles targets).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:19am EST [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 338.2 km
Apogee height – 343.4 km
Perigee height – 333.1 km
Period — 91.30 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0007658
Solar Beta Angle — 15.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.77
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 70 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 63,831
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
01/11-12/10 — ESP-3 relocation
01/12/10 — Russian EVA-24 dry-run
01/14/10 — Russian EVA-24
01/21/10 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S relocation (from SM aft to MRM-2)
02/03/10 — Progress M-04M/36P launch
02/05/10 — Progress M-04M/36P docking
02/07/10 — STS-130/Endeavour/20A – Node-3 “Tranquility”+Cupola
03/18/10 — Soyuz TMA-16/20S undock/landing
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/18/10 — STS-131/Discovery/19A – MPLM(P), LMC (~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.