NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 8 October 2010
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
Soyuz TMA-01M/24S launched last evening on time at 7:10:55pm EDT, with Soyuz CDR/ISS-24/25 FE-1 Alexander Yurievich Kaleri, Soyuz FE/ISS FE-3/Exp-26 CDR Scott J. Kelly & ISS-25/26 FE-2 Oleg Ivanovich Skripochka. Docking at MRM2 Poisk module (ISS zenith) will be at ~8:02pm EDT tomorrow. >>>This is the 103rd mission to the ISS. With the first launch of the FGB “Zarya” module on a Proton-K (1A/R) on 11/20/1998, there have been a total of 34 US missions, 67 Russian missions, 1 European mission (ATV) and 1 Japanese mission (HTV1). See http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/reports/iss_assembly_progress.html for Assembly Progress. It is also the first Soyuz flight with fully digital avionics in the spacecraft.<<<
At wake-up, FE-5 Yurchikhin conducted the regular daily early-morning check of the aerosol filters at the Russian Elektron O2 generator which Maxim Suraev had installed 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). [FE-5 again inspects the filters before bedtime tonight, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]
After wakeup, CDR Wheelock & FE-6 Walker performed a new session of the Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS) protocol. [The RST is done 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. The experiment consists of a 5-minute reaction time task that allows crewmembers to monitor the daily effects of fatigue on performance while on ISS. The experiment provides objective feedback on neurobehavioral changes in attention, psychomotor speed, state stability, and impulsivity while on ISS missions, particularly as they relate to changes in circadian rhythms, sleep restrictions, and extended work shifts.]
For Shannon Walker, the day began with the blood draw for the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Vascular Blood Collection protocol, assisted by Doug Wheelock as CMO (Crew Medical Officer). FE-6 then set up the RC (Refrigerated Centrifuge) for spinning the coagulated samples prior to stowing them in the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS), after recording the five blood tube bar codes.
Later, Shannon retrieved the backup TEPC (Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter), disassembled it and wrapped the detector securely, before stowing all items in a half-CTB (Cargo Transfer Bag, #1327).
FE-6 also conducted the periodic camera setup status check on the running BCAT-5 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-5) with Sample 7, done one, three and five days after initializing.
CDR Wheelock & FE-5 Yurchikhin spent several hours on trying to restore the TVIS treadmill to service (see Update below).
Other activities performed by Doug Wheelock had him –
* Replace the battery on the prime CSA-CP (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) unit (#1058) with a new battery (#1318), then zero-calibrate the instrument [CSA-CP is a passive cabin atmosphere monitor that provides quick response capability during a combustion event (fire). Its collected data are stored on a logger. Following zero calibration, the prime unit was re-deployed at the SM Central Post].
* Conduct a leak check on three JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility) Marangoni cassettes, looking for potential silicon oil leakage and replacing one MD30 cassette cap with a longer MI cassette cap,
* Service the CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack) by setting up the video camcorder for ground monitoring, opening the upper doors and removing/replacing a CIR manifold bottle on one of four manifolds on the front of the Optics Bench, then closing the upper doors again, and
* Download the CWQMK (Colorimetric Water Quality Monitoring Kit) data from the recent water sample analysis, using a T61p laptop.
In the US A/L (Airlock), Shannon Walker worked on EMUs (Extravehicular Mobility Units) #3010 & #3011, setting them up with their SCUs (Service & Cooling Umbilicals) and initiating the standard one-hour scrubbing process on the spacesuits’ cooling water loops, filtering ionic and particulate matter (via a 3-micron filter), then reconfiguring the cooling loops and starting the ~2hr biocide filtering. [Loop scrubbing, incl. iodination of the LCVGs (Liquid Cooling & Ventilation Garments) for biocidal maintenance, is done to eliminate any biomass and particulate matter that may have accumulated in the loops.]
Walker also “degassed” EMU PWRs (Extra Vehicular Mobility Unit Payload Water Reservoirs) of the suits as required (by manually centrifuging the containers to remove any air bubbles from the PWR water for minimizing the amount of air introduced into the EMU feedwater tanks), and afterwards recharged the EMU water tanks with “dump & fill”, i.e., by emptying the old contents and refilling from a CWC (Contingency Water Container).
In preparation for OGS (Oxygen Generator System) rack flow measurements next week by Scott Kelly in support of the ongoing Sabatier installation, FE-6 Walker looked for (and found) a fourth Non-Intrusive Flow Meter, stowing it with the others in Node-1.
Shannon also took the standard 30-min Shuttle RPM (R-bar Pitch Maneuver) onboard familiarization training, her first, using a D2Xs digital still camera with 400mm & 800mm lenses with manual focusing and taking practice shots of CEO (Crew Earth Observation) ground features from SM (Service Module) windows #6 or #8 facing in flight direction, with images having 40-50% overlap and about 20 images in each sequence. Afterwards, Walker transferred her shots to an SSC (Station Support Computer) for subsequent downlink for ground analysis. [The RPM drill prepares crewmembers for the bottom-side mapping of the Orbiter at the arrival of the next Shuttle (STS-133/Discovery/ULF5), to be launched 11/1. During the RPM at ~600 ft from the station, the “shooters” have only ~90 seconds for taking high-resolution digital photographs of all tile areas and door seals on Endeavour, to be downlinked for launch debris assessment. Thus, time available for the shooting will be very limited, requiring great coordination between the two headset-equipped photographers and the Shuttle pilot.]
Fyodor conducted 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 and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]
At ~12:30pm EDT, Shannon had her regular IMS (Inventory Management System) stowage conference with Houston stowage specialists.
At ~3:35pm, the three crewmembers are to convene for their standard bi-weekly teleconference with the JSC Astronaut Office (Steve Lindsey), via S-band S/G-2 audio & phone patch.
The crew worked out on the 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-5).
TVIS Update: Wheels & Fyodor worked several hours of IFM (Inflight Maintenance) on the failed TVIS treadmill, out of its SM pit, replacing its VIS (Vibration Isolation System) Controller with a spare unit and going over all cable connections. When the new VIS Controller was powered up, the TVIS gyroscope still did not respond at first; but it began spinning up after the crew midday break. Memory card data were downlinked for ground specialists to review them, analyze what had happened and suggest further recovery steps.
Note on Soyuz 24S: Soyuz TMA-01M is the first of the new breed of Soyuz vehicles, looking unchanged from the outside but having the old computer and analog parts replaced by digital avionics. Instead of the traditional triply-redundant Argon-16 guidance computer, in use since 1974, the TMA-M type carries the new TsVM-101 CPU (Central Processing Unit)/computer. Also, five analog processors for monitoring spacecraft systems, each with its own telemetry transmitter, have been replaced with a single new unit called MBITS. This allows rapid pre-launch testing of the spacecraft instead of the previous time-consuming checkouts of each system separately, which in turn allows a doubling of the launch rate. In all, the upgrade replaced 36 old devices with 19 new ones of higher performance, lower mass and reduced power consumption, most of which have been flight-tested several times on Progress cargo ships. The new TsVM/CPU, along with modernized color displays in the cockpit, allows the new Soyuz to be flown by a single professional pilot, instead of two fully trained crewmembers.
CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets uplinked for today were Dodoma, Tanzania (some patchy clouds may have been present in the Dodoma region. Looking right of track to see the city that became the national capital of Tanzania in 1996. The city presents little contrast with its surroundings, but is located directly to the north of a grouping of small dark hills. CEO staff recommended to begin acquiring nadir-viewing mapping frames as ISS approached and then passed over the target), Caracas, Venezuela (looking to the left of track for the capital city of Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Caracas is located close to the South American coastline [but separated from it by a mountain range], and approximately 83 km to the northeast of Lake Valencia), and Ubinas Volcano, Peru (ISS had a nadir pass over Peru’s most active volcano Ubinas; some clouds may have been present. The summit caldera contains an ash cone, and debris avalanche deposits extending 10 km from the southeast flank of the volcano. Overlapping frames of the volcano summit and flanks were requested. CEO staff recommended to commence photography as ISS crossed the Peruvian coastline and to terminate the Ubinas session as it approached Lake Titicaca as the best means of capturing the volcano).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:29am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 353.8 km
Apogee height – 358.9 km
Perigee height – 348.6 km
Period — 91.62 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0007659
Solar Beta Angle — -0.5 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours – 115 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 68,129.
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/09/10 — Soyuz TMA-01M/24S docking – ~8:02pm
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/26/10 — Progress M-05M/37P undock
10/27/10 — Progress M-08M/40P launch
10/29/10 — Progress M-08M/40P docking
11/01/10 — STS-133/Discovery launch (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) ~4:33pm EDT
11/12/10 — Russian EVA-26
11/17/10 — Russian EVA-27
11/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing (End of Increment 25)
————–Three-crew operations————-
12/13/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/25S launch – Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli
12/15/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/25S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/20/10 — Progress M-07M/39P undock
01/24/11 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
01/28/11 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
01/31/11 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
02/xx/11 — Russian EVA-28
02/15/11 — ATV-2 “Johannes Kepler” launch
02/27/11 — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02)
03/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-01M/24S undock/landing (End of Increment 26)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/20/11 — Soyuz TMA-21/26S launch – A. Borisienko (CDR-28)/R.Garan/A.Samokutayev
03/22/11 — Soyuz TMA-21/26S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
04/26/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
04/27/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/29/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking
05/xx/11 — Russian EVA-29
05/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-20/25S undock/landing (End of Increment 27)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/27S launch – M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov
06/01/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/27S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
06/21/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
06/23/11 — Progress M-11M/43P docking
08/29/11 — Progress M-11M/43P undocking
08/30/11 — Progress M-12M/44P launch
09/01/11 — Progress M-12M/44P docking
09/16/11 – Soyuz TMA-21/26S undock/landing (End of Increment 28)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/28S launch – D.Burbank (CDR-30)/A.Shkaplerov/A.Ivanishin
10/02/11 – Soyuz TMA-23/28S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/20/11 — Progress M-10M/42P undocking
10/21/11 — Progress M-13M/45P launch
10/23/11 — Progress M-13M/45P docking
11/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-24/29S launch – O.Kononenko (CDR-31)/A.Kuipers/D.Pettit
12/02/11 — Soyuz TMA-24/29S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.
12/26/11 — Progress M-13M/45P undock
03/14/12 — Soyuz TMA-23/28S undock/landing (End of Increment 30)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/26/12 — Soyuz TMA-25/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/K.Valkov
03/28/12 — Soyuz TMA-25/30S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
05/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-24/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/12 – Soyuz TMA-26/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
05/31/12 – Soyuz TMA-26/31S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
09/09/12 — Soyuz TMA-25/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/23/12 — Soyuz TMA-27/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O. Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin
09/25/12 – Soyuz TMA-27/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/07/12 — Soyuz TMA-26/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-28/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
11/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-28/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-27/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-29/34S launch.
03/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-29/34S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
