Status Report

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 9 May 2010

By SpaceRef Editor
May 9, 2010
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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 9 May 2010
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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – crew rest day. Ahead: Week 8 of Increment 23. >>>Victory Day, one of the most sacred national holidays for the Russian people, commemorating the dozens of millions of their countrymen fallen in the Great Patriotic War (World War II).<<<

At wake-up, FE-3 Kornienko performed the regular daily early-morning check of the aerosol filters at the currently running 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-3 again inspected the filters before bedtime, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]

Also after wake-up, FE-6 Creamer & FE-2 Caldwell-Dyson continued their new week-long session of the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight), TJ’s 5th, Tracy’s 2nd, transferring data from their Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop. [To monitor his/her sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, the crewmember wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him/her as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition, using 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.]

After breakfast, FE-5 Noguchi supported the weekly (every Sunday’s) U.S. “Bisphosphonates” biomedical countermeasures experiment, ingesting an Alendronate pill before breakfast. [The Bisphosphonates study should determine whether antiresorptive agents (that help reduce bone loss) in conjunction with the routine in-flight exercise program will protect ISS crewmembers from the regional decreases in bone mineral density documented on previous ISS missions. Two dosing regimens are being tested: (1) an oral dose of 70 mg of Alendronate taken weekly starting 3 weeks prior to flight and then throughout the flight and (2) an intravenous (IV) dose of 4 mg Zoledronic Acid, administered just once approximately 45 days before flight. The rationale for including both Alendronate and Zoledronic Acid is that two dosing options will maximize crew participation, increase the countermeasure options available to flight surgeons, increase scientific opportunities, and minimize the effects of operational and logistical constraints. The primary measurement objective is to obtain preflight and postflight QCT (Quantitative Computed Tomography) scans of the hip. The QCT scans will provide volumetric bone density information of both cortical and trabecular (spongy) bone regions of the hip.]

Kornienko completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM (Service Module), including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow. [This includes 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].

FE-3 also performed the weekly checkup 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.

An additional task for Misha in the SM was the routine weekly inspection of the SVO SRV-K2M (Condensate Water Processor) hoses from the MF-R Diaphragm Separator Filter to the BRPK Condensate Separation & Pumping Unit.

Servicing the WHC (Waste & Hygiene Compartment) in the Lab, FE-6 Creamer removed the currently installed new internal EDV-U urine container (#963) and replaced it with an already used EDV-U (#931). [EDV-U containers, although certified for holding pretreated urine for one year, are limited to 90 days of use when connected to a hydroconnector whose internal spring could fail when exposed to pretreated urine longer than 90 days. In order to preserve a new EDV-U’s lifetime, the 90-day “used” limit can be extended on a case by case basis for a period up to 15 days, provided the crew is made aware of the risk of leakage and is prepared to clean up any pretreated urine (PPE/personal protection equipment, towels, Hefty bags available), especially when the hydroconnector is being mated, demated, or pressure is applied to the internal volume of the EDV-U. Pretreated urine is classified Tox-2.]

To get the T2/COLBERT treadmill ready for ACO (Activation & Checkout) tomorrow, FE-2 Caldwell-Dyson reconfigured its MTL (Moderate Temperature Loop) jumpers and ground strap. [Tracy removed one end of the grounding strap and rerouted it to the other side of the MTL jumpers to minimize loads on the strap while T2 is in motion, and then secured the two T2 MTL jumpers to the launch bracket via tie wraps to keep them away from T2 structure movement while T2 is in motion.]

At ~12:50pm EDT, the three Russian crewmembers conducted a joint amateur/ham radio session with participants of a special event on the downtown square of the city of Sudzha, Kursk Region, i.e., a live exchange with Sudzha veterans of the Great Patriotic War (legendary Battle of Kursk Bulge!), students of Kursk State Technical University, high school students, and local residents. [Led by Elena Aleksandrovna Bakalova (on behalf of the GPW veterans), Nikolai Ivanovich Ilyin (Head of Administration of Sudzha District), and renown Valery Pikkiev (manager of the Sporadik Ham Radio Club & Assoc. Professor of Kursk State Technical University) Sudzha high school students asked the crew questions. “Do you have dreams about Earth or space?”; “In May 1945, Soviet and American soldiers met on the Elbe River and shook each other’s hands. What kind of relationship, personal or business, do you have with ISS crew members from other countries?”; “ISS composition is multinational. What language do you use to communicate?”; “Spring has arrived. Can you see season change in Russia from space?”]

The three cosmonauts also filmed another video segment for a series of scenes showing cosmonauts living and working onboard the ISS RS (Russian Segment). [The activity is commissioned by Roskosmos in cooperation with the Program “Vremia” (Time) on TV Channel One, to prepare a series of events about cosmonauts working aboard the ISS RS. The videos, recorded in HDV (High Definition) format, are shot by one of the cosmonauts, with Kotov, Skvortsov & Kornienko being interviewed and also showing US crewmembers.]

Jobs listed for Kotov, Skvortsov & Kornienko for today on the Russian discretionary “as time permits” task list were –

  • Another run of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D2X digital camera photography with 800mm telelens (targets: Sarez Lake, Caucasus, Mzymta River valley, future Olympic facilities, Caspian Sea, Astrakhan, town of Ilyinka, glaciers of Chile, convergent photography of one of the glaciers in Northern Patagonian Ice Field, Calambria, Apennine peninsular "boot toe" near Sicily, panoramic photography of Andes from the Pacific Ocean, Peru, Volcano Huascaran, Darwin Island {very small and the northernmost island in the Galapagos archipelago}, and the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico),
  • A photography session for the DZZ-13 “Seiner” ocean observation program, obtaining data on oceanic water blooms in the Pacific Ocean (east of New Zealand) and offshore waters of Chile, then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop, and
  • A session for Russia’s EKON Environmental Safety Agency, making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth using the NIKON D3X camera.

CDR, FE-2, FE-5 & FE-6 had their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Tracy at ~3:35am and again at ~3:40pm, OIeg at ~8:30am, Soichi at ~11:40am, TJ at ~1:20pm EDT.

The crew completed today’s 2-hr. physical workout protocol on the TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1, FE-2, FE-3, FE-5, FE-6), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-2, FE-5, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

36P Undocking: Progress M-04M/36P undocks tomorrow morning at ~7:16am EDT.

21S Thruster Test: In preparation of Soyuz TMA-17/21S relocation on Wednesday (5/12), a 21S MCS (Motion Control System, SUD) thruster test will be conducted tomorrow at ~1:27pm-1:28pm, with ISS in Free Drift. Attitude control authority handover to RS MCS will be at 1:08pm and return to US Moment Management at 1:55pm.

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

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:02am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 347.9 km
Apogee height – 354.6 km
Perigee height – 341.3 km
Period — 91.50 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0009818
Solar Beta Angle — 30.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 83 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 65,737

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————–
05/10/10 — Progress M-04M/36P undock (7:16am EDT)
05/10/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S MCS/thruster test (1:27pm-1:28pm EDT)
05/12/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S relocation (FGB Nadir to SM Aft) (9:15am)
05/14/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4launch (~2:19pm EDT) – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 “Rassvet”
05/26/10 — STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 nominal landing (KSC ~8:36 am EDT)
06/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-17/21S undock/landing (End of Increment 23)
————– Three-crew operations ————-
06/14/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch – Wheelock (CDR-25)/Walker/Yurchikhin
06/17/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————–
06/28/10 — Progress M-06M/38P launch
06/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P docking
07/07/10 — US EVA-15 (Caldwell/Wheelock)
07/23/10 — Russian EVA-25 (Yurchikhin/Kornienko)
07/26/10 — Progress M-05M/37P undock
08/30/10 — Progress M-06M/38P undock
08/31/10 — Progress M-07M/39P launch
09/02/10 — Progress M-07M/39P docking
09/16/10 — STS-133/Discovery launch (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM)
09/16/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing (End of Increment 24)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch – Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka
10/02/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/xx/10 — Russian EVA-26
10/27/10 — Progress M-08M/40P launch
10/29/10 — Progress M-08M/40P docking
TBD — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02)
11/26/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing (End of Increment 25)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/10 – ATV-2 launch– Ariane 5 (ESA) U/R
12/10/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch – Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli
12/12/10 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/15/10 — Progress M-07M/39P undock
12/17/10 — ATV-2 docking
12/26/10 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/27/10 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
12/29/10 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
01/27/11 — HTV-2 docking
03/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S undock/landing (End of Increment 26)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch – A. Borisienko (CDR-28)/R, Garan/A.Samokutayev
04/01/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/26S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
04/27/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
04/28/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/30/11 — Progress M-10M/42P docking
05/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-21/25S undock/landing (End of Increment 27)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/31/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch – M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov
06/01/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
06/21/11 — Progress M-11M/43P launch
06/23/11 — Progress M-11M/43P docking
08/30/11 — Progress M-12M/44P launch
09/01/11 — Progress M-12M/44P docking
09/16/11 – Soyuz TMA-22/26S undock/landing (End of Increment 28)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-24/28S launch
10/02/11 – Soyuz TMA-24/28S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
10/28/11 — Progress M-13M/45P launch
10/30/11 — Progress M-13M/45P docking
11/11/11 — Soyuz TMA-23/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/25/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S launch
11/27/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.

SpaceRef staff editor.