NASA ISS On-orbit Status Report 17 July 2010
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – crew off-duty.
Upon wake-up, FE-3 Kornienko performed 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-3 will inspect the filters again before bedtime, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.]
Also at wake-up, FE-2 Caldwell-Dyson conducted another run of the 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. 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.]
The six station residents completed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module). ["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 uborka house cleaning, the Russian crewmembers conducted regular maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) and Group E fan grills in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP).
Fyodor Yurchikhin performed the regular maintenance of the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air purification subsystems (UOV) in the SM & FGB, cleaning the pre-filters with a vacuum cleaner with narrow nozzle attachment and later restarting POTOK in automatic mode.
For her on-going second Ambulatory Monitoring session of the ESA ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular) experiment, Shannon Walker observed the initial 10-min rest period before going about her business, changing Makita batteries several times. Midpoint for the entire ICV run was reached at about 11:35am EDT. [The rest period involved relaxing & breathing normally for 10 minutes under quiet, restful conditions. ICV activities consist of two separate but related parts over a one-week time period: an ultrasound echo scan & an ambulatory monitoring session. Today, wearing electrodes, the HM2 (Holter Monitor 2) for recording ECG (Electrocardiogram) for 48 hours, the ESA Cardiopres/BP to continuously monitor blood pressure for 24 hours, and two Actiwatches (hip/waist & ankle) for monitoring activity levels over 48 hours, Shannon continued the ambulatory monitoring part of the ICV assessment. During the first 24 hrs (while all devices are worn), ten minutes of quiet, resting breathing are timelined to collect data for a specific analysis. The nominal exercise includes at least 10 minutes at a heart rate >=120 bpm (beats per minute). After 24 hrs (today at 11:35am), the Cardiopres was doffed and the HM2 HiFi CF Card and AA Battery were changed out to allow continuation of the session for another 24 hours. After data collection is complete, the Actiwatches and both HM2 HiFi CF Cards are downloaded to the HRF PC1, while Cardiopres data are downloaded to the EPM (European Physiology Module) Rack and transferred to the HRF PC1 via a USB key for downlink. The sessions are scheduled at or around FD14, FD30, FD75, FD135 and R-15 (there will be fewer sessions if mission duration is less than six months). The FD75 echo scan will include an exercise component with a second scan (subset of the first) completed within 5 minutes after the end of exercise. The primary objective of the accompanying CCISS (Cardiovascular Control on return from the ISS) experiment is to maximize the information about changes in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular function that might compromise the ability of astronauts to meet the challenge of return to an upright posture on Earth.]
Walker also completed the regular bi-monthly reboots of the OCA Router and FS SSC (File Server Station Support Computer) laptops.
After configuring the usual pumping equipment (Compressor-M, hoses, adapters), Alex Skvortsov initiated the transfer of urine from 8 EDV-U containers to the empty BV1 Rodnik storage tank of Progress M-06M/38P at the SM Aft port. [After the urine had been transferred, the CDR flushed the tank with 5 L of disinfectant solution from an EDV w/Disinfectant, running the compressor for 4 min. Each of the spherical Rodnik tanks BV1 & BV2 consists of a hard shell with a soft membrane (bladder) composed of elastic fluoroplastic. The bladder is used to expel water from the tank by compressed air pumped into the tank volume surrounding the membrane and is leak-tested before urine transfers, i.e., with empty tanks, the bladders are expanded against the tank walls and checked for hermeticity.]
Tracy continued her support of the CFE (Capillary Flow Experiment), powering up the MPC (Multi-Protocol Converter) and starting data flow, with POIC (Payload Operations Integration Center) routing the on-board HRDL (High Rate Data Link) equipment and monitoring via HD video. Tracy later shut the experiment down again. [After finishing yesterday’s CFE runs, Tracy today received kudos from POIC: “You completed two great runs, the initial Dry Chamber test and one Wet Chamber test. We’re excited about the excellent video we got for the capillary action dynamics for this experiment. This is the first time we’ve used the HD video camera for our science. Also, both of these tests gave us good confidence that the wait times we had estimated analytically (i.e. 10 minutes) for the fluid volume to reach its final equilibrium (or static) state is adequate for these runs and future operational runs. We’re looking forward to completing the remainder of the ICF1 operations test matrix in the near future.” CFE has applications to the management of liquid fuels, cryogens, water-based solutions and thermal fluids in spacecraft systems. ICF is one of three CFE experiments, the others being Vane Gap (VG) and Contact Line (CL). Each of the CFE experiments is represented with two unique experimental units (1,2), all of which use similar fluid-injection hardware, have simple and similarly sized test chambers, and rely solely on video for highly quantitative data. Silicone oil is the fluid used for all the tests, with different viscosities depending on the unit. Differences between units are primarily fluid properties, wetting conditions, and test cell cross section.]
Caldwell-Dyson also shut down EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) operations at the WORF (Window Operational Research Facility) rack at the Lab science window and stowed the gear. [The use of the WORF was a First for EarthKAM, but the camera system remained nonfunctional. Operations have been terminated until the cause of the anomaly can be determined and corrected.]
Alex completed 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 ~8:40am EDT, the crew conducted their regular WPC (Weekly Planning Conference) with the ground, discussing next week’s "Look-Ahead Plan" (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP timeline planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
At ~10:10am, Alex, Mikhail & Fyodor conducted a PAO telephone conference with the editor of the
Rossiyskiy Cosmos Magazine via S-Band.
FE-2, FE-3 & 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), Mikhail at ~6:00am, Tracy at ~7:05am, Shannon at ~1:40pm EDT.
The crew worked out on today’s 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-2, FE-6), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (CDR, FE-3, FE-5), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-2, FE-4, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (FE-4) and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-3, FE-5). [T2 snubber arm inspection is no longer needed after every T2 session but must be done after the last T2 session of the day.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twenty-Four — Week 6)
2-D NANO Template (JAXA): The experiment was started on 7/9.
3-D SPACE: No report.
AgCam (Agricultural Camera): No report.
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.
ALTEA DOSI (NASA/ASI): This ISS backup radiation monitoring system remains non-operational.
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): No report.
BIORHYTHMS (JAXA, Biological Rhythms): 1st sampling session for Walker was performed on 7/8-7/9. 1st sampling session for Wheelock was completed on 7/14.
BISE (CSA, Bodies in the Space Environment): No report.
BISPHOSPHONATES: No report.
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: Returned with 19A.
CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): No report.
CERISE (JAXA): No report.
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: “Wheels: Thank you for your hard work to replace the CIR FOMA Cal Unit. Great job translating the Optics Bench in and out — that was very neat to watch from the ground. Thanks for letting us watch over your shoulder. Tracy: Thank you for opening the valves on our two installed gas bottles. Both of your tasks allowed us to complete the calibration of the CIR’s FOMA (Fuel/Oxidizer Management Assembly) this week. This calibration needs to be completed yearly to ensure that all the pressure transducers in the CIR are accurate. Science test points are on hold until the MDCA Needles can be replaced. There is debris stuck to MDCA Needle 2 that is interfering with successful fuel deployment from that needle.”
Commercial Photo (JAXA): No report.
CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): No report.
CubeLab: Hardware installed. First Data Collection this Friday, 7/16.
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 (Active Measure, ESA): Science data acquisition. Monthly data downlink performed on 6/30. It seems no files from Detector 1 could be found. This anomaly is under investigation.
EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): “Tracy, thank you for all your efforts helping us troubleshoot EarthKAM. Due to all the combinations of cards, cameras, firewire cables, and SSCs you tried, we’ve concluded that the issue was software rather than hardware based. Using Admin PC capabilities, PLUTO was able to verify the camera connectivity to SSC 20 and functionality using the Kodak Camera Manager application, but the EarthKAM Software was still unable to connect to the camera after multiple attempts. We have unfortunately canceled this week’s EarthKAM mission to allow the team to investigate the problem.”
EDR (European Drawer Rack, ESA): No report.
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): EMCS active to support GENARA-A experiment. Please refer to GENARA-A.
ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.
EPM (European Physiology Module): Activated in support of CARD.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA): (Kids in Space): “Two more Kids in Micro-G sessions are planned for next week.”
EPO LES-2 (ESA): No report.
EPO 3-min Video (JAXA): No report.
EPO J-Astro Report (JAXA): No report.
EPO Dewey’s Forest (JAXA): Closed out on 3/15.
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): No report.
EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.
EPO Spiral Top (JAXA): No report.
ERB-2 (Erasmus Recording Binocular, ESA): [ERB-2 aims are to develop narrated video material for various PR & educational products & events, including a 3D interior station view.]
ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.
FACET (JAXA): No report.
Ferulate: No report.
FIR/LMM/CVB (Fluids Integrated Rack / Light Microscopy Module / Constrained Vapor Bubble): No report.
Fish Scales (JAXA): Completed on FD7/ULF-4 and returned on STS-132.
FOAM STABILITY (ESA): No report.
FOCUS: No report.
FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): “Thank you Tracy for your help in the FSL Video Management Unit (VMU) troubleshooting. Sadly enough, when FSL was activated and commanded in C&C mode, same symptoms of errors in VMU KH showed. Under further investigation.”
FWED (Flywheel Exercise Device, ESA): No report.
GENARA-A (Gravity Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis A/ESA): “Tracy, the GENARA-A team wants to thank you for your support to set-up and start the GENARA-A experiment and for your extra effort to swap the Experiment Containers from the A4 and B4 position on your Saturday, on 7/10! It allowed to recover significant part of the science. Hydration of the top CC’s of the EC on positions A3, B2 and B4 was completed by ground commanding on 7/9. A slower flow rate than expected was observed, so the hydration cycle was run twice for each of the CC’s. Hydration of the top CC of the EC at position A4 was however unsuccessful after multiple attempts. Thanks to your activity on 7/10 of swapping EC’s, the top CC of this EC at its new position could then be hydrated successfully and also in this fourth EC seedlings could start germinating! Hydration for all CC’s was completed by 7/10/~20:20, implying a ~28h of delay between the hydration of the first and last Cultivation Chamber. After all hydration, the Rotor-B rotation was started as 1-g rotor and the light cycle (16h day – 8h night) was started. Since then, germination has been observed in all EC’s and the growth is showing to be comparable to ground tests.”
GEOFLOW: No report.
HAIR (JAXA): Sampling sessions for Wheelock and Walker were completed on 7/15.
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): This past week, the HREP team completed Part I of II payload inspections via External mounted cameras. The inspections are to document the current on-orbit condition of various surfaces of the payload, such as the radiator surface, baffle surfaces, and blanket surfaces. Since all systems are functioning very well for HREP, this photo documentation will be helpful as materials degrade and performance follows over time. HICO will continue to image the oil spill and surrounding areas, along with our regular targets around the globe. RAIDS will be out of sun-safe mode and will transition to nominal operations.
ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.
ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “Shannon, thanks to you and Wheels for another successful resting echo scan! We received some very clean, crisp images on the ground for some relatively difficult scan windows. After completion of your ICV flight day 30 Ambulatory Monitoring this weekend and the data download on GMT 200, you’ll have a little break before the next ICV session (at FD75)! Thanks again for all your efforts to provide quality data for the study.”
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.
IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.
KID/KUBIK6: No report.
Kids in Micro-G: “Tracy – we’ve reviewed the video from the activity you executed on 6/30. The video looked great and your narration was perfect! We particularly appreciate the questions you posed back to the students. Great job! We’re awaiting the video for the activities completed on 7/9 and 7/15 from the imagery lab.”
KUBIK 3 (ESA): “Thank you Tracy for all your help in the check-out of the KUBIK3! From the TM received on-ground, all looked good. The data files have been downlinked and provided to the PD team. Full analysis is awaited, but so far it seems like KUBIK3 might be operational again. Big thanks!”
LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): No report.
Matryoshka-2 (RSA): Acquiring science data.
Marangoni UVP (JAXA): 7th run was performed on 7/12-7/13. 8th run is planned on 7/16.
MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, JAXA): Acquiring science data.
MDCA/Flex: See under CIR.
MEIS (Marangoni Experiment for ISS) in JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility): No report.
Microbe-1 (JAXA): No report.
Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.
MMA (JAXA/Microgravity Measurement Apparatus): No report.
MISSE7 (Materials ISS Experiment): MISSE7 is operating nominally.
MPAC/SEED (JAXA): Completed on 19A FD4.
MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox): “Thank you, Shannon, for all your work with installing SAME in MSG this week for us. We were able to go through all the check-out activities on Friday and we have already received the data for our first sample run (overheated silicon rubber). We are currently in the review process for the data which will further help us to build our test matrix. Also, please note that this was the first time the new particle sensor in Commercial Diagnostic 03 was used in micro-gravity. In the upcoming days, we will continue to go through the rest of the samples which are already loaded on the SAME system. Once again, thanks for your hard work.”
MSL (Materials Science Laboratory, ESA): No report.
MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC-1 “Pirs”.
MULTIGEN-1: Completed.
MYCO 2 (JAXA): No report.
MyoLab (JAXA): Completed on 4/20.
NANOSKELETON (Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity, JAXA): Returned on 19A.
NEURORAD (JAXA): No report.
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.
PADIAK: No report.
PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 3/4; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): Dosimeter set-up performed on FD12 of ULF4.
PASSAGES (JAXA): No report.
PCDF-PU (Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility – Process Unit): No report.
PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): Sample launched by 36P; was recovered by 21S.
PCRF (Protein Crystallization Research Facility) Reconfiguration (JAXA): Complete.
PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.
POLCA/GRAVIGEN (ESA): Complete.
Pro K: No report.
RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.
RadSilk (JAXA): Samples were returned to ground on ULF3.
RST/Reaction Self Test (Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Tracy, Wheels and Shannon, thank you for your continued participation in Reaction Self Test!”
SAIBO Rack (JAXA): CB Cleanup and valve C/O will be performed on 7/2.
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): Returned on 19A.
SHERE (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment): Complete.
SLAMMD (Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device): No report.
SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): No report.
SMILES (JAXA): SLOC (submillimeter local oscillator controller) troubleshooting is underway.
SODI/IVIDIL (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Influence of Vibration on Diffusion in Liquids, ESA): No report.
SODI/DSC (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Diffusion Soret Coefficient): No report.
SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory): Sun observation window #30 started on 7/8. Where before a compromise platform offset was applied, now a dedicated offset is set for the measurement of each of the instruments to allow for optimized science measurements for both SOLSPEC and SOLACES instruments. Due to a KU-band outage on 7/13, no data science acquisition was possible for some orbits and the criss-cross measurements foreseen had to be aborted and postponed to 7/14 when they were successfully performed.
SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): “Thanks Wheels, for performing the EPM PCBA S/W Upgrade in preparation for the next SOLO execution.”
Space-DRUMS: No report.
SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): “Shannon: We look forward to the SPHERES test session in the JEM with you next week. Tracy set up the beacons in the JEM her last test session. After verifying the beacons’ locations, you will start with the metrology verification which will be followed by science if the verification is successful.”
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): No report.
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
ULTRASOUND: Planned.
VASCULAR (CSA): No report.
VCAM (Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Module, NASA): “Shannon: We were planning to perform calibration runs this week. Unfortunately, the runs could not be completed due to an anomalous current surge that occurred while the system was in Stand-by mode over the weekend. We will re-schedule these activities once we understand the anomaly and after we establish a new operations protocol. Additionally, we had asked you to close the valve on Friday in order to conserve our Calibrant Gas.”
VESSEL ID System (ESA): Acquiring science data. Commissioning part II was foreseen to start on 7/14 by ground commanding, but had to be postponed to 7/16 due to loss of commanding capability at N-USOC facility.
VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): No report.
VO2max (NASA): No report.
VLE (Video Lessons ESA): No report.
WAICO #1/#2 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels; ESA): No report.
YEAST B (ESA): No report.
CEO (Crew Earth Observations): Through 7/13, the ground has received a total of 1,086 frames of E-24 CEO imagery for review and cataloging. “We are pleased to report your acquisition of the following targets with times corresponding to those of our daily CEO Target Request lists: Mississippi River Delta – more clouds than we anticipated – good views of the lower delta (birds foot) – neither oil nor wet lands damage were visible at this resolution – we will try for more detailed views as opportunities permit; and Mount Vesuvius, Italy – both detailed and context views were acquired with two cameras – we will try for even greater detail with the 800mm lens in the future. We encourage you continue to practice using the cameras, especially on cloud-free targets, whenever you can, and we will provide feedback on your composition and technique. Also, please feel free to provide us feedback on anything we can do to help you locate and acquire our targets. Thanks for your support of our payload.”
Epsilon Aurigae Eclipse Observation: ISS is participating in a significant astronomical observation program just getting underway, followed by thousands of amateur & professional astronomers: the Epsilon Aurigae Eclipse. A specific star in the Constellation Auriga (Charioteer) called Epsilon Aurigae undergoes an eclipse (being occulted) every 27.1 years. This has puzzled astronomers for nearly 200 years. The eclipse lasts nearly two years which, with the 27.1 year period, means the eclipsing body must be gigantic. There may be a temporary brightening at mid-eclipse. There have been no satisfactory explanations to date for this. Is it a giant cloud of gas with a doughnut-like hole, permitting the star to brighten during mid-eclipse? The Sun’s proximity to Epsilon Aurigae, as seen from the ground, prevents observations by ground-based astronomers during mid-eclipse, but astronauts on the ISS, having a different aspect angle, can observe and note changes in relative brightness, as suggested by the AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers) following a talk by NASA-Astronaut John Grunsfeld. The method used by the crew is to compare the brightness of Epsilon Aurigae weekly with three other nearby stars of known & unchanging brightness.
CEO photo targets uplinked for today were Nyiragongo Volcano, Republic of Congo (this nadir pass over this volcano took place during the morning when cloud cover was expected to be minimal. ISS approached the East African Rift Valley from the southwest with the long Lake Tanganyika to the right of track. Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with a well-developed cone with a summit lava lake. Overlapping frames of the stratovolcano and surrounding area were requested. The large shield volcano Nyamuragira is located immediately northwest of Nyiragongo; if visible, imagery of this volcano was also requested. Both volcanoes are located to the north of Lake Kivu), Manama, Bahrain (ISS had a late morning pass in clear weather over the central Persian Gulf and a nadir view of the island nation of Bahrain. As the crew tracked northeastward over Saudi Arabia and approached the coast, they were to look for this capital city of nearly 200,000 on the north end of main island of Bahrain), Epsilon Aurigae (looking left of track, above the limb of the Earth, to observe the brightness of this star, as compared to other stars in the Auriga constellation, described above), Beirut, Lebanon (this capital city of over 2 million is located on the central Lebanese coast. ISS had a late morning pass in fair weather. After tracking northeastward over the Nile River Delta, the crew was to look nadir for this, roughly triangular-shaped, city on a peninsula jutting westward into the Mediterranean Sea), Valletta, Malta (the Maltese islands of Gozo and Malta in the central Mediterranean Sea lie about 100 miles south of the large island of Sicily. The capital city of Valletta with a population of just over 6,000 is located on the north coast of the larger island of Malta. At midday, ISS tracked northeastward off the African coast in fair weather), and Sudbury Impact Crater, Ontario, Canada (ISS had an early-afternoon pass in fair weather over this large impact site. Originally circular, Sudbury impact crater was created approximately 2 billion years ago and has been deformed into an elliptical shape by subsequent geological processes. As ISS tracked northeastward over the central Great Lakes, the crew looked for this target at nadir, just north of Georgian Bay. Overlapping mapping frames, taken along track, were requested).
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————–
07/23/10 — Russian EVA-25 Orlan suited dry-run
07/26/10 — Russian EVA-25 (Yurchikhin/Kornienko) – MRM1 outfitting (~11:25pm-5:25am)
08/05/10 — US EVA-15 (Caldwell/Wheelock)
09/07/10 — Progress M-06M/38P undock
09/08/10 — Progress M-07M/39P launch
09/10/10 — Progress M-07M/39P docking
09/24/10 — Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing (End of Increment 24)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/08/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch – Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka
10/10/10 — Soyuz TMA-20/24S docking
————–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 – “target”
11/10/10 — Russian EVA-26
11/17/10 — Russian EVA-27
11/26/10 — Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing (End of Increment 25)
————–Three-crew operations————-
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/xx/10 — Russian EVA-28
12/26/10 — Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/27/10 — Progress M-09M/41P launch
12/29/10 — Progress M-09M/41P docking
02/02/11 — STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02) ~4:19pm EDT – “target”
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————-
04/26/11 — Progress M-09M/41P undock
04/27/11 — Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/29/11 — 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————-
10/20/11 — 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-23/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/30/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S launch
12/02/11 — Soyuz TMA-25/29S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/??/11 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.
12/26/11 — Progress M-13M/45P undock.
