NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 March 2005

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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. 

Progress M-53 (17P) continues closing in for rendezvous, with docking set for tomorrow at 3:15pm EST.   [Last night, course correction burn DV1 was initiated at 5:51pm, DV2 at 6:37pm.  A third burn, DV3, is scheduled for today at 2:54pm.  On Wednesday (3/2), in the event of a failure of the “Kurs” AR&D (automated rendezvous & docking) system during final rendezvous, Sharipov can perform necessary guidance functions of the Progress from the Service Module (SM) with the manual TORU system via two hand controllers, to attempt the docking manually.  Kurs-A (on 17P, turned on ~1:41pm) and Kurs-P (on SM, turned on ~1:43pm) will confer and “compare notes” at ~1:44pm; Klest TV camera & floodlight plus narrow-beam light are turned on at 8 km (~2:38pm) and three successive braking burns lead into flyaround mode (400 m), stationkeeping (170 m, ~3:04pm), and final approach (~3:06pm).   After its two-day chase, 17P will dock at the SM aft end at ~3:15pm.  Its 2.5 tons of cargo includes crew supplies (food, batteries, office supplies, and clothing), water, oxygen, air, new spares, a replacement heat exchanger for the US EVA systems, software upgrades on CD-ROMs, gear for 22 US & Russian science experiments, propellants, and other critically required items that “made” it onboard the manifest.]

After station inspection and morning hygiene, before breakfast and first exercise, CDR/SO Leroy Chiao and FE Salizhan Sharipov performed another session of the periodic Russian biomedical assessments PZEh-MO-8 (body mass measurement) and PZEh-MO-7 (calf volume measurement).  The FE set up the MO-8 “scales” and later broke it down and stowed it away.   [Calf measurements (left leg only) are taken with the IZOG device, a custom-sewn fabric cuff that fits over the calf, using the knee and lower foot as fixed reference points, to provide a rough index of deconditioning in zero-G and effectiveness of countermeasures.  For determining body mass in zero-G, where things are weightless (but not massless), the Russian “scales” (IM) measure the inertial forces that arise during the oscillatory motion of a mass driven by two helical metering springs with known spring constants.  By measuring the time period of each oscillation of the unknown mass (the crewmember) and comparing it to the period of a known mass, the crewmembers mass is calculated by the computer and displayed].

In preparation for the critical arrival of 17P, the crew conducted the standard 3-hr. training course on the TORU teleoperated control system.  The drill involved a review of procedures and docking/math model data, UHF/S-band tagup with a ground instructor, and onboard training on a special TORU simulation program with video on laptop computer TP2.   [Flown on the simulator were all phases of rendezvous, flyaround, final approach and docking, plus off-nominal situations like no comm in the SM-to-17P or 17P-to-SM channels, loss of TV feed, display format hang-up on the SM’s Simvol-TS screen, and docking failure of TORU before capture.  During Kurs-controlled rendezvous, the TORU is in hot standby mode, and it would allow FE Sharipov to perform necessary guidance functions manually from the SM via two hand controllers in the event of a failure of the “Kurs” automated rendezvous and docking (AR&D) of the Progress.  Should the docking attempt fail, the cargo ship’s motions would be controlled by Salizhan from a console by viewing the approach to the ISS on the Simvol-TS screen as seen by the Klest-M television camera mounted on the Progress, followed by stationkeeping at 30m.  Final approach should then be initiated not earlier than 3:20pm to ensure RGS coverage, important for situational awareness, although remote TORU control from the ground is not available at this point.  Nominal docking will be outside RGS (Russian ground site) coverage.]

CDR Chiao set up television connections in the SM for covering the docking with US assets.  This included hooking up the UOP DCP (utility outlet panel/display & control panel) power bypass cable at the CUP RWS (Cupola robotic work station).   [With the video available on an SSC (station support computer) A31p laptop in “Zvezda”, it can be routed via OpsLAN to the US segment and downlinked from there to MCC-Houston via Ku-band for subsequent transmittal to TsUP/Moscow.  The TV set-up preps concluded with a downlink test of the configuration via Ku-band, after which the A31p was deactivated, with all cabling left intact until after the docking.]

Sharipov retrieved the Motorola-9505 Iridium satellite phone from its location in the Soyuz TMA-5 descent module (DM) and initiated the monthly recharging of its lithium-ion battery, a 30-min. process.  The charging was monitored every 10-15 minutes as it took place, and upon completion Salizhan returned the phone inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed it back in the DMs operational data files (ODF) container.   [The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry and landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown.  The Russian-developed new procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials with an NCR (Non-Compliance Report) valid for the particular satphone in question, i.e., for the remainder of this Increment, according to which it is no longer necessary to double-contain the phone in two CTBs (crew transfer bags) for recharging its lithium-ion battery.  During the procedure, the phone is left in its fluoroplastic bag with open flap.]

Supported by a newly uplinked list of Russian items for prepacking, Leroy and Salizhan spent some time on gathering and packing various gear to be returned on STS-114/Discovery (LF-1) for recycling.   [The list includes 65 electronic components of Kurs autopilot systems from seven Progress and three Soyuz ships that have accumulated in FGB stowage due to the Shuttle standdown, a BZh liquid unit for the Elektron, an SNT voltage & current stabilizer, video cassettes, a BSMM payload computer and other recyclable items.]

In the SM, the FE deactivated the IK0501 gas analyzer (GA) of the pressure control & atmospheric monitoring system (SOGS) and exchanged its BF carbon dioxide (CO2) filter assembly with a new unit from FGB stowage (replaced last: 1/18/05).  GA was reactivated and the spent BF stowed for disposal.   [IK0501 is an automated system for measuring CO2, O2, and H2O in the air as well as the flow rate of the gas being analyzed.]

Working off the discretionary Russian task list, Salizhan performed the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 experiment, including water tank top-off as required.  Plants-2 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.

Leroy completed the routine SOZh/ECLSS servicing/inspection in the SM, including the ASU toilet facilities.  Also included in the maintenance today was the weekly checkup on the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus.  Salizhan meanwhile prepared the regular IMS delta file for the daily automated export/import to the three IMS databases on the ground, working off the discretionary job jar task list.

The crew conducted their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser, CEVIS cycle and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer.   [Salizhan’s daily protocol currently prescribes a four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO (today: Day 4 of a new set).]

Leroy then transferred the daily TVIS & RED exercise data files to the MEC (medical equipment computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

In support of tomorrow s 17P docking (3:15pm EST), the crew s sleep cycle, beginning today at the regular 4:30pm, will shift overnight by 5.5 hours.  Wakeup will be at 6:30am tomorrow morning (instead of 1:00am), bunk time tomorrow night at 10:00pm, followed by a 6:30am wakeup on Thursday and shifting back to 3:00am on Friday & Saturday, with final return to 1:00am on Sunday.

A new unprioritized list of Saturday Science options for Dr. Chiao was uplinked for his selection later tonight.  Because of the sleep shifting, science time will be limited on Saturday.   [The options for 3/5 are BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 3), MFMG thermal test 3 (of 4), FMVM (Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement) experiment ops, and BCSS-FDI (Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage -Fluid Dynamics Investigation) Tissue Culture Module (TCM) supplementation.]

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the science window, which is available for only ~1/4 of each orbit when not facing forward (in ram), were High Central Andean Glaciers (this overpass took the ISS along the eastern front of the Andes.  Imagery of the small mountain glaciers is requested for monitoring of changes to glacier termination locations and ice extent), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (the station passed over the Lake Poopo region; this provides an opportunity for photography of the Lake and smaller salars to the south.  Images of these basins are useful for monitoring water level fluctuations in response to regional climate conditions), and Patagonian Glaciers, S. America (the smaller mountain glaciers of northern Patagonia were visible during this overpass to the right of track.  Detailed mapping swaths across the smaller ice fields were requested.  These are useful for monitoring changes to the size and location of the cirque [mountain] glaciers in response to regional climate variations).

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography/

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 10 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 10 Flight Crew Plans can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/

Previous NASA ISS On-orbit Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Station Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Shuttle Processing Status Reports can be found here. A collection of all of these reports and other materials relating to Return to Flight for the Space Shuttle fleet can be found here.

Upcoming Key Events:

• Progress M-52 (17P) docking Wednesday, 3/2 (3:15pm EST); — timeline see below.
• EVA-13 — 3/25;
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) launch — 4/15 with Expedition 11 (CDR Sergei Krikalev, FE/SO John Phillips);
• Soyuz TMA-5 (9S) undocking — 4/25 with Exp. 10 crew (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS);
• LF1 (STS-114) — NET 5/12;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/10;
• ULF1.1 (STS-121) — NET 7/10;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.

Progress 17P (all times EST):

• Midcourse correction burn DV3:  3/1, 2:54pm;
• Kurs-A/P system acquisition:  3/2, ~1:43pm;
• Video link activation (at ~8 km):  ~2:38pm;
• Flyaround mode start (at ~400 m):  2:55pm;
• Stationkeeping (at ~170m, in darkness):  3:04pm;
• Final approach start (in sunlight):  3:06pm;
• Local sunset:  3:12pm;
• Docking (in darkness, w/flood & narrow-beam lights): 3:15pm. (If the automated Kurs rendezvous fails, there remain ~20 min. for manual TORU ops, until next day).
• Hatch opening — 3/2, 6:28pm.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 6:13am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 357.8 km
• Apogee height — 360.6 km
• Perigee height — 354.9 km
• Period — 91.70 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0004216
• Solar Beta Angle — 40.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.70
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 110 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 35874

ISS Altitude History

Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html. In addition, information on International Space Station sighting opportunities can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. The current location of the International Space Station can be found at http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.