NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 Aug 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Sunday rest day. Congratulations and best wishes, Yuri and Ekaterina!
CDR Yuri Malenchenko terminated the bake-out cycle on the BMP micropurification system’s channel 2, moding the channel back to Purify. This restored both filter beds to Purify mode. [The regeneration of the air purifier filter beds is repeated every 20 days. Each bakeout to space vacuum takes about 24 hours.]
As always on Sundays, Malenchenko then collected the weekly data readings of the Service Module (SM)’s toilet flush counter readings (with inspection of the SP urine collection and pretreat assembly) and SVO water supply status counter readings, both for calldown to MCC-M/TsUP.
The CDR then performed the periodic inspection and a functional test of the BRPK-2
air/liquid condensate separator in the SM.
FE/SO Ed Lu prepared the daily delta file for automatic export/import to update the IMS (inventory management system) database, while Yuri attended to the daily routine maintenance on the SOZh life support system which comprises the water supply equipment, food supply subsystem (SOP), and sanitary hygiene equipment (SGO). [Maintenance generally consists of inspection of fluid lines/connections and filter replacement.]
Both crewmembers completed their daily 2.5-h program of physical exercise (aerobic & anaerobic), on TVIS treadmill, RED expander and on the Russian VELO cycle ergometer with load trainer.
The crew had their the weekly PFCs (private family conferences), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/video.
MCC-H thanked the crew for a successful installation of a CCAA (common cabin air assembly) air conditioner jumper hose in the Airlock (A/L). [Engineers were getting concerned about the A/L’s ppH2O/humidity levels and the possibility of condensation forming on the A/L CCAA heat exchanger which was cold because the ITCS LTL (internal thermal control system/low temperature loop) was flowing through it before the jumper installation.]
The Russian Molniya satellite is again providing several hours of one-string command and telemetry capability today and yesterday, after two days of unavailability.
The station’s cabin atmosphere continues to be refreshed with gaseous oxygen (O2) from Progress 10P O2 tanks as long as its supply lasts (originally 50 kg/110 lbs), whenever O2 partial pressure (ppO2) decreases to 160 mmHg. Afterwards, O2 repress will also be performed from Progress 11P. [The Elektron oxygen generator is off, to conserve its service life. The repress valve cycling, by the crew, relies on the U.S. MCA (major constituents analyzer) or CSA-CP (compound specific analyzer-combustion products) instruments to measure the 10mmHg pressure difference.]
Today’s CEO (crew earth observation) targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial locations, were American Samoa (nadir pass over these five volcanic islands with rugged peaks. Surrounding coral reefs are the focus of interest), Jarvis Island (this island lies on the Equator, is 2 miles long and about 8 times the size of Washington’s Mall. Large quantities of guano were removed last century. The island is US territory and now a nature reserve. The surrounding coral reef is of interest), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (nadir pass), Alexandria, Egypt (nadir pass), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (documentation of the rapid progress on major development project of 22 dams and associated roads, power lines and airfields is requested), London, England, Great Britain (hot, clear weather predicted to continue), Berlin, Germany (opportunity to shoot this and other major cities of the sweltering North European Plain), Navassa Island, Caribbean Sea (images of fringing coral reefs needed for global atlas), Lemhi Pass, Montana/Idaho (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: This pass is now only a logging road over the continental divide. It is easy to see as a narrow unforested [i.e. brown] low point between green forested mountain ranges. The explorers crossed here into Idaho on August 12, 1805. Lemhi Pass never came into general use for the westward migrations since other lower passes exist), Camp Fortunate, MT (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Pointing a touch left, on the opposite side of the wide valley east of Lemhi, on the east side of a small lake. On August 13, 1805, Lewis finally made contact with more of Sacagawea’s tribe, the Shoshone. Lewis had to hand his rifles over to the Shoshone to convince them they were not allies of an enemy tribe laying a trap. When Clark arrived later a woman of the tribe recognized Sacagawea immediately. The Shoshone chief turned out to be her brother. This helped Lewis negotiate for horses to cross the mountains ahead. He duly named the spot “Camp Fortunate”), Three Forks, MT (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Looking a touch left, south of Canyon Ferry Lake. Lewis and Clark named the three rivers which combine to form the Missouri [Jefferson, Gallatin, and Madison rivers]. Lewis and Clark were at first unsure if they had actually reached the headwaters [July 25, 1805]), York’s Island, [Townsend, MT] (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Pointing a touch left at the south end of the only large lake in the area, Canyon Ferry Lake, the crew’s visual cue. The group of islands is located on the Missouri river, south of Townsend, Montana. The area bears the name of Clark’s servant and boyhood companion, York), Pompey’s Pillar, MT (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Looking a touch right of track in the well defined Yellowstone River valley [ENE of the city of Billings]. This 200 foot-high rock formation is on the south bank of the river near the point where Interstate Highway 94 converges to within half a mile of the river and then runs parallel with it. Captain Clark’s dated signature is engraved in the rock), and Fort Ramon, MT (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Pointing a touch right, in the Yellowstone River valley, a well defined visual feature. This was a post of the St Louis Missouri Fur Trading Company).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at
http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:09am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 384.5 km
- Apogee — 390.0 km
- Perigee 378.9 km
- Period — 92.24 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0008201
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.61
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 26947
- For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
