NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 June 2005
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2005) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
In response to CDR Krikalev’s request yesterday for more crewtime allotted for Progress 17 trash stowage, today’s schedule was bolstered by an additional 1.5 hrs for almost 3.5 hrs of transferring and stowing discarded material in the cargoship-turned-trashcan, with more time planned next week prior to its jettisoning on 6/15 (Wednesday).
Continuing his troubleshooting on the Elektron water electrolysis system, the CDR today attempted to transfer KOH electrolyte (potassium hydroxide) from Liquid Unit #5 (BZh-5) to BHZh-7. For unknown reasons, the electrolyte would not transfer. The crew was asked to disassemble the transfer setup pending further evaluation by TsUP/Moscow.
FE/SO Phillips attempted to troubleshoot UOP-4 (Utility Outlet Panel 4) load components in the Lab, but the efforts were aborted because the on-orbit configuration was different from the configuration assumed in the procedure. The procedure will be updated to reattempt the troubleshooting. [The checkout focuses on those load components that were connected to the UOP at the time the RPC-4 (Remote Power Controller #4) tripped in November 2004. The UOP itself was exonerated in the preceding Increment in December last year.]
In preparation for future maintenance ops, John retrieved a spare MPEV (Manual Pressure Equalization Valve) from behind a Node panel, unfastening it from its stowage bracket and placing it in temporary stowage.
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The CDR set up the Russian “Relaksatsiya” spectrometer and video camera at Service Module (SM) window 12 for conducting today’s planned test of the Plasma-ISS experiment, aimed at acquiring day/night lighting condition measurements. The activities were supported by specialist tagup and the hardware stowed after their conclusion. [The experiment studies near-station and ISS surface electroplasmic processes and their effects on ISS systems and elements. The US P6 solar arrays create static-electricity potentials of ~160 volts on the structure, and two PCUs (Plasma Contactor Units) are commonly used during EVA (or tests) to emit Xenon plasma to keep shell surface potentials at <40V. Because of the high orbital speed (i.e. high collision energy between the Xenon plasma and atmospheric oxygen) a weak optical emission (glow) can be observed. The experiment uses the onboard "Relaksatsiya" ("relaxation") equipment with its Fialka-MV-Kosmos multispectral hardware (spectrometer, video camera plus Laptop 3 software) to observe the PCU plasma jet emission luminescence from SM windows #12 & #13 in late June and early August. Today's test measurements were to ensure successful experiment execution later.]
John Phillips filled out the regular weekly FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), his sixth, which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special MEC (medical equipment computer) software. [With the updated MEC software, John is using a new “personalized” file that reflects the food flown for his Increment. The FFQ records amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. IBMP (Institute of Biomedical Problems)-recommended average daily caloric value of the crew’s food intake is 2200-2300 cal. If larger quantities of juices and fruits are taken into account, the value can go to 2400-2500 cal.]
John performed the regular weekly and monthly maintenance steps on the TVIS treadmill, including an inspection of the Russian and US tie-down harnesses for any damage. [The FE, who has had some difficulties in using the TVIS under the recently imposed tie-down restrictions, was now given the Go to chose his own bungee configuration, with two or more “French clips” to impose the necessary distributed loads on hips and shoulders. A newly designed US harness will arrive on LF-1/STS-114. TVIS hardware concerns are lifetime issues, and it is desirable to stretch the life of all TVIS replaceables until post LF-1, when most will be replaced with new hardware.]
Both crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 2 of a new set).]
Afterwards, the FE transferred the exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
Phillips took the periodic (weekly) reading of the cabin air’s current CO2 partial pressure in the SM and Lab, using the U.S. CDMK (CO2 monitor kit), for calldown (along with the battery status) to be used in trending analyses.
John also conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including its ASU toilet system plus today the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK), and from his voluntary “job jar” task list prepared the regular IMS “delta” file for export/import to the IMS databases.
Sergei held the weekly IMS (inventory management system) tagup with specialists at TsUP/Moscow, discussing open issues concerning identification of equipment and storage locations for the IMS databases. [Issues under discussion today included equipment transferred to 17P not logged yet in the IMS, VC8 payload equipment slated for disposal, confirmation of locations of items listed in the IMS found during Sergei’s recent search, etc.]
Working off his “job jar” task list, Krikalev had another session with the “Uragan” earth-imaging program, focusing the Nikon D1X No. 3 digital camera with 800-mm lens on targets called out on an uplinked list. [Today’s targets included successive detailed strip photography of farm lands in the Rostov region, the edge of the semi-desert and Volga delta to the NW of Astrakhan, the seaside game reserve section of the Volga delta, the root section of Mangyshlak Peninsula between sea and bay, small-scale survey photography from ISS track to Amudarya passageway along the river, the port of Sovetskaya Gavan, both of Sakhalin coasts, volcanoes of South Kamchatka, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski, city and port, and the Komandorskie Islands.]
Also off the task list, Krikalev conducted the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, including filling its water canister for the Lada-7 greenhouse as required.
At ~4:40am EDT, the FE set up the Ku-band “NetMeeting” video equipment and at 10:30am conducted a 20-min. interactive PC/video exchange with students at Southern Lehigh Middle School.
At ~5:10am, Phillips used the SM’s amateur radio equipment to engage in a ham radio exchange with students at Zürich International School at Horgen, Switzerland. [The Zürich International School (ZIS) is a co-ed school for students from pre-school at age 3 to graduation at age 18. ZIS has more than 900 students located at four different campuses in the Zürich area, from countries around the world and primarily from expat families.]
During the night the Russian automated daily timeline system (SPP) in the SM performed fuel and oxidizer line purging on the plumbing Progress 17 and the SM.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Dara Battlefield, Turkey (broader views will help future attempts to home in for detailed images. Background: Researchers hope handheld images will reveal traces in the landscape of a military trench and earthworks built by the Romans in July AD 530. The trench is described as deep and wide enough [probably 1-2 miles long] to deter a 50,000-strong Persian army from attacking a 25,000-man Roman army. This forced the attack to fall on the Roman wings, and by dictating tactics resulted in a complete victory for the Romans), Tropical Storm Arlene, Gulf of Mexico (Dynamic event. ISS passed almost over the predicted center of this weak, ill-defined storm that is not expected to strengthen. Looking forward for the best broad views of the whole diffuse system that is bringing heavy rain to Honduras, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba. Arlene is expected to make landfall in the US on the east Gulf coast), and Colima Volcano, Mexico (Dynamic event. Mexico’s most active volcano continues to spew smoke and ash, recently to almost 30,000 feet after a large explosion on June 5. Several nearby villages have been readied for evacuation. Nadir pass: looking between the coast and Lake Chapala).
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:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 11 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.
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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:14am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 351.2 km
- Apogee height — 354.1 km
- Perigee height — 348.3 km
- Period — 91.56 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0004306
- Solar Beta Angle — -11.5 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 96
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 37463
Some Increment 11 Main Events (not final):
- Progress M-52 (17P) undock — 6/15 (4:13pm EDT);
- Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/16 (7:09pm EDT, Baikonur: 6/17, 5:09am)
- Progress M-53 (18P) dock — 6/18 (8:46pm EDT);
- PMA-3 depress — 6/22 (4:50am EDT);
- Reboost — 6/29 (4:21pm, delta-V 2.3 m/s);
- LF-1/STS-114 launch — NET 7/13 (18-day window opens);
- LF-1/STS-114 dock — NET 7/15 (adding 110,713 kg to ISS mass);
- Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) relocate (from DC-1 to FGB) — ~8/16;
- Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24 (dock 8/26);
- ULF1.1/STS-121 launch — NET 9/9 (launch window opens);
- 12A/STS-115 launch — NET 2/16/06;
- 12A.1/STS-116 launch — NET 4/23/06;
- 13A/STS-117 launch — NET 7/13/06.
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.
