NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 September 2004

 
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2004) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.

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

Before breakfast and exercise, both crewmembers completed another session with the periodic Russian MedOps test “Hematokrit” (MO-10) that measures red blood cell count of the blood.   [The blood samples were drawn from a finger with a perforator lancet, then centrifuged in two microcapillary tubes in the M-1100 kit’s minicentrifuge, and its hematocrit value was read off the tubes with a magnifying glass.  It is a well-known phenomenon of space flight that red blood cell count (normal range: 30-45%) tends to go down over time.  After the exam, the data were saved in the IFEP software (In-Flight Examination Program) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer), and Padalka stowed the equipment.]

Afterwards, still going hungry, the crew also completed the blood analysis part of the standard IMG PHS (Integrated Medical Group/Periodic Health Status) assessment, taking turns at assisting as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) and being the examined subject, using the U.S. PCBA (portable clinical blood analyzer).  Clinical evaluation of the PHS protocol followed, and the third part of PHS, subjective evaluation by each crewmember, was performed later in the day.  Afterwards, Mike Fincke completed IFEP data entry for both of them and stowed the hardware.  [The PHS exam, with PCBA analysis and clinical evaluation, is guided by special software (IFEP, in-flight examination program) on the medical equipment computer (MEC).   While PCBA analyzes total blood composition, the blood’s red blood cell content (hematocrit) is measured by the complementary Russian MO-10 protocol.]

FE/SO Fincke conducted the visual T+2d analysis of the Week 18 water samples, collected on 9/8 from the SRV-K hot tap and the EDV container of the water supply system (SVO-ZV), with the WMK (water monitoring kit).  Mike also did another microbial analysis for inflight coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli) detection on samples collected on 9/8 (T+44h).  He then entered the microbiological data in the medical equipment computer.   [The analyses use incubated MCDs (microbial capture devices), SSK (surface sample kit) slides, and MAS (microbial air sampler) Petri dishes.  If Mike’s analysis showed colony growth above specified limits, he was to take digital documentary images.  The used MCDs were discarded.]

CDR Padalka continued the current round of periodic preventive maintenance of Russian segment (RS) ventilation systems.   [Today’s cleaning involved the Group B ventilation fans in the Service Module (SM), plus a checkout of the ventilators and a thorough cleaning of fan screens and flexible air ducts, including the VV2 RO air duct fan grille.]

The crew was thanked for yesterday’s successful ADUM (Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity) session, during which all primary objectives of “Set Z” bone scans were achieved.  Scan A activities may get scheduled next week.

Major attention on today’s schedule focused on CDR Padalka repair work on the failed Elektron oxygen generator.  Supported by tagup with specialists at TsUP/Moscow, Gennady first mated the assembly’s telemetry (TM) connectors to the BITS2-12 onboard TM measurement system for ground monitoring, then began working his way through the procedural steps of clearing the O2 flow coming from the BZh-7 fluid unit and replacing the faulty gas analyzer for hydrogen (H2) in the O2 line.   [Russian experts suspect that potassium hydroxide (KOH) crystals have clogged an orifice of the O2 supply line, which is outside and downstream of the hermetically sealed BZh-7 electrolyzer.  The original troubleshooting plan was to disconnect the O2 line and flush it with water to dissolve the crystals, then purge it with nitrogen for drying, but in a late procedural change, Padalka was instructed to just bypass the restricted orifice in the O2 line by way of using the gas analyzer sampling line, with a flow restrictor removed, to allow full O2 flow through the newly installed analyzer.]

For his next Saturday Science program SO Fincke has selected another session of the MFMG (Miscible Fluids in Microgravity) experiment, plus software loading on the SNFM (Serial Network Flow Monitor) ER-4 laptop and HRF (Human Research Facility) PC hard drive.  Today, he checked out the battery charge of the “Aeolus” electrical scopemeter required for MFMG.

Gennady did the routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, today including the weekly inspection of the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus, while Mike prepared the regular IMS (inventory management system) delta file for export/import to the IMS databases and completed the routine status checkup of the autonomous PCG-STES010 (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System) payload in the Lab (done every Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

The CDR conducted the periodic inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.  Topping its water container off as required was an additional step included in the crew-choice task list.

Also part of Padalka’s task list for today was a brief photography session for the GFI-8 geophysical Uragan (“hurricane”) earth-imaging program, using a digital camera (Kodak 760 DSC or Nikon D1) with 800mm-lens to take pictures of glaciers of the South Patagonia Ice Field descending into lakes.  The raw image files were then to be transferred from the camera’s PCMCIA memory card to the TP2 laptop.

Mike and Gennady completed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer.

At 12:15pm EDT, the crew conducted a 20-min. educational PAO event with United Tribes Technical College at Bismarck, ND.  Local Native American students and educators plus local NASA Explorer School students and teachers talked with the ISS crewmembers who had prepared themselves with student questions uplinked beforehand.   [The downlink event was sponsored by the college in association with the United Tribes International Powwow.  Owned by five Native American reservations in SD and ND, the college invites Native American educators from the area to participate in a Summer Education Institute.  Using NASA’s Distance Learning Network, teachers interact with JSC education specialists to learn more about space exploration and NASA education resources.]

The crew also downlinked a congratulatory address to the 39th Annual K.E. Tsiolkovsky Research Seminar at Kaluga on 9/14-16.   [On 9/17, the 147th anniversary of the birthday of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky will be observed.  Tsiolkovsky, the “Father of Space Flight”, was the first in the world who proposed a scientifically credible theory of human space exploration and the necessity of humans to inhabit outer space, as early as 1883.  Still living in Kaluga today are one granddaughter and three great-granddaughters.  The scientific conference at Kaluga near Moscow, where Tsiolkovsky worked as a teacher and died on September 19, 1935, is an annual affair.]

At 3:50am, the crew had a 10-min. ham radio window to talk on their Sputnik-SM equipment with students at Kingston Community School in Kingston SE, South Australia, using a “telebridge” connection via California and Maryland.

At 12:14pm, the U.S. primary power system’s solar array wings (SAWs), were set by ground command to a drag-reduction bias of 37.5 deg for BGA (Beta gimbal assembly) 2B and -37.5 deg for BGA 4B.   [These bias settings are used in XPOP attitude for solar Beta angles between 55 and 50 degrees.  At lower Beta  regimes: 42.5 deg (2B) & -42.5 deg (4B) for Betas between 50 and 45 deg; and 47.0 deg (2B) & -47.0 deg (4B) for Betas smaller than 45 deg.  “Bias” means that the wing panels are not facing directly into the sun, in order to minimize orbital drag from the remaining atmospheric density.]

Clarification of yesterday’s note on Soyuz port relocation:  Soyuz 8S is currently berthed at the FGB nadir port.  Soyuz 9S, with its three-member crew, will dock on 10/11 at the DC1 “Pirs” airlock module.  After the departure of 8S with Padalka, Fincke and Shargin, Sharipov and Chiao will undock 9S and relocate it to the FGB port on 11/18.  Padalka had suggested doing the relocation still during Increment 9, freeing the FGB port for 9S, but the proposal was turned down by RSC-Energia.
 

Update on in-flight crew debriefs (see 9/8 note):

• Safety — 9/10;
• Onboard Information Technology, part 1– 9/13;
• Communications & Tracking — 9/14);
• Onboard Information Technology, part 2 — 9/20;
• MER (Mission Evaluation Room)/Non-Avionics — 9/22.

For use in today’s ham radio interaction with the Kingston, Australia, students the following ISS measurements were provided to the crew:

• Length from Lab to SM — 44.5 meters (146 feet);
• Length with a Progress resupply vessel docked —  52 meters (170 feet);
• Width across solar arrays — 73 meters (240 feet);
• Height — 27.5 meters (90 feet);
• Mass — 181,629 kg (400,423 lbs.)

Major upcoming events:

• Reboost — 9/22 (phase angle correction for 9S)
• Soyuz 9S launch — 10/9, 1:04am EDT (w/Leroy Chiao, Salizhan Sharipov, Yuri Shargin);
• Soyuz 9S dock — 10/11, 2:15am EDT;
• Soyuz 8S undock — 10/18, 6:58pm EDT (w/Gennady Padalka, Michael Fincke, Yuri Shargin);
• Soyuz 8S land — 10/18, 10:22pm EDT;
• Soyuz 9S port relocate — 11/18;
• Progress 15P undock – 11/23;
• Progress 16P launch — 11/24;
• EVA-12 – 12/28;
• Progress 16P undock – 1/29/05;
• Progress 17P launch – 1/30/05;
• EVA-13 – 2/21/05;
• Shuttle/LF1 launch – NET 3/6/05;
• Shuttle/LF1 undock – NET 3/16/05.

Expedition 9 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.

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 Patagonian Glaciers, South America (looking to the left of track for the northern ice fields.  Researchers are particularly interested in detailed photography of the smaller glaciers to complement the existing data coverage), Namib dust plume, SW Africa (Dynamic Event.  A probable dust plume is visible in weather satellite imagery.  Looking to the right of track off of the Orange River mouth for a plume heading due west), Internal waves, Patagonian Shelf (clear weather was predicted to continue over southern South America.  Looking to the left of track for the sunglint point and internal waves close to the shoreline), and Brazilian smoke, central South America (Dynamic Event.  Fires in Brazil continue to generate large volumes of smoke throughout central South America.  Looking to the right of track and east of the Andes for smoke plumes).

CEO images can be viewed at these websites:

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

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 9 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-9/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

U.S. & Russian Segment Status  (as of today, 1:26pm EDT)
 
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):

• Elektron O2 generator is Off.  Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On.  U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off.  TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is On.  SM Gas Analyzer has been calibrated and is used for ppO2 & ppCO2 monitoring.  MCA (major constituents analyzer) is Off.  BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.  RS air conditioner SKV-1 is Off. SKV-2 is Off (SM panel mods completed 4/8; SKV-2 activation failed 4/20; is still considered failed).  SFOG slot #2 fan suspect (not usable).
•  
• SM Working Compartment:  Pressure (mmHg) — 743; temperature (deg C) — 25.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — 150.5; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.7.
• SM Transfer Compartment:  Pressure (mmHg) — 741; temperature (deg C) — 20.0.
• FGB Cabin:  Pressure (mmHg) — 744; temperature (deg C) — 23.3.
• Node:  Pressure (mmHg) — 741.1; temperature (deg C) — 24.6 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• U.S. Lab:  Pressure (mmHg) — 744.2; temperature (deg C) — 23.9; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock):   Pressure (mmHg) — 744.4; temperature (deg C) — 28.3; shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
• (n/a = data not available)

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

• Both P6 channels fully operational.  BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Autotrack (solar-tracking, “sun slicer”, i.e., drag reduction-biased by 37.5 deg angle for 2B, -37.5 deg for 4B).
• SM batteries:  Battery #3 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (7) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.  
• FGB batteries:  Battery #3 is off line.  All other batteries (5) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
• Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby mode; PCU-2 is in Standby mode.

Command & Data Handling Systems (C&DH)

• C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is backup, and C&C-3 is in standby.
• GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is backup.
• INT-2 is operating; INT-1 is Off.
• EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off (backup).
• LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
• PL-1 MDM is Off; PL-2 MDM is Operational.
• APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
• SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
• SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
• FGB MDM-1 is Off (failed, 11/21/03); MDM-2 is Operational.

Propulsion System (PS):

• Total propellant load available: 4408 kg (9718 lb) as of 9/8/04;  [SM(552) + FGB(3388) + Progress M(468)].  (Capabilities: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Attitude Control Systems (ACS):

• 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed, since 6/6/02; CMG-2’s RPC-17 failed 4/21/04; was replaced 6/30/04).
• State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
• Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
• Angular rate source — RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

• XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 180.5 deg, pitch: -6.9 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist) until 9/2 for EVA-11, then back to XPOP until next reboost (9/22).

Communications & Tracking Systems (C&T):

• FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
• All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
• S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
• Ku-band is operating nominally.
• Audio subsystem is operating nominally (IAC-1 is prime, IAC-2 is off).
• Video subsystem operating nominally.
• HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

• SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF/LEE A, operational on redundant string, off on prime.
• MBS: KA (keep alive) power on both strings. 
• MT: latched and mated at WS4. 
• POA: KA power on both strings.
• RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is On (DCP connected); Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 12:29pm EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 360.3 km
• Apogee height — 364.0 km
• Perigee height — 356.5 km
• Period — 91.75 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0005574
• Solar Beta Angle — 55.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.69
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 33174

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.