NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 April 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. Today Expedition 10 completes 180 days in space (178 aboard ISS), with 13 days to go. Underway: Week 25 of Increment 10.
After wake-up at 1:00am EDT, station inspection and morning hygiene, before breakfast and first exercise, the crew 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” equipment 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 crewmember’s mass is calculated by the computer and displayed].
After breakfast Sharipov began his first session of the standard 24-hour recording of his ECG (electrocardiogram) under the Russian MedOps MO-2 protocol. [For the ECG recording, the FE donned the five-electrode Holter harness that read his dynamic (in motion) heart function from two leads over the next 24 hours and records data on the “Kardioregistrator 90205” unit. The CDR/SO was available to assist in the harness donning and will also stand by for tomorrow’s doffing.]
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Leroy Chiao performed routine maintenance on the CSA-CPs (compound specific analyzer-combustion products), then used the new CSA-CPs for the monthly cabin air spot check, taking readings for O2 (oxygen), CO (carbon monoxide), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), HCl (hydrogen chloride) in SM and Lab, as well as battery ticks for calldown.
The crew conducted another standard fit check of the Kazbeks, the contoured shock absorbing seats in the Soyuz 9S descent capsule (SA). [This required them to remove the cabin suit and don their Sokol communications caps, getting into in their seats in their underwear and assessing the degree of comfort and uniform body support provided by the seat liner. Using a ruler, they also measured the gap between the top of the head and the top edge of the structure facing the head crown. The results were reported to TsUP. Kazbek-U couches are designed to withstand g-loads during launch and orbital insertion as well as during reentry and brake-rocket-assisted landing. Each seat has two positions: cocked (armed) and noncocked. In cocked position, they are raised to allow the shock absorbers to function during touchdown. The fit check assures that the crewmembers, whose bodies gain in length during longer-term stay in zero-G, will still be adequately protected by the seat liners for their touchdown in Kazakhstan. 9S serves as CRV (crew return vehicle) in the event of a contingency and for the end-of-mission return of Chiao and Sharipov (plus Roberto Vittori) to Earth on 4/24.]
Salizhan started the “bake-out” cycle to vacuum on absorbent bed #1 of the Russian regenerable harmful impurities removal system (BMP). Later tonight, the bake-out to space will be terminated and the vent valve closed. [Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hours. The BMP is currently still using the same vacuum vent valve for regeneration as the Elektron (the latter for venting hydrogen).]
The Elektron is still inactive. An attempt at reactivation will be made early in the morning on 4/13 (Wednesday), over RGS (Russian ground sites). If it fails, further work will be postponed until after Soyuz 10 docking operations (4/16).
Early this morning, TsUP/Moscow performed an atmosphere refresh from Progress 17 oxygen storage that added ~9 mmHg/Torr of O2.
Sharipov completed another task on the Russian satellite navigation system (ASN-M) in the Service Module (SM), switching and reconnecting cables of the four NPM receiver module units in support of more ground-commanded testing (begun on 2/27) of joint operation of units 1 & 3 and 1 & 2.
Later, Salizhan dismantled the two “Klest” (KL-152) TV cameras and their light units in the Soyuz 9S descent module for return to the ground on LF-1/STS-114.
The FE also worked on another Russian IPK-1M gas mask (of seven total), upgrading it with a new nozzle attachment. The work was supported “as needed” by tagup with TsUP. [This upgrading is a longer-term activity that started with the first mask on 3/10.]
Working off the voluntary Russian task list, Salizhan performed the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, including filling its water canister as required. [Rasteniya researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.]
Salizhan performed the daily routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including ASU toilet facilities and today also the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK). From the Russian discretionary “job jar”, the FE also prepared the regular IMS “delta” file for the daily automated export/import to the three IMS databases on the ground.
Chiao and Sharipov continued work on preparing/pre-packing equipment for return to Earth, both on the Shuttle and on Soyuz TMA-5.
The crew conducted their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser, 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 2 of a new set).]
Leroy then transferred the daily TVIS and 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.
The crew completed calibration on the SchRED (Schwinn RED) canisters, required due to scheduled cord replacement last week. [The calibration involves taking load readings at various canister Flexpak settings. The exerciser continues to function nominally.]
The ISS CMGs (control moment gyros) have experienced at least one torque event each day over the weekend. These events, which consisted of gimbal rate reactions (response to a disturbance) without elevated spin motor currents or vibration, appear to correspond to RED exercise periods.
At ~3:36am, the two Mission Control Centers ran a test of the video link from Houston, and at ~5:15am, TsUP/Moscow conducted a 20-min. press conference with the crew, preparatory to Denj Kosmonavtov (Cosmonautics Day) tomorrow, — celebrating Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering flight into space 44 years ago.
Also tomorrow 24 years ago, Space Shuttle Columbia had its maiden flight, with John Young and Bob Crippen. And 20 years ago tomorrow, Senator Jake Garn flew into space as a crewmember on the 16th Shuttle flight, Discovery STS-51D.
No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets today.
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 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.
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Upcoming Key Events:
- Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) launch — 4/14 (8:46pm EDT); with Expedition 11 (CDR Sergei Krikalev, FE/SO John Phillips & VC8 cosmonaut Roberto Vittori/ESA-Italy); launch time at Baikonur: 6:46am on 4/15.
- Soyuz TMA-6 docking — 4/16 (10:17pm EDT);
- Soyuz TMA-5 (9S) undocking — 4/24 (2:38pm EDT) with Exp. 10 crew (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS) and VC8/”Eneide” cosmonaut Vittori;
- Soyuz TMA-5 landing — 4/24 (6:04pm EDT (Kustanai: 4:04am on 4/25) ;
- Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/10;
- ULF1.1 (STS-121) launch — NET 7/12;
- Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
- Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.
Return to Flight:
- LF1 (STS-114)/Discovery launch — 5/15 (launch window: 3:45-3:55pm EDT).
Note: For the May/June launch period, the daily 10-minute planar launch window (i.e., in ISS orbit plane) will start ~23 minutes earlier each day, extends into early June and closes due to current constraints of Daylight Launch (6/7) or ET umbilical photo opportunity (6/3). Figures are approximate.
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.
