NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 December 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. Saturday, first of two off-duty days for the crew (except for standard maintenance and optional task list jobs).
As generally every Saturday, Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov performed the standard weekly 3-hr. housecleaning of the station.
At ~5:10am EST, the crew held their once-every-two-weeks teleconference with ISS Program Management at JSC/Houston via S-band/audio, followed at ~9:35 am EST by the weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
For his “Saturday Science” program, CDR/SO Leroy Chiao first reviewed training material for the MFMG (Miscible Fluids in Microgravity) experiment payload, then conferred with the MFMG PI for orientation, before performing the third and fourth of four MFMG experiments. [MFMG operations began in Increment 8. The hardware consists of two syringes (previously prepared in Thermal Test 1) that are connected with a crew drinking straw. The first test, done by Mike Fincke, injected 100% honey into 100% water, whereas the second test, also performed by Fincke, required mixing the honey and water from the first and injecting it into 100% water. Leroy’s experiments today had him, in Test 3, create a syringe of tinted water and connect it to the Honey/Water syringe created in Test 2. After heating the fluids inside the CGBA (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus) to ~35 degC and creating a temperature gradient of 5 to 10 deg between them, the tinted water was injected, recorded with the PD100 camcorder. Test 4 involved the creation of a temperature gradient (with the scopemeter with temperature probe) within 100% honey while injecting ambient temperature tinted water into it.]
The crew performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser, CEVIS cycle and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer.
Afterwards, Leroy 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.
Salizhan completed today’s routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh life support system (including replacement of ASU toilet facility inserts).
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Previous Reports ISS On-orbit Status [HQ] |
Working off the Russian discretionary task list, FE Sharipov transferred new accumulated Matryoshka data tables from the BSPN Matryoshka server via the ISS Wiener laptop to a PCMCIA flash card for subsequent downlink on OCA comm. [Matryoshka automatically takes measurements in the Service Module (SM) and DC-1 docking compartment for studies of on-orbit radiation and long-term dose accumulation, using six SPD dosimeters deployed throughout the Russian segment as well as in a spherical body-simulating Matryoshka-R phantom and a human torso model outside on the SM hull, mounted there during EVA-9 on 2/27/04.]
A second task list item for Salizhan was a session with the Russian Uragan earth-imaging program that had the FE today focus the Kodak DCS760 digital camera with 800-mm lens on scenic views on he ISS track and to both sides of it, and volcanoes in the Andes.
Leroy Chiao was congratulated by Flight Control on yesterday’s successful IFM (inflight maintenance) work on the CDRA (carbon dioxide removal assembly), during which he installed three new sock filters to protect the selector valves from Zeolite debris generated by the desiccant/sorbent beds. [The task took longer than expected due to problems accessing the hydraflow connector of the third bed. A workaround procedure that had been developed for this contingency (after Mike Fincke could not remove this hydroflow coupling in October), utilizing a strap wrench to disconnect the connector, was a successful solution. The MCA (major constituents analyzer) was reactivated after the procedure but data from the unit will not be useable until a zero calibration is performed by the ground today. TCCS (trace contaminants control subsystem) was also turned on. CDRA will be reactivated on Monday.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Ten — 7th):
GASMAP: Thanks to the crew for supporting the monthly routine health check of the GASMAP hardware.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Nothing new.
Hand Posture Analyzer (HPA: Nothing new.
In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI): ISSI video from Test 4 is currently under review.
Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Nothing new.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS continues collecting numerous channels of acceleration data that serve toward characterization of the dynamic vibratory environment on the ISS.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS monitoring of the low-frequency acceleration environment of the space station continues.
Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES): Constant.
Protein Crystal Growth Monitoring by Digital Holographic Microscope (PromISS): Nothing new.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): Nothing new.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): Leroy was thanked for Thanks much for the new BCAT-3 photos of last week. Experimenters are “keenly” awaiting them.
Renal Stone (RS): Nothing new.
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SHERES): Nothing new.
Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Nothing new.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside on the U.S. Airlock. Nominal and collecting data.
Cellular Biotechnology Support Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI): Nothing new.
Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC): Nothing new.
Yeast Group Activation Packs (Yeast GAP): Nothing new.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Nothing new.
Earth Science Toward Exploration Research (ESTER): Nothing new.
Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Nothing new.
Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM): The FMVM PI is looking forward to a crew conference to describe the FMVM experiment and some things learned from previous operations.
Viscous Liquid Foam–Bulk Metallic Glass (Foam): Nothing new.
Effects of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle (BIOPSY): Nothing new.
Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): Planned.
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA): Nothing new.
Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): Nothing new.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Nothing new.
Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE): Nothing new.
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ISS Location NOW |
Crew Earth Observations (CEO): The ground has received and is reviewing a total of 3,467 of CEO images from Inc-10 through 12/7. The return of daylight to the ISS passes through the Northern Hemisphere has dramatically increased the quantity and variety of CEO photos. Although the light is sometimes low, reviewers are now noting numerous, stunning views of snowfall enhanced landscapes. Camera times are looking good. One of the crew’s incredibly sharp 800mm views of Lake Sambhar in northwest India is being published on GSFC’s Earth Observatory website this weekend. In one of the best-focused views to date for Inc-10, the crew documented in tremendous detail the immense, elaborate saltworks on India’s largest salt lake.
Today’s optional CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, no longer limited in the current LVLH attitude, were Salamat Basin fans, Chad (the enormous Salamat swampland is unusual because it is situated right on the continental divide between the Congo and Chad basins. It is therefore one of the most interesting regions of on-continent modern river sediment deposition. The new study of megafans aims to understand where and why major on-continent sedimentation occurs. Mapping swath requested from near nadir as far off track to the right as time allowed), Muglad Basin fans, SW Sudan (the arid Muglad region of SW Sudan contains numerous nested megafans covering 60,000 square kilometers. Mapping swath requested from near nadir as far off track to the left as time allowed), and Pinacates Biosphere Site, Northwest Mexico (this botanically unique, protected region next to the Colorado River Mouth looks dark due to its volcanic rocks. But seasonal changes in vegetation show up as distinct color changes and are of great interest to botanists. Looking just right of track for a mapping swath of overlapping images).
CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:
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.
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.
