NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 September 2005

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.  Sunday – but not a rest day for Sergei Krikalev & John Phillips, due to yesterday’s arrival of the Progress 19 cargo ship.  The off-duty day (plus house keeping) is scheduled tomorrow.  Ahead:  Week 21 for Increment 11. 

Crew wakeup today was again at a delayed 3:30am EDT (instead of 2:00am). Sleep time begins at the regular 5:30pm.

As part of morning inspection, CDR Krikalev did the periodic checkup behind panel 139 in the Service Module (SM) on a fluid connector of the urine collection system, checking for potential moisture.

The crew spent several hours with the first cargo transfers from the Progress, led off with the food ration packages stowed conveniently close to the hatch tunnel.

Afterwards, Krikalev moved high-priority Russian biotech experiments from the cargo ship to the SM for storage in the Russian Kriogem-03M cooler/glove box, with its thermostat set yesterday to +20 deg.  The setup was then documented with the Nikon D1X digital camera.   [The payloads, MIMETIK-K, Glikoprotyeid, and Vaktsina-K, all contained in the Luch-2 container kit, have the objective to grow protein crystals with high-quality crystalline structure.  A second biotech experiment package, called Kristallizator (TKhX-9) was also transferred to the Kriogem.  Its objectives are the study of physical processes of protein crystallization to obtain structurally perfect protein crystals suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis, and to produce bio-crystal films from a volumetric solution on substrates using the artificial epitaxy effect.]

FE/SO Phillips meanwhile took care of the regular weekly maintenance reboot on the operational PCS (Portable Computer System) laptops and the bi-monthly restart of the OCA comm router SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop. 

Phillips also filled out the regular weekly FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), his sixteenth, which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) software.   [On the MEC, John is using his 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.] 

Working off his discretionary Russian task list, the CDR performed 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.

A second item on Sergei’s “job jar” list for today was another installment of the current session of the “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the Nikon D1X digital camera with f800 mm lens.   [From time to time a fire plume can be seen on Baikal Lake near Olkhon Island as a product of eruption from the bottom of the lake caused by enormous pressure of carbon material.  This phenomenon can be identified from orbit only at night or at dusk.  Taking into account the impact of petroleum products on Baikal Lake environment, it would be prudent to develop a procedure to photograph these plumes as indication of sources for contamination.  Sergei’s task for the current range of coming opportunities is to locate Olkhon Island when ISS is passing over the southern part of Baikal Lake at dark or dusk with no visible clouds, and to find the brightest (possibly the only large) light spot of Khuzhir on the western shore of the island.]

As a third voluntary “time available” task, Krikalev conducted another run of the “Diatomeya” ocean observations program, using the DSR PD-150P video camera on SM window #7 and Nikon F5 digital still camera with 24/85-mm lens from window #8 to obtain oceanographic data on active bioproduction in the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.   [These include bloom areas; vortices; non-uniform cloud cover; coral atolls and reefs; areas of river discharge; observable sea bed features; sea level anomalies; island basins; seas off north-west African coast; the sea basin in the vicinity Gibraltar; and productive areas of Bay of Biscay).  Today’s observations focused, in the Indian Ocean, on the South African Coast, Mozambique Channel, Comoro Islands, Amirante Isles, Seychelles, Laksladweep Islands, Hindustan coast; and, in the Atlantic, on the coast of Brazil, vicinity of underwater Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Cape Verde Islands, Azores, Canaries, coastal shelf of North West Africa, Gibraltar, Bay of Biscay, and Mediterranean.] 

Also off his task list, Sergei performed the long-term recurring task of imaging the externally mounted PKZ-1V Kromka 1-3 contamination experiment tablet.   [The Kromka tablet, deployed on handrail 2614 of the DC-1 “Pirs” docking compartment, collects thruster plume effluents.  The pictures are taken with the Kodak 760 DSC from the EVA hatch 1 (VP1) “illyuminator” (window) in the DC-1.]

The FE performed a zero calibration on the two active U.S. CSA-CPs (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products), primary and backup, to clear up a suspected sensor discrepancy.  Data analysis continues.   [Recent conflicting CO (carbon monoxide) measurements in the ISS using the two onboard CSA-CPs, one showing zero, the other readings from 7 parts per million (ppm) to 9 ppm, are thought to be due to a sensor drift of the back-up unit.  The crew could not determine any particular location where the readings were significantly higher.  To be on the safe side, although the readings are below the seven-day SMAC (Spacecraft Minimum Allowable Concentration) levels, the crew was directed yesterday by TsUP/Moscow to activate the Russian segment BMP Micropurification Unit in CO scrubbing mode.  Flight controllers continued to monitor the CO levels using the SM gas analyzer.]

John performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including the ASU toilet system and today also the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.

Both crewmembers completed 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 1 of a new set).]

Due to the success of the TVIS treadmill R&R (removal & replacement) last week and subsequent ground analysis of ACO (activation & checkout) data, the crew today received the Go to use the strap-like SLDs (subject load devices) on the TVIS through the end of the Increment.

As crew activities went on, at ~9:27am TsUP began with the standard leak checks on the fuel and oxidizer transfer lines from the Progress to the SM, controlled by the Progress’ automated program timing device (APVU). Afterwards, charging of Progress batteries was initiated by the sequencer. [The leak checking period was preceded by a line purge, followed by a 70 sec wait.]

Sergei responded in writing to emailed and uplinked questions of an Italian journalist, Patrizia Giongo, for the renowned weekly science magazine Newton.   [“Which planet would you like to visit and would you accept to hibernate in order to get there, considering the long trip?”]

No CEO (crew earth observations) targets uplinked 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:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

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.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 6:52am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 351.0 km
• Apogee height — 352.5 km
• Perigee height — 349.5 km
• Period — 91.56 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0002253
• Solar Beta Angle — 11.2 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 126 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 38925

Upcoming Events (all times EDT):

• 09/30/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch (~11:54pm)
• 10/03/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S docking (~1:20am)
• 10/11/05 — Soyuz TMA-6/10S landing (~9:06pm)
• 10/18/05 – ISS Reboost
• 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
• 12/21/05 – Progress M-55/20P launch
• 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking.

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.