NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 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, originally intended to be a “half-day off” day for the crew, was reestablished by late change as full working day. Instead, next Friday (4/15) is currently scheduled as full off-duty day.

Early this morning, after BMP filter #2 regeneration was successfully accomplished, FE Sharipov reactivated the Elektron oxygen generator, with the usual precautions, at 16A current setting. The life-giving electrolysis machine is now operating nominally at 64A.

Before breakfast and physical exercise, the Kirghizian flight engineer underwent his second-so-far Russian blood chemistry analysis test PZE MO-11 on Increment 10, assisted by CDR/SO Leroy Chiao as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) as required. The exam was performed with the kits and accessories of the Reflotron-4 blood analyzer and supported by tagup with ground specialists. [Earlier Reflotron versions have operated already on space station Mir. For the test, Sharipov imbibed 250 ml of warm water or plain (unsweetened) tea, after which fresh blood was drawn from his finger with an Autoclix mini-lancet and a Reflotron pipette. Clinical data were then determined from the collected sample. Using various reagent tabs, the blood is tested with strips (KPI) for such parameters as hemoglobin, glucose, bilirubin, amylase, uric acid, triglycerides, urea, creatinin, cholesterol, etc. The tubes with blood samples were temporarily kept cool for the subsequent (post-breakfast) analysis. Reflotron-4 uses 40 W of power, supplied by the Service Module(SM)’s electrical system.]

It is regular air-and-water sampling time again: In the Lab module, the CDR collected a sample of the coolant fluid of the ITCS MTL (Internal Thermal Control System/Moderate Temperature Loop), stowing it in a bag for return to Houston.

Later, Chiao collected air samples at the centers of the Lab and the Service Module (SM) with the Dual Sorbent Tube (DST), instead of the old SSAS (Solid Sorbent Air Sampler), while Sharipov used the Russian AK-1M sampler in the SM and FGB, followed by a check for CO in the SM with the IPD-CO Draeger tubes sampler. (Last time done: 3/9)

Leroy also deployed two passive FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit) sampling assemblies in the Lab (below CEVIS) and SM (most forward handrail), to catch any atmospheric formaldehyde on a collector substrate for subsequent laboratory analysis. (Last time done: 3/8).

Chiao and Sharipov tagged up with descent and landing specialists at TsUP via US S-band to recap procedures and medical aspects of the return. [On the day of descent, scheduled for 4/24, the crewmembers are to don the Kentavr (“Centaur”) anti-g garment plus a medical belt with ECG (electrocardiogram) sensors and to make sure that they have taken water-salt additives.]

The crew reviewed an uplinked overview of the science program dubbed “Eneide”, to be executed by of VC8 (Visiting Cosmonaut #8) Roberto Vittori during his 10-day stay aboard ISS. [“Eneide” is the French word for “Aeneid”, the epic poem in Latin by the poet Virgil about the adventures of Aeneas after the destruction of Troy.]

Both crewmembers continued work on preparing/pre-packing equipment for return to Earth, both on the Shuttle and on Soyuz TMA-5.

Salizhan performed the daily routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including ASU toilet facilities maintenance.

The FE also performed the daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 experiment, including filling its water canister as required, called out on his discretionary task list. Additionally, he completed the regular periodic download of data & imagery collected of the BIO-5 experiment to the computer for subsequent downlink to the ground, [Rasteniya (“plants”) researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.]

Chiao completed the scheduled monthly inspection of the RED (resistive exercise device) with canister cords and accessory straps as well as the canister bolts for re-tightening if required. He also performed the monthly maintenance on the CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation).

The crew conducted their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED 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 1 of a new set).]

Chiao then transferred the daily TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

Sharipov set up the Russian FARMA and SALIVA kits, plus the Reflotron-4 analyzer, for the obligatory pre-return medical tests of the FE starting tomorrow. [MBI-4 “FARMA” (“pharma”) researches particulars of pharmacological effects under long-duration space flight conditions, involving onboard analysis of blood and saliva samples after taking specific drugs, such as Efferalgan from the Saliva-F kit. After ingesting the medication and rinsing carefully, Salizhan will collect saliva samples at several times during the day, preserving them in the Russian Kriogem-03 refrigerator for analysis. Blood parameters will also be analyzed with the Reflotron 4, a clinical analyzer used for periodic biochemical analysis of blood (i.e., today’s MO-11) and saliva to monitor crew health or to be used diagnostically on Flight Surgeon request. The Saliva kit with samples will be returned on Soyuz TMA-5/9S.]

At ~11:46am EDT, Leroy Chiao conducted an amateur (ham) radio exchange with students at Maple Avenue Elementary School in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

This morning at 5:00am Moscow time, the transporter with the Soyuz-F and the Soyuz TMA-6/10S spacecraft departed left the Assembly Facility in Baikonur/Kazakhstan, pulled by its diesel locomotive. It arrived at the launch pad “Place 1” an hour later and was erected on the “Tulip” launcher without issues. First day of final launch activities is underway for tomorrow evening’s launch to ISS. [The Soyuz spacecraft itself was integrated with the launch vehicle on the previous day.]

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 Dhaka, Bangladesh (this was a good nadir pass for this target with excellent lighting and fair weather. As usual, air pollution and a lack of high contrast urban boundaries made this a challenging target. Using the long lens for detail and looking for this large capital in the east central part of the Ganges Delta), Ganges River Delta (if time permitted after mapping Dhaka, the crew was to begin mapping the large islands and channels of the eastern portion of the Ganges Delta), Irrawaddy River Delta, Burma (continuing with this pass, within two minutes of the Ganges Delta, ISS encountered the Irrawaddy River Delta. Again trying for details of the islands and channels), Amman, Jordan (trying for detailed views of the Jordanian capital, situated about 25 miles NE of the northern end of the Dead Sea), and Central America Fires and Smoke (DYNAMIC EVENT: Scores of fires in southern Mexico and northern Guatemala have been burning for weeks now and billowing smoke plumes are drifting northward over the Yucatan Peninsula and the lower Gulf. As ISS approached from the NW, the crew was to look for defining edges of the plume over the water and point sources for the fire plumes inland).

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 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.

Expedition 11/Expedition 10 Flight Timelines:

• Soyuz 10S (Expedition 11+1; Sergei Krikalev, John Phillips, Roberto Vittori):
• Launch — 4/14 (Thu.), 8:46pm EDT;
• Soyuz TV activation (8 km from ISS) — 4/16 (Sat.), 9:42pm
• Start Flyaround — 10:00pm;
• Start Stationkeeping — 10:09pm;
• Final Approach — 10:10pm;
• Docking — 4/16 (Sat.), 10:19pm EDT.

Soyuz 9S (Expedition 10+1; Leroy Chiao, Salizhan Sharipov, Roberto Vittori):

• Undocking from FGB — 4/24 (Sun.), 2:38pm EDT (undock command);
• Sep Burn #1 (manual) — 2:44pm;
• Deorbiting Burn — 5:18pm (4 min 23 sec, delta-V 115.2 m/s);
• Module Sep — 5:43pm;
• Atmospheric Entry — 5:46pm;
• Landing in darkness — 4/24 (Sun.) 6:09pm EDT; 3:09am (4/25) local
• Kustanai/Kazakhstan;
• Sunrise at Kustanai landing site — 5:16am. [Note: Kazakhstan remains on
• Standard Time; thus: local time = GMT+5].

Return to Flight:

• LF-1 (STS-114)/Increment 11 SORR — 4/22 (Friday), at JSC;
• LF1 (STS-114)/Discovery launch windows (all times EDT), for FD3 docking:
• 5/15: 3:45 – 3:55pm;
• 5/16: 2:22 – 2:32pm;
• 5/17: 1:59 – 2:07pm;
• 5/18: 1:34 – 1:44pm;
• 5/19: 1:12 – 1:22pm;
• etc.

Note: For the May/June launch period, the daily 10-minute planar launch window (i.e., in ISS orbit plane) starts an average 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. There are additional opportunities for docking on FD4 (Flight Day 4), not planned. <<<

Other Upcoming Main Events:

• ULF1.1 (STS-121) launch — NET 7/12;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:14am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 355.9 km
• Apogee height — 360.3 km
• Perigee height — 351.5 km
• Period — 91.66 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0006557
• Solar Beta Angle — -18.3 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 95 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 36550

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.