NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 March 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.  Sunday, second rest day for the crew.  Today Expedition 10 completes 151 days in space (149 aboard ISS), with 43 days to go.  Ahead: Week 21 of Increment 10.

Salizhan Sharipov performed the daily routine inspection of the SOZh life support system in the Service Module (SM) and completed the weekly task of collecting toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.

At ~1:45pm, the FE had his weekly PFC (private family conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/NetMeeting video.

Working off the voluntary Russian task list, Salizhan performed the regular daily 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.

The crew conducted their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser, CEVIS cycle 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 4 of a new set).]

EVA-13, in Orlans from the DC1 docking module, has been rescheduled for 3/28 (a Monday).  Because of this change plus the required checkout of the spacewalk-installed PCE (Proximity Communication Equipment) antennas, the ISS attitude plan was modified.   [After switching to earth-fixed LVLH XVV (local vertical local horizontal/x-axis in velocity vector) on 3/17, the station will maneuver back to XPOP on 3/28 for the EVA, to LVLH YVV (y-axis in velocity vector) on 4/6 for the PCE testing, and back to XPOP on 4/7, ready for the 10S docking on 4/17.  The two PCE antennas for the European ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) will join two PCE antennas, WAS-1 & -2, installed previously during EVA-10.]

NO CEO 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:

• 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.

Upcoming Key Events:

• Reboost — 3/25 (5:00am EST; ~1.65 m/s);
• EVA-13 — 3/28;
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) launch — 4/15 with Expedition 11 (CDR Sergei Krikalev, FE/SO John Phillips & VC7 cosmonaut Roberto Vittori/ESA-Italy;
• Soyuz TMA-6 docking 4/17;
• Soyuz TMA-5 (9S) undocking — 4/25 with Exp. 10 crew (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS) and VC7 cosmonaut Vittori;
• LF1 (STS-114) — NET 5/12;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/10;
• ULF1.1 (STS-121) — NET 7/10;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 10:45am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 356.5 km
• Apogee height — 359.2 km
• Perigee height — 354.2 km
• Period — 91.67 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0003806
• Solar Beta Angle — 26.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 130 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 36065

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.