NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 November 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 weekend rest day. Congratulations to the crew on completing their first month in space!
CDR/SO Chiao and FE Sharipov performed the regular weekly 3-hr. task of thorough station cleaning. [“Uborka”, done every Saturday, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table and other surfaces with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises.]
Leroy Chiao took the periodic (weekly) reading of the cabin air’s current CO2 partial pressure in the SM and Lab, using the U.S. CDMK (CO2 monitor kit), for calldown (along with the battery status) for use in trending analyses.
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Previous Reports ISS On-orbit Status [HQ] |
Working off the Russian “job jar” task list, after routine communications check between the ISS “Wiener” laptop and the Matryoshka server (BSPN) via broadband Ethernet, Salizhan Sharipov performed the regular periodic transfer of new accumulated Matryoshka measurement tables from the BSPN to a PCMCIA memory card in the Wiener laptop (using a program called ShellForKE), for subsequent downlink on U.S. OCA comm. [Matryoshka automatically takes radiation measurements in the 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.]
The CDR demated and removed the UOP DCP (utility outlet panel/display & control panel) bypass power cable at the Lab RWS (robotics work station) that was used to support video camera coverage of the past week’s SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) proficiency training.
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At ~5:30am EST, the crew held their once-every-two-weeks teleconference with ISS Program Management at JSC/Houston via S-band/audio.
Later, at ~9:20am, Leroy and Salizhan conducted the weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, during which they discussed next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (regularly prepared jointly by MCC-H and MCC-M planners), via S-band/audio.
The FE conducted the routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh (environment control & life support system), with the weekly data collection of toilet flush counter readings, inspection of the SP urine collection and pretreat assembly, and SVO water supply status counter readings, all for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.
The crew performed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser, and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. Afterwards, Chiao downloaded TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC (medical equipment computer), currently six times a week to support early review on the ground.
In trying to “ghost” (generically reload/reformat) a hard drive (HD #6106) in the SM PCS laptop, which had shown an unexpected message during the weekly reboot, Chiao ran into a problem that prevented continuing with the procedure. Until resolved by the ground, functionality of the PCS is retained with another HD (#6095). [There are currently two functioning PCS (portable computer system) machines and one good spare HD.]
Operational data exchanges between ISS RS (Russian segment) and RGS (Russian ground stations) during RGS passes today, as routinely every day, involved uplinks of pre-stored commands for automated onboard algorithms/programs, daily time settings, attitude prop expenditure limits (currently set at 80 kg), time synchronization and state vector elements, downlinks of RCT (Russian contingency telemetry), navigation sightings from the Russian BOKS star mapper’s emergency buffer, GTS (Global Timing System) status indicators, and daily checks & tests of RS smoke detectors and IP-1 air flow sensors, as well as status of SM and DC1 power buses. Similar exchanges are regularly going on between USOS (U.S. segment) and MCC-H.
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Ten — 3rd):
GASMAP: Nothing new.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Great thanks to CDR Chiao for completing his first ADUM OPE (On-board Proficiency Enhancer) session this week. “The ADUM team is really looking forward to scanning with you and Salizhan next week!”
Hand Posture Analyzer (HPA: Nothing new.
In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSE): Nothing new.
Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Nothing new.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS will participate in a SNFM LAN capture on 11/17 to investigate a delayed-boot anomaly of the SAMS drawers.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS continues to measure microgravity environment in the quasi-steady regime. MAMS will collect another data point for ISS re-boosts during the Progress 15P maneuver on 11/17.
Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES): “STES is in fine shape”.
Protein Crystal Growth Monitoring by Digital Holographic Microscope (PromISS): Nothing new.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): Planned.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): Thank you to Leroy Chiao for the time he spent this week on the BCAT-3 experiment. Samples 1 and 2 were completed, and Samples 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10 were homogenized and photographed. As the PI reported to the crew, the homogenization looked good, the focus was superb in most of the images inspected, the lighting was much improved, and the extra photo session showed some beautiful phase separation: “I can’t tell you yet how this matches up with our previous rate data, but the images are fantastic. So the preliminary report is that everything looks really great”.
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): In planning.
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): Planned.
Viscous Liquid Foam–Bulk Metallic Glass (Foam): Nothing new.
Effects of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle (BIOPSY): FE Sharipov was again thanked for performing the first Biopsy in-flight dietary data collection session. From a preliminary review, the data received “looks great”.
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.
Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Investigators have received and reviewed a total of 523 Exp. 10 CEO images through 11/4. An incredibly detailed view of the city of Corrientes, Argentina, was published on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website last weekend. It illustrates both the detail possible with long-lens views and the enhancement of sun glint on the waters of the adjacent Rio Parana. This weekend the crew’s handsome view of the Al Khufrah Oasis in Libya will be published, detailing the extent and technology of desert agriculture. The focus and composition of current CEO imagery remains good and the ground team appreciates the crew’s efforts to keep their camera times updated. Researchers are particularly pleased this week with CEO views they catalogued of the target area in the Salamat fan headwaters because of its high potential application to ongoing studies in that area. Everyone is looking forward to better weather and lighting conditions for CEO targets and the station’s return to LVLH attitude next week.
Today’s optional CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, limited currently by non-availability of the science window during 11/8-11/12 due to SSRMS operations, were Sobat fans, SE Sudan (this overpass provided an opportunity for oblique photography of the Sobat megafans. Looking to the left of track for highly contorted drainage patterns originating from the Ethiopian highlands to the east. General context views are useful for mapping the drainage patterns and delineating individual fan boundaries), and N. Amazonian fans, Brazil (weather was predicted to be clear over the Amazon Basin. This presented an opportunity to image a series of megafans identified along the northern basin [to the left of track]. Sunglint on water-filled channels may have been visible; this is particularly useful in tracing drainage patterns through the thick canopy cover).
CEO images can be viewed at these 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-9/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:
- Current station attitude of sun-pointing XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) will be maintained until 11/16.
- Station reboost will follow on 11/17 (backup opportunity 11/18).
- Soyuz relocation is scheduled for 11/29 (“no earlier than”), preceded by a hot-fire test of its thrusters on 11/27.
- Progress 15P is scheduled for undocking and destructive reentry on 12/22.
- Progress 16P launch: 12/23; docking: 12/25 (GMT).
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.
