NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 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.
After wakeup (1:00am EST), FE Sharipov s first task on board was the scheduled deactivation of the Elektron O2 generator, complete with nitrogen purge of its BZh Liquid Unit.
After breakfast (2:15am EST) and Daily Planning Conference with the ground via S-band/audio, Salizhan undertook the installation of a pressurized switching box (BKG) for the Russian intercom system (MBRL, intermodular radio communications system), continuing work begun by Padalka on 9/27. [As usual for this kind of IFM, part of the task was to mate the assembly’s telemetry (TM) connectors to the BITS2-12 onboard TM measurement system for ground monitoring.]
On the MedOps defibrillator equipment, successfully checked out yesterday, Leroy Chiao initiated the regular recharge process on battery #1 to full capacity and subsequently performed it also on battery #2. The task concluded with a battery voltage check. [Each battery was charged for ~3.5 hrs, and its open-circuit voltage was tested at the end with the Aeolus volt/amp scopemeter, then removed and stowed again. Nominally, the defib has a battery installed at all times, but with this particular unit the PDIM (power data interface module) is not functioning properly and would overcharge the batteries if left inside. They have to be charged every 60 days along with the defib checkout.]
Sharipov worked in the U.S. Airlock s crewlock compartment, today preparing the #14 Orlan-M spacesuit for disposal by stripping it of still-useful components, in particular the electronic processor box (BPU) of the Beta-08 ECG (electrocardiogram) equipment, for return to the ground. The activity was supported by tagup with ground specialists. This is the second Orlan to be disposed of after suit #12, stripped by the FE on 11/18. [Other removed nondisposable items include the BK-3 backup oxygen tank, the KVO liquid cooling garment in its flight bag, the ShL headset and the emblem patches on the Orlan s sleeves.]
In preparation for tomorrow s planned SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) proficiency exercise, CDR Chiao connected the UOP DCP (utility outlet panel/display & control panel) bypass power cable at the Lab RWS (robotics work station), then reviewed the current version of the DOUG (Dynamic Operational Ubiquitous Graphics) software. [Used during Robotics/SSRMS operations, DOUG is a software program on the MSS (mobile service system) RWS laptops that provides a birdseye-view graphical image of the external station configuration and the SSRMS arm, showing its real-time location and configuration on the display during its operation. The objectives of tomorrow s Robotics ops are for the crew to maintain operator proficiency, perform engineering tests to troubleshoot the sticky grapple fixture problem, and stow the SSRMS in a double-grappled configuration. The task involves maneuvering it to the Lab FRGF (flight releasable grapple fixture) with pre-grapple and manual grappling of the fixture. The FRGF will then be released and the end effector backed out using a special push-off and dither technique with a limped wrist joint to counteract the loads-and-friction-induced sticking phenomenon. Once the grapple pin is cleared, MCC-Houston will evaluate the results of the release test and the allocated time remaining to determine if there is sufficient time for an additional capture/release cycle. After test completion, the SSRMS will maneuver to the MBS PDGF3 (Mobile Base System Power & Data Grapple Fixture #3) and grapple it.]
After reviewing an uplinked procedure and setting up the video camcorder, the crew spent ~25 min on an EPO (Educational Payload Operation) demo of Living Onboard the Station, today taking the viewer on a tour of the Lab module for an audience of Grades 5-12 students. One feature of the tour was a comparison of a ground-based laboratory to a lab in space. The scenes were downlinked via S- & Ku-band and recorded on the ground for NASA educational use.
After setting up and preparing the stage , at ~8:30am the crew downlinked messages of greetings for Christmas and the New Year s holiday use on NASA TV.
Chiao also set up the video camcorder for the periodic filming of a RED (resistive exercise device) workout, and the crew performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser, CEVIS cycle and the VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. Salizhan’s daily protocol currently prescribes a 1.5-hr structured set on the treadmill (today: Day 3 of a new set) and one hour on VELO. [The RED video, showing the entire apparatus including the exercising envelope, is periodically required to support biomechanical evaluation of the exercising crewmember and assessment of the on-orbit setup of equipment during data collection.]
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Later, the CDR performed the prescribed weekly maintenance check of the treadmill and its SPDs (subject positioning devices) as well as its time & date settings. He also 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, which he then erased on the HRM storage medium.
Leroy signed in and performed his third session with the psychological MedOps WinSCAT experiment (Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool) on the MEC. [This is a time-constrained questionnaire test of cognitive abilities, routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS (periodic health status) test or on special CDR s, crewmember s or flight surgeon s request.]
The CDR completed today s routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh life support system (including replacement of ASU toilet facility inserts), while the FE prepared the regular IMS (inventory management system) delta file for export/import to the IMS databases.
The U.S. CDRA (carbon dioxide removal assembly) was deactivated remotely, the 5-hr. operation starting at 11:00am. The crew was thanked again for the successful CDRA filter installation on 12/10. The machine has operated flawlessly since its checkout activation yesterday afternoon. Before turning in tonight, Leroy will demate the LTL (low temperature loop) jumper of the IATCS (internal active thermal control system) from the Air Revitalization Rack containing the CDRA, and MCC-H will change the Lab IATCS temperature setpoint to 11.1 degC. [The new CDRA sock filters capture any loose debris from the desiccant beds that would contribute to a CDRA valve failure and cause an offnominal shutdown. Purpose of the Zeolite desiccant beds is to dry the air before it is passed through the precooler and then the CO2-absorbing beds. The low-temperature TCS cooling is required by the CDRA s precooler, the air pump water jacket and the motor and heater controller coldplate.]
The troubleshooting performed yesterday by Leroy on the new Respirator Support Pack (RSP) #1004 appears to have been successful. [The unit had failed during activation and checkout on 8/20 after its arrival on Progress 15P. The data from the post-IFM checkout were to be presented to a special SPRT (Systems Problem Resolution Team) meeting today, which will make a decision on further work, if any, along with a recommendation on whether RSP #1004 can be made prime.]
A new list of options for the next Saturday Science program (12/18) was uplinked for the Science Officer s choice. [The options are FMVM (Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement) familiarization, SNFM (Serial Network Flow Monitor) software loading on the EXPRESS Rack 1 laptop (ELC-1), FMVM measurement, MFMG (Miscible Fluids in Microgravity) honey mix status, and BCSS-FDI (Biotechnology Cell Science Stowage/Fluid Dynamics Investigation) tissue culture module (TCM) and syringe bubble removal.]
Specialists analyzing water samples and EVA hardware returned to the ground have detected rust contamination in the heat exchanger (HX) of the U.S. Airlock (A/L), used between the Lab’s high-pressure ITCS (internal thermal control system) and the lower pressure cooling loop of an EMU spacesuit when it is connected in the A/L. Before the module can be used again as an EMU airlock, the HX must be replaced with a new and improved unit, which may fly as early as Progress 17P. [The Expedition 11 crew will be trained to perform the R&R of the HX, but if the new one can be manifested on 17P, Chiao and Sharipov could also perform its installation. Afterwards, the A/L will have to be re-certified prior to LF-1, or else the LF-1 EVAs would have to be conducted from the Shuttle airlock.]
The transition of station flight attitude to XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) orientation yesterday (to take advantage of the current beta angle regime) was successful. ISS will remain in this mode until 12/17 when Progress 15P propellant line purge is scheduled.
Today’s optional CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the science window, which is available for only ~1/4 of each orbit when not facing forward (in ram), were Ganges River Delta, India (weather was predicted to be clear for photography of the delta. Imagery of the delta margins and islands are useful to track changes in channel morphology and delta ecosystems resulting from upstream hydrologic changes), Irrawaddy River Delta, Burma (weather was predicted to be clear over the delta region. Imagery of the river channel mouth and delta boundaries are useful to assess changes resulting from upstream modifications to land cover and vegetation), Sobat fans, SE Sudan (the overpass provided an opportunity for oblique photography of these megafans. Looking to the right of track for contorted drainages and wetlands originating from the Ethiopian Highlands to the east. Oblique photographs of the megafans are useful for mapping individual fan boundaries and setting context for higher-resolution data), and Internal Waves, Caribbean Sea (weather was predicted to be clear for internal wave photography. Looking to the right of track for the sunglint point).
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.
Upcoming Key Events :
- Progress 15P undocking & destructive reentry — 12/22 (Eastern);
- Progress 16P launch — 12/23 (5:19pm EST);
- Progress 16P docking — 12/25 (7:10pm EST);
- ISS Reboost — 1/15/05 (or alternatively on 1/19/05);
- EVA-12 — 1/26/05;
- Progress 16P undocking & destructive reentry — 2/27/05;
- Progress 17P launch — 2/28/05.
- EVA-13 — 3/25/05;
- Soyuz 9S undock — 4/25/05 (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS).
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ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:41am EST [= epoch]) :
- Mean altitude — 355.1 km
- Apogee height — 358.1 km
- Perigee height — 352.1 km
- Period — 91.64 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0004499
- Solar Beta Angle — -47.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 105 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 34664
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.
