NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 January 2006
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2006) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday — off-duty day for Bill McArthur & Valery Tokarev, except for housekeeping and voluntary work.
The crew completed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, wearing protective garment. [“Uborka”, normally done every Saturday, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table, other surfaces and the FE’s sleep station with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises.]
In the Russian segment (RS), Flight Engineer Tokarev worked briefly on the Russian/German TEKh-20 Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) payload, today just activating the turbopump immediately after wakeup (to maintain the vacuum in the ZB work chamber), and later turning it off again as pre-sleep activity.
The FE performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU).
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Working from his “time available” task list, Tokarev performed his fourth session with the biomedical MBI-9 “Pulse” experiment, preceded by setting up the equipment. [Execution of the medical cardiological assessment is controlled from the Russian payload Laptop 3, using a set respiration rate (without forced or deep breaths) and synchronizing respiration with computer-commanded “inhale” commands. First, arterial blood pressure is measured with the “Tensoplus” sphygmomanometer, followed by the “Pulse” test to record the ECG (electrocardiogram) and a report to TsUP in the next comm pass.]
Valery also checked the operation of the Japanese experiment GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility) in the Russian TBU incubator, maintained at 20 degC, including a temperature check on its ART (automatic temperature recorder). [This daily monitoring/temp checking, carried on the Russian voluntary “time available” task list, will continue until 4/30.]
For his fourth “Saturday Science” activity today, the Science Officer video-recorded a demo session of RMS (Remote Manipulator System), running through basic operations with the SSRMS (Space Station RMS).
At ~8:40am EST, the crew held their regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing this week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeliners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
Both crewmembers worked out in their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Valery s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill in unmotorized mode and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 1 of the first set).]
Afterwards, McArthur transferred the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure.
The ground-commanded BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test) activity is continuing, taking time-lapse flash photography of BCAT sample 6 at the MWA (Maintenance Work Area) via EarthKAM camera and SSC-7 laptop. Later in the day, Science Officer conducted a check of the alignment and focus (f/stop) settings of the camera on the sample and position of flash. The imaging is to continue until 1/26.
At ~10:20am the CDR had a PFC (private family conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting video.
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twelve — 14th)
Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (HRF GASMAP): Next week Bill McArthur will perform the GASMAP Functional Check, which is similar to the Routine Health Check but more comprehensive. This activity checks the functionality of the system including several internal components that cannot be attained via health and status displays.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Complete.
Pulmonary Function System (PFS): Complete.
Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD): Complete.
Renal Stone (RS): In progress.
Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): The Science Officer produced a video that greatly pleased the ground team: Your attention to detail was superb, and you looked great in the pants. We’ll give you more detailed feedback after analyzing the data, but for now, from what we saw and heard, everything seemed to go very well .
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): Complete.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): Complete.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): In progress.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. New MISSE-5 “suitcase” deployed and unfolded during LF-1 EVA outside on the U.S. Airlock.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Planned for February.
Cellular Biotechnology Support Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI): In progress.
Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Complete.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): In progress.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): Planned.
Crew Earth Observation (CEO): Through 1/3/2006 the ground has received, for review or cataloging, a total of 7,317 frames of ISS CEO images. A recent image of smoke plumes from a large fire in northeastern Louisiana will be posted on NASA/GSFC s Earth Observatory website this weekend. This striking image helps to document the ongoing fire hazard conditions that persist over much of the southern Great Plains and south-central United States. Review of CEO imagery continues. The crew s mapping technique of city targets is excellent , i.e. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Many cities like this one are quite challenging because of their low contrast with surroundings and our requirement for long lens views. Continue to practice with the long lens settings to improve sharpness .
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Today’s CEO (Crew Earth Observation) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Muglad Basin fans, SW Sudan (weather conditions continued to be excellent for megafan mapping. This pass brought ISS over the westernmost Muglad basin. The primary features to look for are contorted drainage patterns and associated wetlands), Internal waves, N Azores, Atlantic (variable clouds were present in the vicinity of the Azores, but clear patches should have been present as well. Looking to the right of track and north of the Azores for internal waves. The sunglint point was to the right of track and slightly behind ISS), Hyderabad, India (night time practice target. This descending pass took the station over the northeastern portion of the metropolitan area (see DMSP image of India, below). The main objective is to practice steady tracking with the camera to obtain the clearest image of the city lights possible), and South-Central USA (clear conditions over the south-central USA provide an opportunity for tracking of brush fires. This pass brought ISS directly through the region of highest current fire activity. Smoke plumes may have been visible at nadir, and to either side of track).
To date, over 177,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS.
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:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 12 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-12/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 12 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.
Events Ahead (all dates Eastern; tentative):
- 02/02/06 — Russian EVA-15
- 03/03/06 — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
- 03/22/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S launch (Exp. 13 + Marcus Pontes/Brazil)
- 03/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking (DC1)
- 04/01/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking & return (Exp. 12 + Marcus Pontes)
- 04/06/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S relocation (DC1 to FGB nadir port)
- 04/09/06 — Progress M-55/20P undocking & reentry
- 04/10/06 — Progress M-56/21P launch
- 04/12/06 — Progress M-56/21P docking
- 06/28/06 — Progress M-57/22P launch
- 06/30/06 — Progress M-57/22P docking
- 09/12/06 — Progress M-56/21P undocking & reentry
- 09/13/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S launch
- 09/15/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S docking
- 09/23/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S undocking & reentry
- 09/28/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S relocation (DC1 to FGB nadir port)
- 10/18/06 — Progress M-58/23P launch
- 10/20/06 — Progress M-58/23P docking
- 12/19/06 — Progress M-57/22P undocking & reentry
- 12/20/06 — Progress M-59/24P launch
- 12/22/06 — Progress M-59/24P 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.
