NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 August 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. Underway: Week 17 for Increment 11.
The crew’s sleep cycle remains shifted two hours to the right, with wakeup this morning at 4:00am EDT and sleep beginning at 7:30pm tonight.
Tomorrow, more sleep shifting occurs for the EVA dry-run: wake-up at 6:00am, sleep at 9:30pm.
On Wednesday, the workday will be 6:00am – 7:30pm, followed by another adjustment on EVA day (Thursday): wake-up at 5:20am, sleep at 2:40am Friday morning.
Wake-up on Friday (8/19) will then be at 12:00 noon, with sleep period beginning at the regular 5:30p. Starting Saturday (8/20), the crew will then be back on the normal schedule of 2:00am – 5:30pm (all times EDT).
CDR Krikalev and FE/SO Phillips continued preparations for EVA-14 next Thursday (8/18), preceded by a dry-run tomorrow (8/16) and more EVA studying (and some Vozdukh work) on Wednesday (8/17).
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EVA preparations today included: (1) attaching the LCG (liquid cooling garment) restraint straps of the Orlan-Ms; (2) suit fit adjustment for height (to be repeated as necessary during the dry-run and under reduced airlock pressure); (3) leak checks and valve functionality tests on the suits and their BSS interface units in the “Pirs” Docking Compartment (DC1) and Service Module Transfer Compartment (SM PkhO); (4) leak checking on the oxygen repressurization tanks (BK-3, primary & backup); (5) filling the DIDBs (disposable in-suit drink bags) and installing them in the suits, and (6) installing the Fresnel lens viewing aid in the helmets (at crew’s discretion).
After setting up communications links via the suits’ radio telemetry units (BRTA-13 for Sergei’s Orlan #25, BRTA-12 for John’s Orlan #27), the crew performed checks on Orlan and BSS telemetry, voice, and biomedical parameter transmission, testing the Russian BETA-08 ECG (electrocardiogram) lead cable belts, worn under the Orlan-M suits, for their function, using the Gamma-1M medical complex. Testing of communication links included VHF/voice and biomedical electrode belt and telemetry hookups via the BSS (later to be via the wireless in-suit radio telemetry system Tranzit-B) for vital signs and equipment monitoring. All activities were supported by peregovoriy (tagup) with ground spets (specialist).
Krikalev also set up two EVA medical kits in the SM Work Compartment (RO) and a first aid kit from Soyuz TMA-6/10S in the DC1. [Standard pre- and post-EVA food and water consumption recommendations were uplinked, advising the crew to keep nominal food and water intake until one day before the spacewalk, then use one additional meat (or fish) dish and one dairy dish (cheese, cottage cheese) each on EVA day, and to drink one portion of apricot or peach-apricot juice before suit donning. After ingress and Orlan doffing, hot tea or coffee with sugar are recommended, followed by normal meals after a short rest.]
John Phillips terminated the charging process on the four NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries for the U.S. EHIP (EMU helmet interchangeable portable) lights, then inspected and checked out the EHIPs that are temporarily installed on the two Orlans. There was no issue.
CDR Krikalev took test readings from the newly installed SM Harmful Contaminant Gas Analyzer (GANK-4M), which recently has required some troubleshooting.
Working off the voluntary Russian “time available” task list, Sergei performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including the ASU toilet system and the weekly inspection of the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus. Also on his task list was the regular preparation of the IMS (Inventory Management System) “delta” file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases.
Both crewmembers conducted their normal 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 4 of a new set).]
The Russian Vozdukh CO2 (carbon dioxide) scrubber remains off, after three restart attempts by TsUP/Moscow have failed. Diagnostic work by the crew over the weekend indicates that the initially suspected BVK vacuum valve appears to be OK and that the problem may be with the electronic control circuitry of the unit. A new plan of attack is being developed for the crew, to be scheduled on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the U.S. CDRA (CO2 removal assembly) in the Lab is performing its job, keeping ppCO2 (CO2 partial pressure) in the cabin air at low levels (~2.3 mmHg at last data take). CDRA may be turned off during the EVA without post-ingress crew health concerns.
Over the weekend, the Lab TCCS (Trace Contaminant Control Subsystem) failed “off” when the flow rate through the blower dropped below the pre-set FDIR (Failure Detection, Isolation & Recovery) limit. Options for restarting the unit are being investigated. Meanwhile, all trace contaminants are being removed by the Russian BMP (harmful impurities removal system) in the SM. [The TCCS also failed off during the LF-1 mission when the cabin pressure was lowered in preparation for the EVAs from the Orbiter. At that time, it was restarted with the FDIR inhibited.]
No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets uplinked 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:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 11 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.
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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:47am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 354.0 km
- Apogee height — 354.6 km
- Perigee height — 353.3 km
- Period — 91.62 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0000938
- Solar Beta Angle — 13.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 58 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 38501
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.
