NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 October 2005

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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.   Saturday — off-duty day for Bill McArthur & Valery Tokarev, except for some housekeeping and voluntary work.   

CDR/SO McArthur and FE Valery Tokarev completed the regular weekly 3-hr. task of thorough station cleaning, wearing protective garment.   [“Uborka”, 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 CDR’s sleep station with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises.]

Tokarev terminated the maintenance discharge cycle on the 825M3 Orlan backpack battery started yesterday.  The new Orlan battery-charging unit (ZU-S) was then stowed away.

McArthur performed the regular weekly maintenance reboot on the operational PCS (Portable Computer System) laptops and the bi-monthly restart of the OCA comm router SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop. 

Bill also collected the periodic reading of the cabin air’s current CO2 concentrations in the Service Module (SM) and Lab, using the U.S. CDMK (Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Kit, #1015), for calldown, along with its battery status, taken after pump start-up, for use in trending analyses.

Valery did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s Environment Control & Life Support System (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU) and also the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK).

Session 1 of the EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) experiment from the University of California in San Diego for Increment 12 concluded today, with Science Officer McArthur shutting down, disassembling and stowing the hardware.  Number of schools involved: 114; number of photos downlinked so far: >1100.   [EarthKAM was activated on 10/11 (Tuesday), running without crew intervention except for a lens change and some troubleshooting efforts by McArthur to sharpen focus.  EK is using a Kodak ESC 460C electronic still camera with 50mm (f/1.4) lens, powered by 16Vdc from a 28 Vdc adapter, taking pictures by remote operation from the ground, without crew interaction.  It is available for students who submit image requests and conduct geographic research.  The requests are uplinked in a camera control file to the IBM 760XD SSC laptop which then activates the camera at specified times and receives the digital images from the camera’s storage card on its hard drive, for subsequent downlink via OpsLAN.  Beside inspiring the participating kids, the pictures are great for augmenting in-class text and reference books.]

The Elektron O2 generator remains offline.   [Russian specialists reported that the failure was due to the Elektron’s KOV water container being empty.  The crew had previously replaced the KOV on 10/11, and a full KOV normally lasts at least a week.  Russian specialists are currently assessing KOV usage and whether or not a partially full KOV was inadvertently connected to the electrolysis machine.  Yesterday (10/14), the crew filled two KOVs, and TsUP/Moscow is assessing whether or not to activate Elektron on Monday (10/17).  ppO2 (oxygen partial pressure) is within Flight Rule limits.  The crew estimates that approximately 25 liters of water remain in CWC (collapsible water container) #1047 after it was used to fill a KOV EDV container.]  

Yesterday’s replacement of two RPCMs (Remote Power Controller Modules) in the Node by the CDR was successful.

As a newly-added item on his “time available” task list, the FE was to perform his first 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, 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.]

The crew completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine 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 and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 1 of the first set).]

Later, Bill transferred the 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 of his CEVIS and RED workouts, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).   [For the E12 entries, special procedures are used to establish their accounts.  Their data transfers will become regular after the imminent installation of new, personalized software on the MEC, during which MEC will be upgraded from the IBM 760XD to an A31p ThinkPad.]

At ~9:20am EDT, 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.

The pending reload of the new SSC (Station Support Computer) A31p laptops originally scheduled for next Monday (10/17) has been moved to tomorrow, after the CDR offered to take some of his Sunday off-time to perform the task.  The also-planned IMS (Inventory Management System) software upgrade has been postponed indefinitely, due to integration issues currently experienced by the Russian partner   [Tomorrow’s reload involves the SSC File Server (FS), which will be upgraded with FS version 7.00, and all SSC Clients, which are to receive the new A31p vers. 11.00 load.  Afterwards, a reliability test will be performed.  The OpsLAN (Operations Local Area Network) will not be operable during this procedure.]

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twelve — 1st)

Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (HRF GASMAP):  Continuing.

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS):  Continuing.

Pulmonary Function System (PFS):  On 10/18 (Tuesday) the crew will conduct a PFS hardware checkout.  The international PFS support team is looking forward to working with Bill and Valery on this activity.

Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM):  Continuing.

Renal Stone (RS):   The first Increment 12 Renal Stone session is scheduled for next week.  The Renal Stone team sent up thanks for the crew’s remembering to take their pills (Potassium Citrate or placebo)every day and for their participation in this study.

Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT):   Complete for this Increment.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS):  T SAMS lost its ICU (Interface Control Unit) laptop on 10/7 (6:20pm EDT).  RTS D1 (Remote Triaxial Sensor/Drawer 1) shut down 26 minutes later.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS):   MAMS was activated on 9/27 (9:56am) in HIRAP mode.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):   Complete and returned to the PI.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3):    BCAT-3 Slow Growth Sample Module was left undisturbed in its current location by the E11 crew.  In order for the samples to potentially grow crystals that can be photographed during Increment 12 operations, the Sample Module must be left undisturbed.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE):  In progress.  New MISSE-5 “suitcase” deployed and unfolded during EVA outside on the U.S. Airlock.  MISSE was powered off for 11S docking via ground command on 10/2.  Powered back on during the 3:34am EDT pass on 10/3.

Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT):   Nothing new.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM):   EarthKAM had a great run this week.  The team sent up thanks for the Science Officer’s efforts to improve image quality.  Currently the ground has over 1,100 photos, with more coming in.  The number of schools involved is 114.  The team is looking forward to working with ISS again in February.

Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM):  Complete.

Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM):  Nothing new.

Space Experiment Module (SEM):  Nothing new.  Experimenters and kids are working to get the next two satchels on ULF1.1.

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG):   MFMG payload operations are finished.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO):   Complete.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO):   The new crew was welcomed to CEO.  The CEO Team (Sue Runco, Kim Willis, Brett McRay, Leslie Upchurch, Will Stefanov, Justin Wilkinson, and Mike Trenchard) is looking forward to working with the E12 crew for continued success on this payload during Increment 12.  CEO operations were initiated with the daily target list for 10/12.  Although no downlinked imagery have as yet been received, the ground is “eager to begin reviewing your imagery and responding to any feedback you would like to provide us about our support or your observations.”

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Sao Paulo, Brazil (this Brazilian megacity is one of the fastest-growing urban centers in South America.  The effects of continued expansion include regional climate change and alterations to biodiversity and hydrologic processes.  Overlapping nadir frames along track are requested), Pinacates Biosphere Site, N Mexico (this ISS orbit track provided an opportunity for photography of the coastal portions of this site.  The Pinacates are an important preservation area for Sonoran desert flora, fauna, and landforms.  Looking to the left of track for potential sunglint along the coastline), Kingman Reef, Hawaiian Island chain (weather was predicted to clear over this reef.  High resolution images of reefs allow for monitoring of changes to their morphology over time and can provide indications of changes to reef ecosystem health), and Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific(Palmyra Atoll is a fringing reef formed around a now-subsided volcanic cone.  High resolution imagery will help improve maps of the reef and islands).

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:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

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.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:32am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 347.1 km
• Apogee height — 348.2 km
• Perigee height — 345.9 km
• Period — 91.48 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0001751
• Solar Beta Angle — 5.5 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 39461

Upcoming Events (all times EDT):

• 10/18/05 — ISS Reboost (two burns, 11m 40s each, to set up phasing for Progress 20P launch & circularize;)
• 10/27/05 – EVA-04 Dry Run
• 11/07/05 — EVA-4 (U.S.)
• 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
• 12/20/05 – Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
• 12/21/05 – Progress M-55/20P launch
• 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking
• 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12.

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.