NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 16 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.  Underway: Week 15 for Expedition 12.

In the Russian segment (RS), Flight Engineer Tokarev conducted the second experiment session with the Russian/German TEKh-20 Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) payload.  [Immediately after wake-up, Valery again activated the PK-3/N turbopump in the Service Module s Transfer Compartment (SM PkhO) for maintaining a vacuum in the work chamber (ZB) in the SM Work Compartment (RO), then monitored PK-3 operations. At Experiment Start +~35-40 min, video recording began. Later, the hardware was removed and a ground specialist tagup conducted. The turbopump will be deactivated tonight. The experiment, running in automated mode, is performed on plasma, i.e., fine particles charged and excited by HF (high frequency) radio power inside the evacuated work chamber. Main objective is to obtain a homogeneous plasma dust cloud at various pressures and particle quantities with or without superimposition of an LF (low frequency) harmonic electrical field.]

As part of regular monthly preventive maintenance of RS air ventilation systems, Commander McArthur spent about 50 min. in the Funktsionalnyi-Grusovoi Blok (FGB), removing and replacing Zarya s two dust collector filters PF1 & PF2. Moving then to the Pirs docking compartment, the FE also cleaned the DC-1 s V1 & V2 duct fans and screens.

Tokarev worked on the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, completing the regular maintenance/servicing and today also the periodic download of data & video imagery collected of the experiment to the computer for subsequent downlink to the ground.  [Rasteniya researches growth and development of plants (currently horse radish) under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-8 greenhouse. The regular maintenance of the experiment (each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) involves monitoring of seedling growth, humidity measurements, moistening of the substrate if necessary, topping off the water tank if ~20-25% of the total amount (4 liters) remains, and photo/video recording. Once weekly, data from the Lada greenhouse control unit are recorded on floppy disk for weekly downlink via REGUL-Packet or the new BSR-TM at a suitable occasion

In the Soyuz Orbital Compartment (BO), the FE replaced an SD-1 lighting assembly and power supply box with a new spare, then removed and replaced an SD-1 in the ASU toilet facility, using the unit removed from Soyuz and discarding the failed ASU light.

Bill McArthur conducted the weekly and monthly TVIS maintenance.  [The inspection checks out the TVIS in the current SLD (subject loading device) contingency configuration, primarily looking at the condition of the SPDs (subject positioning devices) with clamp/rope assembly wire rope isolators for fraying and damage, and recording time & date values.]

Both crewmembers completed 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 3 of the first set).

Afterwards, Bill 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 on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

McArthur also finished the restowing of the U.S. Airlock after the successful installation of the ROOBA (Recharge Oxygen Orifice Bypass Assembly) line on 1/12.  [The ROOBA allows for unrestricted flow of Shuttle oxygen for all ISS users. This reduces ORCA (Oxygen Recharge Compressor Assembly) usage and eliminates the need for connecting the Orbiter ports or using ISS O2 for EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) purge operations during assembly mission EVAs. The ROOBA will be used during Flight ULF1.1.]

The FE performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh) and the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK), while the CDR updated/edited the standard IMS (Inventory Management System) delta file , including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

Tokarev recorded the monthly sensor readings of the Russian Pille-MKS radiation dosimetry experiment, which has ten sensors placed at various locations in the Russian segment (port cabin window, starboard cabin window, ASU toilet facility, control panel, etc.). (Last time done: 12/12).

At ~11:45am EST, the crew held their periodic teleconference with the next (Expedition 13) ISS crew.  [These exchanges are performed every other week, for about 30 minutes, to pass on the lessons learned to the upcoming Expedition Crew. Purpose: to begin the handover process prior to the arrival on orbit through videocons and data exchanges between the current crew and the upcoming crew. These tagups start normally toward the end of the first month on orbit.]

In the U.S. Airlock, Bill initiated the first of two BSA (Battery Stowage Assembly) battery recharges in preparation for RS EVA 15.  [Two PGT (Pistol Grip Tool) batteries and two helmet light batteries are being recharged.]

The CDR also started the regular 85-day maintenance recharge cycle for the first of two sets of EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) batteries that were delivered on Progress 20.

Valery 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.]

The FE did his daily status check on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2/Lada-8 (“Plants-2”) plant growth experiment in the SM.

A third task suggested on Tokarev s discretionary job jar list was the updating of the onboard RODF (Russian Operations Data File) books with new procedures delivered on Progress 20 on CDs and replacement pages.

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 of the camera on the sample and position of flash. The imaging is to continue until 1/26.

No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked today.

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.

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.