NASA Space Station On-orbit Status 18 July 2004
All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted previously or below. Sunday — crew rest day. Day 92 in space for Expedition 9. Also: Day 1324 of permanent human station residency, and Day 2068 since first ISS launch (FGB).
CDR Padalka conducted the routine inspection of the Service Module (SM)’s SOZh life support system, with the weekly data collection of toilet flush counter readings, inspection of the SP urine collection and pretreat assembly, and SVO water supply status counter readings, all for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.
Working off the Russian discretionary task list, Gennady also transferred new accumulated Matryoshka measurement tables from the Matryoshka server (BSPN) via the ISS Wiener laptop to a PCMCIA memory card (using a program called “ShellForKE”) for subsequent downlink on U.S. OCA comm. [Matryoshka automatically takes measurements in the SM and DC-1 docking compartment for studies of on-orbit radiation and long-term dose accumulation, using six SPD dosimeters deployed throughout the Russian segment as well as in a spherical body-simulating Matryoshka-R “phantom” and a human torso model outside on the SM hull, mounted there during EVA-9 on 2/27/04.]
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Previous Reports ISS On-orbit Status [HQ] |
The crew completed their daily 2.5-hr. physical workout program on TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser and VELO ergometer with load trainer.
Mike Fincke was thanked for his excellent EPO (Educational Payloads Operation) downlink yesterday. His “Saturday Science” program featured a demo of earth observations and pollution research. [Words from POIC: “Mike, you could be a teacher!… We are extremely pleased with the EPO Pollution video and commentary. You do an excellent job taking the EPO outline and giving us a complete lesson. The supplemental B-roll footage is really great. We especially appreciate your words to inspire students to take care of the environment. Your lessons from space are being shared with NASA education programs and will be valuable resources for students and educators”.]
Today’s optional CEO (crew earth observation) 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 Internal waves, Mariana Islands (looking left following the glint point as it crosses the Marianas chain), and Irrawaddy River Delta, Burma (changes are both geological where mouths of the delta have shifted or died, and land use-related, in terms of field pattern change. Documentation of this delta is sparse).
CEO images can be viewed at these websites:
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 9 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-9/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:13am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 359.4 km
- Apogee height — 363.7 km
- Perigee height — 355.1 km
- Period — 91.7 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0006417
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.70
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 65 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 32322
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.
ISS Altitude History
Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height
