NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 18 March 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. Today 40 years ago (March 18, 1965), Cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov became the first human to walk in space, spending 10 minutes outside the capsule Voskhod-2 (beating Gemini Astronaut Ed White by three months) while Cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev anxiously waited in the spacecraft for his return. Since then, total EVA count for both countries has reached 253.

Fittingly enough, major crew focus today was on spacewalk preparations for EVA-13, beginning with a 3-hr. review of procedures and timeline, supported by a tagup with EVA specialists at TsUP/Moscow via VHF & S-band. [A preliminary timeline for EVA-13 from the DC1 “Pirs” docking compartment in Orlans was uplinked for the crew review. The spacewalk on 3/28 is currently expected to begin at ~1:28am EST (hatch open) and to end at ~7:15am (hatch closed), i.e., lasting an estimated 5h 47m. Objectives of the “VKD” (=EVA), with Sharipov as EV1 and Chiao as EV2, are: Installation of three antennas (WAL-4, -5, -6) of the MBRL air-to-air radio line for the European ATV (automated transfer vehicle), installation of an ASN-M satellite navigation antenna unit (also in support of ATV), taking photographs of the MVM visiometer target for ATV (plus possibly other views), and launching TNS-0 “Nanosatellite” after its power-up.]

The crew had an additional 2.5 hrs. for installing the usual supplementary portable air repress bottles (BNP) in the repress lines of the DC1 and the Service Module (SM)’s work compartment (RO), as well as for locating and gathering equipment and tools required for the EVA.

In the Lab module, Dr. Chiao powered up the HRF GASMAP (Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology) and its laptop for the regular functional “health” check of the system. [After unstowing, cabling and powering up the gear, Leroy was supported by ground tagup in the functional check procedure. Afterwards, GASMAP was powered down with its HRF PC and the collected files were added to the downlink package.]

FE Salizhan Sharipov performed the periodic (weekly) replenishing of the Elektron’s water supply for electrolysis, filling the KOV thermal loops’ EDV container with purified (deionized) water from the BKO multifiltration/purification column unit. [The procedure was specially designed to prevent air bubbles from getting into the BZh liquid unit where they inevitably cause micropump impeller cavitation and Elektron shutdown. In the procedure, the EDV water is carefully drawn from the BKO and the air/liquid separator unit (GZhS) while the crewmember checks for any air bubbles in the EDV (and, if visible, estimates their number). Elektron water is also supplied from USOS condensate in a CWC (collapsible water container) that is checked for its contents of air bubbles and is rejected if the estimated total air bubble volume is more than 30 cubic centimeters (1 cm air bubble is about 0.5 ccm).]

Dr. Chiao signed in and performed his sixth session with the psychological MedOps WinSCAT experiment (Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool) on the MEC (medical equipment computer). [This is a time-constrained questionnaire test of cognitive abilities, routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS (periodic health status) test or on special CDR’s, crewmember’s or flight surgeon’s request. The exercise involves tests of symbol memorizing, repeating numbers, mathematical processing, and pattern matching.]

The crew performed their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser, and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. [Salizhan’s daily protocol currently prescribes a four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO (today: Day 2 of a new set).]

The CDR/SO then transferred the daily 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, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

The FE completed the routine SOZh/ECLSS servicing/inspection in the SM, including the ASU toilet facilities. Also included in the maintenance today was the weekly checkup on the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus.

Leroy prepared the regular IMS “delta” file for the daily automated export/import to the three IMS databases on the ground, working off his discretionary “job jar” task list.

From the Russian task list, Salizhan did the regular daily inspection of the Lada-5 greenhouse equipment, including filling its water canister as required.

Still open on Sharipov’s task list are a brief inventory/audit of onboard equipment for recording ASN-M (satellite navigation system) data to Laptop 3 by ESA cosmonaut Roberto Vittori during his upcoming VC8 visit, and an audit of available wipes, stowed in the Soyuz, that are intended exclusively for cleaning rubber seals on the docking system interfaces.

At ~1:35pm EST, Chiao and Sharipov are scheduled for their regular (nominally weekly) teleconference with the ISS Flight Director at MCC-Houston.

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 Irrawaddy River Delta, Burma (weather was predicted to be clear over the delta region for high-resolution mapping. Overlapping image swaths along major river channels to the delta mouths are particularly desirable. These data are useful for tracking changes to channel and island morphology), Fires, Central America (Dynamic Event. A number of large fires are burning in Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. Continuing dry weather in the region is producing conditions favorable for spread of the fires. Looking for individual smokes plumes, point fire sources, and burn scars), and Red River Basin, Texas/Oklahoma (this nadir overpass and clear weather provided an opportunity for detailed mapping of this developed drainage basin. Land use change is altering the hydrology of the Red River and surrounding ecological habitats. Overlapping mapping swaths along the river channel and Lake Texoma are useful for land use/land cover change detection and monitoring of water levels).

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 10 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 10 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.

Upcoming Key Events:

• Reboost — 3/25 (5:00am EST; ~1.65 m/s, for 10S rendezvous & 9S landing phasing);
• EVA-13 — 3/28;
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) launch — 4/15 with Expedition 11 (CDR Sergei Krikalev, FE/SO John Phillips & VC8 cosmonaut Roberto Vittori/ESA-Italy);
• Soyuz TMA-6 docking – 4/17;
• Soyuz TMA-5 (9S) undocking — 4/25 with Exp. 10 crew (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS) and VC8 cosmonaut Vittori;
• LF1 (STS-114) — NET 5/12;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/10;
• ULF1.1 (STS-121) — NET 7/10;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:05am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 355.8 km
• Apogee height — 358.2 km
• Perigee height — 353.4 km
• Period — 91.66 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.65 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0003541
• Solar Beta Angle — 5.5 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 160 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 36143

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.