NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 19 January 2005

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2004) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.

Aboard the station, preparations continued for the Orlan EVA-12 on 1/26. At the ZU-S battery charger in the DC1 docking module, FE Sharipov terminated charging on the first 825M3 battery pack (28V) for the Orlan backpack and initiated the process on the second pack.

The crew went through a 30-min. checkout of the EVA support panels (POV) in the DC1 docking compartment/airlock and Service Module Transfer Compartment (SM PkhO). [The functionality test of the hatch KVDs (pressure equalization valves, PEVs) via the POVs, both in the SM PkhO and in the DC1 Pirs, was conducted for several hours until shortly before sleep time.]

Preparations also included pulling together and “staging” all the tools and equipment required for the EVA, as specified by an uplinked list of 32 items. The gear will be bundled on the standard Russian EVA integrated equipment carrier (KPU). [Sharipov and Chiao gathered and tied down generic tools, such as hammer, screwdriver, cutters, scissors, ratchet wrenches, “Dino” cutters etc., in the KPU with bungee cords. Also secured to the KPU bundle, with Aramid tape and short tethers, were carrying bags with the URM-D baseplate, platform with adapter, left plate, “Robotik” payload, TM/TS payload, payload cable bags, “Biorisk” payload, cable holder and wire ties, tethers, etc. The size of the EVA bundle must not exceed a diameter of 1m in order to pass through the DC-1 docking compartments EVA hatch (max. allowable diameter: 1 m).]

TsUP/Moscow uplinked a cue card with the procedural steps of proper hatch opening and closing in both Russian and English languages, to be attached by the crew on the spherical part of the DC1 hatch cover.

MCC-Houston also has updated the DOUG (dynamic operations ubiquitous graphics) model to include the new Russian Segment EVA-12 hardware. [DOUG is a periodically updated software program on the MSS (mobile service system) laptops that provides a birdseye-view graphical image of the external station configuration and the SSRMS (space station remote manipulator system) arm, showing its real-time location and configuration on a laptop during its operation. DOUG is for generic reference only and was not built to flight drawings. Materials provided by Russian EVA specialists take precedence over DOUG in case of any discrepancies.]

FE Sharipov performed the periodic microbial air sampling run with the Russian MedOps SZM-MO-21 experiment “Ecosphera”. After taking samples of Medium 1 on 1/14, today he sampled Medium 2. [The equipment, consisting of an air sampler set, a charger, power supply unit, and incubation tray for Petri dishes, determines microbial contamination of the ISS atmosphere, specifically the total bacterial and fungal microflora counts and microflora composition according to morphologic criteria of microorganism colonies.]

CDR Chiao reconnected the PCS (portable computer system) laptops after MCC-H swapped the backup and standby C&C MDMs (Command & Control computers) today in preparation for the upcoming 4B1 battery final capacity test. [The current configuration is prime-CC3, backup-CC2, standby-CC1. Tomorrow the ground will also swap the primary C&C in effort to make C&C-2 primary. C&C-2 is powered by the 2B power channel and since Channel 4B will be power limited for the capacity test on 1/21, C&C-2 will be utilized as primary C&C MDM for contingency purposes. As always, Leroy will have to reconnect the PCS machines after the Primary MDM Swap tomorrow.]

The FE did the routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including ASU toilet facilities.

At ~1:05pm EST, Leroy and Salizhan participated in an interactive televised PAO interview (Ku-band & S-band) with USA Today (Traci Watson). The event went live on NASA TV after two other previously downlinked messages from the crew.

At ~2:35pm, a second video message by the crew was addressed to TsUP/Moscow in observance of the 250th anniversary of Moscow State University.

The crew performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, 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 TVIS (today: Day 1 of a new set) and one hour on VELO.

Chiao 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.

Working off the voluntary Russian task list, Sharipov performed the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.

MCC-H uplinked new software to the SSC A31p Clients on board. [This update, Service Pack 01, is required to support some applications on the SSC (station support computers) A31p Clients due to the PCS load transition to Version R8.003. The load also adds crew login IDs for Expeditions 11 and 12. For the load to take effect, the crewmember has to log out of each A31p SSC client and log back in. After the Service Pack installation is complete on each laptop, Leroy needs to reboot each SSC A31p Client. The Service Pack only affects the SSC A31p clients; the SSC File Server, OCA Router, SSC Router, and 760XD SSC clients will not be affected.]

Upcoming Key Events:

• EVA-12 — 1/26/05 (hatch opening 2:27am EST)
• Progress 16P undocking & destructive reentry — 2/27/05;
• Progress 17P launch — 2/28/05.
• EVA-13 — 3/25/05;
• Soyuz 10 S launch — 4/15/05;
• Soyuz 9S undock — 4/25/05 (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on
• board 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 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.

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.