NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 August 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. Underway: Week 15 for Increment 11. Flight Day 8 (FD8) of the STS-114/LF-1 mission.
Main activity by all crewmembers today were cargo transfers (a few remaining ones from the MPLM (multipurpose logistics module) to the ISS staging area, and the majority from ISS into “Raffaello” for staging and subsequent final stowage on the MPLM racks), and PAO activities. [As of last night, the crew reported completion of 90% transfers from MPLM to ISS and 49% in the opposite direction, from ISS to MPLM.]
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After crew wakeup at ~11:40pm EDT last night, CDR Sergei Krikalev began the day with the regular morning inspection, today combined with the monthly routine checkup on DC1 circuit breakers and fuses. [The monthly checkup in the “Pirs” Docking Compartment looks at AZS circuit breakers on the BVP Amp Switch Panel (they should all be On) and the LEDs (light-emitting diodes) of 14 fuses in Fuse Panels BPP-30 & BPP-36.]
Later, Krikalev and Phillips joined the Shuttle crew for an in-depth review of tomorrow’s planned spacewalk, EVA-3, which has been modified to include working on two protruding gap fillers between TPS tiles on the Orbiter’s underbelly. [Sometime during ascent to orbit, at two different locations, the gap filler between individual TPS tiles shifted such that now a portion of it is exposed. These filler strips, one approximately four tile rows aft of the NGLD (nose landing gear door), the other a few rows further back, extend about 1.1 inch and 0.9 inch, respectively, from the outer mold line. Since these protrusions would affect the airflow boundary layer during reentry by causing a BLT transition (boundary layer transition) from laminar to turbulent flow at a higher Mach number than without protrusions, incurring commensurate localized heating rates higher than the accepted limit level (exceedance: about 100 deg F max at Mach 24), it has been decided to have EV2 Steve Robinson detour from the nominal EVA timeline to work on the short strips by either pulling them out for removal (with gloved hand or forceps) or cutting them off (with hacksaw). The current time estimates are for a 7h 15m duration EVA, starting at ~4:14am EDT, with 1h 15m dedicated to the gap filler task. EV2 will be positioned on the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System), and the Discovery’s SRMS (Shuttle Remote Manipulator System) will provide viewing support. Other EVA-3 tasks are P1 Lower Outboard Camera installation, ESP2 (external stowage platform 2) installation on the previously mounted ESPAD, MISSE 5 (Materials ISS Experiment #5) installation, ESP2 FRGF (flight releasable grapple fixture) removal, and removal of a failed RJMC (rotary joint motor controller) box.]
FE/SO Phillips performed a detailed test objective (DTO) designed to validate airflow models and demonstrate adequate Shuttle-to-ISS airflow during the docked phase with the Shuttle airlock booster fan turned off, for different combinations of PMA-2 (Pressurized Mating Adapter 2) grille cover openings (holes). [Background: Turning the Shuttle airlock booster fan off saves power, i.e., an estimated 30 lbs of Orbiter cryogenic fuel cell oxygen (O2) during docked ops. After having set up the original airflow on docking day (FD3), John today worked on optimizing the STS-to-ISS airflow, first taking 16 flow measurements for MCC-H to calculate the average flow and recommend a new number of rows of holes to be covered/uncovered in the PMA grille cover, followed by John implementing the new config and repeating the flow readings. This process is iterative (“trial-and-error”); if necessary ULF1.1 will continue the fine tuning.]
Phillips also reconfigured the Node depress pump air return line to its nominal setting. [The ISS depress pump was used for the first EVA on FD5 to depressurize the Orbiter to the 10.2 psi pre-EVA prebreath level to save some of the gas that would nominally be dumped overboard.]
With the Elektron still off, Krikalev started the regeneration cycle on absorbent bed #2 of the Russian harmful impurities removal system (BMP). Later tonight, the bake-out to space will be terminated and the vent valve closed. [Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hours; it is not being conducted during crew sleep. The BMP is currently still using the same vacuum vent valve for regeneration as the Elektron (the latter for venting hydrogen).]
The CDR also completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including the ASU toilet facilities, and prepared the daily IMS (Inventory Management System) “delta” file for automated export/import top the three IMS databases.
Both crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Sergei’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 3 of a new set).]
Afterwards, John 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).
All crewmembers participated in the traditional Shuttle/ISS crew conference and photo session.
At 10:20am EDT, the joint nine-member crew received a call from President George W. Bush who extended cordial RTF congratulations to them from the White House. [“I want to thank you for being risk takers for the sake of exploration. …We look forward to seeing the successful completion of this mission. …We are with you and wish you all the best.”]
Earlier, at ~6:45am, Krikalev and Phillips participated in a live TV exchange with Russian media gathered at TsUP/Moscow for interviewing the station crew.
In addition, a televised a joint crew news conference took place at 5:59am, during which all Shuttle and ISS crewmembers talked with US, Japanese and Russian media at NASA centers and TsUP.
On his voluntary “time available” task list, Sergei had another session with the “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, focusing the Nikon D1X digital camera with f400 or 800 mm lens and a video camcorder from an SM window on targets specified by an uplinked list, some of them downlinked to TsUP/Moscow via the new BSR-TM data channel. [Today’s targets included environmental monitoring of the Volga river valley, monitoring its near-Aral region, natural sites of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and Pamir glaciers (Medvezhy).]
Sleep period began for all nine crewmembers again this afternoon at 3:10pm EDT. Wakeup will be tonight at 11:40pm.
With the extra flight day added, the new Shuttle/ISS undocking time will be on FD12 (Saturday, August 6 at 3:22 am EDT), and the new Shuttle landing time will be on FD14 (Monday, August 8 at 4:37am EDT).
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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:56am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 353.1 km
- Apogee height — 355.7 km
- Perigee height — 352.5 km
- Period — 91.62 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0002411
- Solar Beta Angle — -31.7 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 0 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 38296
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:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 11 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.
