Status Report

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 21 Jun 2004

By SpaceRef Editor

June 21, 2004

Filed under ISS, ISS On-orbit status, NASA HQ, US

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 21 Jun 2004 — iss

All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 8 for Increment 9. S dnyem rozhdeniya (Happy Birthday), Gennady!

Preparations for the Orlan spacewalk, originally scheduled for 6/24, are on temporary hold pending resolution of last-minute non-technical, programmatic issues between U.S. and Russia. [At present, planners are looking at a one-day slip of the spacewalk and its sequence of preparatory events. This would move the EVA to Friday, 6/25, and the Orlan suit dryrun to Wednesday, 6/23.]

The crew began the day by pulling together all the tools and equipment required for the EVA, already gathered in previous days, and bundling them on the standard Russian EVA integrated equipment carrier (KPU). Padalka and Fincke also installed specific U.S. tools required for the outside activities on the Orlan-M suits. [The CDR will be wearing Orlan #25 (red markings) with BRTA radio telemetry unit #13 installed, while the FE’s suit will be #26 (blue markings) with BRTA #18.]

Because of the hold, other pre-EVA activities originally planned for today were deferred. [These included the “degassing” of the Orlan BSS water/gas separation systems in the Service Module Transfer Compartment (SM PkhO) and in the DC1 docking compartment/airlock, setup & checkout of communications for the Orlans and BSS interface units, ground-supported test of the suit’s Tranzit-B radio telemetry system, and DIDBs (disposable in-suit drink bags) filling & installing in the suits.]

In place of today’s postponed EVA prep activities, TsUP/Moscow added the lengthy task of restoring the SKV-2 air conditioner’s condensate water evacuation configuration to Gennady Padalka’s schedule today, after the recent evacuation and flow observation investigations.

FE/SO Michael Fincke transferred salient SODF (Station Operations Data File) and Emergency books plus a selected CD Library to the DC1, to be on hand for the EVA.

CDR Padalka worked on the Russian condensate water processor (SRV-K2M). After it was turned off briefly, he replaced the BK compressor of its BKV water-conditioning unit with a new one. The old unit was discarded for disposal in Progress 14P. [In the BKV, the condensate coming from the BKO purification column unit (which removes harmful mineral and organic contaminants) is treated with salts for taste and silver ions for preservation. It then flows to the KPV potable water container. Expected BKV service life is at least 450 liters throughput, after first charging.]

Fincke performed the routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh life support system, prepared the daily “delta” file for updating the IMS (inventory management system) database(s) and also conducted the regular routine status checkup of autonomously operating Increments payloads (PCG-STES010).

Both crewmembers completed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS, RED exerciser, and VELO cycle with load trainer.

The preparations for the Russian SM vers. 7.02 software update on 6/18 (transfer of the 7.02 s/w image to Central Post computer KTsP 2) was successful, with none of the problems previously noted with RS Laptop 2 and KTsP-2.

The crew reported that an LHA (Lamp Housing Assembly) in the Node has faded to “a light pink glow”. Engineers consider its complete failure imminent. [The total number of burnt-out LHAs in the Node is now four. Since the crew considers the lighting as getting too dark, they suggested a replacement of the failed unit with an LHA from an operational location.]

The station is now again in LVLH XVV (local vertical/local horizontal) flight attitude in which the longitudinal body axis (X) points in flight direction (i.e., is in the velocity vector) and the vertical body axis (Z) always points to the Earth’s center (nadir). [This attitude, in which the station “somersaults” once per orbit, minimizes aerodynamic drag and maximized the micro-G environment on board. Its torquing is accomplished by the U.S. CMGs (control moment gyros) that work best in TEA (torque equilibrium attitude), which balances the major environmental torques on the ISS gravity gradient and aerodynamic drag. With currently only a single gimbal for each of the two solar array wings (BGA2 & 4), LVLH at certain times, determined by the solar Beta angle, generates less electrical power than desired. Attitude is then switched to the second basic mode, XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane), in which the ISS remains sun-oriented during its orbit around Earth, albeit incurring increased undistributed heating.]

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, except for the shutter closure and condensation-prevention plan (limited to 90 min. in 24 hours), were Singapore (looking a touch left), Jakarta, Indonesia (nadir pass), Athens, Greece (nadir pass), Nile River Delta (requested was a near-nadir, mapping swath of overlapping images from the Mediterranean coast to the margin of the delta), Las Vegas, Nevada (nadir pass), and Tucson, Arizona (looking a touch left).

CEO images can be viewed at the websites.

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at

http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

U.S. & Russian Segment Status (as of today, 1:50pm EDT)

Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):

Elektron O2 generator is On. Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On. U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. SM Gas Analyzer has been calibrated and is used for ppO2 & ppCO2 monitoring. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is in Life Extending Mode (LEM). BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On, SKV-2 is Off (SM panel mods completed 4/8; SKV-2 activation failed 4/20; is now functioning again). SFOG slot #2 fan suspect (not usable).

SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 24.9; ppO2 (mmHg) — 148.7; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.6.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 19.8.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756; temperature (deg C) — 22.3.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 749.61; temperature (deg C) — 22.3 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 751.18; temperature (deg C) — 24.6; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 751.38; temperature (deg C) — 23.2; shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
(n/a = data not available)

PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a.

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Autotrack (solar-tracking, “sun slicer”, i.e., drag reduction-biased by 47 deg).
SM batteries: All batteries (8) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
FGB batteries: Battery #5 is off line; all other batteries (5) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.

Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby mode; PCU-2 is in Standby mode.

Command & Data Handling Systems:

C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is backup, and C&C-3 is in standby.
GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is backup.
INT-2 is operating; INT-1 is Off.
EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off (backup).
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-1 MDM is Off; PL-2 MDM is Operational.
APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational (string 1 dropped out 11/22/03).
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational (string #3 dropped out 10/22/03).
FGB MDM-1 is Off (failed, 11/21/03); MDM-2 is Operational.

Propulsion System:
T

otal propellant load available: 4002 kg (8823 lb) as of 6/10/04; [SM(552) + FGB(2811) + Progress M(639)]. (Capabilities: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Attitude Control Systems:

2 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed, since 6/6/02; CMG-2’s RPC-17 failed 4/21/04).
State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Angular rate source — RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

LVLH XVV (local vertical/local horizontal = “earth-fixed”: z-axis in local vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9 deg, roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management, until 6/28, following the EVA.

Communications & Tracking Systems:

FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
Ku-band is operating nominally (may require a mask).
Audio subsystem is operating nominally (IAC-1 is prime, IAC-2 is off).
Video subsystem operating nominally.
HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF/LEE A, operational on redundant string, off on prime.
MBS: KA (keep alive) power on both strings.
MT: latched and mated at WS4.
POA: KA power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is On (DCP connected); Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:46am EDT [= epoch]):