Status Report

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 Jan 2004

By SpaceRef Editor

January 22, 2004

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

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 Jan 2004 — iss

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

Before breakfast and physical exercise, FE Alexander Kaleri and CDR/SO Michael Foale conducted their third session of the Russian crew health-monitoring program’s medical assessment MO-9 (last time done: 12/17). [MO-9 is biochemical urinalysis, conducted regularly every 30 days (and also before and after EVAs), and it is one of five nominal Russian medical tests adopted by NASA for US crewmembers for IMG PHS (Integrated Medical Group/Periodic Health Status) evaluation as part of the “PHS/Without Blood Labs” exam. The analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus “Urolux” developed originally by Boehringer (Mannheim/Germany) for the Mir program.]

Later, after breakfast, the crew completed the PHS/Without Blood Labs exam and performed the clinical evaluation, each one acting first as CMO (crew medical officer) and then being the examined subject. Afterwards, Mike Foale completed data entry/download for both of them, and Kaleri stowed the MO-9 and PHS hardware. [The PHS exam is guided by special software (IFEP, in-flight examination program) on the medical equipment computer (MEC).]

The CDR completed his ninth weekly filling out of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on the MEC (medical equipment computer).

The crew again had several hours reserved for gathering and prepacking cargo intended to be disposed of with Progress-248/12P, going by an extensive list uplinked previously.

FE Kaleri worked on the Elektron system, removing its old BSSK signal and command matching unit, switching the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry connectors between it and the new BSSK (after deactivation of VD-SU control mode), and then installing the new BSSK matching unit.

Mike completed the regular once-a-week maintenance reboot on the operational PCS laptops and also restarted the OCA comm router laptop (every two weeks).

The crew performed their regular physical exercise on TVIS treadmill, RED expander, CEVIS ergometer and VELO bike with force loader.

At 9:20am EST, Foale and Kaleri downlinked live televised greetings and pregame show introduction words for the NFL Super Bowl game today (introducing Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Walter Suhr, Mango Punch, and Aerosmith).

At dinnertime, as every day, the crew will support the Renal Stone prevention experiment by taking the test medication (either potassium citrate or placebo tablets) until the next sample collection phase this year.

MCC-M/TsUP began testing of the new setup of the Kurs-P rendezvous and approach radio system in the Service Module (SM), on both systems.

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) targets, in the current XPOP attitude constrained by flight rule to fewer near-vertical targets due to Lab window shutter closure and current condensation-prevention plan (limited to 90 min. in 24 hours), were Patagonian coastal waters (two opportunities. Internal waves: looking left into the glint point. These features are being mapped worldwide and are significant to various ocean sciences. Of the many imaging systems, handheld images are ideal since crews easily image features in the glint disc, and select/filter for features of interest. Plankton blooms: looking right for non-glint views of color variability in coastal waters), Betsiboka River delta, Madagascar (PRIORITY (400mm-lens): ISS-7 images showed major changes in this large west-coast estuary. We need to refine this data with images taken at different tidal stages), Mt Kilimanjaro, Kenya (detailed images of this high, glaciated equatorial peak were requested. Images such as recent very clear CEO Patagonian glaciers–taken with 800 mm lens–would be of great use. Looking right about 1.5 degrees off track. Skies were clear even of popcorn cumulus so that the mountain should have been quite distinct. It is predicted that the glacier will be entirely melted by 2015), Nairobi, Kenya (looking just right of track), and SE Chad Swamplands (sun glint opportunity left of track: mapping strip of modern stream patterns was requested for about 90 secs. Sediment dispersal patterns [i.e. river patterns] are of great interest. Large, modern continental sediment bodies had never been examined systematically by geologists until handheld imagery provided the concept for a global study).

CEO images can be viewed at the websites.

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at