NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 June 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.

CDR Krikalev and FE/SO Phillips had about an hour scheduled each for continuing unloading operations of Progress 18 and transfer of equipment and supplies to prescribed ISS stowage locations.

After yesterday’s very successful PMA-3 (Pressurized Mating Adapter 3) pressurization, leak checking and stowage activities (the first time a crew had ingressed the adapter). John Phillips today initiated depressurization procedures, following up during the day by repeatedly checking up on PMA-3 internal pressure.

In preparation for tomorrow’s planned repair work on the failed Elektron-VM oxygen (O2) generator, Sergei Krikalev today transferred fresh KOH (potassium hydroxide) electrolyte from a tank delivered on 18P to the Elektron’s installed Liquid Unit #7 (BZh-7). [Work on the machine tomorrow will consist of installation of contamination filters in the gas lines and a test activation of the Elektron with the BZh-7 unit.]

Sergei worked on the Russian payload Laptop 3 (LT3), swapping its HDD (hard disk drive) #6137 with another HDD (#6156) from LT1, which had received the new Windows OS (Operating System) vers. 07.02 software in April.

The CDR, assisted by the FE, also continued his previous work on the Service Module (SM)’s condensate water recovery system (SRVK-2M) which had had a problem with condensate flow from the air conditioners (SKV). Sergei today set up the necessary gear and then flushed the condensate line (MOK), a transparent plastic hose from the SKVs to the condensate pump (NOK). [Purpose: to restore flow of condensate collected by the air conditioning systems SKV-1 and SKV-2 through the K27 connector in the MOK. The effort was supported by tagup with ground specialists via S-band.]

John Phillips supported a “zero” calibration of the two active CSA-CPs (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) in the US segment (#1020/prime; #1021/backup), then used the CSA-CPs for the monthly cabin air spot check, taking readings for O2, CO (carbon monoxide), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), HCl (hydrogen chloride) in SM and Lab, as well as battery ticks for calldown. (Done last: 5/24).

John also conducted an inventory and stowage audit of available VTR (video tape recorder) tapes in the ISS.

Sergei tagged up with ground specialists regarding his ETD (Eye Tracking Device) experiment, to discuss suitable cabin locations that would provide adequate separation distance between the subject (with his laptop) and the target. The recommended location for the experiment is in the Central Sphere of the DC1 docking compartment, near the EVA hatch. [ETD investigates horizontal eye and head movement coordination, measures Listing’s plane, and determines the orientation of the vestibulo-ocular coordinate system, using five target marks on the horizontal plane. On 4/22, the crew had commented on inadequate space for the experiment near the DC1’s Soyuz hatch.]

The FE performed the periodic once-per-month inspection of the RED (resistive exercise device) with canister cords and accessory straps as well as the canister bolts for re-tightening if required.

John also did the weekly maintenance on the TVIS treadmill, primarily checking the condition of the SPDs (subject positioning devices) and recording time & date values. [The roller bearings under the treadmill belt have reached the end of their projected life. A new treadmill assembly will arrive on LF-1/STS-114; therefore, engineers have decided not to replace the roller bearings (which would require ~12 crew hours) but have instructed the crew instead to include a 5-minute check on the belt each week until the new hardware can be installed.]

Both crewmembers worked out in their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer. [John’s “speed placard” on the treadmill has now been raised to 7 mph (from 6 mph). 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 2 of a new set).]

Afterwards, the FE 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).

Phillips completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), today including the weekly inspection of the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus, while Krikalev prepared the regular IMS (Inventory Management System) “delta” file for export/import to the IMS databases.

Working off his “job jar” task list, Sergei conducted the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, including filling its water canister for the Lada-7 greenhouse as required.

CDR Krikalev was briefed by ground specialists on the conclusions of a panel investigating the failure of the release of the primary parachute riser on the Soyuz-215/9S at touchdown on 4/24. [The most probably cause was an incompletely depressed release command button in the Descent Module, thus not engaging the end contacts, or an incorrect depression due “lack of operational skill” with new Sokol gloves worn by the crew. The button, under its protective guard, allows only room for the index finger and button activation by its first phalange pad.]

At ~3:25am EDT, ISS attitude control authority was handed over from the US segment to the Russian MCS (motion control system) for the subsequent maneuver to LVLH -YVV attitude (local vertical/local horizontal, y-axis in velocity vector) at ~6:10am, i.e., flying “sideways” in “Barbecue” mode, until LF-1 arrival. [YVV is the preferred flight attitude for Solar Beta Angles approaching and above 60 degrees.]

Tonight TsUP/Moscow will conduct the standard vacuum purging of the Progress 18 fuel (ZUG) and oxidizer (ZUO) lines, to vent prop residuals in the plumbing between Progress and SM into space. [Fuel purge (unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine, UDMH) begins at 6:58pm EDT on Daily Orbit 2 (DO2), oxidizer purge (nitrogen tetroxide, N2O4) at 8:32pm on DO3, for about 7 minutes each.]

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 Tunis, Tunisia (a recent excellent image of this city contained a few small clouds, so another attempt by the crew was requested to allow full mapping of city margins), Khartoum, Sudan (Khartoum lies in the V between the White and Blue Niles, but the urban area includes Omdurman on the opposite bank of the White Nile), and Internal waves, Azores, Atlantic (looking left towards the glint point for any internal waves. This is a region SE of the island chain which was as cloudfree as it gets).

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 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.

Some Increment 11 Main Events (not final):

• Reboost — 6/29 (4:21pm, delta-V 2.3 m/s);
• LF-1/STS-114 launch — 7/13 (18-day window opens);
• LF-1/STS-114 dock — 7/15 (adding 110,713 kg to ISS mass);
• LF-1/STS-114 undock — 7/23;
• Soyuz TMA-6/10S relocate (from DC-1 to FGB) — ~8/16;
• ULF1.1/STS-121 launch — NET 9/9 (launch window opens);
• ULF1.1/STS-121 dock — 9/11;
• ULF1.1/STS-121 undock — 9/19;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch — 9/27;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S dock — 9/29;
• 12A/STS-115 launch — NET 2/16/06;
• Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocate (from DC-1 to FGB) — ~10/15;
• 12A.1/STS-116 launch — NET 4/23/06;
• 13A/STS-117 launch — NET 7/13/06.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:23am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 350.1 km
• Apogee height — 352.7 km
• Perigee height — 347.5 km
• Period — 91.54 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0003801
• Solar Beta Angle — 41.5 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 50
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 37651

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.