NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 24 July 2006

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2006) 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 16 of Increment 13.

CDR Vinogradov and FE-2 Reiter spent several hours with unloading Progress M-57/21P, docked at the Service Module (SM) aft end. Cargo transfers and stowings were logged in the IMS (Inventory Management System) database via BCR (Bar Code Reader).

FE-1/SO Williams continued his work on the MELFI (Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS) equipment, today first relocating the 2 ML from Dewar 2, then inserting, later transferring another 5 ML specimen, followed by commensurate data loading. [MELFI provides the ISS with refrigerated storage and fast-freezing of biological and life science samples. It can hold up to 300 liters of samples ranging in temperature from 4°C to a low of -80°C.]

The CDR conducted the regular processing of KAV condensate water for the Elektron oxygen generator, using US-collected water from CWC (collapsible water container) #1057 via the electric condensate pumping unit (BPK) of the Russian water processing system (SRV-K2).

In the US Airlock, Jeffrey Williams terminated the recharging of the last set of EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) batteries used during for ULF1.1, initiated earlier in the A/L BSA (Battery Stowage Assembly).

Preparatory to tomorrow’s scheduled SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) “walkoff” maneuver and the EVA-5 spacewalk next week (8/3), Williams reviewed the applicable DOUG (Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics) software. [DOUG is a software program on the MSS (Mobile Service System) RWS laptops that provides a graphical birdseye-view image of the external station configuration and the SSRMS arm, showing its real-time location and configuration on a laptop during its operation.]

Later in the day, Jeff and Thomas Reiter reviewed the spacewalk procedures and activities developed for EVA-5.

The CDR conducted his sixth session of the regular monthly Eye Tracking Device (ETD) experiment, which studies the coordination of eye and head movements in zero-G, i.e. the adaptation of the human vestibular (balance) system, and takes place in the Docking Compartment (DC1)’s center sphere. Thomas Reiter, who had his first ETD session on 7/13, took documentary photography. [After a calibration with the calibrating unit, the experiment 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 EV-2 hatch on the horizontal plane. For the experiment, Pavel first had to check the setup of the left and right video cameras, then established his most comfortable and stable body position relative to the visual target (60 cm for the first part of the experiment, 100 to 150 cm in parts two & three). Each step required another prior calibration run, using visual target cues or the calibration unit.]

FE-1 Williams swapped out the hard drive of the HRF1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop, then supported ground-commanding by first powering up, later turning off the HRF2 Rack.

As all new station crews before him, Thomas Reiter had one hour set aside on today’s schedule for ISS familiarization and adaptation, to help in adjusting to their new surroundings and activities. [This unstructured and discretionary session has become a valuable standard requirement for new station occupants for the first two weeks.]

Pavel Vinogradov completed the routine daily maintenance of the SOZh environment control & life support system in the SM, including the ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables, while FE-2 Reiter updated/edited the standard IMS “delta file”, including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

Jeffrey performed the standard weekly maintenance on the TVIS treadmill with SLD (Subject Loading Devices) contingency configuration, primarily inspecting the condition of the SLDs, SLD cables and SPDs (Subject Positioning Devices), plus recording time & date values.

Jeff also did the periodic (once per month) routine inspection of the RED (Resistive Exercise Device) with canister cords, squat harness components, and accessory straps, and the canister bolts for re-tightening if required.

The crew worked out in their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the new CEVIS cycle (FE-2), TVIS (CDR), RED (FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR). [Pavel Vinogradov’s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill in unmotorized mode and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 4 of the first set).]

Afterwards, Williams transferred his, Pavel’s and Thomas’ exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

In the SM, Vinogradov worked on removing and replacing a battery current converter (PTAB) on one of the eight SM battery blocks. The old unit was to be discarded [Each of the 800A batteries has its own charge/discharge unit (ZRU) which tracks 49 battery parameters and is designed to increase the operating life of the battery by setting up charging and discharging modes. Each ZRU is comprised of one battery current converter (PTAB), one PTAB control unit (BUPT), and three charge/discharge current integrators (MIRT-3).]

In the Lab, the FE-1 completed the periodically required process of transferring the water collected in the Lab condensate tank to a CWC (Contingency Water Container). After the offloading, the necessary jumper/plumbing setup was removed again.

Jeff also made preparations for the installation of the new FPMU (Floating Potential Measuring Unit) during EVA-5. [The old FPP (Floating Potential Probe) housing was released from its stanchion by Bill McArthur during EVA-4 and tossed overboard in its entirety, solar arrays included. The 70 lbs-mass FPP plus two solar arrays, which measured the station’s electrical charge potential generated from the P6 photovoltaic arrays moving through Earth’s magnetic field, was deployed in 2000 when the P6 truss was mounted to the ISS. It no longer operated and could have endangered the transfer of the P6 truss on the MT (Mobile Transporter) to the far end of the main truss in two years during Mission 15A; also, some fasteners on it appeared to have worked themselves out and could have become a source of debris. The new FPMU (Floating Potential Measurement Unit) will be installed on 8/3 during EVA-5 by Williams and Reiter to provide more data on the electrical environment when further solar array trusses are added.]

The three crewmembers worked out in their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the new CEVIS cycle (FE-2), TVIS treadmill (FE-1, CDR), RED resistive exerciser (FE-1, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR). [Pavel Vinogradov’s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill in unmotorized mode and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 4 of the first set).]

Afterwards, Reiter transferred his, Jeff’s and Pavel’s exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

Working off his discretionary “time available” task list, Pavel completed the daily status check of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment. [Rasteniya researches growth and development of plants (peas) under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-9 greenhouse.]

No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets uplinked for today.

To date, more than 198,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS, almost one third of the total number of images taken from orbit by astronauts.

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/station/CEO.html
• 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 13 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-13/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 13 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 Orbit (as of this morning, 7:11am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 340.4 km
• Apogee height– 347.7 km
• Perigee height — 333.0 km
• Period — 91.34 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0010941
• Solar Beta Angle — -22.4 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 52 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 43904

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern and subject to change):

• 08/03/06 — US EVA-5
• 08/28/07 — STS-115/12A launch (earliest)
• 08/30-09/06 — STS-115/12A docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P3/P4 trusses
• 08/31/06 — Pavel Vinogradov’s birthday
• 09/13/06 — Progress M-56/21P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
• 09/14/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S launch (Expedition 14 + VC11)
• 09/16/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S docking (SM aft port)
• 09/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S undocking (FGB nadir port) & reentry
• 10/08/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
• 10/18/06 — Progress M-58/23P launch
• 10/20/06 — Progress M-58/23P docking (SM aft port)
• 10/31/06 — Russian EVA-17
• 12/14/06 — STS-116/12A.1 launch (earliest)
• 12/16-24/06 — STS-116/12A.1 docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P5 truss
• 12/19/06 — Progress M-57/22P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 12/20/06 — Progress M-59/24P launch
• 12/22/06 — Progress M-59/24P docking (DC1)
• 01/22/07 — US EVA-6
• 01/26/07 — US EVA-7
• 01/31/07 — US EVA-8
• 02/06/07 — Progress M-59/24P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 02/07/07 — Progress M-60/25P launch
• 02/09/07 — Progress M-60/25P docking (DC1)
• 02/22/07 — STS-117/13A launch (earliest) – S3/S4 trusses
• 02/24-03/03/07 — STS-117/13A docked mission w/ISS (earliest)
• 03/08/07 — Progress M-58/23P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
• 03/09/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S launch (Expedition 15 + VC12)
• 03/11/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S docking (SM aft port)
• 03/19/07 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S undocking (FGB nadir port)
• ??/??/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
• 06/11/07 — STS-118/13A.1 (earliest).

ISS Altitude History

Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.