NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 25 Jul 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Day 92 in space for the Increment 7 crew.
CDR Yuri Malenchenko performed another session with the biomedical MBI-9 “Pulse” experiment, after setting up the equipment. These MBI-9 cardiological tests are done monthly (last time performed: 6/21). [Execution of the medical cardiological assessment is controlled from the Russian payloads laptop 3, using a set respiration rate (without forced or deep breaths) and synchronizing respiration with computer-commanded “inhale” commands. Before the experiment, arterial blood pressure is measured with the “Tensoplus” sphygmomanometer. After the test, laptop 3 was reconfigured to its original settings.]
At 4:15am EDT, FE/SO Ed Lu was scheduled to support the 3-hr. ground-commanded SSRMS/Robotics operations. [The purpose of today’s Robotics ops was to demonstrate the end-to-end functionality of the SSRMS (space station remote manipulator system) motion control from the ground. Currently, the ground cannot initiate joint or LEE (latching end effector) mechanism motion; those commands can only be sent from the DCP (display & control panel). Work has begun at CSA and NASA to develop the software modifications required to enable the ground to issue commands to initiate motion. The operations planned for today are intended to demonstrate how the ground would execute a series of SSRMS operations (free space positioning and grapple/release) using auto modes only. In addition, it provides an opportunity to go through the pre-planning effort for ground control to gauge any additional workload and any changes required in the way procedures are developed and verified. The results of the demo will be used to make recommendations to the NASA and CSA programs in early August on the feasibility of the proposed concept, any required software changes, and modifications to the ground tools to support SSRMS motion control from the ground.]
Yuri Malenchenko conducted an audit of all power outlets in the Russian Segment (RS). [Moscow wants to get as much data as possible on the usage of RS power outlets, to help in the planning of future activities. Yuri was requested to list every power user in an uplinked logging list. All permanently connected users were also to be listed in the table, and the resulting file was to be downlinked via the REGUL system.]
Assisted by the IMS (inventory management system), the crew continued transferring discarded equipment to 10P/Progress M1-10 for stowage for deorbit later this year.
Ed Lu was scheduled to activated the MSG (microgravity science glovebox) and take up work again with the CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Liquid/Solid mixtures #2) experiment. [Today, he swapped out CSLM SPUs (sample processing units). The vacuum vent sequence planned for next week is designed around a 36-hour processing run. Because SPU-1 is programmed for 48 hours, the SO replaced it with SPU-6, which is programmed for 36 hours. Following the SPU exchange, Ed was to power up the ECU (electronics control unit), open the water valve, and call down the humidity and temperature readings displayed on the ECU. Ground specialists were confident that the dew point was well below the VES (vacuum exhaust system) limit but they wanted to verify this in order to begin next week’s operations on time. If SPU-6 fails the dew point check, Ed Lu will re-install SPU #1, which did pass it.]
The Science Officer continued (and finished) the planned week-long EMU (extravehicular mobility unit) battery maintenance activities. [Today, discharging of batteries #2029 and #2030 in the BSA (battery stowage assembly) was terminated.]
The CDR attended to the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system as well as the daily preparation of the IMS “delta” file, responding to specific questions on stowage locations questions uplinked three days ago. Ed Lu performed the regular daily status checkup of autonomously running Lab payloads (PCG-STES010, SAMS, MAMS).
Yuri also conducted his regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-2 greenhouse.
Ed Lu performed another weekly inventory audit of the available CWCs (contingency water containers) and their contents, to keep track of onboard water supplies. [Last time done: 7/17.]
Both crewmembers worked out according to their regular daily physical exercise program of 2.5 hrs on TVIS treadmill (aerobic) and RED exerciser (anaerobic). Ed Lu then transferred data files from the physical exercise equipment to the MEC (medical equipment computer) via memory card and RED log entries, for downlink on OCA comm.
Later, he also performed the periodic transfer of accumulated data files from the wrist-band HRM (heart rate monitor) receiver stations to the MEC for downlink, then deleted them on the HRM.
Ed completed his eleventh weekly filling-out of the FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special medical equipment computer (MEC) software.
Moscow continues to troubleshoot the failed Klest-140ST-M television camera mounted externally on the SM aft end, pointing rearward (+X direction for SM). Upon activation during a routine check some time ago, the electric circuit blew a fuse. According to Moscow, the potential need to manufacture a new camera lends urgency to this activity.
The crew was lauded for their painstaking troubleshooting of the printer in the Service Module yesterday. [Their steps were judged “very logical and thorough”. Ground specialists think that their actionsin moding the printer to a network setting have corrected the problem.]
Today’s CEO (crew earth observation) targets, no longer limited in the current LVLH attitude and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial locations, were Detroit, Michigan (CITY AT NIGHT: ISS had a nadir pass as it approached the Motor City from the NW), Recife, Brazil (CITY AT NIGHT – This coastal city lay just left of track as ISS approached from the NW), Seattle, Washington (CITY AT NIGHT – As the station approached from the W-NW, just right of track for this and numerous other small cities along the shorelines of the bays), Denver, Colorado (CITY AT NIGHT – This pass was to the north and east of the city. Looking right of track against the dark, north-south flank of the Front Range), Sao Paulo, Brazil (CITY AT NIGHT – This teeming mega city was at nadir as ISS approached from the NW), Singapore (this is a difficult target because of frequent cloudiness. The crew had a nadir pass over this mega city, situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula), Angolan Biomass Burning (with clear dry weather and good light, trying for near nadir views of burn scar patterns and ongoing fires), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (ISS was to continue the nadir views of fire scars and fires as it tracked northeastward to Lake Tanganyika), Patagonian Glaciers (the crew was losing light again for this target area, but this pass may have been the best weather in weeks. Trying for nadir views with the long lens for details of the smaller glacier, especially their terminals and moraines), Brasilia, Brazil (trying to use the 180mm lens to image the unusual layout of this city in a single view, just right of track), and Manila, Philippines (CITY AT NIGHT ISS had a nice nadir pass over the Philippine capital as it approached from the NW.
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/
Besides the daily CEO (crew earth observation) target list, the station residents were also provided with times of ISS equatorial night crossings for observing the current equatorial-tropical storm zone.
