NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 April 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. (Flight Control to Crew: You ve done such a fine job on your day off yesterday, take another! )

The Elektron oxygen generator was activated (~11:00am EDT) in 50 amps mode, assisted by ground tagup. It is working nominally at this writing, with ppO2 at 151.7 mmHg (or Torr) earlier today.  [The issue last week had been with the BZh-5 Liquid Unit which for a 12-hour period did not maintain its internal nitrogen (N2) pressure at the desired 1.2 kg/cm2,- a safety requirement to prevent explosive hydrogen (H2) combustion. After Krikalev retightened the electric (i.e., solenoid-)-driven inlet valve KE2 for N2, pressure integrity was reestablished.]

After spending about an hour on hardware prepacking for STS-114/LF-1 return, the two crewmembers tagged up with ground specialists at MCC-H to discuss prepacking details. [LF-1 prepack requires an estimated 41 crew hours to complete, of which 18.5 hours have already been accomplished, with 22.5 hours of work remaining. Spread over the next three weeks (including this week), the timeline currently accounts for 2.75 hours for Week 1, 11 hours for Week 2 and 6 hours for Week 3. The time estimates are based on MPLM-packing experience from Increments 2, 3 and 4. Prepacking the remaining Russian equipment returning on LF-1 (which includes KURS commutators and amplifiers, other valuable electronic boxes, etc.) requires an estimated 4 hours, most of it scheduled for Sergei. The prepacking is to be accompanied by photography to help the ground better evaluate module stowage.]

CDR Krikalev did the routine maintenance of the SOZh environment control & life support systems in the Service Module (SM), today including the weekly inspection of the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus.

FE/SO Phillips offloaded the Lab condensate collection tank in the Lab, pumping accumulated water from the CCAA (common cabin air assembly) air conditioner and WRM (water recovery management) system over to a CWC (contingency water container, #1027). [The two Russian SKV air dehumidifiers are still down.]

John also activated the EXPRESS Rack 1 (ER1) laptop computer after the ground had transitioned ER1 power from channel 2B (main) to 4B (safing) by remote command.

Both crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill (aerobic), RED resistive exerciser (anaerobic) and VELO ergometer cycle with bungee cord load trainer (combination aerobic/anaerobic). For the TVIS exercise, they are using the SLDs (subject loading devices) for holding the subject down, plus newly delivered training loading suits (TNK-U-1), to create a 54 kg load (typically).   [As was the case for Salizhan Sharipov, Sergei s daily protocol prescribes a 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).]

Phillips then transferred the daily TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC (medical equipment computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

During various RGS (Russian ground site) comm passes, TsUP/Moscow tested the downlink functionality of the BSR-TM Regul interface unit (part of the Russian radio control & communications system, to be used for the ROKVISS robotics experiment), without crew involvement.

The EarthKAM hardware (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) installed yesterday by the FE/SO at the Lab science window for its 18th run on the ISS, is reportedly functioning extremely well . [School inputs are already being compiled, and the uplinks for the remote-controlled and automated imaging began last evening at ~4:00pm EDT.]

Researchers on the ground again conducted the European/Russian laser-beam experiment SPQR (Specular Point-like Quick Reference), today during a 5-min window at 6:37am. [SPQR, installed at SM window #3 along with its Nikon D1X camera, tests a ground-based imaging system, using special optics and image processing, to determine the feasibility of detecting external damage to a spacecraft in orbit from the ground. It uses a pyramidal corner reflector (CCR, Cube Corner Reflector) at the SM window, to reflect a laser beam emitted by a ground station back to the ground. The crew was advised not to look out the portholes during the sessions, the times of which were uplinked, and there are no CEO targets scheduled during the brief sessions. The SPQR Hazard Report indicates that the laser power at the ISS remains well below the threshold for injury.]

Earlier today, another attempt was made by MCC-H to re-close RPC-17 (Remote Power Controller #17) on RPCM (RPC Module) S02B-D, with no success. [RPC-17 tripped open on 3/16, removing power from CMG-2. Ground teams are periodically commanding this RPC to re-close in an attempt to regain functionality. An EVA patch-panel repair technique is planned during the LF-1 mission to re-route power to CMG-2.]

During last Sunday’s undocking & landing of Soyuz TMA-5/9S, two transient off-nominal events took place: (1) Temporary inability by VC8 Vittori to pressurize his Sokol suit after ingress (good ventilation, but no O2), remedied by re-donning the suit to re-seat the seals, but delaying the undocking by 3 min 40 sec (and the subsequent descent burn by 2 sec); (2) Inability by Soyuz crew to reconnect the two Soyuz batteries to the ISS, planned for one more hour of charging from the combined power system after FGB port hooks had opened (Soyuz hooks still closed) due to an overlooked computer inhibit. The reconnection was judged unnecessary, and the descent & landing went off nominally. [Times: Undocking — 2:44pm EDT; deorbit burn — 5:16pm (4m 19s); plasma trail visible to SAR helicopters — 5:50pm; landing — 6:08pm; first crew member extracted — 6:25pm.]

A CEO (Crew Earth Observations) science & applications plan was uplinked to kick off the new Increment 11 observations program. [In this formal ISS science program, an interdisciplinary group of scientists have selected some of the most dynamic regions of the Earth as target sites that could be observed under the tight time constraints of ISS construction. These sites fall into the disciplinary categories of major deltas & coastal developments, coral reefs, urban areas, human impacts, glaciers, megafans ( inland deltas ), ocean features, and dynamic events & current interest. CEO targets for the crew s cameras are uplinked Tuesdays through Saturdays, and targets are also pointed out to the crew by their quite sophisticated onboard Bird s Eye View (BEV) software application.]

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 Central American Fires (DYNAMIC EVENT: Fires have been burning out of control in this region since early March. As ISS tracked SE-ward over southern Mexico and Guatemala, the crew was to try to map the area and help locate point sources of the smoke plumes), Patagonian Glaciers (weather was closing in on this region from the SW at the time of this pass. However, the Northern Patagonian Ice Field should still have been visible. Using this pass to become familiar with the glacier features here and using the 180mm lens for near-nadir, context mapping), and Internal waves, Patagonian Shelf (as the crew continued across Patagonia, they were to look left of track along the bays and inlets on the Atlantic side for sun glint enhancement of internal wave features in the coastal waters).

 
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.

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 8:05am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 354.4 km
• Apogee height — 359.5 km
• Perigee height — 349.3 km
• Period — 91.63 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0007412
• Solar Beta Angle — 44.3 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 50 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 36755

Return to Flight:

• LF1 (STS-114)/Discovery launch windows (all times EDT), for FD3 docking:
• 5/22: 1:03 – 1:08pm;
• 5/23: 12:41 – 12:46pm;
• 5/24: 12:15 – 12:20pm;
• 5/25: 11:53 – 11:58pm;
• etc.

Note: For the May/June launch period, the daily 5-minute planar launch window (i.e., opens as KSC Pad 2 passes through ISS orbit plane) starts an average 23 minutes earlier each day, extends into early June and closes due to current constraints of Daylight Launch (6/7) or ET umbilical photo opportunity (6/3). Figures are approximate. There are additional opportunities for docking on FD4 (Flight Day 4), which is not planned.

Other Increment 11 Main Events:

• Next ISS reboost (by 17P) — 5/11;
• Progress M-52 (17P) undock — 6/16;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/17;
• ULF1.1 (STS-121) launch — NET 7/12;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27;
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) return — 10/7.

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.