NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 November 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. Saturday — off-duty day for Bill McArthur & Valery Tokarev, except for housekeeping and voluntary work.
The crew performed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, wearing protective garment. [“Uborka”, normally done every Saturday, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table, other surfaces and the FE’s sleep station with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises. Today, the crew was asked to apply particular care to disinfecting the front side of the potable water heater which has shown higher bacterial concentrations during the microbiological analysis on 10/10.]
The FE deactivated the Elektron oxygen generator, with the usual nitrogen purge of the BZh Liquid Unit, to allow use of the remaining Progress O2 before 19P undocking on 12/20.
Time again for the monthly recharging of the Motorola-9505 Iridium satellite phone. Valery retrieved it from its location in the Soyuz TMA-7/11S descent module (BO) and initiated the recharging of its lithium-ion battery, a 30-min. process. The charging was monitored every 10-15 minutes as it took place, and upon completion Tokarev returned the phone inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed it back in the BO’s operational data files (ODF) container. [The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry and landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown. The Russian-developed procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials. During the procedure, the phone is left in its fluoroplastic bag with open flap.]
Valery also did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU) plus the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK).
Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Valery’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 3 of the first set).]
Afterwards Bill transfered the 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 from the workouts, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
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Working from his “time available” task list, Tokarev performed his second session with the biomedical MBI-9 “Pulse” experiment, preceded by setting up the equipment. [Execution of the medical cardiological assessment is controlled from the Russian payload Laptop 3, using a set respiration rate (without forced or deep breaths) and synchronizing respiration with computer-commanded “inhale” commands. First, arterial blood pressure is measured with the “Tensoplus” sphygmomanometer, followed by the “Pulse” test to record the ECG (electrocardiogram) and a report to TsUP in the next comm pass.]
At ~8:30am EST, the crew held their regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing this week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeliners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
At ~12:15pm, CDR McArthur had his weekly PFC (private family conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting video.
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twelve — 7th)
Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (HRF GASMAP): HRF completed the first Increment 12 GASMAP Routine Health Check. GASMAP uptime was over 6 hours, and telemetry was nominal.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Pulmonary Function System (PFS): Continuing.
Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Continuing.
Renal Stone (RS): Continuing.
Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Complete for this Increment.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS is powered off.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is powered off.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): The Science Officer was thanked for taking an additional set of photos of samples 1-6. The video looked great and researchers look forward to receiving the images.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. New MISSE-5 “suitcase” deployed and unfolded during EVA outside on the U.S. Airlock.
Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT): Nothing new.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Planned for February.
Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Complete.
Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM): Nothing new.
Space Experiment Module (SEM): Nothing new. Experimenters and kids are working to get the next two satchels on ULF1.1.
Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): MFMG payload operations are finished.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Complete.
Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Continuing.
No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) targets uplinked for today.
To date, over 177,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS.
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:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 12 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-12/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 12 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.
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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 11:49am EST [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 351.7 km
- Apogee height — 357.4 km
- Perigee height — 345.9 km
- Period — 91.57 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0008546
- Solar Beta Angle — -72.6 deg (magnitude peaking)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 40126
Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):
- 12/20/05 — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
- 12/21/05 — Progress M-55/20P launch
- 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking
- 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12
- 02/02/06 — Russian EVA-15
- 03/22/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S launch
- 03/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking
- 04/01/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking & return.
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.
