NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 September 2004
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2004) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday, with the crew off duty for the day. Ahead: Week 22 of Increment 9. Day 162 in space for Expedition 9; also Day 1394 of permanent human station residency, and Day 2138 since first ISS launch (FGB/Zarya)
Over the weekend, Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke continued troubleshooting the Elektron O2 generator. [The crew built a special hose/adapter from existing components which apparently will allow discontinuing using the suspect Elektron vacuum vent valve (ZLVK), which vents H2 overboard, and employ a vacuum valve (AVK-BMP) of the BMP micropurification unit instead. This means disconnecting the H2 line coming from the RPD pressure equalization unit from the ZLVK and attach it to a port of the AVK-BMP. MCC-H will discuss the procedure with the Moscow specialists and review any questions that may arise before it is implemented.]
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Padalka conducted the routine inspection of the SM’s SOZh life support system, with the weekly data collection of toilet flush counter readings, inspection of the SP urine collection and pretreat assembly, and SVO water supply status counter readings, all for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.
At ~12:55pm EDT, Mike Fincke had a PFC (private family conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/NetMeeting video.
The crew performed their regular 2.5 hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED expander and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer.
The CDR completed a number of voluntary tasks from the Russian task list, leading off with the regular inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment hardware which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.
A second task list job was another run of the Uragan earth-imaging program, using the Kodak 760 DSC (digital still camera) with 800mm-lens from SM windows #9, now available again in LVLH attitude. [Today’s observations featured the RGO and Sauksai glaciers, the South coast of Issyk Kul, Hurghada on the Red sea, gateway to the Suez Canal, coastlines of the Caspian Sea and oil slicks on the Caspian, possible dust storms over the Aral Sea, the Marmara Sea, Istanbul and the Bosporus in nadir, the Black Sea coast of the Crimea and the Kerch Strait, and the city of Krasnodar with the Krasnodar reservoir.]
A third task list item for Gennady was a final inspection and closing out of the equipment used for the “Diatomeya” ocean observations program. [This included a visual inspection and functionality check of each NIKON-F5 camera, while recording comments under relevant camera numbers for experts to review, taking inventory of all film and tapes used for the experiment during Increment 9, verification proper labeling and stowing the data along with other return cargo.]
The CDR restarted the current operations and measurement session with the Molniya-SM/LSO hardware from SM window #3 for another two days, with the French-provided EGE-1 laptop running the latest NORAD orbital parameters (TLEs, two-line elements). [Begun on 9/22, the payload worked automatically until today. It was then restarted for additional measurements, to run until 9/28 (2:30pm) when it will be torn down.]
Last night, the RGA 2 (Rate Gyro Assembly) again went down with a skew failure. After evaluation of a data dump, the RGA was power-cycled (turned off/on) and restored to nominal operation after about one hour of reduced redundancy. [Each of the two redundant RGAs, which provide angular rate data to the U.S. ACS (Attitude Control System), contains three ring laser gyros which measure incremental attitude in three axes. The RGAs are mounted such that they are skewed (deliberately “misaligned”) relative to each other. The skew algorithm compares incremental attitude data between the two RGAs and allows an individual ring laser gyro failure to be observable using data from the other RGA. Following isolation of a failed gyro, the suspect RGA is declared failed and removed from use. Engineers believe that the thresholds used in the algorithm may be set too conservatively causing the algorithm to declare a RGA failed.]
Yesterday during the weekly PCS (portable computer system) reboots, the Lab RWS (robotics workstation) laptop exhibited indications of corrupt system files on its hard disk drive (HDD). No problems have shown themselves, but it is unknown what functionality is affected. Recovery requires “ghosting” a hard drive for the laptop, which Mike Fincke began last evening.
Yesterday, during Day 9 of TRRJ (Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint) testing, with the portside (Loop B) TRRJ in Autotrack, an anomaly occurred with the rotary joint angle position causing redundant string switchovers. The testing was halted until further evaluation next week.
The station continues flying in earth-oriented LVLH (local vertical/local horizontal) attitude until the next maneuver to XPOP on 9/30.
Expedition 9 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.
Today’s optional CEO photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by restrictions on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes, Egypt (this pass provided an opportunity for high-resolution mapping of current Toshka Lake shoreline positions for monitoring of lake levels. Looking to the left of track for the lakes), Glacial features, W Libya (these relict sub-glacial river channels have been difficult to identify in oblique photography. A high-resolution nadir image series of the region will be useful for mapping of the fossil river channels), Beni River dynamics, Bolivia (high-resolution mapping of the river channel will be useful for modeling of river dynamics. Mapping of the existing channel and former river courses are particularly important), Hurricane Jeanne, W Atlantic Ocean (Dynamic Event. This pass was directly over the predicted center of Jeanne. The eye may still have been visible, and cloud banding should have been striking), and Palmerston Island reef, central S Pacific (this nadir pass provided an opportunity for high-resolution photography of the reef. These images will be used to update existing maps and assess the condition of the reef).
CEO images can be viewed at these websites:
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:
To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 9 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-9/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Current Soyuz 9S (Expedition 10 + 1) flight plan (Leroy Chiao, Salizhan Sharipov, Yuri Shargin):
- Launch — 10/11, 12:17am ET (Moscow: 8:17am; Baikonur: 10:17am)
- Docking @ DC1 — 10/13, 2:05am ET (Moscow: 10:05am)
- Hatch Opening (docking + 2 orbits) — 10/13, 5:05am EDT (Moscow: 1:05pm).
Current 8S (Expedition 9 + 1) flight plan (Gennady Padalka, Michael Fincke, Yuri Shargin):
- Hatch Closing — 10/19, 3:15pm ET (Moscow: 11:15pm; Kustanai: 10/20, 1:15am)
- Undocking from FGB — 10/19, 6:20pm ET (Moscow: 10/20, 2:20am; Kustanai: 10/20, 4:20am)
- Deorbit Burn — 10/19, 8:52pm ET (Moscow: 10/20, 4:52am; Kustanai: 10/20, 6:52am)
- Landing — 10/19, 9:45pm ET (Moscow: 10/20, 5:45am; Kustanai: 10/20, 7:45am.
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ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:24am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 363.3 km
- Apogee height — 370.0 km
- Perigee height — 356.5 km
- Period — 91.81 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0009973
- Solar Beta Angle — -11.6 deg (magnitude increasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.68
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 70 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 33424
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.
