NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 September 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.
Activities by BCC (Backup Control Center) at TsUP/HSR (Houston Support Room) in Moscow and by BAT (Backup Advisory Team) in Austin, TX, went well during the period of Hurricane Rita’s passage. Today, the ISS MMT (Mission Management Team) expressed gratitude and appreciation to the BCC personnel for their work and to the BAT team in their advisory role. Thanks were also extended to the crew who had responded well with the extra burden and to the Russian partners in Moscow for their patience and support. MCC-Houston now has begun handover from HSG (Houston Support Group). Per agreement with Russia, the final facility handover will occur early tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at approximately 3:00am EDT when Russian specialists are available. MCC-H should have USOS (U.S. segment) command, telemetry and voice capability today via U.S. assets.
Launch of Soyuz TMA-7/11S is still on schedule for Friday, 10/1 at 11:54pm EDT, and docking on 10/3 at 2:20am EDT.
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After breakfast Sergei Krikalev began his first session of the standard 24-hour recording of his ECG (electrocardiogram) under the Russian MedOps MO-2 protocol. [For the ECG recording, the CDR donned the five-electrode Holter harness that read his dynamic (in motion) heart function from two leads over the next 24 hours and records data on the “Kardioregistrator 90205” unit. The FE/SO was available to assist in the harness donning and will also stand by for tomorrow’s doffing.]
Afterwards, the crew worked in the Soyuz TMA-6/10S vehicle, dismantling the Kurs-A rendezvous and approach radar system of its SUDN motion control & navigation system and removing it from the crew transport ship, a three-hour job. These valuable components will be returned to Earth for reuse. [KURS-A is the active half of the Russian space program’s proven S-band radar system for automated flight, which measures relative motion parameters between Soyuz(or Progress) and the ISS during rendezvous operations, to enable the autopilot’s calculation of corrective impulses. The system’s passive transponder counterpart (KURS-P) is on the Service Module (SM), with one antenna each at the tip of the two solar array wings.]
The CDR conducted the periodic (monthly) functional closure test of a spare emergency vacuum valve (AVK) for the Vozdukh CO2 removal system. [The AVKs are critical because they close the Vozdukh’s vacuum access lines in the event of a malfunction in the regular vacuum valves (BVK) or a depressurization in the Vozdukh valve panel (BOA). Access to vacuum is required to vent carbon dioxide (CO2) during the regeneration of the absorbent cartridges (PP). During nominal operation, the AVK valves remain open.]
Also in the SM, Sergei deactivated the IK0501 gas analyzer (GA) of the pressure control & atmospheric monitoring system (SOGS) and exchanged its carbon dioxide (CO2) filter assembly (BF) with a new unit from FGB stowage (replaced last: 8/16/05). GA was reactivated and the spent BF stowed for disposal. [IK0501 is an automated system for measuring CO2, O2, and H2O in the air as well as the flow rate of the gas being analyzed.]
Using MEC (medical equipment computer) software, both crewmembers in turn took their third periodic on-orbit hearing assessment (O-OHA) test, a NASA environmental health systems examination to assess the efficacy of acoustic countermeasures. [The O-OHA audiography test involves minimum audibility measurements for each ear over a wide range of frequencies (0.25-10 kHz) and sound pressure levels, with the crewmembers using individual-specific Prophonics earphones, Bose ANC headsets and the SLM (sound level meter). To conduct the testing, the experimenter is supported by special EarQ software on the MEC, featuring an up/down-arrow-operated slider for each test frequency that the crewmember moves to the lowest sound pressure level at which the tone can still be heard. The baseline test is required not later than about Flight Day 14 for each new Expedition and is then generally performed once per month.]
Both crewmembers continued the longer-term task of surveying and organizing their equipment in preparation for their departure on 10/11.
Krikalev continued the current water and condensate sampling activity, obtaining samples for return on 10S. [Monitoring with the KAV sampling gear today involved the condensate upstream of the gas/liquid mixture filter (FGS) of the condensate water processor (SRV-K2M), removal of the sampler and deinstallation of the separator. The SKV-1 air conditioner was activated for its one-week cycle, and the KAV sample was transferred to a drinking bag for return to Earth.]
John Phillips broke out and set up the equipment for the upcoming Russian PZE MO-9 “Urolux” biochemical urine test and U.S. PHS (periodic health status) assessment.
The FE also prepared the regular daily IMS “delta”/update file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases (at MCC-H, TsUP, and Baikonur).
Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes a strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 3 of a new set).]
Afterwards, John transferred the exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the RED workouts, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
Working off his discretionary “time permitting” task list, Sergei performed the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, including filling its water canister for the Lada-7 greenhouse as required.
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 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.
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Upcoming Events (all times EDT):
- 09/29/05 — Soyuz TMA-6/10S hot-fire thruster test
- 09/30/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S launch (~11:54pm)
- 10/03/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S docking (~1:20am)
- 10/11/05 — Soyuz TMA-6/10S landing (~9:06pm)
- 10/18/05 — ISS Reboost
- 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
- 12/21/05 – Progress M-55/20P launch
- 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking.
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.
