NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 December 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. Crew is off duty today.
After breakfast, FE Valery Tokarev looked for and sized a TNK-U-1 training loading harness/suit for wearing while exercising on the US TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation & Stabilization). [The TNK-U-1, which creates a 52 kg axial load on the FE during running, had been delivered in April for the Increment 11 crew.]
|
Shuttle |
Afterwards, Tokarev completed the periodic replenishing of the Elektron s water supply for electrolysis, his fourth, filling the KOV thermal loops EDV container with purified (deionized) water from the BKO multifiltration/purification column unit, following carefully written instructions. The activity was supported by ground specialist tagup. [The procedure is specially designed to prevent air bubbles larger than ~1 cm from getting into the new BZh-8 Liquid Unit where they could cause Elektron shutdown. In the procedure, the EDV water is carefully drawn from the BKO and the air/liquid separator unit (GZhS) while the crewmember checks for any air bubbles in the EDV (and, if visible, estimates their number, with no more than 2 bubbles of less than 1cm diameter permitted). Elektron water is also supplied from USOS condensate in a CWC (collapsible water container) that is checked for its contents of air bubbles and is rejected if the estimated total air bubble volume is more than 30 cubic centimeters (1 cm air bubble is about 0.5 ccm).]
On the Sputnik-SM Kenwood TM-D700 amateur radio station in the Service Module (SM) the crew reconfigured the transceiver to Repeater mode (Voice Broadcast). [In this mode, amateur radio operators throughout the world can work amongst themselves via the ISS until 12/31 (with the crew joining in the conference if they so desire).]
At ~9:40am 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.
Working off his voluntary “time available” task list, the FE checked the operation of the Japanese experiment GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility) in the ESA MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), including a temperature check on the ART (automatic temperature recorder).
Valery also performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU), as well as the periodic checkout/verification of IP-1 airflow sensors in the various Russian segment (RS) hatchways, including the SM-to-DC1 tunnel, and the FGB-to-Node passageway.
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).]
Tokarev also held a 15-min. tagup with ground specialists via VHF/audio to discuss his physical training regime, which now includes the loaded treadmill workout with the TNK-U-1.
No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked 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.
|
ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:20am EST [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 349.1 km
- Apogee height — 356.4 km
- Perigee height — 341.8 km
- Period — 91.52 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0010875
- Solar Beta Angle — 26.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 103 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 40610
Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):
- 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12
- 02/02/06 — Russian EVA-15
- 03/03/06 — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
- 03/22/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S launch (Exp. 13 + Marcus Pontes/Brazil)
- 03/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking (DC1)
- 04/01/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking & return (Exp. 12 + Marcus Pontes)
- 04/06/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S relocation (DC1 to FGB nadir port)
- 04/09/06 — Progress M-55/20P undocking & reentry
- 04/10/06 — Progress M-56/21P launch
- 04/12/06 — Progress M-56/21P 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.
