NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 March 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. Easter Sunday — and a very short one for the crew.

After wakeup this morning at the regular 1:00am EST, return to sleep was already at 8:00am. Second wakeup will be this afternoon at 4:30pm, to get ready for tomorrow morning’s EVA-13.

At ~2:35am, a cabin air repress was performed from Progress-352/17 section 1 tanks, lasting about 70 min.

In the Joint Airlock, CDR/SO Chiao terminated the charging of the NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries in the BSA (battery stowage assembly), then installed the NiMHs in the Orlan-M helmet light assemblies and checked out the function of their flood and spotlights. [The helmet lights will be left powered on from beginning to end of the spacewalk, to allow their deep battery discharge in support of a 6-month maintenance requirement.]

FE Sharipov equipped both Orlans (in pocket on left calf) with a “Pille-MKS” radiation sensor. [Two sensors, A0309 &A0310, were removed from their exposure locations in the RS after recording their dose measurements; a third, A0307, was placed in the SM for background readings. Also, tonight when donning his gear, Sharipov will place his ID-3 personal dosimeter, normally worn on the flight suit, into the chest pocket in his Orlans lining (near the DIDB) and later return it to the flight suit.]

The crew tagged up with TsUP specialists via S-band for a final one-hour review of the timeline and procedures. [Hatch opening is scheduled for 1:25am EST, hatch closing at ~7:12am, for a total EVA duration of 5 hrs 47 min. Objectives of the “VKD” (=EVA) from the DC1 “Pirs” docking compartment, with Sharipov as EV1 and Chiao as EV2, are: Installation of three antennas (WAL-4, -5, -6) of the MBRL air-to-air radio line for the European ATV (automated transfer vehicle), installation of an ASN-M satellite navigation antenna unit (also in support of ATV), taking photographs of the MVM “visiometer” docking target for ATV (plus possibly other views), inspection and checking of the ONA high-gain antenna, and launching the TNS-0 “Nanosputnik” after its power-up after egress.]

CDR Chiao prepared cabin systems for the isolation of the Russian segment (RS) from the U.S. segment (USOS) during the EVA, by transferring SODF (Systems Operations Data File) items, a Lab PCS (portable computer system) laptop, and the CCPK (Crew Contamination Protection Kit) from the USOS to the SM. [SODF items include hardcopies of the SODF Warning book, POC book and Medical Checklist, as well as portions of the CD library.]

The medical kits were placed in the SM work compartment (RO) and the first aid kit in the Soyuz-215 orbital module, for the unlikely event of a contingency. [After the EVA, the kits are to be returned top their initial locations.]

Other station preparations by Leroy for the spacewalk were:

• Configuring the EPS (electrical power system) as required for USOS/RS module isolation for EVA (verifying that all U.S. GLAs (general luminaire assemblies) manual rack power switches, except for the failed ones, are in the On position and lights illuminated (this provides for ground control of the lights and the racks, and it also provides for the rack automatic software response to an ISS emergency fire event);
• Reconnecting the UOP (utility outlet panel) bypass power cable at both Lab and Cupola RWS DCPs (display & control panels);
• Setting up two Sony PD100 camcorders in the Lab & Node for situational awareness during the spacewalk, and
• Filling the U.S. DIDBs (disposable in-suit drink bags) with fresh water and reinstalling them in the Orlans.

Final ground-commanded and crew-assisted steps are underway to prepare the station for unmanned mode and EVA ops. [These include contingency telemetry downlink tests, shell heater ops, S-band setup, and ITCS configuration to dual-loop operations mode so that one string of USOS critical avionics systems are on one cooling loop and the secondary avionics string is on the other cooling loop. This provides redundancy in the event of an ITCS loop failure.]

The FE once more broke out the “Urolux” equipment, setting it up for the Russian PZE MO-9 biochemical urine test tonight, a standard requirement before and after Orlan-suited activities. [The MO-9 analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus Urolux developed originally for the Mir program.]

Sharipov also performed the routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including ASU toilet facilities inspection and taking toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings in the Service Module (SM) for calldown to TsUP/Moscow.

At ~6:00am, CDR Chiao completed partial hatch closure (isolation) between the RS and the USOS. [Hatches were closed between Lab & Node (2), Node starboard & Airlock, and Node & PMA-1. The remaining hatches will be closed tomorrow prior to the EVA. Between the USOS modules, the IMV (Intermodule Ventilation) valves are open and the MPEVs (manual pressure equalization valves) are closed to support equalization of module pressures. This configuration provides the ground with module isolation control if necessary and supports the automatic software response to an ISS emergency depressurization event.]

Sleep time began at 8:00am.

Tonight’s activities:

After second crew wake up at 4:30pm EST, crew and ground efforts will concentrate on final steps for the spacewalk, with full USOS isolation (all hatches closed) scheduled at 6:00pm.

Scheduled pre-EVA activities by the crew include:

• The standard pre-EVA MO-9 “Urolux” urine biochemistry test for FE Sharipov and CDR Chiao (a second MO-9 session is to be conducted by both crewmembers immediately after the EVA);
• Configuring the Ethernet OpsLAN (Operations Local Area Network) for the RS/USOS hatch closure (and resetting it after post-EVA hatch opening);
• Closing U.S. hatches between Lab & Node (2), Node starboard & Airlock, and Node & PMA-1 (at ~6:00pm), with IMV (Intermodule Ventilation) valves remaining open and the MPEVs (Manual Pressure Equalization Valves) closed to support equalization of module pressures;
• Reconfiguring DC1 & SM PkhO transfer tunnel and RS systems;
• Checking out Orlan suit interface control panels (BSS) in DC1 & PkhO;
• Reconfiguring EVA communications links;
• Rerouting C&W (caution & warning) alarms from the C&W panel to the PkhO EVA support panel;
• Checking out comm & medical monitoring gear as well as repress bottles (BK-3) in the DC1;
• Tearing down the air duct in the DC1 (leaving the V3 fan in place);
• “Midday” meal (~10:00pm);
• Deactivating ISS systems:
• Conducting final inspection of the Orlans and their BSS units (11:00pm); and
• Donning the Orlan-M suits (~11:30pm);
• DC1 hatch opening: ~1:25am.

Update on CMG-2: Control moment gyroscope #2 is currently still at a standstill. Specialists reviewed the data related to the RPC-17 (remote power controller #17) trip and reconfirmed that the failure was caused most by a hybrid FET (field effect transistor) driver, which is the same failure that was seen on CMG-2 last year. To regain power to the gyro, a patch panel reconfiguration has been approved for EVA-1 on the upcoming LF-1 (STS-114/Discovery) mission. [Objective: The patch panel reconfiguration will change the power feed between RPCMs (RPC modules), i.e., from RPCM S02B D to RPCM Z13B B. At some other point in the future, the S02B D RPCM will need to be replaced.]

No CEO (crew earth observation) targets today.

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 10 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-10/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 10 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.

Upcoming Key Events:

• EVA-13 — 3/28 (hatch open~1:25am; hatch close~7:12am);
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) launch — 4/14 (8:46pm EDT); with Expedition 11 (CDR Sergei Krikalev, FE/SO John Phillips & VC8 cosmonaut Roberto Vittori/ESA-Italy); launch time at Baikonur: 6:46am on 4/15.
• Soyuz TMA-6 docking — 4/16 (10:17pm EDT);
• Soyuz TMA-5 (9S) undocking — 4/24 (2:36pm EDT) with Exp. 10 crew (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board ISS) and VC8 cosmonaut Vittori;
• Soyuz TMA-5 landing — 4/24 (6:01pm EDT (Kustanai: 4:01am on 4/25);.
• LF1 (STS-114) launch — 5/15;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/10;
• ULF1.1 (STS-121) launch — NET 7/12;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27.

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.

Happy Easter! (Russian Easter this year falls on May 3 — so we’ll get to do this a second time…)