NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 28 March 2005

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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.

Today’s early-morning Orlan EVA-13 by CDR/SO Chiao and FE Sharipov, ending an hour ahead of schedule with all objectives achieved, was yet another proud achievement for the ISS program.

After opening DC1 airlock hatch #1 at 1:25am EST, the two spacewalkers spent 4 hrs 30 min outside the Russian segment (RS). During this time, they –

• Installed three antennas (WAL-4,-5,-6) for the MBRP space-to-space radio life for the European ATV (automated transfer vehicle) on the Service Module Working Compartment (SM RO),
• Installed an antenna unit for the ASN-M satellite navigation system (the Russian GPS equivalent), also in support of ATV;
• Inspected and checked the ONA high-gain antenna during the transition along the SM; and
• Launched the TNS-0 Nanosatellite after its activation by pushing it off.

The only anomaly of the EVA occurred during the planned photography of the ATV Videotarget-Meter. During this task the crew reported that the U.S. camera was not operating. The crew is to troubleshoot this camera after the ingress.

The EVA ended with return to the DC1 and hatch closing at 5:55am. This was the 58th spacewalk in support of ISS assembly/maintenance and the 33rd from the station itself (15 from “Pirs”, including one aborted). With today’s EVA, ISS spacewalks have been staged by 40 NASA astronauts, 11 Russian cosmonauts, one Canadian and one Frenchman, totaling 348 hrs 15 min.

Earlier, after crew wake-up last night at 4:30pm, all pre-EVA activities had proceeded smoothly and on schedule, starting out with Leroy and Salizhan undergoing another MO-9 urine biochemistry test. A second session with the Urolux equipment was conducted by both crewmembers immediately after post-EVA station repress from Progress 17’s air supply.

After return from the EVA and DC1 airlock repressurization from cabin air, the crew opened hatches and reentered the SM for ISS activation operations. Sharipov restored systems configurations in the DC1 and other RS modules to pre-EVA conditions, then installed the DC1 air ducts.

A cabin atmosphere repress from Progress 17 air supplies followed, raising cabin pressure by 30 mmHg to replace the pressure drop from the DC1 repress.

Afterwards, Leroy began reopening the USOS transfer hatches from the RS. Then, the CDR restored the ITCS (Internal Thermal Control System) and the OpsLAN network, transferring the PCS laptop back into the cabin.

The planned ISS attitude change to XPOP at 11:08am was deferred after the ground observed a large vibration spike in control moment gyro #3 (CMG-3) during the handover from RS thrusters back to US momentum management near the end of EVA-13. [XVV attitude requires only 25% of the CMG gimbal rates that XPOP needs to provide attitude control, and is therefore less stressful on the CMG. FCT (Flight Control Team) is re-assessing the ISS communications predictions to account for the new attitude plan. CMG-3 and -4 are currently spinning and in configuration to accept the handover to momentum management.]

Shifted sleep time, beginning at 12:45pm EST, extends till 1:00am tomorrow morning, to ease the crew back to their nominal sleep cycle and a light-duty work day tomorrow to allow them additional rest.

The long-planned capacity test on the 2B battery charge/discharge unit #2 (2B2) and battery set will begin today at 1:00pm, with the 2B2 set off-line for the duration of the test (16 hrs). This will conclude 2B2 BCDU/Battery reconditioning operations.

No CEO (crew earth observations) 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:

• 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