NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 29 August 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. As it turns out, the crew had a pretty busy weekend after all, and thank-yous went up for their voluntary super efforts (see below). Underway: Week 19 for Increment 11.
CDR Krikalev and FE/SO Phillips started their day by working several hours on Progress 18 unloading/transfers and commensurate IMS (Inventory Management System) operations. [An updated seven-page list of yet-to-be transferred equipment items and their desired stowage locations was uplinked overnight as reference, based on latest IMS data.]
Krikalev spent some time on the new real-time Harmful Contaminant Gas Analyzer (GANK-4M) of the Service Module (SM) pressure control & atmospheric monitoring system (SOGS), performing another calibration of a measurement coefficient.
In the U.S. Airlock, Phillips terminated the EMU battery maintenance and discharge activities that went on in the last few days. The batteries (#2050, #2053) were then bagged and put back in stowage.
As regular monthly maintenance on the two active CSA-CPs (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) in the US segment, John Phillips supported a “zero” calibration of the units, after changing out a battery in the prime unit (#1021) and later deploying both prime and backup (#1020) units in the open cabin. [CSA-CPs take readings for O2 (oxygen), CO (carbon monoxide), HCN (hydrogen cyanide), and HCl (hydrogen chloride). (Done last: 7/25).]
John also performed a spot check on two new CSA-O2 units by measuring O2, after activating them and changing out their batteries. [The CSA-O2 is a modified CSA-CP unit with the combustion sensors removed and only the O2 sensor installed. It was developed to support reduced pressures during EVA preparation activities, during which the CSA-CP cannot be used.]
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The FE completed the periodic on-orbit load calibration of the SchRED (Schwinn resistive exercise device) Flexpack canisters #1002 & #1004 (delivered on 15P). This was done last on 6/15 after replacing their pulley cables (which is done after every 53,515 cycles). John also completed the regularly scheduled inspection and maintenance of the exercise machine, including canister cords and bolt tightening (once a month). [The calibration of the cans, which is done approximately every two months to update protocols and track hardware status, re-establishes the relationship of specific load settings with a specific number of pulls per setting, followed by recording of the load values measured with a calibration tool and steel handles from the on-orbit calibration kit.]
Sergei performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control & life support system, including the ASU toilet system, and also prepared the regular daily IMS “delta”/update file for automated export/import to the three IMS databases.
Both crewmembers conducted 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 2 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).
Sergei unstowed and set up the gear for the crew’s third session with the periodic Russian MO-10 “Hematokrit” testing scheduled for tomorrow. [MO-10 measures the hematocrit (red cell mass) value of the blood (as a well-known phenomenon of space flight, red blood cell mass {normal range: 30-45%} tends to go down over time).]
At ~12:25pm EDT, John and Sergei configured the television hardware for an interactive 12-minute TV PAO event, starting at 12:45pm, with the Oregon Public Broadcasting System and Lewis & Clark College Humanities Scholar Clay Jenkinson. [This was another in-flight event utilizing the new NASA Television Digital Satellite System. Due to the signal encoding and decoding required, the new digital satellite system has a 5-second audio delay between ISS and ground reception, and vice versa, for which the crew is prepared.]
Working off his “time available” task list, Sergei conducted 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.
Also listed on his task list was the completion of the urine transfer from EDV-U liquid waste containers to the two empty Rodnik water tanks in Progress 18 for disposal, begun on 8/26.
Approximately 8 lbs of nitrogen (N2) was introduced into the cabin from the U.S. Airlock tanks today, raising ppN2 to ~570 mmHg (Torr) and the total pressure by 6 mmHg to 753 mmHg. O2 repress was not required.
At ~11:38am, Progress 18 propellant (oxidizer) from the cargo ship’s KDU refueling system, section 1, was transferred to the low-pressure storage tanks (BNDG) in the FGB module. No crew action was required. [Monitored by Moscow on Daily Orbits 15, the SM’s automated daily timeline sequencer (SPP) commanded transition to propellant transfer mode, then commenced transfer from the prop tanks of Progress to the FGB tanks via prop lines passing through the SM, lasting about 1-1.5 hrs. Because of the prop transfers from 18P, Russian segment (RS) thrusters will from now on only be used on the SM, until after 19P arrival.]
Over the past weekend, the crew worked on the LHAs (Lamp Housing Assemblies) and BBAs (Baseplate Ballast Assemblies) of the U.S. segment’s lighting system, which has failed in places.
In the U.S. Airlock, the FE checked out EMU Metox (metal oxide) recyclable CO2 absorption canisters, looking for a missing label.
Other activities by John Phillips over the weekend included relocation of hardware from HRF-1 (Human Research Facility Rack 1) to the newly arrived HRF Rack 2, in preparation of its upcoming activation, and also successful reload and reboot of the SAMS ICU (space accelerations measurement system/interface controller unit) laptop. POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center @ Huntsville) will attempt to downlink SAMS files for diagnostics, but the unit is currently up and running nominally.
No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets uplinked 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:
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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ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:39am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 352.5 km
- Apogee height — 353.5 km
- Perigee height — 351.5 km
- Period — 91.59 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0001474
- Solar Beta Angle — 60.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 57 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) – 38721
Upcoming Events (all times EDT):
- 09/07/05 — Progress M-53/18P undocking (6:23am)
- 09/08/05 — Progress M-54/19P launch (9:08am)
- 09/10/05 — Progress M-54/19P docking (10:49am).
19P is manifested to deliver to the ISS the following cargo: 800 kg propellants; 110 kg gas (oxygen/air, thanks to 14 additional gas tanks installed by RSC-Energia externally for an extra delivery capability of 60 kg O2); 300 kg water; 1230 kg dry cargo, comprising 139 Russian cargo items (including a new Elektron-VM Liquid Unit and 16 SFOG candles) and 83 NASA items (including two IBM 760XD laptops).
- 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)
- 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.
