NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 3 January 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. Underway: Week 11 of Increment 10. Crew off-duty (New Year’s Day Observed).

As is standard practice after Russian dockings, FE Sharipov took two photos of the Service Module (SM) aft-end docking assembly (SSVP StA) used for the Progress M-51/16P linkup. These images will be used to refine current understanding of docking conditions. [The objective is to take photo imagery of the scratch or scuff mark left by the head of the docking probe on the internal surface of the drogue (docking cone) ring. As other cosmonauts before him, Salizhan used the Kodak 760 digital still camera to take two pictures with the hatch closed down and downlinked them later via OCA.]

The CDR opened the VGA (verification gas assembly) valve of the MCA (major constituents analyzer) in support of a subsequent ground-controlled full calibration of the analyzer. Afterwards, Leroy closed the valve again. [The MCA uses the mass spectrometer with a magnetic field to separate ionized air sample constituents in a work chamber that is kept at vacuum by a high-performance ion pump.]

FE Sharipov worked on the Elektron, troubleshooting the O2 generator after yesterday’s micropump failures.

The crewmembers performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. Salizhan’s daily protocol currently prescribes a 1.5-hr structured set on the TVIS (today: Day 3 of a new set) and one hour on VELO.

Leroy then transferred the daily TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

Salizhan conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh life support system (including ASU toilet facilities)

At ~9:30am EST, Salizhan downlinked greetings to the 10th Anniversary of the Russian Federation Chamber of Accounts members.

Upcoming Key Events:

• ISS reboost (delta-V: 4 m/s) — 1/15/05;
• EVA-12 — 1/26/05 (Eastern)
• Progress 16P undocking & destructive reentry — 2/27/05;
• Progress 17P launch — 2/28/05.
• EVA-13 — 3/25/05;
• Soyuz 10 S launch — 4/15/05;
• Soyuz 9S undock — 4/25/05 (after 193 days on orbit, 191 days on board 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:

• 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.

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.