NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 June 2006
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2006) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
In the “Quest” Airlock (A/L), the crew worked on the CCAA (Common Cabin Air Assembly) heat exchanger (HX), in preparation for its replacement during the ULF1.1 docked period. The crew drain the heat exchanger of the coolant, removed it from the CCAA and packed the hardware for return. A new heat exchanger will be flown on ULF1.1.
Also in the A/L, the FE removed the degraded VTR2 (Video Tape Recorder #2) and repacked it in a return bag for loading on ULF1.1.
Afterwards, Williams disassembled and removed the FSS (Fluid Systems Servicer), now longer required for draining the CCAA HX lines.
Meanwhile, CDR Vinogradov terminated the recharging of the second set of EMU batteries for ULF1.1, which the FE initiated in the A/L BSA (Battery Stowage Assembly) on 6/28.
Also as part of ULF1.1 EVA preparations, Vinogradov checked out the PGT (Pistol Grip Tool), an important implement for the spacewalks.
Afterwards, Pavel cleared out the A/L Crewlock compartment of any excess stowage and transferred the cargo to temporary locations to make room for the EVAs.
Both crewmembers had again time reserved for continuing to collect and prepack hardware slated for return on ULF1.1.
The CDR worked on the currently inactive air conditioner (SKV1), recovering condensate water from the unit by wetting and flushing evaporation condenser wicks with water.
Jeffrey performed the regular bi-monthly reboot of the OCA (Orbit Communications Adapter) comm router SSC (Station Support Computer) laptop.
Pavel Vladimirovich also completed the routine daily maintenance of the SOZh environment control & life support system in the SM, including the ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables.
Working off the “job jar” task list, the FE updated/edited the standard IMS (Inventory Management System) “delta file”, including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).
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Both crewmembers worked out in their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS treadmill (FE, CDR), RED resistive exerciser (FE), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR). ULF1.1 will deliver a new CEVIS in MPLM “Leonardo” and return the old cycle. [Pavel Vinogradov’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 4 of the first set).]
Afterwards, the FE transferred the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
At ~3:30am EDT, the crew engaged in their regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeline planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
At ~4:15am, the crew held the regular (nominally weekly) tagup with the Russian Flight Control Team (GOGU), including Shift Flight Director (SRP), at TsUP via S-band/audio, phone-patched from Houston and Moscow.
At ~4:30am, the CDR also linked up with TsUP specialists to conduct the weekly IMS tagup, discussing open issues concerning identification of equipment and stowage locations for the IMS databases via S-band.
At ~3:15pm tonight, the crew will conduct their regular weekly tagup with the Lead Flight Director at MCC-Houston.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, which is available for only ~1/4 of each orbit when not facing forward (in ram), were Nile River Delta (looking right of track for detailed oblique views of the intensive farming of the Nile delta-Suez Canal zone of lower Egypt), Amazon River mouth (Dynamic event. Looking left for possible views of the massive, reddish sediment plume that streams north from the mouth of the planet’s largest river. An area the size of the Mediterranean Sea is affected by sediment-laden water of low salinity for hundreds of miles along the coast of South America northwest from the mouth of the river. Nearer to track there was a possibility of internal waves just offshore near the glint point), and North East USA floods (Dynamic event. Flooding is widely reported in the northeast US. First looking right of track; then after ~2 minutes shooting left near the glint point for reflections off sheets of water. Many rivers have broken their banks. Cloud cover should have been relatively scattered).
To date, more than 198,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS, almost one third of the total number of images taken from orbit by astronauts.
CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:
- http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/station/CEO.html
- 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 13 crew visit:
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-13/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.
Expedition 13 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 Orbit (as of this morning, 6:41am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 341.8 km
- Apogee height– 349.1 km
- Perigee height — 334.6 km
- Period — 91.37 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0010799
- Solar Beta Angle — 30.5 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 43525
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern and subject to change):
- 07/01/06 — STS-121/ULF1.1 launch (3:43pm) – window: 19 days
- 07/03-11/06 — STS-121/ULF1.1 docked mission w/ISS (earliest, 11:28am)
- 08/03/06 — US EVA-5
- 08/28/07 — STS-115/12A launch (earliest)
- 08/30-09/06 — STS-115/12A docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P3/P4 trusses
- 09/13/06 — Progress M-56/21P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
- 09/14/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S launch (Expedition 14 + VC11)
- 09/16/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S docking (SM aft port)
- 09/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S undocking (FGB nadir port) & reentry
- 10/08/06 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
- 10/18/06 — Progress M-58/23P launch
- 10/20/06 — Progress M-58/23P docking (SM aft port)
- 11/22-23/06 — Russian EVA-17
- 12/14/06 — STS-116/12A.1 launch (earliest)
- 12/16-23/06 — STS-116/12A.1 docked mission w/ISS (earliest) – P5 truss
- 12/19/06 — Progress M-57/22P undocking (DC1) & reentry
- 12/20/06 — Progress M-59/24P launch
- 12/22/06 — Progress M-59/24P docking (DC1)
- 01/22/07 — US EVA-6
- 01/26/07 — US EVA-7
- 01/31/07 — US EVA-8
- 02/06/07 — Progress M-59/24P undocking (DC1) & reentry
- 02/07/07 — Progress M-60/25P launch
- 02/09/07 — Progress M-60/25P docking (DC1)
- 02/22/07 — STS-117/13A launch (earliest) – S3/S4 trusses
- 02/24-03/03/07 — STS-117/13A docked mission w/ISS (earliest)
- 03/08/07 — Progress M-58/23P undocking (SM aft port) & reentry
- 03/09/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S launch (Expedition 15 + VC12)
- 03/11/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S docking (SM aft port)
- 03/19/07 — Soyuz TMA-9/13S undocking (FGB nadir port)
- ??/??/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
- 06/11/07 — STS-118/13A.1 (earliest).
ISS Altitude History
Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.
