NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 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. Leroy Chiao has now spent a total of 200 days in space.

Continuing post-EVA cleanup activities, FE Salizhan Sharipov (for whom EVA-13 had been the second spacewalk) started the discharge process on the first of two Orlan 825M3 battery units.

Salizhan then deinstalled the portable air repress bottles (BNP) from the DC1 docking module and the backup SM work compartment (RO) repress lines and stowed them in the RO for future use.

The crew also restowed all Russian and US EVA tools and equipment.

The FE completed the periodic servicing task of changing out components of the SM toilet system (ASU), including the weekly routine checkup of the IP-1 airflow sensors in the various RS (Russian segment) hatchways and FGB-to-Node tunnel.

Salizhan also worked on the Russian condensate water processor (SRV-K2M), replacing its F-R filter reactor (catalyst). [The SRV-K2M, with its BKO multifiltration unit, removes dissolved mineral and organic impurities from the condensate. Downstream from it, the condensate water is treated in the BKV water conditioning unit with salts for taste and silver ions for preservation, before it flows to the KPV potable water container.]

Sharipov installed a LIV/12-LIV-24 adapter for the Russian LIV video system to connect LIV/12 and LIV/24 cables from the LIV experimental video complex. The LIV/24 cable with the old LIV/12-LIV/24 adapter was stowed with its cables.

The CDR performed the periodic checkup of the US CWC (collapsible water container) used for collecting condensate for Elektron, checking for air bubbles harmful to the Elektron micro pumps. He also reconfigured the Elektron water feed and tagged up with a ground specialist on VHF.

Sharipov conducted another periodic temperature check of the TBU thermostat that contains the GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility for Japan) payload for protein crystal growth studies in zero-G.

Working off the voluntary Russian task list, Salizhan performed the regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment, which researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-5 greenhouse.

Leroy filled out the regular weekly FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), his 21st, which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on special MEC (medical equipment computer) software.

Chiao also took the periodic (weekly) reading of the cabin air’s current CO2 partial pressure in the SM and Lab, using the U.S. CDMK (CO2 monitor kit), for calldown (along with the battery status) for use in trending analyses.

The crew 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 four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the TVIS (today: Day 2 of a new set) and one hour on VELO.

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

In a public presentation at the American Center in Moscow, the NASA History Office, supported by NASA/MTLO (Moscow Technical Liaison Office), formally released the first 402-page volume of “Rockets and People” (Rakety i lyudi), the remarkable memoirs of 93-year old Russian space pioneer Academician Boris Evseyevitch Chertok, published by the NASA HQ History Division with the support of the ISS Program Office. Professor Chertok attended the event and addressed the invitees, about 100, including veteran cosmonauts and VIPs from FSA and Energia.

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Phoenix, AZ (this nadir pass provides an opportunity for detailed mapping of the Phoenix metropolitan area. An overlapping mapping swath across the Phoenix valley from west to east will be useful for creation of a geo-referenced mosaic for land cover classification), and James Bay Ice, Canada (Dynamic Event. Thick ice cover in Hudson Bay should start to break up soon. ISS passed directly over the southernmost extension of Hudson’s Bay [James Bay]. Looking for fractures in the ice cover and areas of open water within the ice mass).

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

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.