NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 May 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.  

The crew’s sleep/work schedule shifted one more hour to the right (9:00am – 12:30am EDT), for today’s suited EVA dry run.  It will move back one hour tomorrow but return to today’s cycle for EVA day Thursday, 6/1 (sleep time on 6/2 at 6:30am, wake-up at 3:00pm), and subsequent shifts back to nominal.

For the suited EVA training later today, FE/SO Williams first disassembled the air duct in the DC1 (to gain room) while leaving the V3 fan in place for ventilation.   [The air duct will be reinstalled tonight after the Orlan exercise.]

At the same time, CDR Vinogradov configured the communications system for the exercise.   [The suited run requires wireless Tranzit-B suit radio telemetry on both semisets and temporary deactivation of the Russian VHF channel 1 (Very High Frequency, Russian: UKV1, for ultra-shortwave) to avoid interference from extraneous radio stations to the Orlans while over Russian ground stations (RGS).  All EVA preps are monitored by the ground via audio.  Tranzit-B TM is to be turned off again tonight at ~9:30pm.]

After another functionality and leak checking of the Orlan-Ms, their equipment and their interface units (BSS) in the DC1 and PkhO, the crew will commence donning EVA gear at ~2:25pm, including putting on personal gear bag, biomed harness, thermal underwear, LCG (liquid cooling garment), low-noise headset, gloves, etc. 

After another checkout of comm hookups & biomedical parameter telemetry via the BSS interface system for vital signs and equipment monitoring, suiting up culminates (at ~3:25pm) in ingress in the Orlans through their “backdoors” and sealing off of the backpacks.

Next in line are functionality checkouts of the suits and their BSS controls (e.g., temperature control handling, water cooling system ops), preliminary dimensional fit checks at reduced suit pressure (0.4 at, 5.9 psi), and about an hour of testing/training of suited mobility and translation inside the DC1, beginning at ~4:05pm (i.e., during Daily Orbit 13, for RGS coverage).   [These exercises include translation to all DC1 work stations with mated fluid umbilical, verification of Orlan fit, checkout of onboard cooling system operation, assessment of how the interior DC1 config impacts operations with various gear and accessories such as the POV (EVA support panel) and BSS (Orlan interface unit), evaluation of stowage of hardware to be taken out during the spacewalk, plus some typical EVA-16 activities, such as switching Russian to American safety tether protocol and back (which will involve uncommon use of Russian bungee tethers on US and CSA handrails), securing the EVA tool carrier on handrail, removing the OTA (Orlan tether assembly) from the Orlan, installing the PGT (Pistol Grip Tool) on the swing arm, etc.]

Egress from the Orlans is timelined for around 5:00pm, to be followed by restoration of communications settings to nominal operation, a one-hour lunch break, and a two-hour period of post-training cleanup activities (changing clothes, drying out LCG, biomed harness belt, thermal undergarment, socks, comfort gloves, hygienic trunks and comm caps, remove LiOH canister and moisture collector, etc.), and air duct assembly.

Subsequently, after the Orlans are confirmed to be dry, they are to be re-equipped with fresh consumables/replaceable elements for the spacewalk on Friday.

Earlier, before beginning the dry run, Pavel Vinogradov performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including the toilet system (ASU), and the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK).

The crew is also scheduled for their regular daily physical exercise program on CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE), TVIS treadmill (aerobic, CDR) and RED resistive exerciser (anaerobic, FE).  [Pavel’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, VELO session waived for today.]

Afterwards, Jeff transfers the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on CEVIS and RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

The FE will conduct his daily status check of the alignment and focus of the EarthKAM (EK) camera and position of flash aimed at the sample of the BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test) science activity.   [The EK camera is taking automated time-lapse flash photography (once every hour) of BCAT sample #3 at the MWA (Maintenance Work Area), controlled from the SSC-7 laptop (Station Support Computer 7).  The imaging continues for two weeks.]

Afterwards, Williams goes through the daily atmospheric status check for ppO2 (Partial Pressure Oxygen) and ppCO2 (pp Carbon Dioxide), using the CSA-CP (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products), CSA-O2 (CSA-Oxygen Sensor) and CDMK (CO2 Monitoring Kit).

In support of the ongoing runs of the ESA/German commercial experiment “RokvISS”, the CDR is scheduled for another time synchronization between the Russian payload server (BSPN) and the ISS “Wiener” power laptop, after setting up the laptop with the exact time as per the station clock (which in turn is synchronized daily from RGS/Russian Ground Site), using a payload file transfer program called ShellForKE.   [RokvISS investigates the feasibility of robotic function and remote control in open space environment.  Its REU (Robotic External Unit) arm, installed on the URM-D, is controlled by the CUP (Communication Unit for Payloads) via the OBC electronics, part of SM systems.  RokvISS communicates directly with the GOSC (German Space Operations Center) ground station at Oberpfaffenhofen/Germany via independent S-band comm link.

With the Elektron still off until 6/5, O2 refreshes of the cabin air are now being performed from Progress M-356/21P tankage as required.

The station continues in LVLH XVV (local vertical local horizontal/x-axis in velocity vector) attitude, as required by the current solar Beta angle magnitude (-15.5 deg), until the reboost and the maneuver to LVLH YVV (y-axis in velocity vector) on 6/8.

No CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets uplinked for today.

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:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

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, 7:41am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 342.5 km
• Apogee height– 348.4 km
• Perigee height — 336.5 km
• Period — 91.38 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0008897
• Solar Beta Angle — -9.4 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.76
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 78 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 43037

EVA-16 Preview for 6/1 (all times EDT):

• ~5:06pm:  Close hatches between PkhO/FGB and PkhO/DC1
• ~5:16pm:  Don Orlans, close backpacks
• Check for leaks on suits and hatches
• ~5:57pm:  Final O2 purge of Orlan systems
• ~6:00pm:  Start  prebreathe (30 min, to denitrogenize body for prevention of decompression sickness)
• ~6:30pm:  End prebreathe; depress DC1 to 15 mmHg
• ~6:45pm:  Switch Orlans to autonomous power
• ~6:51pm:  Open EV1 hatch
• Collect hardware in DC-1
• Egress DC-1 (ISS on SM thruster control)
• Install “Yakor” foot restraint on Strela crane (ISS to CMG control)
• Begin Elektron H2 Vent installation on SM
• Take closeout photos of H2 Vent
• Translate on Strela to WAL-2 antenna at SM aft end to photograph site of engine cover obstruction during aborted 4/19 reboost (SM thrusters inhibited);
• Remove Kromka hardware.  Remove Biorisk container (off Strela)
• Remove WAL-3 antenna cable slack.  Remove BKDO (Contamination Monitoring Unit)
• Translate on Strela to DC-1, thence to FGB for MBS task (SM thrusters enabled, CMG control);
• MCC-H Handover – begin MBS (Mobile Base System) Mast Camera swapout
• TsUP-Moscow Handover – end MBS Camera swapout
• Translate on Strela to DC-1
• ~12:26am: Ingress DC-1.  Expected EVA duration = 5 hrs 41 min.

(Note: For Strela ops, crewmember #1 cranks the crane at its mounting base, while crewmember #2 is secured on Strela’s foot restraint.)

Significant Events Ahead (all dates subject to change):

• 06/01/06 — EVA-16 (EV-1 hatch open ~6:51pm EDT; duration ~5hrs 41min)
• 06/08/06 — ISS reboost with 21P for phasing (6:51pm EDT, delta-V 1.5 m/s)
• 06/19/06 — Progress M-55/20P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 06/24/06 — Progress M-57/22P launch
• 06/26/06 — Progress M-57/22P docking (DC1)
• 07/01/06 — STS-121/ULF1.1 launch (earliest)
• 07/03-11/06 — STS-121/ULF1.1 docked mission w/ISS (earliest)
• 07/??/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
• 10/10/06 — 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)
• 11/22/06 — 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.