NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 31 March 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 had a short work day.

Crew sleep cycle was adjusted for tonight’s Soyuz docking and the subsequent handover period.   [After wake-up at the regular time of 1:00am EST, sleep time began already ten hours later, at 11:00am. Wake-up will be tonight at 7:30pm, with next sleep time tomorrow (4/1) set at 1:30pm.  The station’s day hours will then settle down to 1:30am – 5:00pm for the rest of the E12/E13 transition period.]

FE Valery Tokarev completed the periodic (about twice a month) replenishing of the Elektron’s water supply for electrolysis, filling the KOV thermal loops’ EDV container with purified (deionized) water from a filled EDV with water from the BKO multifiltration/purification column unit, following carefully written instructions.   [The 30-minute procedure is specially designed to prevent air bubbles larger than ~10 mm from getting into the BZh-8 Liquid Unit where they could cause Elektron shutdown.  In the procedure, the BKO water is carefully pumped with a compressor from the EDV-1 through the air/liquid separator unit (GZhS) into the empty EDV-2 while the crewmember checks for any air bubbles accumulating in the GZhS (and, if visible, estimates their number, with no more than two 1 cm diameter bubbles permitted in EDV-2). Elektron water is also supplied from U.S. condensate in a CWC (collapsible water container) that is checked for its contents of air bubbles and is rejected if the estimated total air bubble volume is more than 30 cubic centimeters (1 cm air bubble is about 0.5 ccm).]

Tokarev also transferred the CRYSTALLIZER equipment from the CRYOGEM-03M cooler in the DC1 Docking Compartment to the Service Module (SM) for stowage, before preparing the CRYOGEM for the upcoming E12/E13 CONJUGATION experiment, setting its thermostat to +4 degC.  Afterwards, Valery reconfigured the TBU (Universal Bioengineering Thermostat) for new arriving payloads.

CDR William Mc Arthur meanwhile powered off the laptop of EXPRESS rack 4 (ER4).

Bill also conducted another periodic atmospheric status check for ppO2 (Partial Pressure Oxygen) and ppCO2 (pp Carbon Dioxide), using the CSA-O2 (Compound Specific Analyzer-Oxygen Sensor) and CDMK (CO2 Monitoring Kit).

Working off his discretionary “time available” task list, Tokarev performed his regular checkup on the Japanese experiment GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility) in the Russian TBU incubator, maintained at 20 degC, including a temperature check on its ART (automatic temperature recorder).   [This daily monitoring/temp checking, carried on the Russian voluntary “time available” task list, will continue until 4/30.]

Also from the voluntary task list, Valery completed the regular temperature check on the BIO-11 “Statokonia” payload with the ULITKA (“snail”) incubator with the ART (automated temperature logger), set up in the SM with new material delivered on 20P.   [BIO-11 studies the composition of statoconia, i.e., the organ of equilibrium in snails, and other phenomena exhibited by “ulitka” in zero-G and post-flight.]

Later, the FE conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU).

The crew performed an abbreviated 1-hr. physical exercise workout on the TVIS treadmill.

Afterwards, McArthur transferred the exercise data files to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink.

Soyuz TMA-8 (12S) with Expedition 13 crewmembers Pavel V. Vinogradov & Jeffrey Williams plus Brazilian “taxi cosmonaut” Marcos Cesar Pontes, Visiting Crewmember 10 (VC10), continues to catch up with the station for the docking tonight at 11:19pm EST (7:19am DMT/Moscow on Saturday). [FD2 activities, starting yesterday with crew wakeup at 2:00pm on Orbit 12, included systems & crew health status reports to TsUP, preparation of the Soyuz Habitation Module workspace (without installing the backup rotational {RUO-2} & translational {RUD-2} hand controllers), building attitude for and executing the DV3 burn at 10:42pm last night, placing Soyuz back in its sun-spinning “barbecue” attitude (ISK) and swapping CO2 absorption cartridges in the BO.  Later today on FD3, the crewmembers will put on their Sokol suits and PKO biomed harnesses, transfer to the Habitation Module (SA), activate its air purification system (SOA) and close the hatch to the Descent Module (BO).  After the DV4 burn tonight at 9:24pm, activation of the active Kurs-A system on Soyuz (9:44pm) and of the passive Kurs-P on the SM (9:46pm), the DV5 burn at ~10:08pm (~101 km range) and up to three additional adjustment burns (starting at 10:49pm) during automated rendezvous, station fly-around to align with the FGB nadir port will begin at ~10:58pm at ~400m range and 4 minutes before local sunrise, followed by station keeping at ~11:08pm at ~160m below the SM starboard solar array.  Final approach, initiated at 11:10pm, will be concluded on Orbit #34 by docking and Soyuz hooks closure at 11:19pm, at which time the ISS maneuvers from temporary free drift back to earth-“fixed” LVLH XVV TEA (local vertical/local horizontal — x-axis in velocity vector —  torque equilibrium attitude), reverting to U.S. CMG control.  Since orbital sunrise is at 11:02pm, the final approach and docking phase will take place in bright sunlight.]

After its current sleep time, which ends at 7:30pm tonight, the ISS crew will perform final steps in preparation for the Soyuz TMA-8 arrival. Primary activities by ground-command and by the crew will include:

• Handing over attitude control to RS motion control (7:20pm);
• Configuring the US P6 solar array BGAs (Beta gimbal assemblies) to autotrack the Sun (8:30pm);
• Powering up the Lab RWS (Robotics Work Station) and the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) on the prime string for covering the Soyuz docking with its external cameras;
• Feathering the P6 solar arrays 2B & 4B (9:25pm) for Soyuz arrival (thruster plume protection);
• Setting up the onboard video and A31p laptop connection for linking the RS event to the US segment and Ku- and S-band assets (9:30pm);
• Relaying Soyuz voice comm link to the US S-band for downlinking during the rendezvous, starting at ~100 km range (10:07pm);
• Beginning collecting structural vibrations data with the SDMS (Structural Dynamics Measurement System) on the S0 truss for five minutes during the docking;
• Monitoring the approach and docking (10:40-11:19pm), and
• Turning the TVS video system off (~11:30pm).

Events after Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking at the FGB nadir port (11:19pm EST):-

• 12S/FGB leak checking ~11:30pm EST;
• 12S/ISS hatch opening ~12:30am (4/1);
• Begin 12S transfers ~1:00am;
• 12S deactivation ~1:30am;
• TV/PAO event with Brazilian TV company “Globo” ~2:05am
• Safety Briefing “Walkthrough” ~5:35am.
• Begin E12/E13 Handover activities ~7:45am;
• Crew Sleep ~1:30pm.

Today’s CEO (Crew Earth Observation) 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 Ganges basin haze (Dynamic event. Looking aft and right for obliques of dust/smoke/industrial haze in the Ganges basin.  Trying to include the Himalayan mountain front in any views.  Visibilities reduced to ~ 2 mi. at cities along the Ganges), and Saharan dust, Central Mediterranean (Dynamic event.  As a new storm develops over Western Europe, there is potential for Saharan dust to be drawn into the Mediterranean Sea from Libya ahead of the front.  Looking mainly forward: dust sources appeared slightly right of the velocity vector, and possible dust plumes moving towards Sicily slightly left of track).

To date, more than 186,000 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 12 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-12/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 12 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, 7:48am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 345.2 km
• Apogee height – 351.4 km
• Perigee height — 339.0 km
• Period — 91.44 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0009197
• Solar Beta Angle — -26.8 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.75
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 42092

Significant Events Ahead (all dates subject to change)

• 04/08/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S-ISS hatch closing ~1:12pm EDT
• 04/08/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking (4:28pm EDT) & land (7:46pm EDT); (mnvr. to XPOP after undock)
• 04/19/06 — SM main engine test/ISS reboost
• 04/24/06 — Progress M-56/21P launch
• 04/26/06 — Progress M-56/21P docking (SM aft port)
• 06/19/06 — Progress M-55/20P undocking (DC1) & reentry
• 06/28/06 — Progress M-57/22P launch
• 06/30/06 — Progress M-57/22P docking (DC1)
• 07/01/06 — NET STS-121/ULF1.1 launch
• 07/??/06 — US EVA-5
• 07/31/06 — Russian EVA-16
• 08/28/07 — NET STS-115/12A launch
• 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)
• 11/16/06 — NET STS-116/12A.1 launch
• 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)
• 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)
• ??/??/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)
• 03/22/07 — NET STS-117/13A launch
• ??/??/07 — Soyuz TMA-10/14S relocation (SM aft port to FGB nadir port)
• 06/14/07 — NET STS-118/13A.1.

(NET = no earlier than)

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.