NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 4 Jun 2003
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.
After reinstalling the utility outlet panel (UOP)-to-display & control panel (DCP) power bypass cable for the robotics/MSS (mobile service system), Edward Lu and Yuri Malenchenko took the Canadian SSRMS (space station remote manipulator system) on its scheduled familiarization run. All planned operations were successfully completed. (Lu had already had a session, with Ken Bowersox, on 5/2.) [Robotics activities today were a maneuver to a pre-grapple position for the LAB FRGF (flight releasable grapple fixture), two grapples and releases, and then a maneuver to a stow position. Each maneuver used both Joint OCAS (operator commanded auto sequence) maneuvers and Single Joint modes, chosen for the proficiency training since they are the most commonly used SSRMS modes.]
For CDR Malenchenko, assisted by Ed Lu, it was time for the second part of the current MBI-8 Profilaktika (“countermeasures”) fitness test series, today with the NS-01 load trainer on the VELO (stationary bike) ergometer. [This fitness test consists of four types of exercise, viz., neck tilting (back/forward), simultaneous forearm flexing, trunk extension, and trunk flexes. Each type of exercise consists of a series of 15 motions repeated two times. Load levels are selected by the ground and do not change from test to test. Total duration of the test is 13 min. Gas analysis, subjective evaluation of physical exertion levels, and blood test for lactate and Creatine Kinase levels are also performed as a part of this test, using the TEEM-100M gas analyzer, AccuSport analyzer, and Reflotron-IV blood analyzer.]
Science Officer Lu activated the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox), then supervised another experiment session with the InSPACE (InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions) experiment. The MSG was then powered down again. [Today’s test was the last planned one with coil assembly #5 (CA005), Test 13, at the lowest field strength of 0.875 amps with the highest frequency, 10 Hz. These two parameters remained the same for the entire operations, i.e., no parameter changes for the second monitor period as for some of the preceding runs. Also planned after the test was a coil exchange: CA005, containing 0.4 micron particles, was to be stowed and CA006 (0.66 micron particles) installed instead. The next test will be the first utilization of CA006, which had been found to be nominal (no cracks, leaks or bubbles) at last inspection during Increment 6.]
Yuri Malenchenko continued the Russian inventory management system (IMS) audit, which had to be shortened yesterday from 2 hrs. to 1 hr due to a timeline overrun incurred for Profilaktika.
Also deferred from yesterday to today was Ed Lu’s task to bring the EMER-1 and EMER-2 warning and emergency operations books up to date with latest change pages and P&I (pen and ink) updates. [The third EMER-1 book which was lost in the Soyuz 5S orbital module, has meanwhile been reconstituted in its entirety. There must be three copies on board, one each in the Russian segment, U.S. segment, and Soyuz.]
At 12:35pm EDT, Malenchenko set up and conducted a ham radio session with students of a school in Moscow.
The CDR also conducted his regular care of the on-board nursery, i.e., the daily monitoring/servicing of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 zero-G plant growth experiment in the Lada-2 greenhouse. In addition, Yuri prepared the daily IMS inventory “delta” file and later completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environment control and life support system.
Launch preparations for 11P/Progress-259 on 6/8 (Sunday) continue at Baikonur. The cargo ship arrives at the station on 6/11 (7:11am EDT) and will stay docked at the DC-1 “Pirs” docking module until 8/29, then make room for 12P. 10P/Progress-247 remains docked at the SM aft port until 11/17.
Today’s CEO (crew earth observation) targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, also excluding any night target viewing, were Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (crew was asked to check if fires have reached northern Mozambique [left and right of track near the Indian Ocean coast]. This region usually burns at the end of the fire season, but conditions are abnormal this year), Cloudfree Congo basin (Dynamic event. Almost cloudfree conditions over the central Congo basin. Looking left for sunglint views of river patterns of these major rivers and especially their less well understood tributaries), Andean dust, Argentina (Dynamic event. Fast westerly winds at the great altitudes of the high Andean desert are probably producing dust streamers. Looking left and right of track. The phenomenon of Andean dust sources giving rise to thick dust-derived soils in the low country of Argentina was discovered from astronaut handheld photographs), Lower Amazon River Basin (glint opportunity just left of track for views of the entire, vast estuary of the Amazon. Detailed views of coastline change were requested), High Central Andean Glaciers (shooting any ice-capped volcanoes in sight near nadir. The region has hundreds of volcanoes, many as yet unmapped), Lima, Peru (looking a touch right), Kuwait City, Kuwait (nadir pass), Eastern Mediterranean Aerosols (looking left for probable smog buildup in the Med basin as ISS passed over Cyprus), Saharan Dust, Senegal (Dynamic event. Dust plume blowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Looking left for a good oblique view of the northern margin 3-4 degrees off track. Oblique are ideal for capturing lighter loadings of aerosols), Gulf of Maine plankton (Dynamic event. Ships are plying east-west transects taking measurements of ocean color and opacity today, combining these with satellite data. Any low earth orbit images the crew can get may help understand this early summer blooming of plankton).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:15pm EST).
Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
- Elektron O2 generator is powered On (20 amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On (manual mode-5/day, mode-3/night). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is operating. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.
- SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 27.1; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 21.4.
- FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 752; temperature (deg C) — 22.3.
- Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 745.8; temperature (deg C) — 23.8 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
- U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 747.44; temperature (deg C) — 23.0; ppO2 (mmHg) — 171.6; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 4.2.
- Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 747.54; temperature (deg C) — 29.6; shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.7, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) –n/a.
- PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 24.7.
- PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — 16.7.
(n/a = data not available)
Propulsion System (PS):
Total propellant load available: 3573 kg (7877 lb) as of 5/29 [SM(774) + FGB(2547) + Progress(252)]. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).
Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
- Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in autonomous Autotrack (45 deg biased for drag reduction).
- SM batteries: Batteries #4 is disconnected (failed); all other batteries (6) are in “Partial Charge” mode (battery #2 is exhibiting degraded performance).
- FGB batteries: Battery #4 is disconnected; all other batteries (5) are in “Partial Charge” mode.
- Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Discharge mode.
Command & Data Handling Systems:
- C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.
- GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup.
- INT-1 is operating; INT-2 is Off.
- EXT-2 is On (primary), EXT-1 is Off (both now upgraded to R3).
- LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
- PL-2 MDM is Off; PL-1 MDM is Operational.
- APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
- SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
- SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Being upgraded.
Attitude Control Systems:
- 3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).
- State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
- Angular rate source — RGA-1
Flight Attitude:
- XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 0.5 deg, pitch: -6.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist).
- Solar Beta angle: 22.7 deg (magnitude decreasing).
Communications & Tracking Systems:
- FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
- All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
- S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
- Ku-band is operating nominally.
- Audio subsystem is operating nominally [IAC-1 (internal audio controller #1) being analyzed after self-test error. IAC-2 is prime.]
- Video subsystem operating nominally.
- HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.
Robotics:
- SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF #1 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both strings.
- MBS: KA power on both strings.
- MT: latched at WS4, with KA power.
- POA: KA power on both strings.
- RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 3:10am EDT [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 389.9 km
- Apogee — 394.4 km
- Perigee — 385.4 km
- Period — 92.35 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0006591
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
- Solar Beta Angle — 22.7 deg (magnitude decreasing)
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 90 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98) — 25899
- For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html
