NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 December 2004
SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2004) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday, a welcome rest day for the crew. Ahead: Week 7 of Increment 10.
FE Sharipov completed the routine SOZh/ECLSS maintenance including the weekly task of collecting toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings in the Service Module (SM) for calldown to TsUP.
Working from the Russian voluntary task list, Salizhan performed a number of preprogrammed experiments (1, 3, and 4) of the Matryoshka payload on the Matryoshka server (BSPN), controlling them with a program called ShellForKE on the Wiener laptop and storing the data on a PCMCIA memory card for subsequent downlink. [Matryoshka automatically takes radiation measurements in the SM and DC-1 docking compartment for studies of on-orbit radiation and long-term dose accumulation, using six SPD dosimeters deployed throughout the Russian segment as well as in a spherical body-simulating Matryoshka-R phantom and a human torso model outside on the SM hull, mounted there during EVA-9 on 2/27/04.]
Yesterday’s “Saturday Science” program by Leroy Chiao, featuring the ISSI (In-Space Soldering Investigation) experiment, yielded results that “extremely pleased” the ISSI ground team from preliminary review of the downlinked live video. “All 18 coupons of Test 4 should yield important science data when they are returned”. [Due to lack of a suitably charged Makita battery for the soldering iron, Test 4 could not be conducted on Friday (12/3) as originally planned (and reported in the 12/3 Status) but slipped to yesterday where it bumped Test 5. For long term resolution of this planning issue, POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) is reviewing all planning models for ISSI runs for including battery charging activities where appropriate.]
Since the U.S. EVA/EMU and REBA batteries completed a successful charge yesterday, another checkup of them by CDR Chiao scheduled for today was not required.
FE Salizhan Sharipov had his weekly PFC conference with his family at TsUP/Moscow via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting video.
|
Previous Reports ISS On-orbit Status [HQ] |
The crew performed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser, CEVIS cycle and VELO cycle with bungee cord load trainer. Salizhan’s daily protocol currently prescribes a 1.5-hr structured set on the treadmill (today: Day 2 of a new set) and one hour on VELO.
Afterwards, Chiao 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.
CDR Leroy Chiao was thanked for his outstanding conversation with His Excellency Dai Bingguo of the Chinese delegation touring the control centers yesterday. “Nice job, guys!”
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Ten — 6th):
GASMAP: Next routine Health Check for GASMAP is scheduled in the week ahead.
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Nothing new.
Hand Posture Analyzer (HPA: Nothing new.
In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI): Test 4 was successfully concluded yesterday (12/4) and awaits evaluation of the soldering coupons on the ground. Live video observed Friday showed ideal camera angle and coupon placement for the test. See also item above.
Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Nothing new.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS continues collecting numerous channels of acceleration data that serve toward characterization of the dynamic vibratory environment on the ISS.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS monitoring of the low-frequency acceleration environment of the space station continues.
Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES): Constant.
Protein Crystal Growth Monitoring by Digital Holographic Microscope (PromISS): Nothing new.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE): Nothing new.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): Nothing new.
Renal Stone (RS): Nothing new.
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SHERES): Nothing new.
Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Nothing new.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside on the U.S. Airlock. Nominal and collecting data.
Cellular Biotechnology Support Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI): Nothing new.
Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC): Nothing new.
Yeast Group Activation Packs (Yeast GAP): Nothing new.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Nothing new.
Earth Science Toward Exploration Research (ESTER): Nothing new.
Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Nothing new.
Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM): Planned.
Viscous Liquid Foam–Bulk Metallic Glass (Foam): Nothing new.
Effects of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle (BIOPSY): Nothing new.
Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): Planned.
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA): Nothing new.
Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): Nothing new.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Nothing new.
Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE): Nothing new.
Crew Earth Observations (CEO): The ground has received and is reviewing a total of 2,698 of Inc-10 CEO images through 11/29. A handsome image of the Perito Moreno Glacier in southern Argentina highlights an article published on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website this weekend (URL see below). This large, active glacier of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field is one of Argentina’s most renowned. Review of CEO long-lens imagery (400mm and with 2x doubler) suggests that the crew has achieved near-mastery of both the setting and the subtle target-tracking technique needed to produce sharp focus and fine image detail with this camera configuration. “A number of your views are simply stunning”. Crew was asked to remember that the resolution and detail achieved in such imagery often exceed that of the maps and imagery used to locate and catalog the CEO photos. Other factors that make quick image location difficult are high oblique views with low light or a turbid atmosphere. Context imagery containing familiar landforms (coastlines, large rivers, etc.) makes image location much easier.
CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:
See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:
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:
- Progress 15P undocking & destructive reentry — 12/22 (Eastern);
- Progress 16P launch — 12/23;
- Progress 16B docking — 12/25 (7:00pm EST);
- EVA-12 — January 2005 (1/27?).
|
ISS Location NOW |
ISS Orbit (as of this noon, 12:03 pm EST [= epoch]):
- Mean altitude — 355.9 km
- Apogee height — 358.9 km
- Perigee height — 353.0 km
- Period — 91.66 min.
- Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
- Eccentricity — 0.0004383
- Solar Beta Angle — -72.1 deg (magnitude increasing)
- Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.71
- Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
- Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 34526
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.
