Status Report

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 December 2005

By SpaceRef Editor
December 5, 2005
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NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 December 2005
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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. Underway: Week 9 for Expedition 12.

CDR McArthur was thanked for his excellent work on the VOA (Volatile Organics Analyzer) last Friday and Saturday. He completed the IFM (in-flight maintenance)/repair today, including some adjustments resulting from ground inspection of downlinked digital imagery. [However, VOA activation requires a fully functional AAA (Avionics Air Assembly) for the CHeCS (Crew Health Care Systems) rack, to provide adequate cooling. To resolve the issue of the reduced air flow in the CHeCS AAA ventilator, the fan will be replaced with a spare next Friday (12/9), along with any remaining work on the VOA IFM.]

Afterwards, McArthur downlinked two video tape playbacks with VOA IFM footage from VTR 1 (Video Tape Recorder 1) and VTR 2.

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With the Elektron oxygen (O2) generator still powered down (O2 being supplied from Progress 19 tankage), FE Tokarev serviced the Russian BMP Harmful Impurities Removal System, starting the “bake-out” cycle to vacuum on the #1 absorbent bed of the regenerable dual-channel filtration system. Before sleep time today, the bake-out will be terminated. [Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hours and is conducted only during crew awake periods. The BMP currently still uses the same vacuum vent valve for regeneration as the Elektron (the latter for venting hydrogen).]

Valery Tokarev gathered necessary tools and equipment for the upcoming installation of a manual command switch panel (BRUS) in the Soyuz TMA-7 Descent Module (SA) as well as for the recharging of the SKV-1 air conditioner in the Service Module (SM) with fresh Khladon coolant (Russian for Freon-218) on 12/7.

Valery also completed recovery of the Russian Laptop 1. He successfully removed its failed battery and prepacked it for disposal on Progress 19, then checked out the laptop with ground support.

Bill McArthur performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its toilet system (ASU) plus the weekly inspection of the air/liquid condensate separator apparatus (BRPK).

Valery continued cargo transfer operations from Progress-354/19P to the ISS, tracking the equipment movements in the IMS (Inventory Management System). Later, working off his voluntary task list, he updated/edited the standard IMS delta file, including locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).

Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the CEVIS cycle ergometer, TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer. [Valery’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).]

Afterwards McArthur transferred the 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 from the workouts, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week)

Reconditioning activities on the P6 EPS (Electrical Power System) battery set 2B3 began today with the initial discharge of the 2B3 BCDU (Battery Charge/Discharge Unit). After a 24-hr. hold, the battery recharge will begin. The reconditioning takes approximately one week to complete, and will be followed by a capacity test. [Nickel hydrogen batteries can develop and display “memory loss” resulting in a temporary loss of capacity that should be periodically erased by cycling all material via fully discharging and charging cells (“reconditioning”).]

According to TsUP/Moscow, the discrepancy between ppCO2 (Carbon Dioxide Partial Pressure) readings in the US and Russian segments appears to have been caused last month by incorrect reassembly of an air duct. The crew today worked on recovery of normal ventilation.

Work is underway by joint teams to evaluate the ramifications of leaving Progress 19 docked at the SM aft port until next March, for more efficient use of its resources (O2 & propellants) and better offloading of discarded station equipment. The Docking Compartment (DC-1)’s port will be used for Progress 20 linkup on 12/23, and structures specialists are looking at loads from propulsive maneuvers.

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Twelve — 8th)

Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology (HRF GASMAP): Continuing.

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.

Human Research Facility/Refrigerated Centrifuge (RC): The Science Officer received thanks for his work on the Refrigerated Centrifuge checkout. The data received on the ground looked good and the RC’s functionality on orbit is now verified.

Pulmonary Function System (PFS): Continuing.

Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Continuing.

Renal Stone (RS): Continuing.

Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Complete for this Increment.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS is powered off.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is powered off.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): The Science Officer was thanked for taking an additional set of photos of samples 1-6. The video looked great and researchers look forward to receiving the images.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. New MISSE-5 “suitcase” deployed and unfolded during EVA outside on the U.S. Airlock.

Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT): Nothing new.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Planned for February.

Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): Complete.

Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement (FMVM): Nothing new.

Space Experiment Module (SEM): Nothing new. Experimenters and kids are working to get the next two satchels on ULF1.1.

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): MFMG payload operations are finished.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Complete.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Through 11/24, the ground has received and reviewed a total of 3,633 of downlinked CEO images. Ground specialists will continue to provide the crew feedback on specific targets as they are able to review and catalog them. The quality of CEO imagery is “good to excellent”, and the crew continues to make great progress in acquiring targets. Although opportunities for good long lens views have been limited, improvements can be noted. Recent shooting efforts near North Island, New Zealand resulted in an excellent photo documenting springtime plankton blooms being swept eastward by ocean currents. This view was published on the NASA/GSFC website, Earth Observatory, last weekend.

No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) targets uplinked for today.

To date, over 177,000 of CEO images have been taken in the first five years of the ISS.

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 12 crew visit:

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 Location NOW

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Real Time ISS TrackerMore Links

  • ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:35am EST [= epoch]):
  • Mean altitude — 351.0 km
  • Apogee height — 357.1 km
  • Perigee height — 344.8 km
  • Period — 91.56 min.
  • Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
  • Eccentricity — 0.0009139
  • Solar Beta Angle — -39.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)
  • Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.73
  • Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 100 m
  • Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 40264

Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):

  • 12/20/05?? — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry (baseline date under review)
  • 12/21/05 — Progress M-55/20P launch
  • 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking
  • 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12
  • 02/02/06 — Russian EVA-15
  • 03/22/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S launch
  • 03/24/06 — Soyuz TMA-8/12S docking
  • 04/01/06 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S undocking & return


ISS Altitude History

Apogee height Mean AltitudePerigee height

ISS Altitude History

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.

SpaceRef staff editor.