Status Report

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 6 August 2004

By SpaceRef Editor
August 7, 2004
Filed under , , ,
NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 6 August 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. 

Before breakfast, FE/SO Michael Fincke performed the 24-hr. data registration of the acoustic dosimeters (two body-worn and one static) deployed yesterday.  Readings will again be taken tonight before sleep time.  [Before turning the dosimeters back on again, their batteries were changed out.  The dosimeters were then statically deployed for approximately 16 hrs in specified locations.]

In preparation for more upcoming ADUM (Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity) activities, the Science Officer set up and took another training session on the ADUM experiment’s On-board Proficiency Enhancer (OPE).   [Mike used the ADUM OPE compact disk on the HRF PC/laptop, focusing on cardiac, thoracic & bone scanning, plus data acquisition (probe positioning) and principles of remote guidance, ultrasound and anatomy.]

Previous Reports

ISS On-orbit Status [HQ]
ISS Status [JSC]
Shuttle Processing [KSC]

CDR Gennady Padalka meanwhile set up and configured equipment for another test of the Russian ASN-M satellite navigation system’s NPM receiver module, using the ASN-2401 antenna system and Laptop 3.   [Purpose of today’s experiment is to test the NPM’s performance under real flight conditions, including assessment of the precision of the acquired state vector (SV), generation of statistics for the successful operation of the NPM test mode on orbit, evaluation of the NPM data integrity in flight as well as its Cold and Hot start times, verification of software functionality in the ASN-M NVM (navigation computing module), and analyzing navigation satellite signal and ISS structures multipath effects on the NPM.  When functioning, the ASN will use GLONASS satellites (the Russian GPS equivalent) to update the SV without using the ground (which up to now has to uplink daily SV updates) or requiring SV transfers from the USOS from time to time.  The ASN equipment was originally installed in the SM but was found faulty and had to be returned to the ground.  After repair it was shipped again to the station on Progress 11P and re-installed by Yuri Malenchenko on 7/8/03, followed by various troubleshooting attempts en suite.]

In the Lab module, Mike Fincke powered up the HRF GASMAP (Human Research Facility/Gas Analyzer System for Metabolic Analysis Physiology) and its laptop for the regular routine 30-day health check (without environmental sampling), for a minimum run of six hours.  Afterwards, the equipment was turned off again.

Mike also activated the EXPRESS Rack 5 laptop computer (ER5 ELC) for the subsequently scheduled payload activities.  Using the new SNFM (Serial Network Flow Monitor) application, the SO then initiated a 3-hr. session to capture packet data traffic on the LAN-2 science network on the ELC during the subsequent SAMS (space acceleration measurement system) repair.  Later tonight, ER5 ELC will be powered off again.   [The software automatically transmits stored files to the ARIS POP computer (Active Rack Isolation System/Payload On-orbit Processor) in ER2 for later downlink and analysis on the ground.]

On the SAMS, Fincke performed a software upgrade, installing the newly revised software load, then downloaded files from the SAMS ICM (interim control module).
 
After reviewing an OBT (onboard training) course for operating the CGBA (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus), the FE later tonight will activate the payload for autonomous operation.

In the Service Module Work Compartment (SM RO), Gennady removed two IMU-128-2 microaccelerometers behind wall panels and replaced them with new units brought up on Progress 14P.  The old IMUs were discarded as trash to be loaded on the next Progress.  Part of the task was to take photo documentation of the new accelerometers with the Nikon D1 digital camera.

Padalka had an additional hour on his schedule reserved for stowing remaining EVA tools, batteries etc.

At ~9:30am EDT, the CDR started another run of the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“plants-2”) experiment in the “Lada-5” greenhouse, setting it up for operation and activating it by turning on environmental control power (pumps, light and fan), priming the tensiometers and setting laptop mode to cultivation.   [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants under spaceflight conditions.  After hardware installation, Gennady planted six seeds of acacia leaf peas between the wicks of the root module, made power connections and locked the tray.  Regular daily maintenance of the experiment involves monitoring of seedling growth, humidity measurements, moistening of the substrate if necessary, and photo/video recording.]

Later today, CDR Padalka is to perform the periodic replenishing of the Elektron’s water supply for electrolysis, filling the KOV thermal loops’ EDV container with purified (deionized) water from the BKO multifiltration/purification column unit.   [The procedure was specially designed to prevent air bubbles from getting into the BZh liquid unit where they could cause micropump impeller cavitation and Elektron shutdown, as numerous past times.  In the procedure, the EDV water is drawn from the BKO and the air/liquid separator unit (GZhS) while the crewmember checks for any air bubbles in the EDV (and, if visible, estimates their number).]

On the basis of yesterday’s tagup and an uplinked list of instructions, Mike Fincke assembled the new flexhose cover box from its individual pieces delivered on Progress.  The box was then installed on the U-jumper flexhose at the Lab science window, to protect it from inadvertent “grasps” by crewmembers hovering at the window.

The daily routine maintenance on the SOZh life support system was performed by Gennady, who also prepared the daily IMS “delta” file update, while Mike took care of the standard routine checkup of autonomous Lab payloads.

Mike Fincke also worked on the PC printer, printing out revised ODF (operations data file) Warning pages, complete with P&I (pen & ink) updates.

Padalka conducted his weekly IMS (inventory management system) tagup with ground specialists, discussing open issues concerning identification of equipment and storage locations for updating the IMS database.

For the SO’s OBT preparation for the MFMG (Miscible Fluids in Microgravity) demo scheduled for the next “Saturday Science” program, POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) uplinked sample movies showing Mike Foale performing MFMG.

Fincke and Padalka performed their full regimen of physical exercise on VELO with force loader, RED (resistive exercise device) and TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization). 

Working off the Russian task list, the CDR was to conduct another run of the Russian Uragan earth-imaging program, using the Kodak 760 DSC (digital still camera) with 800mm-lens from SM windows #9.   [Among today’s observation targets are the Altai glaciers, the South shore of the Baikal Sea, Trans-Baikal population centers, the Amur river, the Far East coast towards Sovetskaya Gavan, Sakhalin Island, volcanoes in Armenia and Yerevan, etc.]

The station continues to fly in XPOP attitude (X-axis perpendicular to orbit plane), pitch: 0.8 deg, yaw: -8.0 deg, roll: 0 deg.

Major upcoming events:

  • Progress 15P launch — 8/11 (1:01am EDT);
  • Progress 15P docking — 8/14 (2:05am EDT).

CEO images can be viewed at these websites:

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 9 crew visit:

Expedition 9 Flight Crew Plans can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/


ISS Location NOW


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ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 3:10am EDT [= epoch]):

  • Mean altitude — 357.2 km
  • Apogee height — 361.2 km
  • Perigee height — 353.1km
  • Period — 91.68 min.
  • Inclination (to Equator) — 51.63 deg
  • Eccentricity — 0.0006012
  • Solar Beta Angle — -30.9 deg
  • Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.70
  • Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
  • Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98)  — 32618

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.