NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 June 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.  Day 43 in space for Expedition 7.

The crew performed the regular weekly 3-hr. housecleaning.  [This included removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table and other surfaces with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises.]

CDR Yuri Malenchenko and FE/SO Ed Lu were thanked for using part of their Saturday to support the camera test for the Shuttle Viewing DTO (development test objective).  Ed started the activity at 6:30am EDT by connecting the UOP-DCP (utility outlet panel to display & control panel) power cable for the robotics/MSS (mobile service system) and setting up the video system.  [Activation of the analog VTRs (video tape recorder #2) was performed by the ground, and Ed Lu started and stopped the digital Sony V10 recorder.  The video tapes were played back to the ground via Ku-band for several hours starting at 1:50pm.  The viewing test supports the development of methods to inspect (and repair if necessary) Shuttle orbiter TPS tiles and RCC (reinforced carbon-carbon) elements on orbit utilizing ISS assets for viewing/mapping of the orbiter surface.  Prior to docking, at the “Rbar” position underneath the station, the orbiter would perform a 360-degree pitch-over maneuver to expose its entire surface (top/bottom) to the ISS for video and still photography.  Today’s viewing targets, with their proper lighting windows, were the MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment) at the Airlock endcone at 8:41-8:46am EDT, and the starboard EVA toolbox #1 at 10:17-10:22am and 11:50-11:52am.]

Malenchenko performed a checkout of docking and internal transfer system (SSVP) tools in the SM, in particular a hatch drive crank and ancillary long extension bars for operating the manual hatch sealing drive of the Progress hatch.  [The checkout included a fit check of the extension poles with the hatch sealing drive shaft and a shaft torque test of the assembly.  The SSVP is the “classic” probe-and-cone type, consisting of an active docking assembly (ASA) with a probe (SSh), which fits into the cone (SK) on the passive docking assembly (PSA).  The ASA is mounted on the Progress’ cargo module (GrO), while the PSA sits on the docking ports of the SM, FGB and DC-1.]

Yuri also conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh life support system (including ASU toilet facilities), while Ed Lu prepared the daily IMS inventory “delta” file.

At 9:30am EDT, the crew held their regular weekly planning conference with the ground via S-band/audio, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (regularly prepared jointly by MCC-H and MCC-M planners). 

The crew also had their weekly teleconference with ISS Program management.

The results of the crew’s second water microbial sampling show improvement (less growth) compared to the first sample, due to some flushing done before the sampling.  [The affected components of the SVO-ZV water supply system will be replaced with new parts to be delivered by 11P.  All in all, the potable water on board is still good to drink, and the fix for the hardware will soon be on its way.]

Working from the Russian discretionary task list, Malenchenko conducted another session of the Russian Uragan (“hurricane”) earth imaging program (GFI-8), using the Kodak DCS 760 digital camera with f/800 focal length lens.  [Suggested targets were the city of Abudzha, Cyprus and Turkey, the Kolka glacier in the north of the Kazbek mountains, the Borjomi-Bakuriani region on the Kura River (city of Bakuriani), and the Temirtau pits.  Uragan specialists in Moscow had requested downlink of these images via U.S. OCA assets and delivery to them as soon as possible.]

Another addition to the Russian task list on a time-available basis today and tomorrow was a session with the Diatomeya ocean observation program.  [Today Yuri used the Rubinar binocular telescope plus videocamera, from SM window #9, to image the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, with the DVCAM set to 40x zoom.]

Overnight, starting at 11:44pm EDT, the station was maneuvered from XPOP (yaw/pitch/roll angles = 0.5/-6.8/0 deg) to LVLH attitude (-10/-7.2/0 deg).  This attitude will be maintained until after the Progress 11P docking on 6/11.

Launch of 11P/Progress M1-10 (259) from Baikonur is set for tomorrow morning at 6:34:19 am EDT.  [Activation of AR&D (automated rendezvous & docking) procedures will start on 6/11 at 4:47am, followed by activation of Kurs-A (on Progress) at 5:30am and of Kurs-P (on Service Module) at 5:32am. Power-down of U.S. segment (USOS) systems will be at 5:00am, of Russian segment (RS) systems at 5:50am.  AR&D stationkeeping starts at 6:56am, at ~160m distance below (nadir of) the starboard SM solar array.  For the final docking procedure, starting at 7:07am, the Progress will approach from below along the DC-1 (“Pirs”) docking port axis, with nominal contact at 7:17am EDT.  At this time, ISS will mode to free drift until after Progress hooks are closed (7:37am).]

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Seven — 5th):
The past week featured two science conferences with PI/PDs (Principal Investigator/Payload Developers) which were good for payloads.  After the InSPACE run on Wednesday (6/4), the two sessions planned for 6/5 and 6/6 were deferred due to lack of adequate Ku-band coverage in XPOP and the need to have good coverage after the InSPACE coil assembly change in the MSG.  A single run is scheduled for next week, on 6/10.

GASMAP:   Next health check is in mid-June.
 
Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS):   Continuing.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI):  Waiting to begin operations.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS):  SAMS is nominal and currently analyzing data in support of general characterization of the ISS acceleration environment.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS):  MAMS is nominal and currently analyzing data in support of general characterization of the ISS acceleration environment.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):   PCG STES is operating nominally.  Some data files were downlinked during the past week.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions (InSPACE):   The last test points required on the midsize particle sample were completed.  Despite lack of real-time Ku-coverage to confirm structure development, these runs are expected to have yielded results similar to the previous runs, with this sample showing scaling dependencies on the test parameters.  As a consequence of this situation, the last two test points were cancelled this week due to the very scarce Ku-coverage during the operations; they are being rescheduling in more enhanced-Ku-coverage time slots.  Next week, testing with the largest particle sample will resume.  During Increment 6, the scientifically more interesting structures were observed with this size sample.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE):  In progress.  Deployed outside. Nominal and collecting data.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM):  Waiting to begin operations in July.

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2):  Waiting to begin operations.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO):  As suggested by the crew during yesterday’s (6/6) planning tagup with the ground, the planned EPO demonstration of a Hawaiian Pu’ili flute will be deferred until later in the Increment, to give the ground time for developing a lesson plan that includes background content on how sound travels.  The demonstration is sponsored by the Bishop Museum in Hawaii.

Crew Earth Observation (CEO):  The crew was thanked for their efforts to photograph the Aurora Australis activity this past week.  Also appreciated are their timely responses to dynamic events like recent Eastern Pacific cloud vortices.  CEO participation in the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to follow the Missouri and Columbia rivers for a route from the East to the Pacific Ocean, has been highlighted in ground publications.  The CEO staff has joined a network of educators, museum and university experts and Earth remote sensing specialists to capture images from the ISS that will correlate space science, geology, geography, history, and literature.  In the coming weeks, orbit tracks, scheduling, and weather permitting, new sites of particular interest will be included in the daily target list uplink.  [See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at  http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/ ]

Today’s optional CEO targets, were Kuwait City, Kuwait (this city, located on the coast, was near nadir), Lima, Peru (the pass offered a nadir view of the Peruvian capital and seaport), Harpers Ferry, WVA (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: This historic town is located at the confluence of the Potomac River from the north and Shenandoah River from the south as they break through the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Crew was asked to use the long lens for details of this small target), and Phoenix, AZ (this sprawling Arizona city was located just left of track).
CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:26am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 389.7 km
• Apogee — 394.1 km
• Perigee — 385.2 km
• Period — 92.35 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) —  51.63 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0006589
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 80 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. ’98)  — 25948
• For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html