NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 November 2005

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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.   Underway: Week 5 for Expedition 12. 

Today’s timeline included some rest for the crew.  Wakeup was slipped from the regular 1:00am EST to 3:30am.  Sleep time is back at 4:30pm.

Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev were congratulated on yesterday’s successful EVA-4 which accomplished all planned tasks plus two get-ahead tasks.  It was the first EVA from the U.S. Airlock (AL) since April 8, 2003 (Ken Bowersox & Don Pettit on Expedition 6) and the first EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) spacewalk from the AL for a Russian ISS crewmember.  Official duration of EVA-4 was 5 hours 22 minutes (from/to suit oxygen), starting at 10:32 am EST and ending at 3:54pm.    [Some observations:  AL/CL depressurization was delayed by about an hour due to the EMPEV (Emergency Manual Pressure Equalization Valve) in the IV hatch being inadvertently closed instead of open.  McArthur’s helmet video camera signal was never picked up by the WETA (Wireless Video System External Transceiver Assembly) antennas (Tokarev’s helmet video was OK).  During the FPP (Floating Potential Probe) jettisoning, a small object was seen to tumble away; it appeared to be the polarizing filter of McArthur’s DCS 760 digital camera (under investigation).  One of the two PCUs (Plasma Contactor Units) experienced a “health” flag failure but was restored to Discharge mode in time for the EVA by a remote-commanded microchip refreshing.]

Early in the morning, before breakfast and first exercise, CDR/SO McArthur and FE Tokarev completed their post-EVA session with the Russian crew health-monitoring program’s medical assessment MO-9 (Biochemical Urinalysis).  Afterwards, both crewmembers performed the Post-EVA clinical examination of the U.S. PHS protocol, assisting each other as CMO (Crew Medical Officer) as required.   [MO-9 is conducted regularly every 30 days (and also before and after EVAs) and is one of five nominal Russian medical tests adopted by NASA for US crewmembers for IMG PHS (Integrated Medical Group/Periodic Health Status) evaluation as part of the “PHS/Without Blood Labs” exam.  The analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus Urolux developed originally for the Mir program.  Afterwards, the data were entered in the medical equipment computer (MEC)’s special IFEP software (In-Flight Examination Program).]

McArthur reconfigured the DCS760 EVA still camera to its original settings and stowed it in the Photo/TV EVA bag.

Working on the EMUs, the crew drained the suits’ cooling lines, purged the SCU-2 (Service & Cooling Umbilical 2) to remove any trapped air (with O2 port and electrical connector taped shut), then recharged the EMU tanks with water, using the IRU (In-Flight Refill Unit) water pump.

Bill McArthur returned the A31p PCS (Portable Computer System) laptops from the AL to the Lab and Cupola station, restoring pre-EVA conditions.

Valery Tokarev returned his “Pille” and ID-3 personal radiation dosimeters to their original locations, first retrieving the ID-3 from the LCVG pocket (Liquid Cooling & Ventilation Garment) worn yesterday and attaching it on his flight suit for continuous wearing, then taking and recording the readings of the two Pille sensors (A0309, A0310) before placing them in their stowage kit.

At ~11:05am, the crew tagged up with EVA specialists at MCC-H via S-Band/audio to discuss issues and observations of their spacewalk. [Debrief questions were in the categories of General (Any lessons learned to incorporate for next EVA (EVA-5)? Does Valery still want a second pair of gloves?), Tasks (Any comments on the Russian wrist mirrors? Did you liked your AL tether anchor point?), the 4-hour Prebreathe period (Anything to note about removing/installing Metox caps on the removed canisters?), EMUs (How did both your suits fit?  Valery noted “cold feet” during the EVA-please elaborate), and other comments.]

In the Service Module (SM), the FE deactivated the IK0501 gas analyzer (GA) of the pressure control & atmospheric monitoring system (SOGS) and exchanged its carbon dioxide (CO2) filter assembly (BF) with a new unit from FGB stowage (replaced last: 9/26/05).  GA was reactivated /and the spent BF stowed for disposal.   [IK0501 is an automated system for measuring CO2, O2, and H2O in the air as well as the flow rate of the gas being analyzed.]

Valery also collected the weekly cabin air data with the new GANK-4M Real-Time Harmful Contaminant Gas Analyzer system of the SM’s pressure control & atmospheric monitoring system (SOGS).

In addition, the FE performed the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s SOZh environmental control system, including ASU toilet facility checkout and today also the weekly inspection of the BRPK air/liquid condensate separator apparatus.

McArthur conducted the weekly routine maintenance on the TVIS treadmill, primarily inspecting the condition of the SLDs (subject loading devices), SLD cables and SPDs (subject positioning devices), plus recording time & date values

Both crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS, 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 and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 1 of the first set).]

Afterwards, McArthur transferred the TVIS and RED exercise data files to the MEC for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the RED workout, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

Two new items were added to Tokarev’s discretionary “time available” job list for today.  The first task was a session with the “Diatomeya” ocean observations program, using the Nikon D1X digital still camera with 400mm-lens from window #9 to obtain oceanographic data on color blooms in the Atlantic Ocean (Argentina shores, Falkland-Patagonia area, underwater Mid-Atlantic Ridge, western portion of the Falkland & Brazilian current convergence area) on two overflights today.

The second voluntary task for Valery is a comprehensive audit/inventory of all lighting fixture in the Russian segment (RS), both installed lights (22 in SM, 12 in FGB, three in DC-1) and spares at various IMS (Inventory Management System)-documented locations.

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography/

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 12 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-12/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

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 Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:31am EST [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 345.3 km
• Apogee height — 346.6 km
• Perigee height — 344.0 km
• Period — 91.44 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0001914
• Solar Beta Angle — 4.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.74
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 138 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 39839

Upcoming Events (all dates Eastern):

• 11/10/05 — ISS Reboost (from 19P; manifold #2, 6:23am & 7:42am EST)
• 11/18/05 — Soyuz TMA-7/11S relocation (from DC-1 to FGB nadir port)
• 12/07/05 — EVA-15 (Russian; under review)
• 12/20/05 — Progress M-54/19P undocking & reentry
• 12/21/05 — Progress M-55/20P launch
• 12/23/05 — Progress M-55/20P docking
• 01/09/06 — 100 days for Expedition 12.

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.