Status Report

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 9 Jun 2004

By SpaceRef Editor

June 9, 2004

Filed under ISS, ISS On-orbit status, NASA HQ, US

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 9 Jun 2004 — iss

All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted previously or below. The crew was congratulated on their viewing of the Venus transit yesterday. This rare celestial event has not been seen on Earth since 1882 and of course never before from orbit, i.e., another “First” for the books!

Preparations for the Orlan spacewalk training on Friday (6/11) continued. Both crewmembers worked on the EVA support panels (POV) in the Russian segment to set them up and check them out for the training run and EVA, Mike in the Service Module Transfer Compartment (SM PkhO), Gennady in the DC1. Preparations particularly concentrated on “degassing” the Orlan BSS water/gas separation systems at both locations. [The CDR will be wearing Orlan #25 (red markings) with BRTA radio telemetry unit #13 installed, while the FE’s suit will be #26 (blue markings) with BRTA #18.]

Orlan activities also focused on equipping the suits with their consumable/replaceable ORU elements, setting up communications, performing leak checks and valve functionality tests on the suits and their BSS interface units, and completing individual height sizing. All Orlan activities were supported by peregovoriy (tagup) with ground spets (specialist). [Orlan ORUs are LiOH canisters (LP-9), primary & backup oxygen tanks (BK-3), moisture collectors, feedwater filters (FOR), CO2 measuring unit (IK) filter, filtration & separation units (BOS), and the newly charged 825M1 storage batteries.]

As a standard test requirement for Orlan EVA participants, today it was FE/SO Mike Fincke’s turn to complete a session of the MO-5 MedOps protocol of cardiovascular evaluation during graded exercises on the VELO cycle ergometer, assisted by CDR Padalka as CMO. [The assessment uses the Gamma-1 ECG equipment with biomed harness, skin electrodes and a blood pressure and rheoplethysmograph cuff wired to the cycle ergometer’s instrumentation panels. For the graded exercise, Mike worked the pedals after a prescribed program at load settings of 125, 150, and 175 watts for three minutes each.]

Gennady conducted the daily routine maintenance on the SOZh life support system, comprising the water supply equipment, food supply subsystem (SOP), and sanitary hygiene equipment (SGO), while Mike completed the regular routine status checkup of the autonomous Increment 8 payloads and prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system) “delta” file for database update.

The crew completed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on TVIS treadmill, RED expander and VELO ergometer with load trainer.

Today’s CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets, limited in XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the science window, which is available for only ~1/4 of each orbit when not facing forward (in “ram”), were Berlin, Germany (nadir pass over this reestablished capital city, the edges of which can be difficult to discern as a result of the forested nature of the city. More than one 180-mm view were probably needed since the cityscape is large), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (looking nadir and right for the string of lakes along these rivers in the mountains of southeast Turkey), Baghdad, Iraq (the city lies where the Tigris and Euphrates swing closest to one another. Looking for the city center a touch right, where highways focus at the Tigris River. ISS track followed the Tigris to the delta and then continued along the E side of the gulf to Oman. Looking right for views of the Saudi coast of the gulf with its several cities and many oil installations), Pittsburgh, PA (nadir pass. Looking at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet), Denver, CO (looking a touch right for the city center. Two 180-mm lens images were probably required to capture the whole built-up zone, which snakes along the highways well away from the old downtown), Lisbon, Portugal (nadir pass), and Gardner Reef, Hawaiian islands (looking a touch right for this small island and associated reef. In 1857 Captain John Paty reached Gardner in the vessel Manuokawai, and reported that it “is merely two almost inaccessible rocks, 200 feet high, extending north and south about one-sixth of a mile. A bank extends off to the southwest some 15 or 20 miles.”)

CEO images can be viewed at the websites.

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at

http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

U.S. & Russian Segment Status (as of this morning, 1:50pm EDT)

Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):

Elektron O2 generator is On. Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is On. U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control subsystem) is operating. SM Gas Analyzer has been calibrated and is used for ppO2 & ppCO2 monitoring. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is in Life Extending Mode (LEM). BMP Harmful Impurities unit: absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On, SKV-2 is Off (SM panel mods completed 4/8; SKV-2 activation failed 4/20; is now functioning again). SFOG slot #2 fan suspect (not usable).

SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 742; temperature (deg C) — 26.3; ppO2 (mmHg) — 153.9; ppCO2 (mmHg) — 3.7;
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) — 751; temperature (deg C) — 20.9.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) — 756; temperature (deg C) — 22.3.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) — 750.25; temperature (deg C) — 24.0 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) — 751.68; temperature (deg C) — 24.1; ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) — 751.89; temperature (deg C) — 25.1; shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a, ppO2 (mmHg) — n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) — n/a.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) — n/a.

(n/a = data not available)

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B both in Autotrack (solar-tracking, “sun slicer”, i.e., drag reduction-biased by 47 deg).
SM batteries: Battery #4 is in “Cycle” mode. All other batteries (7) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
FGB batteries: Battery #5 is off line; battery # 3 is in “Cycle” mode; all other batteries (4) are on line in “Partial Charge” mode.
Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 is in Standby mode; PCU-2 is in Standby mode.

Command & Data Handling Systems:

C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is backup, and C&C-3 is in standby.
GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is backup.
INT-2 is operating; INT-1 is Off.
EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off (backup).
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-1 MDM is Off; PL-2 MDM is Operational.
APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational (string 1 dropped out 11/22/03).
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational (string #3 dropped out 10/22/03).
FGB MDM-1 is Off (failed, 11/21/03); MDM-2 is Operational.

Propulsion System:

Total propellant load available: 3372 kg (7434 lb) as of 6/3/04; [SM(552) + FGB(2820) + Progress M-1(0)]. (Capability: SM — 860 kg; FGB — 6120 kg).

Attitude Control Systems:

2 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed, since 6/6/02; CMG-2’s RPC-17 failed 4/21/04).
State vector source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Attitude source — U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)
Angular rate source — RGA-1

Flight Attitude:

XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = “sun-fixed” [yaw: 0.5 deg, pitch: -9.0 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG TA (thruster assist).

Communications & Tracking Systems:

FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.
All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
S-band is operating nominally (on string 2).
Ku-band is operating nominally (may require a mask).
Audio subsystem is operating nominally (IAC-1 is prime, IAC-2 is off).
Video subsystem operating nominally.
HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:

SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF/LEE A, operational on redundant string, off on prime.
MBS: KA (keep alive) power on both strings.
MT: latched and mated at WS4.
POA: KA power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is On (DCP connected); Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:39am EDT [= epoch]):