ISS On-Orbit Status 1/23/03<br /><br />All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously<br />or below.<br /><br />The crew awoke to congratulations on yesterday's PAO/educational event with<br />NASA GRC (Glenn Research Center) and was informed that the students really<br />enjoyed the crew's answers and the video, especially when props were used.<br /><br />Today's Robotics ops were successfully completed. Starting at about 3:15am,<br />CDR Ken Bowersox and FE-2/SO Don Pettit maneuvered the Canadarm2/SSRMS<br />(space station remote manipulator system) into the proper position to view<br />the S1 truss radiator clearance which had caused some concern during the<br />checkout of its TRRJ (thermal radiator rotary joint). [Last night before<br />sleep time, the crew connected the Lab RWS DCP (robotics workstation display<br />and control panel) bypass power cable, and MCC-H had the MSS (mobile service<br />system) powered up this morning by 2:00am. Robotics activities began with<br />the usual hand controller calibration and setup for the first maneuver,<br />working "in the blind" with the DOUG (dynamic operations ubiquitous<br />graphics). They then "walked" the robotarm from its the current base, the<br />Lab PDGF (power and data grapple fixture), to MBS (mobile base system) PDGF2<br />(new base), by using MBS PDGF1 as a "way station" and the TE (tip elbow)<br />camera to check on clearance to the S-band antenna. After subsequent release<br />of MBS PDGF1, a quick grapple/release of MBS PDGF3 as an SSRMS digitals<br />accuracy characterization exercise was also part of the move to S1 clearance<br />viewing position.]<br /><br />FE-1 Nikolai Budarin meanwhile performed the second experiment run of the<br />Russian Plasma Crystal-3 (PK-3) payload, setting up the hardware and video<br />recording. The turbopump was to be deactivated again in the evening. [During<br />the day, Budarin monitored the experiment, which today searched for mixture<br />modes without voids in the center of the plasma (charged fine particles in<br />the vacuum chamber) at various discharge power and various pressures, and<br />studies residual charge of small particles after discharge is removed<br />(relaxation) at various pressures, wave dispersion in mixtures, and solitary<br />wave dispersion in mixtures at reduced pressure. The first part was then<br />repeated.]<br /><br />Budarin also conducted his regular daily inspection of the Russian BIO-5<br />Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 ("Plants-2") plant growth experiment. He later copied its<br />photo/data files to a floppy disk for transfer to the Russian Laptop 3 and<br />subsequent downlink via Regul-Packet.<br /><br />Bowersox prepared the data from yesterday's FOOT foot/ground reaction forces<br />during space flight) session and transferred the file for subsequent<br />downlink to MCC-H, which he finished by about 12:55pm.<br /><br />Budarin and Pettit completed another session with the Russian MedOps cardio<br />experiment MO-1 (study of the bioelectric activity of the heart at rest),<br />with Don assisting Nikolai as CMO (crew medical officer), and tagging up<br />with a ground specialist at TsUP (MCC-M).<br /><br />Budarin also continued his periodic maintenance work on the RS (Russian<br />segment) air circulation system, today working in the "Pirs" DC-1 docking<br />module to change out its two dust filters (PF1-2) and cleaning the mesh<br />screens of the ventilator fans (V1-2).<br /><br />Later, Nikolai removed three devices from the BD database monoblock (TA985M)<br />which he had replaced in the BITS2-12 on-board telemetry measurement system<br />with a spare unit. [The three modules (TA750, TA837B, TA746) are to remain<br />on orbit as spares, whereas the TA985M is to be returned to the ground.]<br /><br />Pettit performed the regular daily routine task of IMS inventory delta file<br />preparation for automated downlink, while Budarin completed the daily<br />routine maintenance/inspection of the SOSh life support system (incl. ASU<br />toilet subsystem).<br /><br />Don Pettit also collected the data of the FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit)<br />monitors deployed yesterday in the Lab and Service Module (SM).<br /><br />On MCC-M go-ahead, the ISS cabin atmosphere was pressurized with fresh<br />oxygen (O2) from the Progress 9P O2 tank.<br /><br />As a task list item, Sox and Don at an earlier time filled out their weekly<br />FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), a special software log on the MEC<br />(medical equipment computer) to track nutritional intake of the two<br />crewmembers.<br /><br />Via live TV downlink from the SM, the crew addressed participants of the<br />31st Russian National Space Competition in Korolev near Moscow during<br />today's closing ceremony. The two-day finale of the student competition was<br />dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the first group space flight<br />(Vostok-5/Vostok-6). [The competition has become a tradition, having been<br />held annually since 1971 to "encourage children's creative abilities, to<br />support talented youth, and help educate Russia's intellectual elite".<br />Sponsors are the Soyuz Russian National Youth Aerospace Association, the<br />Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, Rosaviakosmos, the Moscow<br />City Government, the Moscow Region Government Administration, the Khrunichev<br />Space Center, and RSC Energia in Korolev. The finale was attended by over<br />250 participants from 42 Russian cities, (including Baikonur), as well as<br />from Belarus and Ukraine. The jury consisted of cosmonauts, scientists,<br />rocket-space technology engineers, and representatives from the major<br />aerospace university departments in Moscow.]<br /><br />At 9:38am, Science Officer Dr. Don Pettit participated in an amateur (ham)<br />radio chat with Grade 3-5 students at Eugene Field School in Park Ridge,<br />Illinois. [More than 600 students attend this school, which counts as its<br />most famous alumni U.S. Senator Hilary Clinton and actor Harrison Ford.]<br /><br />POC (Payload Operations Center, Huntsville) is still trying to determine why<br />Express Rack 2 (ER2) is not communicating with its laptop. The<br />troubleshooting activity has today been added to the crew's "job jar" task<br />list.<br /><br />When Pettit inspected the coils of the InSPACE (investigating the structure<br />of paramagnetic aggregates from colloidal emulsions) experiment to determine<br />their viability in preparation for Progress 10P arrival and MSG<br />(microgravity science glovebox) activation, he found that one of the<br />capillary tubes appears to have been damaged and the contents leaked out.<br />[This is no impact to InSPACE science objectives as there are two sets of<br />each of the three coils onboard and the spare coil is intact. Pettit found<br />that the remaining coil assemblies showed some settling of the fluid and<br />that by shaking the coils he was able to evenly disperse the media.]<br /><br />On 1/17, after multiple attempts, Pettit was unable to successfully complete<br />the TOCA (total organic carbon analyzer) water sampler reagent mixing.<br />Analysis now shows that TOCA can probably not be repaired on-orbit. [TOCA is<br />a water quality monitoring instrument for determining concentrations of<br />total organic carbon, total inorganic carbon, total carbon, pH value and<br />conductivity in water. The failed TOCA has been manifested for return on<br />ULF1. Real-time monitoring of potable water is no longer possible for the<br />remainder of Increment 6, but post-flight sampling with the TOCA is still<br />planned.]<br /><br />Yesterday's water venting from the Lab condensate tank and two CWCs<br />(contingency water containers) required a total propellant expenditure of<br />about 20 kg for attitude hold in -YVV/Barbecue (inverted with zenith toward<br />Earth), well within the prop limit of 25 kg set beforehand by MCC-M.<br /><br />Today's targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program), limited<br />because daylight passes are currently mainly over the oceanic hemisphere,<br />were Cape Town, South Africa (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]),<br />Lake Eyre, Australia (this non-outlet basin in east-central Australia [large<br />white-floored lake bed]) responds to various climatic controls. A major<br />control is the El Nino periodicity [presently underway], when the<br />surrounding basin generally receives less rainfall), and Buenos Aires,<br />Argentina (nadir and a touch right; ESC).<br /><br />CEO images can be viewed at the website<br />http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov<br /><br />U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:25pm EST).<br /><br />Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):<br />Elektron O2 generator is powered On (16 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is<br />On. U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant control<br />subsystem) is off. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is operating. BMP<br />Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify<br />mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is On, SKV-2 is Off.<br /><br />SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 753; temperature (deg C) -- 25.9;<br />ppO2 (mmHg) -- 160.9; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 2.3 (suspect).<br />SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 751; temperature (deg C) --<br />19.8.<br />FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) -- 752; temperature (deg C) -- 23.7.<br />Node: Pressure (mmHg) -- 740.07; temperature (deg C) -- 24.1 (shell); ppO2<br />(mmHg) -- 162.4; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 4.4.<br />U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) -- 741.99; temperature (deg C) -- 22.7; ppO2<br />(mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a;<br />Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) -- 742.09, temperature (deg<br />C) -- 22.0; shell heater temp (deg C) -- 24.3, ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2<br />(mmHg) -- n/a.<br />PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 24.3<br />PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 11.5<br />(n/a = data not available)<br /><br />Propulsion System (PS): Total propellant load available (SM + FGB +<br />Progress) -- 3669 kg (8089 lb) [as of 1/23/03].<br /><br />Electrical Power Systems (EPS):<br />Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B<br />both in Autotrack (sun-following) mode.<br />SM batteries (as of 3am): Battery #7 is off line (failed); battery #4 is off<br />line (ROM/capacity restoration mode); all other batteries (6) are in<br />"Partial Charge" mode.<br />FGB batteries (3am): Battery #3 is offline (failed); battery #5 is in "Cycle<br />mode"; all other batteries (4) are in "Partial Charge" mode.<br />Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode.<br /><br />Command & Data Handling Systems:<br />C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.<br />GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup (new patches loaded on both).<br />EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is off.<br />LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.<br />PL-2 MDM is On (primary); PL-1 MDM is off (diagnostic<br />APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.<br />SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is<br />down (as of 11/14).<br />SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.<br /><br />Attitude Source:<br />3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).<br />State vector -- U.S. SIGI-1<br />Attitude -- U.S. SIGI-1<br />Angular rates -- U.S. RGA-1<br /><br />Flight Attitude:<br />XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = "sun-fixed" [yaw: -179.5 deg,<br />pitch: -8.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), CMG/Thruster Assist Momentum Management).<br />Solar Beta Angle: 31.6 deg (magnitude decreasing).<br /><br />Communications & Tracking Systems:<br />FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operating.<br />All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.<br />S-band is operating nominally.<br />Ku-band is operating nominally.<br />Audio subsystem operating nominally.<br />Video subsystem operating nominally.<br />HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.<br /><br />Robotics:<br />SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at MBS PDGF2 with Keep Alive (KA) power on both<br />strings.<br />MBS: KA power on both strings.<br />MT: latched at WS4, with KA power.<br />POA: KA power on both strings.<br />RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.<br /><br />ISS Orbit (as of this morning,7:23am EST [= epoch]):<br />Mean altitude -- 388.7 km<br />Apogee -- 392.7 km<br />Perigee -- 384.8 km<br />Period -- 92.33 min.<br />Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.64 deg<br />Eccentricity -- 0.0005844<br />Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60<br />Altitude loss -- 150 m (mean) in last 24 hours<br />Solar Beta Angle -- 31.6 deg (magnitude decreasing)<br />Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 23843<br /><br /><br />For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see<br />http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html<br /><br /><br />--