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Old June 1st 04, 10:35 PM
Jacques van Oene
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Default ISS On-Orbit Status, 29-05-2004

ISS On-Orbit Status 29 May 2004

All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted
previously or below. Off-duty day for the crew at the beginning of Memorial
Day weekend.

FE/SO Michael Fincke performed the regular once-a-week maintenance reboot on
the operational PCS (portable computer system) laptops. During rebooting of
the Cupola PCS, it failed when it was powered up again. By trying out
another hard disk drive, the failure was isolated to the laptop shell.
[There are currently only two functional PCSs on board (one in the Lab RWS;
one in the SM), which just meets the Flight Rule-required minimum. There are
no PCS spare shells on board. A spare will have to be scavenged from some
other laptop, causing a loss of functionality for that system. As of now,
there is no resolution for this failure.]

The FE also restarted the SSC OCA comm router laptop (normally every two
weeks).

Padalka and Fincke performed the regular weekly station cleaning, their
fifth. ["Uborka", done every Saturday, includes 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.]

Gennady Padalka downloaded accumulated log files from the Russian payload
computer (BSMM) to the "Wiener" power laptop, then transferred two log files
to the Packet (email) Laptop for downlink. [TsUP/Moscow was to be informed
when ready for the downlink.]

The CDR completed the regular daily maintenance/inspection of the SM's SOZh
environment control & life support systems, including ASU toilet system
replacements.

The crew conducted the weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground,
discussing next week's "Look-Ahead Plan" (regularly prepared jointly by
MCC-H and MCC-M planners), via S-band/audio.

Mike and Gennady completed their daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on
TVIS, RED exerciser, CEVIS ergometer and VELO cycle with load trainer.

At 5:45am EDT, the crew downlinked a congratulatory birthday greeting to
TsUP in honor of Lt.Gen. Leonid T. Baranov, the Manager of the Baikonur
Launch Facility who will be celebrating his 55th birthday on 6/7. [Baranov
has spent more than 30 years of his military service at the launch facility
formerly known as Tura-Tam.]

Mike Fincke, in continuing the "Saturday Science" program introduced last
year by FE-2/SO Don Pettit of Expedition 6, today conducted his first
"Saturday Afternoon Science" session, performing and videotaping an EPO
(Educational Payload Operations) session that demonstrated First Aid in
Space procedures. [The video will be edited and then distributed to NASA
education web sites.]

Working off the discretionary Russian task list, Gennady Padalka started a
new session of the Russian Uragan earth-imaging program, using the Kodak 760
DSC (digital still camera) with 800mm-lens from SM windows #9, now available
again in LVLH attitude. [Today's task featured imagery of the Amur river
with the large cities of Birobidjan, Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Port
Pogibi on Sakhalin Island, the Paramushi, Atlasoiv and Shumshu islands, and
the cities of Munich, Vienna, Krakow, Kiev, Kursk, Voronezh, Saratov, and
Engels.]

Also off the task list, Padalka performed the first of two task-listed
sessions of the "Diatomeya" ocean observations program, using the DSR
PD-150P video camera and Nikon F5 digital still camera with 24/85-mm lens to
collect photo and video data on cloud cover structure and color fields of
bioproductive areas in ocean waters. The second run is scheduled for
tomorrow. [Uplinked suggested targets today included the tropical Atlantic
near the Lesser Antilles and highly bioproductive Gulf stream frontal zones
in the North Atlantic (the current May-June time frame being the most
extensive bloom season for phytoplankton in this region.]

Using the Nikon D1 (800mm-lens), Gennady also took areal photography for
Russia's Environmental Safety Agency. A second session is scheduled for
tomorrow. [Target regions for today were Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, Yeisk,
and Volgograd.]

As a long-term recurring item on the Russian task list, Gennady was charged
with taking photographs of the PKZ-1V Kromka experiment tablet deployed on
the plume deflector of the SM's plus-pitch thrusters. (Last time done:
3/28/04) [The pictures are taken with the Kodak 760 digital still camera
(DSC) from the EVA hatch #1 in the DC-1 docking compartment.]

Update on Orlan EVA: The first of two EVA timeline reviews is scheduled
next week on 6/4 (Friday). The second review is currently planned for 6/10.

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Nine -- 5th):

GASMAP: The next scheduled GASMAP activity occurs on 6/2.

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.

Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): The crew was thanked for their feedback during
the recent session analysis. Experimenters have modified the procedures to
capture the crew's suggestions, providing a better flow for subsequent
scans, and are looking to the next session.

Hand Posture Analyzer (HPA: Nothing new.

In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSE): Nothing new.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Nothing new. Space
Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): While the SAMS hardware is down,
MAMS's HiRAP is being used to characterize the vibratory environment in the
US Lab. Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): Both MAMS
OSS and HiRAP are operating nominally.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):
Nominal.

Protein Crystal Growth Monitoring by Digital Holographic Microscope
(PromISS): Nothing new.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal
Emulsions (InSPACE): Planned.

Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3 (BCAT-3): Mike Fincke was thanked for the
extra effort on the last photo session for this run of the BCAT-3
experiment. "There are many wonderful pictures. The PIs are thrilled, both
to see that Sample 10 has crystals, and with the pictures of the critical
point samples. The BCAT-3 team really appreciates your enthusiasm and all
the time you've put into this experiment".

Renal Stone (RS): Nothing new.

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites
(SHERES): Nothing new.

Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Space Flight (FOOT): Nothing new.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside on the U.S.
Airlock. Nominal and collecting data.

Cellular Biotechnology Support Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation
(CBOSS-FDI): Nothing new.

Biotechnology Specimen Temperature Controller (BSTC): The BSTC checkout is
currently planned for June.

Yeast Group Activation Packs (Yeast GAP): Nothing new.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): There is one
more session scheduled for this Increment.

Earth Science Toward Exploration Research (ESTER): Nothing new.

Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): The crew was thanked for participating
in the recent conference. Their words were very helpful. Payload
specialists are looking forward to the second SNFM run next week.

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): Planned.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA): Nothing new.

Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG): Nothing new.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO): EPO is looking forward to today's
First Aid Demo. The video will be distributed to NASA education web sites.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): Review and cataloging of downlinked CEO
imagery continues. CEO personnel will meet as a group next week to
determine which targets may now be removed from their standing list, based
on their requirements being met by existing images. Due to the crew's
diligence and responsiveness, this is the earliest ever in an Increment that
this was done. The composition and technique of the crew's photography is
excellent, especially in mapping. "You have mastered the 180mm and short
lens views and continue to show remarkable progress on your long lens
focus". Today's optional CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets, in the
current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the
use of the Lab nadir/science window, except for the shutter closure and
condensation-prevention plan (limited to 90 min. in 24 hours), were Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia (nadir pass), Internal waves, Bahamas (looking left towards the
glint point for possible internal waves. ISS pass was near local noon so
that the glint lied close to track and more detailed images may have been
possible), Internal waves, Tuamotu Archipelago (Eastern Tuamotus: looking
forward and slightly left towards the glint point for possible internal
waves generated between islands in this double archipelago), Internal waves,
Tuamotu Archipelago (Western Tuamotus: looking forward and slightly left
towards the glint point for possible internal waves), Tucson, Arizona (nadir
pass), and Albuquerque, New Mexico (nadir pass).

CEO images can be viewed at the websites.


http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

See also the website "Space Station Challenge" at


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

ISS Orbit (as of this afternoon, 3:18pm EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 363.0 km
Apogee -- 367.1 km
Perigee -- 359.0 km
Period -- 91.8 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.6325 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006009
Solar Beta Angle -- 10.2 deg
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.68
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 125 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 31543

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times,
see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html



--
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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info