ISS On-Orbit Status, 28-12-2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 28 Dec 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. Off-duty Sunday for the crew.

FE Alexander Kaleri completed the weekly routine life support systems (SOZh)
maintenance tasks of inspection and collecting SP toilet flush counter and
SVO water supply readings in the Service Module (SM) for calldown to TsUP.

At 10:55am EST, the crew conducted a teleconference with the Moscow Support
Group (MSG/RRGU) for the Russian New Year celebration, via Ku- and S-band,
with audio and video relayed to MCC-Houston.

Foale and Kaleri worked out according to their regular daily physical
exercise program of 2.5 hrs on the TVIS treadmill, RED exerciser, and VELO
bike (with load trainer).

Tomorrow's schedule will include the start of a new science program,
Miscible Fluids in Microgravity (MFMG), to test how miscible fluids (fluids
that completely dissolve in each other) interact without the interference of
gravity using honey and water as the test fluids. Also on the crew's
timeline is continued work on CBOSS-FDI (Cellular Biotechnology Support
Systems-Fluid Dynamics Investigation) as well as photo imagery of areas in
the FGB, which housed its motion control system (SUD).

For today's CEO (crew earth observations) sessions, the ground uplinked a
list of target cities as potential photographic opportunities at the crew's
discretion. 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, 7:51am EST [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 370.2 km
Apogee -- 374.3 km
Perigee -- 366.0 km
Period -- 91.9 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006195
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.66
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 140
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 29139

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 :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info