ISS On-Orbit Status, 22-06-2004

ISS On-Orbit Status 22 Jun 2004

All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted previously
or below.

EVA is back on track. After last night's successful settlement of the
late-emerging programmatic issues that delayed pre-EVA activities by one
day, the Orlan EVA is back on the original schedule for Thursday, 6/24.

In a major change from the originally scheduled sleep-shifted wakeup time
this morning, the crew's day began at the usual 2:00am EDT, 4.5 hrs earlier
than planned, in order to complete Orlan preparation activities postponed
from yesterday. [Main tasks were the "degassing" of the Orlan BSS
water/gas separation systems, both in the Service Module Transfer
Compartment (SM PkhO) and in the DC1 docking compartment/airlock, required
for bubble-free "skaphandr" (spacesuit) cooling.]

To make up for the extended day on board, Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke,
after their regular physical exercise and lunch break, had a 2h 20m rest
period for taking a nap, which extended to 1:00pm EDT.

Afterwards, the crew moved into the originally scheduled Orlan preparation
and Orlan dryrun activities, starting at ~2:10pm, with the filling of the
DIDBs (disposable in-suit drink bags) and their installation in the suits.

Subsequently, CDR Padalka tore down and removed the air ducts between the SM
PkhO and DC-1, configured the communications system and checked out the
Orlans' equipment and their BSS interface units. All EVA preps are being
monitored by the ground via S-Band and VHF.

Donning of the EVA gear began at ~3:00pm, followed first by checkout of the
comm hookups & biomedical parameter telemetry via the BSS interface system
for vital signs and equipment monitoring, then culminating in ingress in the
Orlans and closure of their backpacks about an hour later. [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.]

Next will be functionality checkout of the suits and their BSS controls,
preliminary fit checks at 0.4 at (5.9 psi) suit pressure, and one hour of
testing/training of suited mobility and translation. Egress from the Orlans
is expected around 5:30pm, followed by a two-hour period of post-training
activities.

After stowing their EVA tools, bundled in a common kit assembled from the
Russian KPU tool carrier, a medium-sized ORU transfer bag and four U.S.
safety tethers, in the DC-1, Padalka and Fincke will conduct a final tagup
with TsUP/Moscow via S-band and then have a late dinner at 8:30pm.

Due to concerns about the EMU cuff checklist bands being not large enough to
fit around the pressurized Orlan arm, alternate attachment techniques are
being studied during today's dryrun. [Options are to attach the cuff
checklists at selected other locations (e.g., Strela-1 cargo swing arm
(GSt-1), pistol grip tool (PGT), ORU bag) with a spare equipment tether.]

The crew's sleep period on the current shifted day/night cycle begins
tonight at 10:30pm (instead of 5:30pm), to extend until 7:00am tomorrow
morning (instead of 2:00am).

As reported yesterday, another GLA (General Luminaire Assemblies) lighting
unit failed yesterday in the Node, bringing the total number of burnt-out
lighting units on orbit to 8 (2 of 12 in the Lab, 2 of 4 in the Airlock, 4
of 8 in the Node). Scavenging another unit for replacing the failed one in
the Node is at the crew's discretion. Five new GLAs are manifested on the
next Progress flight, 15P, scheduled for launch NET 8/2.

The Russian SKV-1 air conditioner failed briefly this morning, with the
compressor being the suspect. A power cycle (switch off/on) restored the
machine to nominal operation.

On the SKV-2 air conditioner, Padalka's troubleshooting yesterday identified
the problem as a leaky condensate removal line (air getting in through
cracks and impeding condensate flow). The machine has been declared
inoperable for the time being. A new separate hose, bypassing the plumbing
between the SKV and the automatic NOK condensate removal pump, will be
manifested on a future flight.

Today's 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 Tunis,
Tunisia (looking a touch right for this historic port city), Internal waves,
Newfoundland (the glint point was at nadir which favors detailed images.
Shooting any wave packets that could be seen as ISS tracked across the
southern coast of Newfoundland and on out to sea), Lower Amazon River
Estuary (in an earlier session the crew plastered the lower Amazon and the
islands in the center of the estuary. To fill out this data set [which
shows many changes in islands in the Amazon channel], they were requested
today to shoot the northern shore of the estuarylooking at nadir and
obliquely to the right. Changes in island shape and position are the object
of interest and imply the short-term movement of vast quantities of
sediment. Islands had been thought to be immobile, but scientists now know
this is not the case. Implications for sedimentology are great), and Great
Salt Lake (in prior sessions the crew successfully acquired detailed images
of the eastern shore around Salt Lake City. Today they were asked to shoot
the western and northern shorelines).

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/

U.S. & Russian Segment Status (as of today, 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; currently inoperable due to leaky
condensate hose). SFOG slot #2 fan suspect (not usable).


SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 742; temperature (deg C) --
25.3; ppO2 (mmHg) -- 149.4; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 4.0.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 751; temperature (deg C) --
20.0.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) -- 756; temperature (deg C) -- 22.3.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) -- 749.61; temperature (deg C) -- 22.6 (shell); ppO2
(mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) -- 750.57; temperature (deg C) -- 24.2; ppO2
(mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a.
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) -- 750.67; temperature (deg
C) -- 21.8; shell heater temp (deg C) -- n/a, ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2
(mmHg) -- n/a.


(n/a = data not available)


PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- n/a
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- n/a.

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):

Both P6 channels fully operational. BGA (beta gimbal assembly) 2B and 4B
both in directed position (Blind mode, non solar-tracking).
SM batteries: All batteries (8) are on line in "Partial Charge" mode.
FGB batteries: Battery #5 is off line; all other batteries (5) 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: 4002 kg (8823 lb) as of 6/10/04; [SM(552)
+ FGB(2811) + Progress M(639)]. (Capabilities: 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:

LVLH XVV (local vertical/local horizontal = "earth-fixed": z-axis in local
vertical, x-axis in velocity vector [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9 deg, roll: 0
deg]), with CMG/TA (thruster assist) Momentum Management, until 6/28,
following the EVA.

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, 9:17am EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 361.0 km
Apogee -- 364.6 km
Perigee -- 357.5 km
Period -- 91.8 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.6338 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0005236
Solar Beta Angle -- -7.4 deg
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.69
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 80 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 31916


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



--
---------------------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info