ISS On-Orbit Status, 26-06-2004

ISS On-Orbit Status 26 Jun 2004

All ISS systems continue to function nominally except those noted
previously or below. Saturday and first weekend rest day aboard ISS.

Today's crew wakeup was at the regular 2:00am EDT, followed by post-sleep
activities, morning inspection and breakfast. Sleep time is at 5:30pm.

The crew worked on their Orlan-M spacesuits, refilling the cooling water
containers and removing the BK-3 oxygen (O2) tanks from the backpacks and
the batteries from the BRTA radio telemetry units. The ORUs will be
replaced with fresh ones prior to the EVA, scheduled for Wednesday, 6/30, at
~5:40pm EDT (pending final thermal analyses). [Recap: The cause for Mike
Fincke's Orlan #26 experiencing a rapid drop in primary O2 pressure on 6/24
was traced to its O2 flow selector handle having probably been left in
apositionthat allows the injector (INZh) to remain on, while the INZh
indication light on the helmet is off. This is a suit-specific feature
which Padalka's Orlan #25 does not have. The O2 flow selectors in both
suits were checked in the "nominal operations" position and as expected
neither Orlan had O2 flowing with the switch in this position. The crew has
been informed of the expected cause and been instructed that the same suits
will be used for the next EVA attempt, with appropriate attention to the
selector switches.]

CDR Padalka then set up the spacesuits for drying, first one, then the
other. Afterwards, the Orlans were placed in storage.

FE/SO Fincke disconnected and removed the UOP DCP (utility outlet
panel/display & control panel) bypass power cable at the Lab Robotics Work
Station, which is used to support video camera coverage of external events.

The CDR completed the periodic replenishing of the Elektron's water supply
for electrolysis, filling the KOV thermal loops' EDV container with purified
(deionized) water from the BKO multifiltration/purification column unit.
(Last time done: 6/10) [The procedure is specifically designed to prevent
air bubbles from getting into the BZh liquid unit where they could cause
micropump impeller cavitation and Elektron shutdown, as in the past on
numerous times. In the procedure, the EDV water is drawn from the BKO and
the air/liquid separator unit (GZhS) while the crewmember checks for any air
bubbles in the EDV (and, if visible, estimates their number).]

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

Both crewmembers had their weekly PFCs (private family conferences).

For his "Saturday Science" feature today, Science Officer Mike Fincke was
again given three options for his choice, viz., a crew conference with the
PIs (Principal Investigators) of FMVM (Fluid Merging Viscosity Measurement)
or Foam (Viscous Liquid Foam--Bulk Metallic Glass), and an EPO (Educational
Program Operation) demo of pollution research, which requires video camera
hookup.

Yesterday the Elektron O2 generator failed at 3:52pm EDT when both primary
and backup micropumps shut down because of cavitating air bubbles trapped in
the lines. Overnight, the BZh liquid unit was purged with nitrogen (N2).
The system was restarted at 3:06am, first in 16 amps mode, then (5:15am) at
the higher 32 amps setting. The machine is has been performing nominally
since.

Because of anomalous boot-up behavior exhibited by the NGSD1 (Next
Generation Support Disk 1) laptop yesterday, the FE requested a software
reload to resolve the issue. The reload has been placed on the "job jar"
task list starting today. [NGSD1 supports the crew's primary IP (Internet
protocol) phone, and Gennady uses it with his PDA.]

Due to the EVA replanning, the loading of the Russian TVM (Terminal) and
TsVM (Central) computer systems with the new SM 7.02 software upgrade,
originally scheduled for yesterday, has been replanned for 7/6, but may be
delayed until 7/18. A test of the newly installed NRM navigation receiver
module of the Russian ASN satellite navigation system is planned for 6/28,
using the ASN-2401 external antenna and payload laptop 3. [The ASN, which
would use GLONASS/Uragan satellites (the Russian equivalent of GPS) to
correct the on-board state vector (SV) information (i.e., ISS position and
velocity referenced to an epoch, or time "hack") has not worked since its
original installation but is critically important for the docking of the
European ATV (automated transport vehicle).]

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Nine -- 9th):

GASMAP: Nothing new. Looking forward to next "tune-up".

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

Advanced Ultrasound (ADUM): Nothing new.

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): SAMS is currently in the process
of developing a software modification that will allow the ICU (interface
control unit) computer to operate regardless of a missing or damaged laptop
battery. The ground looks forward to once again measuring the micro-G
environment in the vibratory regime.. Microgravity Acceleration
Measurement System (MAMS): The depressurization events on 6/24 for the EVA
are expected to appear in quasi-steady data. Analysis for this event is
waiting archival of data to offline system. The MAMS/PIMS team has started
work with Astronaut Don Pettit of Increment 6 in correlation of MAMS data to
bubble experiments performed as Saturday Morning Science.

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): Complete.

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): Planned.

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, in July.

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

Serial Network Flow Monitor (SNFM): The ground is looking forward to the
next session to analyze more data.

BIOPSY (Effects of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle):
Nothing new.

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): In planning.

Crew Earth Observations (CEO): The recent ISS/CEO long-lens imagery
continues to improve in both focus and composition. Because the details in
views with these lenses exceeds the information on most maps that are
available, they are often difficult to locate and catalog without comparison
with views from ISS or other imagery. This is particularly true for views
acquired by the crew that are of unfamiliar features or oblique views
without context. In time researchers will catalog all such images, but the
center points of some may never be precisely located. This is NOT a serious
problem with most of ISS/CEO images and the crew is to be commended for
their techniques so far.

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 Tel
Aviv, Israel (nadir or a touch right. Looking on the coast. Jerusalem
appears immediately after and near the Dead Sea), Amman, Jordan (nadir pass.
Looking northeast of the of the Dead Sea for Jordan's capital city), Dakar,
Senegal (track passed just offshore but close enough for the city study.
Looking left), and Lower Amazon River Basin (to add to recent detailed
images of the central estuary, views of the northern edge of the estuary are
needed: shooting overlapping views from nadir progressively oblique
leftwards).

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 morning, 6:50am EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 360.7 km
Apogee -- 364.5 km
Perigee -- 357.0 km
Period -- 91.7 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.6319 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0005558
Solar Beta Angle -- 11.2 deg
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.69
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 100 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 31977

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