ISS On-Orbit Status, 04-08-2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 4 Aug 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. Day 100 of Expedition 7's residency aboard ISS! (Actually 102
days in space, counting from Soyuz launch). Underway: Increment 7/Week 14.

Early in the morning, after breakfast (2:40am EDT), FE/SO Ed Lu deployed the
acoustic dosimeters for another noise level measuring session (last time
done: 7/1-3). The dosimeters are worn by each crewmember for 24 hours (with
a microphone on the shirt collar). A third dosimeter was deployed in the
Lab for a 24-hr. static data take. [Tonight, after about 12 hours of
measurements, data from each dosimeter will be recorded and the hardware
power-cycled. Acoustic data must be taken twice per Increment, each time
for the duration of the 16-hour crew work day.]

Afterwards, the Science Officer powered up the MSG (Microgravity Science
Glovebox), then supervised another experiment session with the CSLM-2
(Coarsening in Liquid/Solid mixtures #2) experiment. [In addition to
initiating venting of SPU-6 (sample processing unit #6), Ed Lu reprogrammed
ECU-2 (electronic control unit #2) in order to change the processing time
for SPU-6 to 48 hours. He also performed a leak check on SPU-6, similar to
the recent CSLM-2 vent leak check, except that the water line was included
in the decay test. The leak check should verify that there are no leaks in
the water or vent lines as a result of the bent support plate on SPU-6. If
SPU-6 passes the leak check, the sample chamber will continue to be
evacuated until 8/6 when Ed will initiate sample processing.]

CDR Yuri Malenchenko prepared equipment assembly and work area for the
Russian biomedical "Pilot" experiment (MBI-15) which requires a work table,
ankle restraint system and control handles for testing piloting skill. Yuri
then conducted the assessment, followed, for the second time, by flight
engineer Ed Lu (last time done: 7/3). Both were supported by tag-up with
ground specialists. Ed later deactivated, disassembled and stowed the gear.
[Lu performed three flight control modes (fixed, slow and fast free-flyer),
each one five times, after checkout and calibration of the control handles.
Results were later reported to the ground.]

Malenchenko performed another 2-hr. inventory audit of 24 Russian medical
kits, located behind Service Module (SM) panels 134, 135 and in the medical
cabinet niche. Purpose: to verify their availability, condition and stowage
locations.

Lu completed the microbial analysis of the air and surface swab samples
collected last week (7/30) with SSK (surface sampler kit) and MAS (microbial
air sampler) at the T+5d incubation point. Microbial specimen data were
then loaded into the MEC (medical equipment computer) and the analysis
hardware taken down and stowed. [Because of downmass limitations due to the
Shuttle stand-down, the samples cannot be returned to the Microbiology Lab
for further analysis on the ground, as usual, but were discarded as wet
trash after the analysis.]

Malenchenko worked on the SM water supply system, pressurizing the folded
bladders of the Rodnik water storage tanks (BV1; BV2) in the
10P/Progress-247 vehicle, a 3.5 hr. task which is preparatory to the
upcoming transfer of liquid waste (urine) to the Rodnik tanks for disposal.
[Each of the two spherical Rodnik tanks consists of a hard shell with a soft
membrane (bladder) composed of elastic fluoroplastic, which is used to expel
water from the tank by compressed air pumped into the tank volume
surrounding the bladder.]

In the Lab and Node, Ed Lu conducted the periodic inspection of the ELPS
(emergency lighting power supply) system. [As a task list item, in the Node
Ed had to swap a failed lamp with another one in the Node. Since it took
extra time to gain access to this location, the job was allotted 2 hrs. The
failed lamp will probably be trashed, and the long-term plan is to replace
the current one with one taken from the MPLM the next time it is on orbit.]

Yuri attended to the daily routine maintenance of the SM's SOZh environment
control & life support system as well as the daily preparation of the IMS
"delta" file, while Ed performed the regular daily status checkup of
autonomously running Lab payloads (PCG-STES010, SAMS, MAMS).

As part of his IMS file preparation task, Malenchenko was asked to locate
the KUTZ packing and transport items for the on-board IELKs (individual
equipment liner kits, Russian: USIL) for the Soyuz crew return vehicle, last
reported to be in the DC-1 docking compartment. [There are 3 sets, dark
grey in color, with a zipper and lacing, rolled up, labeled with names of
Expedition 6 crew members. Yuri needed to find any 2 KUTZ sets and transfer
them to the Soyuz 212/TMA-2 Orbital Compartment (BO).]

Malenchenko also completed the regular inspection of the active BRPK-1
air/liquid condensate separator system in the SM.

Both crewmembers worked out in their daily 2.5-h program of physical
exercise, on TVIS treadmill and RED expander, and Ed Lu did the weekly
5-min. routine treadmill maintenance.

Working with experts on the ground, Ed Lu last Friday (8/1) removed the lens
filter from the back of the electronic still camera's 400 mm lens, to expose
dust particles that were obscuring photographs taken with the digital
camera. [He was able to clean almost all the dust using airbursts from an
empty syringe. However, the two largest dust particles were inaccessible
and could not be cleaned. The lens would be useful for photographing
Shuttle tile during approach for docking.]

The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) unit has not been recovered
yet. The crew performed an inspection and reported that the unit appears to
be powered off. Additional troubleshooting is expected this week.

On Friday (8/1), MCC-Moscow commanded SM battery #3 to cycling mode. The
battery was then taken offline when parts of the 800A storage unit started
to overheat as it cycled. [The battery reached 42 deg C after 3 hours of
cycling operation -- the normally expected temperature is 35 deg C. The
normal response for this situation is for TsUP to transition the SM thermal
loops (KOV) from KOV-1 to KOV-2 since the latter cools the batteries more
efficiently. But that option wasn't available since last Thursday's cooling
loop transition problem is still being investigated.]

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) optional targets, limited in the
current XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab
nadir/science window, and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark
200-year memorial locations, were Johannesburg, South Africa (opportunity
for a panoramic view of the entire Wi****ersrand line of cities, right of
track. Numerous small white patches are mine spoil dams and indicate the
line of the gold mining towns), Lower Amazon River Basin (mapping swath of
those coastlines nearer track was requested), Guangzhou, China (nadir and a
touch right. Looking at the head of the long estuary), Western Mediterranean
Aerosols (pass just west of Sicily with Etna volcano, which should have been
smoking), Lisbon, Portugal (a touch right of track at the head of the
largest estuary), and London, England, Great Britain (second mainly
cloud-free day. Looking left of track where the River Thames narrows). 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/


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Jacques :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info

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