Space Station Status Report, 21-01-2005

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington Jan. 21, 2005
(Phone: 202/358-4769)

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS05-003

The Expedition 10 crewmembers are marking their 100th day in space
today,
ending a workweek focused on preparations for their first spacewalk Jan. 26.

Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov are scheduled to
leave the Pirs Docking Compartment airlock at 2:25 a.m. EST Wednesday. Most
of
their spacewalk tasks involve outfitting the outside of the Zvezda Service
Module.

They will install a work platform, mount a robotics experiment, check vents
on
systems that help control the Station's atmosphere and install a scientific
experiment. After completing the work outside Zvezda, they will move back to
Pirs. Outside the docking compartment, they will install an experiment that
examines the impact of spaceflight on microorganisms. They are expected to
re-
enter Pirs and close the hatch about 8 a.m. EST.

Sharipov and Chiao completed one spacewalk prerequisite this morning. Both
did
the required cardiovascular evaluation exercise using one of the Station's
bicycle-like devices. They also did leak, valve and pressure checks on their
Orlan spacesuits and the Orlan interface units in Pirs, completed suit
communications checks and did a review of the spacewalk plan with flight
controllers in Moscow.

Spacewalk activity earlier in the week included spacesuit battery charging
Tuesday, as well as preparation of spacewalk hardware and tools. They spent
three
hours staging equipment and tools on Wednesday. Yesterday they activated and
tested the suits. Both suits have red stripes. Chiao will be distinguishable
by a
U.S. flag on his shoulder.

The spacewalk will be broadcast live on NASA Television, beginning at 1 a.m.
EST
Jan. 26. Coverage will continue through the end of the spacewalk.

On Jan. 15 flight controllers raised the Station's altitude by about
five-and-
one-half miles in a 20-minute reboost using engines on the Progress cargo
spacecraft docked at the rear of Zvezda. That was done to put the Station in
the
proper orbit for the arrival of the next Progress on March 2.

For much of the week, flight controllers conducted vibration and current
tests on
one of the 600-pound control moment gyros (CMGs) that control the
orientation of
the Station. The CMGs normally operate at 6,600 rpms, but can be operated at
15
other speeds. The test involved running CMG 2 at each of those speeds for
four
hours.

The CMGs use solar power. Three of the four on board are functioning, though
the
Station's attitude could be controlled with two. The CMG, which failed in
mid-
2002, will be replaced on the next Shuttle mission.

On the science research front, Chiao performed a status check of the
Miscible
Fluids in Micro Gravity experiment. During his Saturday science program last
weekend, Chiao photographed honey and honey/water syringes used to study the
viscosity of molten materials. Understanding this is important for
everything
from designing laboratory experiments to industrial production of materials.

Scientists on Earth have been concerned about crystallization of the honey,
which
occurred in the last Space Station increment. The experiment's principal
investigator wants to verify the status of the test articles before any
operations during this increment. The best way to accomplish this is by
photographing the honey-filled syringes for ground review.

The experiment uses fluids with known viscosities such as honey, corn syrup,
glycerin and silicone oil. One way to determine viscosity is to measure how
long
it takes two spheres of liquid to merge into a single spherical drop. On
contact,
a neck will form between the two drops, increasing in thickness until the
two
drops become one single sphere.

On Earth, gravity distorts liquid spheres, and drops are too heavy to be
supported by strings. Drop distortion should not occur in the Space
Station's low
gravity environment, and the drops can be held on strings.

Information about crew activities on the Space Station, future launch dates
and
Station sighting opportunities from Earth, is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

For information about NASA and other agency missions on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-


--
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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info