ISS On-Orbit Status, 23-08-2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 23 Aug 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. First of two weekend rest days for CDR Yuri Malenchenko and FE/SO
Ed Lu.

After breakfast (2:40am EDT), the crew performed the weekly 3-hr.
housecleaning. [This includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of
compartments with vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning of the Service Module (SM)
dining table and other surfaces with "Fungistat" disinfectant and cleaning
fan screens to avoid temperature rises.] Malenchenko completed the daily
routine maintenance of the SM SOZh life support system (including ASU toilet
facilities), while Ed Lu prepared the daily IMS delta file for automatic
export/import to update the database.

Both crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS
treadmill, RED resistive expander and VELO cycle with load trainer.

Yesterday's Progress 10P fuel line purge was completed successfully.

Another RPC (remote power controller) tripped yesterday, this time RPC1 in a
Node RPCM (RPC module 13B-C), which controls a Node light. Troubleshooting
steps are being undertaken over the weekend. [Shortly after the trip
occurred, the RPCM experienced a POR (power-on reset) which opened the
remaining RPCs within the RPCM. Loads affected in the Node include two
forward IMV (intermodular ventilation) valves, the forward IMV fan, and the
aft emergency light. There is no indication of increased current draw and
the leading theory for the cause is failure of a hybrid FET (field effect
transistor).]

Yesterday the prime IAC-2 (internal audio controller #2) transitioned to
IAC-1, which later switched back to IAC-2. Audio FDIR (failure detection,
isolation, and recovery) was inhibited. The audio loops were configured
back to their nominal configuration with audio FDIR enabled. [Error faults
occurred on several audio ORUs (orbit replaceable units). The error buffers
were dumped and cleared. The audio system experienced a similar transition
on 5/20.] Both P6 BGAs (beta gimbal assemblies) are now back in Dual Angle
("blind") Mode and operating nominally.

The crew was thanked for their work on yesterday's PAO events which showed
excellent preparation and great "welcoming spirit aboard Alpha", making
recipients feel like they are part of the mission.

The crew was also thanked for yesterday's successful PFMI (Pore Formation &
Mobility Investigation) science run and their preceding efforts. Data and
log files were successfully retrieved by the ground.

As part of the Russian Uragan earth imaging program, ISS is assisting in the
on-going search for a missing MI-6 helicopter carrying the Governor of
Sakhalin Island. Malenchenko was to use the Kodak DCS760 digital camera
with 400-mm lens to photograph any locations that may tentatively qualify as
the helicopter's landing or crash site in the area where the accident is
presumed to have happened. [The search is conducted along a line connecting
two largest lakes in the area, viz., Lake Tolmachevskoye (located 50 km SW
of the city of Petropavlovsk) and Lake Kurilskoye (at the extreme south of
the Kamchatka Peninsula). Both lakes are emptied by rivers flowing westward
toward the ocean, and volcano chains are located on either side of the line
connecting the lakes. The helicopter's flight path had probably followed the
river valleys.]

Other targets for today's Uragan observations were Western European cities,
the Aral Sea, Jarkuduk, Kabul, Budapest, Baghdad, Kuwait City and the W
coast of Iran.

Working off the Russian task list, Malenchenko also conducted another
session of the Diatomeya research program, using the Nikon F5 with f/80 mm
lens to observe sea bloom features and cloud cover anomalies in the first S
branch of the Gulf Stream and the NW coastal waters of the Mediterranean
Sea.

MCC-Moscow is continuing testing of the Russian segment (RS) TV system
interface unit (TMO), with the objective to assess the system's capability
for downlinking large file sizes similar to the capability of the
U.S.OCA/Ku-band configuration.

Facility/ground systems specialists at MCC-H have been keeping quite busy
this weekend. In the evening of 8/21 ISS command software was upgraded
(step-up ISS218, cycle J.05) to support new PPLs (pre-positioned load) files
for the S0 segment MDM and the GNC (guidance, navigation & control),
followed on 8/22 by a checkout of the LSOS (limited station operations
support) mode to verify proper config before the actual swing from nominal
operations to LSOS later that day in support of software regression testing.
Today, ISS operations moved from LSOS back to standard configuration,
preceded by an another preparatory procedural checkout. On 8/22, MCC-H and
NASA personnel at MCC-M also performed another successful BCC (backup
control center) test, to demonstrate BCC functionality and provide
proficiency training for HSR (Houston Support Room) staff. [These tests are
performed monthly to verify that should a major contingency arise at MCC-H,
the BCC will be available. The tests verify successful receipt and
execution of commands uplinked to ISS USOS (US segment) from BCC, involving
PPCP (preplanned command packet) transmission and real-time command uplink,
as well as telemetry (station parameter transmittal) functionality.]

Upcoming Progress Events:

10P undocking: 8/27 (Wednesday), 6:49pm EDT
10P deorbit burn (103.9 m/s): 8/27, 9:55-9:58pm
10P entry interface: 8/27, 10:28pm
12P launch: 8/28 (Thursday), 9:48pm
12P docking: 8/30 (Saturday), 11:43pm
11P undocking: 9/4, 3:41pm (preliminary).


Weekly Science Update (Expedition Seven -- 16th): GASMAP: The 30-day
health check for July was completed successfully. Next 30-day check is
scheduled for next week.: mid-August. Human Research Facility/Workstation
(HRF WS): Continuing.

Ultrasound (USND): Next Ultrasound session is planned for mid-September.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): The team is looking
forward to the next experiment scheduled for 8/26.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS has been offline since
7/31 (3:21pm EDT) and a troubleshooting plan has been developed. SAMS is
eagerly awaiting planned laptop swap out on 8/26.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS continues to
measure the quasi-steady acceleration environment. The effects of
propellant line purge were captured on 8/19. Looking forward to 10P
undocking. HiRAP is capturing data in the vibratory regime while SAMS is
down..

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):
PCG-STES continues nominally.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal
Emulsions (InSPACE): Current test matrix is complete.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside. Nominal
and collecting data.

Cellular Biotechnology Support Systems (CBOSS): CBOSS-FDI investigation
will be scheduled sometime after 12P docking.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Activities
are completed for Increment 7.

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): Activities have been
concluded for this Expedition.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO): There has been great interest in the
tools demonstration footage. Education is looking forward to additional
activities.

Crew Earth Observation (CEO): A beautifully detailed CEO image of Austin,
TX is being published on Earth Observatory this weekend. Investigators were
also pleased to confirm good images of two Lewis & Clark targets: Great
Falls, MT, and Fort Manuel, SD. ISS got an excellent, related view of twin
cities of Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA on the Snake River. Both the
sharpness and the composition of CEO photos have shown dramatic improvement
along with the crew's use of sun glint and shadows to enhance features.

Today's optional CEO (crew earth observation) targets, including cities
during daylight and at night in the current LVLH attitude and also including
the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial locations, were Kabul,
Afghanistan (pointing left of track), Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (good pass
over the infrastructure developments in the mountains of southern Turkey.
Looking left and right), Hanging Gardens of Babylon (pointing 35 km south of
Baghdad, directly under track. King Nebuchadnezzar II is credited with
building the gardens (~570-590 BC), Kuwait City, Kuwait (pointing right of
track), Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes (status of the lakes at this point in the
year is of interest in our long-term documentation of these sites. The
seven years of high flow in the Nile, the basis of developments in southern
Egypt, will presumably end sooner rather than later), Missouri R. sites
(LEWIS & CLARK SITES: A cluster of sites lies along the river, all right of
track. Shooting nadir and near obliques rightward), Lisbon, Portugal (nadir
pass), and Washington, D.C. (good views of Chesapeake Bay from the southern
end). Selected 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,1:38pm EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 383.2 km
Apogee 388.2 km
Perigee -- 378.1 km
Period -- 92.22 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0007455
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.61
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 120 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 27155
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide 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

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