ISS On-Orbit Status, 25-07-2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 25 Jul 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. Day 92 in space for the Increment 7 crew.

CDR Yuri Malenchenko performed another session with the biomedical MBI-9
"Pulse" experiment, after setting up the equipment. These MBI-9
cardiological tests are done monthly (last time performed: 6/21).
[Execution of the medical cardiological assessment is controlled from the
Russian payloads laptop 3, using a set respiration rate (without forced or
deep breaths) and synchronizing respiration with computer-commanded "inhale"
commands. Before the experiment, arterial blood pressure is measured with
the "Tensoplus" sphygmomanometer. After the test, laptop 3 was reconfigured
to its original settings.]

At 4:15am EDT, FE/SO Ed Lu was scheduled to support the 3-hr.
ground-commanded SSRMS/Robotics operations. [The purpose of today's
Robotics ops was to demonstrate the end-to-end functionality of the SSRMS
(space station remote manipulator system) motion control from the ground.
Currently, the ground cannot initiate joint or LEE (latching end effector)
mechanism motion; those commands can only be sent from the DCP (display &
control panel). Work has begun at CSA and NASA to develop the software
modifications required to enable the ground to issue commands to initiate
motion. The operations planned for today are intended to demonstrate how
the ground would execute a series of SSRMS operations (free space
positioning and grapple/release) using auto modes only. In addition, it
provides an opportunity to go through the pre-planning effort for ground
control to gauge any additional workload and any changes required in the way
procedures are developed and verified. The results of the demo will be used
to make recommendations to the NASA and CSA programs in early August on the
feasibility of the proposed concept, any required software changes, and
modifications to the ground tools to support SSRMS motion control from the
ground.]

Yuri Malenchenko conducted an audit of all power outlets in the Russian
Segment (RS). [Moscow wants to get as much data as possible on the usage of
RS power outlets, to help in the planning of future activities. Yuri was
requested to list every power user in an uplinked logging list. All
permanently connected users were also to be listed in the table, and the
resulting file was to be downlinked via the REGUL system.]

Assisted by the IMS (inventory management system), the crew continued
transferring discarded equipment to 10P/Progress M1-10 for stowage for
deorbit later this year.

Ed Lu was scheduled to activated the MSG (microgravity science glovebox) and
take up work again with the CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Liquid/Solid mixtures #2)
experiment. [Today, he swapped out CSLM SPUs (sample processing units).
The vacuum vent sequence planned for next week is designed around a 36-hour
processing run. Because SPU-1 is programmed for 48 hours, the SO replaced
it with SPU-6, which is programmed for 36 hours. Following the SPU
exchange, Ed was to power up the ECU (electronics control unit), open the
water valve, and call down the humidity and temperature readings displayed
on the ECU. Ground specialists were confident that the dew point was well
below the VES (vacuum exhaust system) limit but they wanted to verify this
in order to begin next week's operations on time. If SPU-6 fails the dew
point check, Ed Lu will re-install SPU #1, which did pass it.]

The Science Officer continued (and finished) the planned week-long EMU
(extravehicular mobility unit) battery maintenance activities. [Today,
discharging of batteries #2029 and #2030 in the BSA (battery stowage
assembly) was terminated.]

The CDR 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, responding to specific questions on stowage
locations questions uplinked three days ago. Ed Lu performed the regular
daily status checkup of autonomously running Lab payloads (PCG-STES010,
SAMS, MAMS).

Yuri also conducted his regular daily inspection of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2
("Plants-2") experiment which researches growth and development of plants
under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-2 greenhouse.

Ed Lu performed another weekly inventory audit of the available CWCs
(contingency water containers) and their contents, to keep track of onboard
water supplies. [Last time done: 7/17.]

Both crewmembers worked out according to their regular daily physical
exercise program of 2.5 hrs on TVIS treadmill (aerobic) and RED exerciser
(anaerobic). Ed Lu then transferred data files from the physical exercise
equipment to the MEC (medical equipment computer) via memory card and RED
log entries, for downlink on OCA comm.

Later, he also performed the periodic transfer of accumulated data files
from the wrist-band HRM (heart rate monitor) receiver stations to the MEC
for downlink, then deleted them on the HRM.

Ed completed his eleventh weekly filling-out of the FFQ (food frequency
questionnaire), which keeps a log of his nutritional intake over time on
special medical equipment computer (MEC) software.

Moscow continues to troubleshoot the failed Klest-140ST-M television camera
mounted externally on the SM aft end, pointing rearward (+X direction for
SM). Upon activation during a routine check some time ago, the electric
circuit blew a fuse. According to Moscow, the potential need to manufacture
a new camera lends urgency to this activity.

The crew was lauded for their painstaking troubleshooting of the printer in
the Service Module yesterday. [Their steps were judged "very logical and
thorough". Ground specialists think that their actionsin moding the printer
to a network setting have corrected the problem.]

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) targets, no longer limited in the
current LVLH attitude and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark
200-year memorial locations, were Detroit, Michigan (CITY AT NIGHT: ISS had
a nadir pass as it approached the Motor City from the NW), Recife, Brazil
(CITY AT NIGHT - This coastal city lay just left of track as ISS approached
from the NW), Seattle, Washington (CITY AT NIGHT - As the station approached
from the W-NW, just right of track for this and numerous other small cities
along the shorelines of the bays), Denver, Colorado (CITY AT NIGHT - This
pass was to the north and east of the city. Looking right of track against
the dark, north-south flank of the Front Range), Sao Paulo, Brazil (CITY AT
NIGHT - This teeming mega city was at nadir as ISS approached from the NW),
Singapore (this is a difficult target because of frequent cloudiness. The
crew had a nadir pass over this mega city, situated at the southern tip of
the Malay Peninsula), Angolan Biomass Burning (with clear dry weather and
good light, trying for near nadir views of burn scar patterns and ongoing
fires), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (ISS was to continue the nadir views
of fire scars and fires as it tracked northeastward to Lake Tanganyika),
Patagonian Glaciers (the crew was losing light again for this target area,
but this pass may have been the best weather in weeks. Trying for nadir
views with the long lens for details of the smaller glacier, especially
their terminals and moraines), Brasilia, Brazil (trying to use the 180mm
lens to image the unusual layout of this city in a single view, just right
of track), and Manila, Philippines (CITY AT NIGHT ISS had a nice nadir pass
over the Philippine capital as it approached from the NW. 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/

Besides the daily CEO (crew earth observation) target list, the station
residents were also provided with times of ISS equatorial night crossings
for observing the current equatorial-tropical storm zone.



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Jacques :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info

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