ISS On-Orbit Status, 21-06-2003
Jacques van Oene
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously
or below. The first of two weekend off-duty days for the crew.
Today is Summer Solstice -- longest daylight for the northern hemisphere,
i.e., best illumination of its high latitudes for observations from ISS.
Features of general scientific interest for documentation by the crew
include the distribution of sea ice, snow and ice cover, glaciers, and
cyclonic storms in remote areas of the Far North. [In St. Petersburg, there
are the famed "White Nights", and in Stockholm/Sweden one can easily read
the newspaper on the street at 2:00 o'clock in the morning. Reason: because
Earth's rotational axis is inclined 23.5 degrees against its orbit plane and
currently tipped towards the Sun.]
After breakfast, Commander Yuri Malenchenko disassembled the water transfer
equipment which was used yesterday to pump the contents of the 11P/Progress'
Rodnik potable water tank to the Service Module (SM)'s Rodnik tank, via DC-1
docking module plumbing.
Malenchenko and Flight Engineer/Science Officer Ed Lu then performed the
regular weekly 3-hr. "uborka stantsii" (station cleaning). [This included
removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum
cleaner, wet cleaning of the SM dining table and other surfaces with
"Fungistat" disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature
rises.]
Later, Yuri conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM's SOZh life
support system (including ASU toilet facilities), while Ed prepared the
daily IMS inventory "delta" file.
Both crewmembers completed their daily 2.5-h program of physical exercise,
on TVIS treadmill, RED expander and, for Yuri, on the Russian VELO cycle
ergometer with load trainer.
The crew had their the weekly planning conference with the ground via
S-band/audio, to discuss next week's "Look-Ahead Plan" (regularly prepared
jointly by MCC-H and MCC-M planners and uplinked ahead of time).
A new work item added to the Russian task list for Malenchenko's attention
today was cleaning up hard disk "D" in laptop TR1 to free up storage volume
for new files. [A list of folders with photo images that have already been
successfully downloaded, was provided for deletion. In their stead, CDR
"Yura" was to create new folders for photos for Uragan. Diatomeya, EVA,
Earth views, ISS interior shots, and CDR-selected subjects.]
Also added to the Russian task list on a time-available basis for today was
another session for Yuri with the biomedical MBI-9 "Pulse" experiment, for
which he set up payloads laptop 3. These MBI-9 cardiological tests are done
monthly (last time performed: 5/20). [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.]
A third new item on the Russian task list, suggested for tomorrow, is crew
familiarization with the video-photo spectrometer VFS-3M. This is in
preparation for an IFM (in-flight maintenance) scheduled for 6/25 to restore
the system's functionality. [In January this year, a test of the VFS-3M
twin-lens video-photometric system had revealed a failure of the computer
subsystem of the VFS electronics module (ME). The upcoming task will be a
second attempt to restore the system, after Nikolai Budarin had already
worked on it on 3/31. The Molniya VFS-3M is used for studying atmospheric,
ionospheric and magnetospheric electromagnetic interaction related to storms
and seismic activities.]
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Seven -- 7th):
This week the crew successfully performed the HRF GASMAP 30 Day Health Check
and completed another important Interactions session. The MSG Rack was
powered nominally in support of completion of a valuable InSPACE run. The
ground has admired the beautiful images the crew has been able to capture
for the CEO team. Everyone looks forward to beginning EarthKAM operations
in a few weeks and resuming EPO activities.
GASMAP: Next 30-day health check is next month. Human Research
Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.
Ultrasound: The HRF and Space Medicine teams are looking forward to next
week's joint Ultrasound session.
Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Waiting to begin
operations.
Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS is nominal and currently
analyzing data in support of general characterization of the ISS
acceleration environment.
Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is nominal and
currently analyzing data in support of general characterization of the ISS
acceleration environment.
Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES):
PCG STES is operating nominally. Temperatures are holding steady.
Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal
Emulsions (InSPACE): The test on 6/18 provided interesting structure
development. At 10 Hz, which starts to approach steady conditions, there
are fewer dispersed smaller structures and the view through the structure is
improved. Conversely, when Ed Lu switched to 2 Hz the image became murky
because there was more opportunity for dispersion during the field "off"
state, which allows particles to separate out from the structures. This
week's InSPACE run was the second last planned test with the largest
particles. In fact, the planned test matrix is almost complete. There are
only three remaining runs: one with the large particles and two with the
smallest particles. Upon completion of these tests, InSPACE will be stowed.
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside. Nominal
and collecting data.
Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): Waiting to
begin operations in July.
Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): Waiting to begin
operations.
Educational Payload Operations (EPO): Will resume activities next month.
Crew Earth Observation (CEO): The first Lewis & Clark target of the
Missouri River at Omaha-Council Bluffs will be published on Earth
Observatory this weekend (website see below). A very nice shot! The
ground will continue work at refining descriptions of these challenging
historical targets over the coming weeks to better help the crew spot them
and let them know when to get them. Today's optional CEO 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 Tigris-Euphrates, Turkey (the crew's
descending [NW to SE] pass ran the length of the Tigris-Euphrates valleys.
Looking either side of track for views of land use and especially water
control systems like dams, reservoirs, canals, levees, and irrigation
complexes), Lake Nasser, Toshka Lakes (as the crew approached this target
area from the northwest, they were to look right of track, trying for views
of the new lakes forming and spreading in the desert west of the Nile. Also
looking at the upper end of Lake Nasser for changes in water color and lake
level), Gulf of Maine plankton (there was marginal weather this pass, but
the crew was to take advantage of this opportunity to document this active
area of plankton blooms. Research vessels are "chalking" the plankton and
then tracking it with satellite and ship as they are physically mixed and
biologically grazed from the system. The patches are several kilometers in
length, and should be quite visible from space. Looking right of track and
trying to keep some coastal features in view for reference purposes), and
Fort Mandan, ND (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Clouds were expected to close in from
the south, but this pass may still have been in time for this site. This is
where the expedition spent the winter of 1804-5 and where Sacagawea and her
husband joined the group. The site is near the present town of Stanton.
Looking left of track and south of the large reservoir, Lake Sacagawea.
Stanton is on the west bank of the Missouri near where it turns sharply from
south to east). 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, 3:14am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 388.3 km
Apogee -- 393.0 km
Perigee -- 383.6km
Period -- 92.32 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006963
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 80 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 26172
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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