All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday - crew off duty. Ahead: Week 3 of Increment 17.
Flight Engineer Kononenko conducted the routine maintenance of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables and the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists of replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of an EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine container, replacement of the KOV EDV at the SKV-2 air conditioner for the Elektron-intended water, and processing U.S. condensate water as it becomes available in a filled CWC from the Lab humidifier.]
The U.S. CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) was deactivated by the ground overnight (~9:00pm-2:00am EDT). With cooling no longer required, Flight Engineer Reisman demated and took down the ITCS LTL (Internal Thermal Control System/Low Temperature Loop) jumper at the CDRA-supporting LAB1D6 rack.
Reisman also completed the periodic offloading of the Lab CCAA (Common Cabin Air Assembly) dehumidifier's condensate tank, filling CWC (Contingency Water Container) #1054 with 17 L water and putting an additional 5 L in #1062, all slated for Elektron processing. No samples required this time.
CDR Volkov conducted his first recharging of the Motorola Iridium-9505A satellite phone brought up on Soyuz 16S, a monthly routine job. [After retrieving it from its location in the TMA-12/16S descent module (BO) at ~10:00am EDT, Sergey initiated the recharging of its lithium-ion battery, monitoring the process every 10-15 minutes as it took place. Upon completion at ~11:15am, the phone was returned inside its SSSP Iridium kit and stowed back in the BO's operational data files (ODF) container. The satphone accompanies returning ISS crews on Soyuz reentry & landing for contingency communications with SAR (Search-and-Rescue) personnel after touchdown (e.g., after an "undershoot" ballistic reentry, as happened during the recent 15S return). The Russian-developed procedure for the monthly recharging has been approved jointly by safety officials. During the procedure, the phone is left in its fire-protective fluoroplastic bag with open flap. The Iridium 9505A satphone uses the Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to relay the landed Soyuz capsule's GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to helicopter-borne recovery crews. The older Iridium-9505 phones were first put onboard Soyuz in August 2003. The newer 9505A phone, currently in use, delivers 30 hours of standby time and three hours of talk, up from 20 and two hours, respectively, on the older units.]
Afterwards, the CDR set up the "Kelvin-Video" battery for charging for the upcoming operation of the Russian KPT-2 science payload BAR-RM. Using the Kelvin, Ira and TTM instruments, objective of the payload is to experiment with ISS leak detection based on environmental data anomalies (temperature, humidity, and ultrasound emissions) at leak locations. Data gathering will take place starting tomorrow using the RSE-1 laptop, with downlinking via BSR-TM channel. [BAR-RM is designed to develop a procedure for detection of air leakage from ISS modules based on environmental data anomalies (temperature, humidity, ultrasound emissions). The payload uses a remote infrared thermometer (Kelvin-Video), a thermohygrometer (Iva-6A), a heat-loss anemometer/thermometer (TTM-2), an ultrasound analyzer (AU-01), and a leak detector (UT2-03) to determine physical background signs of loss of ISS pressure integrity which could be indicative of leaks in the working compartments of the station. Measurements are taken in specific zones (13 in SM PkhO and 4 in DC1), both with lights & fans turned on and off. ]
The crew completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), RED resistive exerciser (FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-1).
Working off the discretionary "time permitting" task list, Sergey Volkov completed another KPT-3 session to make observations and take aerial photography of environmental conditions for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (ECON) using the Nikon D2X digital camera with SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens.
Also from the suggestions list, FE-2 Kononenko performed a session of the Russian GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the NIKON D2X to take telephotos of glacier4s on the northern slope of the Caucasus Range, the Kolka glacier and oil spills on the Caspian Sea.
A third job on the discretionary task list was Oleg's first run of the Russian DZZ-2 "Diatomeya" ocean observations program, using the NIKON F-5 digital still camera with 80-200 mm lens and the SONY PD-150P camcorder from SM windows 7 & 8 to record highly productive water areas confined to dynamically active oceanic zones in the North Atlantic (US coastal areas and offshore areas of Brazil and Venezuela).
The two Russian crewmembers had their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on the SSC-9 laptop), Sergey at ~7:05am, Oleg at ~8:40am.
No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked for today.
CEO photography can be studied at this "Gateway" website:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (as of 3/1/08, this database contained 757,605 views of the Earth from space, with 314,000 from the ISS alone).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:40am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 341.7 km
Apogee height -- 346.4 km
Perigee height -- 337.0 km
Period -- 91.37 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.64 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.000697
Solar Beta Angle -- -5.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.76
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours -- 98 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) -- 54163
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
05/14/08 -- Progress M-64/29P launch
05/16/08 -- Progress M-64/29P docking (FGB nadir)
05/31/08 -- STS-124/Discovery/1J launch - JEM PM "Kibo", racks, RMS (5:01pm EDT)
06/02/08 -- STS-124/Discovery/1J docking
07/10/08 -- Russian EVA-20 (7/10-11)
08/10/08 -- ATV1 undocking
08/12/08 -- Progress M-65/30P launch
08/14/08 -- Progress M-65/30P docking (SM aft port)
????/08 -- STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
09/09/08 -- Progress M-64/29P undocking (from DC1)
09/10/08 -- Progress M-66/31P launch
09/12/08 -- Progress M-66/31P docking (DC1)
10/01/08 -- NASA 50 Years
10/11/08 -- Progress M-65/30P undocking (from SM aft port)
10/12/08 -- Soyuz TMA-13/17S launch
10/14/08 -- Soyuz TMA-13/17S docking (SM aft port)
10/16/08 -- STS-126/Discovery/ULF2 launch - MPLM Leonardo, LMC
10/18/08 -- STS-126/Discovery/ULF2 docking
10/23/08 -- Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (FGB nadir)
11/03/08 -- Soyuz TMA-13/17S relocation (from SM aft to FGB nadir)
11/20/08 -- ISS 10 Years
11/26/08 -- Progress M-67/32P launch
11/28/08 -- Progress M-67/32P docking (SM aft port)
12/04/08 -- STS-119/Discovery/15A launch - S6 truss segment
12/06/08 -- STS-119/Discovery/15A docking
12/15/08 -- STS-119/Discovery/15A undocking
2QTR CY09 -- STS-127/2J/A launch - JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
3QTR CY09 -- STS-128/17A/Atlantis - MPLM(P), last crew rotation
05/??/09 -- Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 18S-2 docking)
3QTR CY09 -- STS-129/ULF3/Discovery - ELC1, ELC2
4QTR CY09 -- STS-130/20A/Endeavour - Node-3 + Cupola
1QTR CY10 -- STS-131/19A/Atlantis - MPLM(P)
1QTR CY10 -- STS-132/ULF4/Discovery - ICC-VLD, MRM1 (contingency)
2QTR CY10 -- STS-133/ULF5/Endeavour - ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).
