ISS On-Orbit Status 08/04/08 All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 16 of Increment 17.
Tropical Storm/Hurricane Edouard: At ~1:00pm EDT today, NASA JSC (Johnson Space Center) closed down in preparation for TS Edouard, which is expected to make landfall near Houston/Galveston around 8:00am tomorrow morning after forming over the weekend in the Gulf of Mexico. Houston MCC (Mission Control Center) is being kept active, powered and with S-band command & telemetry capability, but at the GEMINI level (essentially nominal Houston weekend support) until Wednesday morning (8/6). BCC (Backup Control Center) in Moscow will not be activated. Tomorrow's onboard timeline will be scrubbed to reduce the need for FCT (Flight Control Team) support. The Center is expected to return to nominal operations sometime Wednesday morning. Nominal, full team console support will resume on Wednesday, Orbit 3. On today's timeline, TVIS treadmill repair and SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) "Dextre" commissioning activities have been deferred and will be rescheduled in the future. Any changes during today's crew activities will be reported ASAP.
Before breakfast, the CDR, FE-1 and FE-2 completed another periodic session of the Russian biomedical routine assessment PZEh-MO-7/Calf Volume Measurement (fifth for CDR & FE-1, third for FE-2). [Calf measurements (left leg only) are taken with the IZOG device, a custom-sewn fabric cuff that fits over the calf, using the knee and lower foot as fixed reference pints, to provide a rough index of deconditioning in zero-G and effectiveness of countermeasures.]
Gregory Chamitoff ended his third session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository by collecting a final urine sample upon wakeup for storage in the MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). The sampling kit was then stowed away. [The current NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by MELFI), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.]
Later in the day, Volkov & Kononenko also completed the first part of the onboard "Profilaktika" (MBI-8, "Countermeasures") preventive health maintenance fitness test on the VELO bicycle ergometer, assisting each other in turn. Part 2, on the TVIS treadmill, is scheduled later this week (pending TVIS repair). [Test procedure for MBI-8, which requires workouts on the VELO and TVIS, is identical to the Russian MO-5 assessment, but in addition to the nominal procedure it uses the TEEM-100M gas analyzer with breathing mask, a blood lactate test with the ACCUSPORT analyzer and REFLOTRON-4 accessories, and a subjective evaluation of physical exertion levels during the test (using the Borg Perceived Exertion Scale, viz., 10 steps from very light over hard and very hard to maximum). Results are entered on a log sheet. TEEM and ECG (electrocardiograph) data are transferred to the RSE-Med laptop, also on a tape cassette (Cardiocassette-2000), and prepared for later downlink via Regul-Packet comm. Results are also called down to specialists standing by at TsUP.]
After deactivating the BITS2-12 onboard telemetry measurement system (which also required the Elektron oxygen generator to be turned off), Sergey Volkov performed major IFM (Inflight Maintenance) on the SM SA (Service Module Solar Array) system by removing its logic unit (B14M) and replacing it with the B14M removed earlier from the FGB. Later, BITS2-12 was turned back on.
While the Elektron was off, Oleg Kononenko conducted routine IFM on the SRVK-2M condensate water processor, removing its BKO multifiltration unit which has reached its service life limit. The old BKO was replaced with a new unit and stowed for deorbiting on Progress 29P. [BKO contains five purification columns to rid the condensate of dissolved mineral and organic impurities. It has a service lifetime of ~450 liters throughput. The water needs to be purified for proper electrolysis in the Elektron O2 generator.]
At 7:36am EDT, the ground disconnected the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) electrically from the ISS while the Elektron was re-activated. This cause the lights to turn off in the ATV. ATV power was reconnected to the ISS at ~8:41am, and the lights came back on.
The FE-2 continued his activation & checkout work in the JAXA Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), preparing a sample for cultivation on the CBEF (Cell Biology Experiment Facility) Incubator Unit front surface for CBEF checkout.
Also in the Kibo laboratory, Chamitoff continued preparations for payload operations on RYUTAI and SAIBO racks, installing MMA (Microgravity Measurement Apparatus) equipment with two RSUs (Remote Sensor Units) and the MLT (MMA Laptop Terminal).
On SCOF (Solution Crystallization Observation Facility), the FE-2 installed the reference cell cartridge and MMA.
Chamitoff also conducted the periodic (monthly) CSA-CP (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) maintenance/checkout, today on all four units. [The CSA-CP is a passive cabin atmosphere monitor that provides quick response capability during a combustion event (fire). Its collected data are stored on a logger. Gregory replaced batteries on all units, then zero-calibrated all instruments (to eliminate drift in the combustion sensors). Following zero calibration, the backup units were stowed in the Node, along with the sampling pump, while the prime unit was deployed at the SM Central Post.]
FE-1 Kononenko unstowed the three copies of the SODF (Systems Operation Data File) Emergency Books located in the SM, FGB and Lab and updated them with new/changed information.
CDR Volkov set up the equipment for transferring TEKh-20 PK-3+ (Plasma Crystal-3+) experiment digital video data to the Russian BSPN Payload Server. After the transfer, the Telescience hardware was torn down for stowage.
Afterwards, Sergey began a new round of periodic preventive maintenance of cabin ventilation systems in the RS (Russian Segment), today cleaning the "Group A" fan grilles in the SM, while Oleg cleaned the protective TsV1 fan screen in the FGB.
Kononenko serviced the Matryoshka-R (RBO-3-2) radiation payload which has taken over the ESA/RSC-Energia experiment ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS/ALC) with its Spectrometer (AST) and ALC equipment on DC1 panel 429. [Oleg downlinked data from PCMCIA (Portable Computer Memory Card International Adapter) cards ALC-949, ALC-951 and ALC-952, then activated the AST with the ALC-953 card.]
The CDR performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the Service Module (SM). [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.]
The FE-1 conducted the daily IMS (Inventory Management System) maintenance, updating/editing its standard "delta file" including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur).
Gregory completed the periodic (monthly) inspection of the RED (Resistive Exercise Device) canister cords and accessories.
The three crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (FE-2), RED resistive exercise device (FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR/MBI-8, FE-1/MBI-8). Later, Oleg transferred the exercise data file to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).
TVIS Noise/Failure Update: After anomalous noise was noted during TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation & Stabilization), downlinked audio & video troubleshooting files, followed by crew inspection on 8/1 & 8/2 revealed a tear in the belt, probably caused by FOD (Foreign Object Debris) that got lodged between two of the belt slats. Teams are working to develop a repair/tear propagation mitigation procedure, which should be ready tomorrow. Also, preparations are underway to launch a spare belt on Progress 30P. There are other exercise device options available on board, and TVIS functionality will be recovered ASAP.
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).
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.):
08/4-6/08 -- JSC-Houston closed due to Tropical Storm (TS)/Hurricane Edouard
08/13/08 -- ATV Reboost
08/30/08 -- Progress M-64/29P undocking, from FGB nadir
09/05/08 -- ATV1 undocking, from SM aft port (loiter until ~9/25 for nighttime reentry/observation)
09/10/08 -- Progress M-65/30P launch
09/12/08 -- Progress M-65/30P docking (SM aft port)
10/01/08 -- NASA 50 Years (official)
10/08/08 -- STS-125/Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope Service Mission 4 (SM4)
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 (FGB nadir port)
10/23/08 -- Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (DC1 nadir)
11/10/08 -- STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 launch - MPLM Leonardo, LMC
11/12/08 -- STS-126/Endeavour/ULF2 docking
11/20/08 -- ISS 10 Years
11/26/08 -- Progress M-66/31P launch
11/28/08 -- Progress M-66/31P docking
02/10/09 -- Progress M-67/32P launch
02/12/09 -- Progress M-67/32P docking
02/12/09 -- STS-119/Discovery/15A launch - S6 truss segment
03/25/09 -- Soyuz TMA-14/18S launch
05/15/09 -- STS-127/Endeavour/2J/A launch - JEM EF, ELM-ES, ICC-VLD
07/30/09 -- STS-128/Atlantis/17A - MPLM(P), last crew rotation
05/27/09 -- Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 19S docking, May '09)
10/15/09 -- STS-129/Discovery/ULF3 - ELC1, ELC2
12/10/09 -- STS-130/Endeavour/20A - Node-3 + Cupola
02/11/10 -- STS-131/Atlantis/19A - MPLM(P)
04/08/10 -- STS-132/Discovery/ ULF4 - ICC-VLD, MRM1
05/31/10 -- STS-133/Endeavour/ULF5 - ELC3, ELC4 (contingency).
