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All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 2 of Increment 18. >>Today 51 years ago (1957), Soviet Chief Designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev launched the first living passenger into orbit - the little canine "proto-cosmonaut" Laika ("Barker") with Sputnik-2 on an R7 "Semyorka".<< With yesterday's time change, crew work begins now at 1:00am EST and ends at 4:30pm, with the one-hour lunch break at about 7:00am. FE-2 Chamitoff started his day with his third week-long session with the SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment, using the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment's laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. [To monitor the crewmember's sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Greg wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days, as part of the crew's discretionary "job jar" task list. This is Week 3 of 3 for the FE-2.] Before breakfast, CDR Fincke began Part 1 (of 5) of the periodic acoustic measurement protocol by deploying crew-worn acoustic dosimeters, to be carried by all crewmembers for 24 hours (with a microphone on the shirt collar). (Last time done: 9/8-9/9). [Tonight, after about 15 hours of measurements, dosimeter data will be downloaded and the hardware power-cycled for another data take starting tonight after 8.5-hr. sleep. At that point, the crew will deploy the dosimeters statically in the station for the duration of the day, record measurements tomorrow noon and stow the instruments. Acoustic data must be taken twice per Increment, each time for the duration of the 16-hour crew workday.] Most of Fincke's & Chamitoff's time today was assigned to hardware prepacking for the 15-day Shuttle mission ULF2, preceded by a prepack conference with ground specialists via S-band at ~8:05am EST, and an OBT (On-board Training) review of the STS-126/ULF2 docked timeline, followed by a discussion with MCC-H specialists via teleconference. Some highlights follow:
FE-1 Lonchakov started a new round of the periodic (monthly) preventive maintenance of RS (Russian Segment) ventilation systems in the DC1 (Docking Compartment) by cleaning the PF1 & PF2 dust collectors in its air duct system and the protective mesh screens of the V1 & V2 ventilator fans. Later, Yuri moved to the FGB (Funktsionalnyi-Grusovoi Blok) to clean the vent grills of the three SOTR (thermal control system) gas-liquid heat exchangers (GZhT-1, -2, -3). Mike Fincke terminated IWIS (Internal Wireless Instrumentation System) software commanding and prepared for the "deep sleep" recovery of the IWIS RSU (Internal Wireless Integrated System/Remote Sensor Unit) system (listed yesterday as a discretionary entry on the "job jar" task list). [The hardware will remain powered on for tomorrow's (11/4) dedicated thruster firing. IWIS RSUs collect structural dynamics data on the ISS structure during specific "disturbance" events such as thruster firings, docking/undocking, etc.] Yuri Lonchakov conducted the regular status check and data collection on the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment which researches growth and development of plants (peas) under spaceflight conditions in the LADA-13 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems {Russian: IMBP}). Performing regular service on the MATRYOSHKA-R (RBO-3-2) radiation instrumentation in the SM (panel 326), Yuri Lonchakov conducted a health check on the ASTR Spectrometer and prepared it for a new round of experiment activities, downlinking all remaining data from the ALC-954 PCMCIA (Portable Computer Memory Card International Adapter) memory card via the RSK1 laptop and replacing it in the AST with a new card (ALC-955). The Spectrometer was then activated, after a functional check. [RBO-3-2 is using the ESA/RSC-Energia experiment ALTCRISS (ALC/Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS) with its Spectrometer (AST) and ALC equipment, which is periodically moved around and now located again in the SM.] In the JAXA JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Chamitoff retrieved two OIWIFs (On-orbit Install Worksite Interfaces) from a standoff. With Mike Fincke, he also unpacked and readied a JEM cargo bag containing four cables for the PROX-GPS antenna, required for HTV (H-II Transfer Vehicle) operations. [The PROX system, mostly located in the ICS (Inter-orbit Communication System) Rack, consists of a PROX antenna, a PROX-GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna, PROX comm equipment and an HCP (Hardware Command Panel) in the JPM, except for the antenna. When the HTV approaches the ISS, the PROX antenna, which contains GPS receivers, will initiate communications with the HTV. The ISS orbital location and speed are immediately relayed to the HTV through the PROX. At the same time, data from the HTV are relayed to the ISS. In addition, the antenna relays commands sent from the ground to the HTV.] FE-1 Lonchakov again had an hour to himself for general orientation (station familiarization & acclimatization) as is standard daily rule for fresh crewmembers for the first two weeks after starting station residence, if she/he chooses to take it. At ~4:20pm EST, just before sleep time, Yuri will set up the Russian MBI-12 SONOKARD (Sonocard) payload and start his second experiment session, using a sports shirt from the SONOKARD kit with a special device in the pocket for testing a new method for acquiring physiological data without using direct contact on the skin. Measurements are recorded on a data card for return to Earth. [SONOKARD objectives are stated to (1) study the feasibility of obtaining the maximum of data through computer processing of records obtained overnight, (2) systematically record the crewmember's physiological functions during sleep, (3) study the feasibility of obtaining real-time crew health data. Investigators believe that contactless acquisition of cardiorespiratory data over the night period could serve as a basis for developing efficient criteria for evaluating and predicting adaptive capability of human body in long-duration space flight.] The CDR completed the regular monthly TVIS maintenance, inspecting the condition of harnesses, belt slats, corner bracket ropes, IRBAs (Isolation Restorative Bungee Assemblies) and gyroscope wire ropes for any damage or defects, lubricating as required plus recording time & date values. [Mike's downlinked report: "TVIS is looking great! All wire ropes and cords looking great and pass my inspection."] The crew performed their regular daily 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), TVIS treadmill (CDR, FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1). At ~4:00am EST, Mike Fincke powered up the SM's amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) and conducted, at 4:05am, a ham radio exchange with IES Trassierra, Cordoba, Spain, a Secondary Education School with 900 students located between a developing area and an area of low social-economical status. Its project "Sailing through Space" will help students to broaden their knowledge in the field of space and also will be a very important tool to motivate them to study. The project is going to last two years and it will include a wide variety of activities such as observing the sky from Cordoba, visiting the workshop that the Observatory of Granada brought to the school and making trips to the observatory situated in Toledo. Questions were uplinked to Mike beforehand. ["What kind of food do you eat? Do you have a special diet?"; "Are you in contact with your family?"; "How long have you been in the ISS?"; "What do you miss the most?"; "How long does it take to go to the space?"; "What is your favourite thing up there?"; "Have you ever felt frightened?"; "What is the weight of your spacesuit?"; "What is your mission onboard?"; "How do you have a shower?".] No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked today. CEO photography can be studied at this "Gateway" website: ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:44am EST [= epoch]): Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time, some changes possible.): |