All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. Korzun and FE-1 Whitson started another science research session with the medical PuFF (pulmonary function in flight) experiment which investigates the effects of EVA and long-term exposure to zero-G on the pulmonary (lung) function, laying the groundwork for future experiments which are key to understanding and maintaining crew health. After Whitson set up and activated the PuFF hardware and then calibrated the equipment, Valery completed a 40-min. standard test, followed by Peggy. Afterwards, Korzun powered down the GASMAP. [PuFF utilizes the GASMAP (gas analyzer system for metabolic analysis physiology) in the HRF (human research facility), along with a variety of other PuFF equipment such as disposable mouthpieces, a manual breathing valve, flowmeter, pressure-flow module, pressure and volume calibration syringes. Each PuFF session, occurring monthly, involves five lung function tests.] Preparations for next week's EVA-7 continue, supported by consultation with TsUP ground experts. Current activities, until next Wednesday, focus on review of the detailed timeline (Russian: "cyclogram") for the ~6 hr. spacewalk, a preliminary version of which was uplinked to the crew overnight. Preparation of the Orlan-M suits and their ancillary equipment starts Monday (8/12), and crew training for EVA-7 begins Wednesday (8/14). [Since, as it turns out, the multimedia software for the EVA training course can only run on a US SSC (station support computer) laptop, one of them will have to be reconfigured to run off the LAN (local area network) in stand-alone mode. After the training, it will have to be reintegrated into the LAN. MCC-H is willing to go ahead with this, if Russian crewtime is used for the two reconfigurations (about 40 minutes total).] MCC-M has submitted formal requests to NASA for use of S- and Ku-band audio/video coverage during both EVAs, and to CSA (Canadian Space Agency) for use of the SSRMS cameras. There is also a Russian request being processed for using some N2 (nitrogen) gas from the US Airlock's HPGT (high-pressure gas tank) storage to help with repressurizing the ISS interior after the EVA. With Peggy Whitson ending her share of collecting urine samples today, the crew's current Renal (Kidney) Stone research session came to an end. (To be continued...) POC (Payload Operations Center) in Huntsville reported that yesterday's fourth SUBSA (solidification using a baffle in sealed ampoules) sample run (SUBSA-04) was completed successfully with good real-time video. Since this ampoule did not contain a baffle, it required a maximum processing temperature of 845?C in order to achieve the required melt-back into the seed. The results of this without-baffle experiment will be compared to those with the baffle. The next SUBSA run is scheduled for tomorrow (8/10). Yesterday, the crew filled another CWC (collapsible water container) with 45 lbs of excess water from the Lab condensate tank, leaving 18 lbs in the latter. Also yesterday, the #2 GPS (Global Positioning System #2) receiver/processor system produced bad state vector data (position and velocity at a specific time) and then could not acquire a suitable GPS satellite. The system was successfully recovered with power-cycling (off/on switching). Daily routine maintenance tasks were performed today by CDR Korzun (SOSh life support systems servicing), FE-1 Whitson (autonomous payloads status check), and FE-2 Treschev (IMS delta file preparation). Treschev also terminated the regeneration process for absorbent bed #1 of the BMP micropurification unit in the SM and started it for the second channel. Filter channel #1 is now back in Purify mode. As every Friday, MCC-H Flight Director and ISS crew conducted an audio conference. TVIS treadmill update: After receiving the Go for using the TVIS treadmill again this morning, CDR Valery Korzun was the first to work out on the treadmill. No clicking noise was reported, i.e., TVIS is back in business. [Use of TVIS is conditional: passive mode only (no motorized runs), speed not to exceed 6 mph (10 km/h), tension load on SPDs (subject positioning devices) and bungees not to exceed 128 lbs, crew to be alert for changes in sound or in running surface characteristics, and more frequent chassis inspections.] Since any further anomaly with the TVIS may render it inoperable, it is important that appropriate spare parts are brought up ASAP. Work is underway to manifest (1) a "clamshell" repair kit with clamps to shore up the truss structure and (2) two truss and roller replacement components, one for each chassis side, on the next Progress resupply ship, 9P/M1-258 (launch: 9/20). Elektron update: Yesterday's troubleshooting of the Russian "Elektron" oxygen generator by Valery Korzun appears to have resolved the problem with the buffer tank fill limit switch. The high-level sensor was shown to be functional. During one of the Elektron activations, the primary pump shut itself off, and the unit switched to its backup pump. As of last night, the important electrolysis machine is operating nominally in 32 Amp mode on the backup pump. Besides approving the Progress 9P launch date of 9/20, RSA (Russian Space Agency) has also signed the launch date for the next Soyuz "taxi" flight, 5S (TMA-1, or TM-211), on 10/28. This poses a conflict with launching ISS-11A/STS-113 on 11/2 (since Shuttle and [second] Soyuz should not be docked to the station at the same time). US and Russian specialists ("Team Zero") are currently working jointly to find a solution acceptable to both sides. [With 5S launch on 10/28, undocking and landing of the "used" 4S Soyuz would be on 11/7, leaving three days of "certified lifetime" for it. Certification for Soyuz spacecraft expires after 200 days, and since 4S was launched on April 24 (GMT), this limit will be reached on 11/10 (GMT), resp. 11/11 (ET).] A new Flight Rule is being written to prohibit use of Russian fire extinguishers (PFE) in the US segment (USOS). Onboard Ermergency Books are being modified accordingly. Since the Russian PFEs use a foam extinguishant (akin to water in terms of conductivity), they pose an electrical shock hazard from equipment carrying the USOS voltage of 120Vdc, as compared to the Russian segment voltage of 28Vdc. [Recent testing has shown that the foam is capable of transmitting 500 milliamps (mA); 40 mA poses a serious shock hazard.] MCC-H plans to perform another standard swap between port and starboard CCAA (common cabin air assembly) air conditioner channels in the near future. Today's targets for the CEO (crew earth observation) program were Angolan Biomass Burning (an offshore flow has developed over the coast of Angola. ISS track was W of this area, and the crew was advised to look right of track to detect aerosols moving westward over the darker sea surface), Lake Poopo (while Lake Poopo itself may not have been visible [directly under track], good context views of the Andean Altiplano were obtainable either side of track. Drying conditions are anticipated with the onset of the current El Nino event), Eastern Mediterranean Dust (a strong storm center diving into western Europe is expected to develop dust-bearing winds over north central Africa. As ISS crossed the Libyan coast, the crew was to look left of track to observe this dust event), Cape Verde Storm (a large, well-organized tropical wave has just moved off the African coast near Cape Verde. This system has the potential to become the first major storm of the North Atlantic Hurricane Season. Crew was to look to the left of track for views of this system in its formative stage), and Lower Amazon River Basin (ISS track was across the NW corner of this target area. Of interest: looking to the right of track for pans of the large estuaries of this giant river, especially noting the extent of its sediment plume into the Atlantic). CEO images can be viewed at the website U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 8:00 am EDT):
  • Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
  • Elektron O2 generator is powered On (32-amp mode) on backup pump. Vozdukh
  • CO2 scrubber is ON in MANUAL cycle mode #5, i.e., 10-min. cycle time (vacuum
  • pump failed). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off (leak). BMP Harmful Impurities
  • unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Regeneration mode.
Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
  • Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B in Autotrack mode; BGA 4B also in Autotrack mode.
  • SM batteries: Battery #1 is off-line, battery #2 is cycling; all other
  • batteries (6) are in "Partial charge" mode.
  • FGB batteries: Battery #5 is off-line; all other batteries (5) are in
  • "Partial charge" mode.
  • Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Standby mode.
Thermal Control Systems: Air conditioner SKV-1 is On. SKV-2 is Off.
  • Command & Data Handling Systems:
  • C&C-3 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-1 is in standby.
  • GNC-1 MDM is prime; GNC-2 is Backup.
  • LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
  • PL-1 MDM is operational; PL-2 MDM is Off.
  • APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
  • SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
  • SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
Attitude Source:
  • 3 CMGs online.
  • State vector -- US GPS (SIGI string 1)
  • Attitude -- Russian segment
  • Angular rates -- US RGA1 (rate gyro assembly 1)
Communications Systems:
  • All Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
  • S-band is operating nominally.
  • Ku-band is operating nominally.
  • Audio subsystem operating nominally.
  • Video subsystem operating nominally.
  • MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.
Robotics:
  • SSRMS/Canadarm2 at MBS PDGF 1 (mobile base system/power & data grapple
  • fixture 1), in EVA-7 viewing position, with Keep Alive power on both strings
  • (based on MBS).
  • MBS: Keep Alive power on both strings.
  • RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 6:28 am EDT [= epoch]):
  • Mean altitude -- 395.3 km
  • Apogee -- 407.5 km
  • Perigee -- 383.0 km
  • Period -- 92.5 min.
  • Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.64 deg
  • Eccentricity -- 0.0018039
  • Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.57
  • Altitude decrease -- 115 m (mean) in last 24 hours
  • Solar Beta Angle -- 14.3 deg (magnitude decreasing)
  • Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 21233
  • Current Flight Attitude -- XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane =
  • "sun-fixed" [yaw: ~180 deg, pitch: -5.7 deg., roll: 0 deg]). Next maneuver
  • to LVLH ("earth-oriented") on Friday, 8/9.
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see