ISS On-Orbit Status 04/18/10 All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
Sunday – crew rest day. Ahead: Week 5 of Increment 23. Crew sleep shifting has returned to normal: Wake 2:00am – 5:30pm EDT. At wake-up, CDR Kotov performed the regular daily early-morning check of the aerosol filters at the currently running Russian Elektron O
2 generator which Maxim Suraev had installed on 10/19/09 in gaps between the BZh Liquid Unit and the oxygen outlet pipe (filter FA-K) plus hydrogen outlet pipe (filter FA-V).
[CDR again inspected the filters before bedtime this noon, currently a daily requirement per plan, with photographs to be taken if the filter packing is discolored.] Also at wake-up, FE-6 Creamer & FE-2 Caldwell-Dyson continued their current week-long session of the experiment SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight), TJ’s fourth, Tracy’s first, transferring data from their Actiwatches to the HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1) laptop.
[To monitor his/her sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, the crewmember wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him/her as well as their patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition, using the payload software for data logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the experiment’s laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days.] Additionally, Caldwell-Dyson continued her FD15 session of the medical protocol for Pro K (Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery), her first on board, performing the first urine pH spot test (not sampling) and later logging today’s diet intact.
[Under Pro K, the crewmember measures and logs the pH value of a urine sample, to be collected the same time of day every day for 5 days. The crewmember also prepares a diet log and then annotates quantities of food packets consumed and supplements taken. Tracy required considerably more time for the session than scheduled since her packed food, delivered on 19A, took time for sorting out (probably should have been pre-organized on the ground.] Later in the day, Tracy set up the Nutrition/Repository/Pro K equipment for the 24-hour urine collections of her Generic HRF (Human Research Facility) urine activities.
[Based on crew feedback, new cold stowage hardware, and IPV (International Procedures Viewer) capabilities, the generic blood & urine procedures were created to allow an individual crewmember to select their payload complement and see specific requirements populated. Individual crewmembers will select their specific parameter in the procedures to reflect their science complement. Different crewmembers will have different required tubes and hardware configurations, so they should verify their choice selection before continuing with operations to ensure their specific instruction.] After breakfast, FE-5 Noguchi supported the weekly U.S. “Bisphosphonates” biomedical countermeasures experiment, ingesting an Alendronate pill before breakfast.
[The Bisphosphonates study should determine whether antiresorptive agents (that help reduce bone loss) in conjunction with the routine in-flight exercise program will protect ISS crewmembers from the regional decreases in bone mineral density documented on previous ISS missions. Two dosing regimens are being tested: (1) an oral dose of 70 mg of Alendronate taken weekly starting 3 weeks prior to flight and then throughout the flight and (2) an intravenous (IV) dose of 4 mg Zoledronic Acid, administered just once approximately 45 days before flight. The rationale for including both Alendronate and Zoledronic Acid is that two dosing options will maximize crew participation, increase the countermeasure options available to flight surgeons, increase scientific opportunities, and minimize the effects of operational and logistical constraints. The primary measurement objective is to obtain preflight and postflight QCT (Quantitative Computed Tomography) scans of the hip. The QCT scans will provide volumetric bone density information of both cortical and trabecular (spongy) bone regions of the hip.] The six station residents completed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo.
["Uborka", usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM (Service Module) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the sleep stations with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.] As part of the uborka house cleaning, the Russian crewmembers conducted regular maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) and Group E fan grills in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP).
FE-3 Kornienko completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow.
[This includes 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]. In the Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Noguchi & Creamer serviced the JAXA MyoLab payload, with Timothy retrieving MyoLab medium cassettes from MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) which Soichi let warm up to ambient temperature before exchanging the sample medium. TJ then restowed them in the CBEF (Cell Biology Experiment Facility).
TJ also configured the MyoLab CB (Clean Bench) with its microscope in preparation for observations on 4/20.
[MyoLab experimentation concerns studies of a rat muscle gene modified cell line to determine the effects of microgravity.] All 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 an SSC laptop), Tracy at ~4:15am & 5:15pm, Sasha at ~5:05am, Misha at ~6:00am, Oleg at ~8:15am, TJ at ~10:40am, Soichi at ~2:05pm EDT.
The crew completed today’s physical workout protocol on the ARED advanced resistive exerciser (FE-1, FE-2, FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-2, FE-3, FE-5, FE-6) and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (CDR, FE-1, FE-3).
[T2 is currently only being used in unpowered mode, after its PAU (Power Avionics Unit) exhibited increased temperatures, most likely due to a short circuit in a power converter to the treadmill motors. Workouts in unpowered mode are entirely satisfactory from Flight Surgeon’s standpoint.] No CEO (Crew Earth Observations) photo targets uplinked for today.
STS-131 Update: Discovery’s return is expected tomorrow morning.
- Landing opportunities at KSC: 8:51:22am (Orbit 222, Deorbit burn: 7:47am) & 10:26:26am EDT (Orbit 223).
- Additional KSC opportunities on 4/20: 7:33am (Orbit 237) & 9:08am (Orbit 238)
- EDW (Edwards Air Force Base, CA) on 4/20: 9:00am EDT (238), 10:36am (239) & 12:11 (240), plus some on 4/21.
- If landing takes place tomorrow morning at 8:51:22am as planned, Discovery will have circled Earth 222 times, covering a distance of 5,813,261 stat.mi. (9,301,218 km). [Current weather forecast for Monday calls for showers within 30 n.mi. of the Shuttle Landing Facility (which would be a flight rule violation) and the potential for low cloud ceilings.]
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change): --------------Six-crew operations-----------------
04/19/10 -- STS-131/Discovery/19A landing
04/28/10 -- Progress M-05M/37P launch
04/30/10 -- Progress M-05M/37P docking
05/10/10 -- Progress M-04M/36P undock
05/12/10 – Soyuz TMA-17/21S relocation (FGB Nadir to SM Aft)
05/14/10 -- STS-132/Atlantis/ULF4 – ICC-VLD, MRM-1 “Rassvet”
06/02/10 -- Soyuz TMA-17/21S undock/landing
(End of Increment 23) --------------Three-crew operations-------------
06/14/10 -- Soyuz TMA-19/23S launch –
Wheelock (CDR-25)/Walker/Yurchikhin 06/16/10 -- Soyuz TMA-19/23S docking
--------------Six-crew operations-----------------
06/28/10 -- Progress M-06M/38P launch
06/30/10 -- Progress M-06M/38P docking
07/07/10 -- US EVA-15
(Caldwell/Wheelock) 0*7/23/10 -- Russian EVA-25
(Yurchikhin/Kornienko) 07/26/10 -- Progress M-05M/37P undock
07/29/10 -- STS-134/Endeavour (ULF6 – ELC3, AMS-02)
08/30/10 -- Progress M-06M/38P undock
08/31/10 -- Progress M-07M/39P launch
09/02/10 -- Progress M-07M/39P docking
09/16/10 -- Soyuz TMA-18/22S undock/landing
(End of Increment 24) 09/16/10 -- STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM)
09/18/10 -- STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) docking
09/22/10 -- STS-133/Discovery (ULF5 – ELC4, PMM) undock
09/30/10 -- Soyuz TMA-20/24S launch –
Kelly (CDR-26)/Kaleri/Skripochka 10/xx/10 -- Russian EVA-26
10/27/10 -- Progress M-08M/40P launch
10/29/10 -- Progress M-08M/40P docking
11/26/10 -- Soyuz TMA-19/23S undock/landing
(End of Increment 25) 12/10/10 -- Soyuz TMA-21/25S launch –
Kondratyev (CDR-27)/Coleman/Nespoli 12/15/10 -- Progress M-07M/39P undock
12/26/10 -- Progress M-08M/40P undock
12/27/10 -- Progress M-09M/41P launch
12/29/10 -- Progress M-09M/41P docking
03/16/11 -- Soyuz TMA-20/24S undock/landing
(End of Increment 26) 03/30/11 -- Soyuz TMA-22/26S launch –
A. Borisienko (CDR-28)/R, Garan/A.Samokutayev 04/01/11 -- Soyuz TMA-22/26S docking
04/27/11 -- Progress M-09M/41P undock
04/28/11 -- Progress M-10M/42P launch
04/30/11 -- Progress M-10M/42P docking
05/17/11 -- Soyuz TMA-21/25S undock/landing
(End of Increment 27) 05/31/11 -- Soyuz TMA-23/27S launch –
M. Fossum (CDR-29)/S. Furukawa/S. Volkov 06/02/11 -- Soyuz TMA-23/27S docking
06/21/11 -- Progress M-11M/43P launch
06/23/11 -- Progress M-11M/43P docking
08/30/11 -- Progress M-12M/44P launch
09/01/11 -- Progress M-12M/44P docking
09/30/11 -- Soyuz TMA-24/28S launch
10/28/11 -- Progress M-13M/45P launch
10/30/11 -- Progress M-13M/45P docking
11/25/11 -- Soyuz TMA-25/29S launch
11/27/11 -- Soyuz TMA-25/29S docking
12/??/11 -- 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – on Proton.
