ISS On-Orbit Status 04/19/10 All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below.
Crew half-day off. Underway: Week 5 of Increment 23.
At wake-up, FE-1 Skvortsov 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).
[FE-1 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-2 Caldwell-Dyson continued her current medical protocol of Pro K (Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery), her first on board, performing the urine pH spot test (not sampling) and later logging today’s diet intact. Her controlled diet & diet logging activity closes out tonight at 6:30pm EDT.
[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.] Tracy also started her FD15 24-hr collections of urine samples for the Nutrition/Repository/Pro K protocol, her first onboard session with the new routine (modified from the past NUTRITION w/Repository protocol). Continuing the 24-hr urine collections begun last night, Tracy stowed the samples in the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). Later in the day, FE-6 Creamer broke out and set up the equipment for collecting Tracy’s blood samples tomorrow.
[The operational products for Blood & Urine collections for the HRP (Human Research Program) payloads have been revised, based on crew feedback, new cold stowage hardware, and IPV capabilities. Generic blood & urine procedures have been 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.] CDR Kotov had 2h50m reserved for undertaking his 4
th onboard session with the Russian biomedical MBI-15 "Pilot-M"/NEURO signal response experiment after setting up the workplace and equipment. Later, the Pilot-M & Neurolab-2000M gear was disassembled & stowed away, and Oleg reported to TsUP on his run.
[MBI-15 requires the Multipurpose Hardware Bench as a table, ankle restraint system, eyeball electrodes for an EOG (electrooculogram), and two hand controllers (RUO & RUD) for testing piloting skill in “flying” simulations on a laptop (RSK1) with software (v. 2.0) under stopwatch control, as well as for studying special features of the psychophysiologic response of cosmonauts to the effects of stress factors in flight.] Skvortsov & Kotov conducted standard testing of VHF (Very High Frequency) & S-band communication modes between the SM (Service Module) and the two Soyuz vehicles as well as between the two spacecraft, TMA-17/21S (at FGB nadir) and TMA-18/22S at MRM2, followed by a multi-element comm procedures training run.
On the CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack) in the Lab, FE-6 Creamer removed the alignment guides to allow activation of the PaRIS (Passive Rack Isolation System) by the ground for FCF (Fluids & Combustion Facility) operations requiring a microgravity environment.
In the JAXA JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Timothy prepared MELFI-2 for Stage 19A science sample preservation by retrieving and inserting 11 “ice bricks” (-32degC) in the freezer.
[Two bricks went into two sections each of Dewar 1 Tray A & Tray B, plus two in Section 1 and one in Section 2 of Tray C.] Also in the Kibo laboratory, TJ serviced the DECLIC payload (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids & Crystallization) in ER-4 (EXPRESS Rack 4), activating the DSI (Directional Solidification Insert) in the EXL (Experiment Locker) and installing the RHDD (Removable Hard Disk Drive) into the DECLIC ELL (Electronics Locker) computer.
[The French (CNES)/NASA-sponsored DECLIC, taking up two lockers, is a multi-user facility to investigate low & high temperature critical fluids behavior, chemical reactivity in supercritical water, directional solidification of transparent alloys, and more generally transparent media under micro-gravity environment. DECLIC uses the standard infrastructure offered by the ER-4 rack. Typical experiments for DECLIC include fluids (CO2, SF6) close to their near ambient critical point engineered in a dedicated insert (ALI), directional solidification of transparent materials (succinonitrile alloy) engineered in the dedicated DSI insert, high temperature, and high pressure critical fluids (H2O, NH3, etc.) engineered in the dedicated HTI insert. DECLIC is designed for remote science control, commonly called "Telescience". Operation capabilities offer scientists the possibility to remotely visualize and modify their selected experiment conditions in the ISS from User Home Base through the CADMOS User Support & Operation Centre.] In preparation for upcoming JAXA MyoLab sample fixation activity, FE-5 Noguchi gathered the necessary equipment.
[SSIPC (Space Station Integration & Promotion Center)/Tsukuba reported that yesterday’s culture change tasks were successfully completed and the experiment is going well. MyoLab experimentation concerns studies of a rat muscle gene modified cell line to determine the effects of microgravity.] Using the TOCA (Total Organic Carbon Analyzer), the FE-5 performed the periodic WRS (Water Recovery System) sample analysis, after first initializing the software and priming (filling) the TOCA water sample hose with water from the WPA (Water Processor Assembly) and buffer solution from the TOCA Buffer Container.
[This setup became necessary due to the high line pressure seen in the last two runs causing TOCA to abort. After the approximately 2 hr TOCA analysis, results were transferred to an SSC (Station Support Computer) via USB drive for downlink, and the data were also logged.] Alex Skvortsov & Mikhail Kornienko started preparations for the major IFM (Inflight Maintenance) activity scheduled for the TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation & Stabilization) over the next five days. Sasha & Misha today printed out and reviewed procedures, held a crew conference with the ground (~12:50pm), gathered tools, inspected the TVIS control panel, and deactivated the two TVIS circuit breakers in the SM.
[Starting tomorrow, R&R (removal & replacement) activities will involve the flywheel case, forward right stabilizer, springs in the forward left, aft left & aft right stabilizers, the EB (Electronics Box) battery and other items as required, followed by nominal maintenance tasks and unmanned & full manned ACO (Activation & Checkout) tests on 4/23.] Oleg Kotov completed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the 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.] Kornienko conducted a familiarization test session for the KPT-3 activity of Russia's EKON Environmental Safety Agency, i.e., making observations and taking aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth using the Nikon D2X with the SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens,
At ~2:40am EDT, Caldwell-Dyson powered up the SM's amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) and at 2:45am conducted a ham radio session with students at Jessup Elementary, Houston, Texas.
At ~10:00am, the crew held their usual WPC (Weekly Planning Conference) with the ground, discussing next week's "Look-Ahead Plan" (prepared jointly by MCC-Houston and TsUP-Moscow timeline planners) via S-band/audio, reviewing the monthly calendar, upcoming activities, and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
At 11:35am, Soichi Noguchi conducted the periodic VHF-1 emergency communications proficiency check over NASA’s VHF (Very High Frequency) stations, today with the Dryden VHF sites (11:39:30am-11:46:34am), talking with Houston/Capcom, MSFC/PAYCOM (Payload Operation & Integration Center Communicator), Moscow/GLAVNI (TsUP Capcom), EUROCOM/Munich and JCOM/Tsukuba in the normal fashion via VHF radio from a handheld microphone and any of the USOS ATUs (Audio Terminal Units).
[Purpose of the test is to verify signal reception and link integrity, improve crew proficiency, and ensure minimum required link margin during emergency (no TDRS) and special events (such as a Soyuz relocation).] At ~12:05 pm, TJ Creamer held a teleconference with ground specialists for a discussion of the Cupola corner panel installation.
The crew completed today’s physical workout protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-2, FE-3 FE-5, FE-6), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-1, FE-5, FE-6) and VELO ergometer bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1, FE-3).
[TVIS is still down. 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: Today’s planned return of Discovery has been deferred to tomorrow.
- Updated landing opportunities and approximate times for landing on 4/20:
Opportunity Orbit Deorbit Burn Landing
- KSC 1st attempt 237 6:28am EDT 7:34am EDT
- EDW 1st attempt 238 7:56am EDT 9:01am EDT
- KSC 2nd attempt 238 8:02am EDT 9:08am EDT
- EDW 2nd attempt 239 9:30am EDT 10:35am EDT.
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change): --------------Six-crew operations-----------------
04/20/10 -- 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.
