ISS On-Orbit Status 3/17/03<br /><br />All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously<br />or below. The pre-St. Patrick's Sunday yesterday did not go quite as happily<br />uneventful for the crew as their planned schedule intended.<br /><br />Early Sunday morning, an unexpected pump failure on one of the two loops of<br />the Lab ITCS (internal thermal control system) required the crew to attempt<br />repair and troubleshooting, keeping them up well past their bedtime last<br />night. Today's schedule for CDR Ken Bowersox and FE-2/SO Don Pettit was<br />largely cleared of other tasks and dedicated to an extensive maintenance job<br />to recover from the pump failure. More previously unplanned work remains for<br />tomorrow. [Leading up to the shutdown of the ITCS MTL PPA (moderate<br />temperature loop pump package assembly), at 1:46am EST MTL loop parameters<br />began showing fluctuations in pump speed (down from ~16000 rpm), pressure<br />and current, at first glance indicative of a problem with the MTL PPA gas<br />trap. At 7:17am, the crew swapped the gas trap with a spare, which didn't<br />help. Later, at 9:20am, the pump shut down and the ITCS reverted to<br />single-channel mode on the LTL (low temperature loop). Today, Bowersox and<br />Pettit began to replace the PPA with a spare unit, installing it temporarily<br />in the LAB-1 rack for pressurization of its accumulator with N2 (nitrogen).<br />To clarify an uncertainty regarding the bellows' reaction to the<br />pressurization, the subsequent priming of the pump with water was deferred<br />to tomorrow. Tomorrow's schedule was cleared to accommodate another three<br />hours for the PPA filling, followed by connecting the gas trap from the<br />failed PPA to it, then installing the assembly in the MTL in LAB-1, wrapped<br />up by functional testing. The FSS (fluid system servicer), to be used for<br />the water filling from the PWR (payload water reservoir), will finally be<br />drained, purged and restowed.]<br /><br />The crew was provided with a contingency plan in the event of a failure of<br />the ITCS/LTL single-loop mode which would leave the U.S. segment without<br />internal cooling. [The plan involves extensive load shedding to reduce heat<br />production, i.e. powering down a larger number of RPCMs (remote power<br />controller modules) in order to prolong the upstream DDCU's (dc-to-dc<br />current converter's) "thermal survivability" time (after which the<br />power-providing DDCU would trip).]<br /><br />FE-1 Nikolai Budarin performed his daily status check on the Russian BIO-5<br />Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 ("Plants-2") plant growth experiment in the SM.<br /><br />Budarin also installed two new cables of the SUBA onboard equipment control<br />system in the SM, brought up by 10P/Progress-247, to reconfigure control of<br />both SKV-1 (turned off) and SKV-2 (off) air conditioners. [This had been<br />deferred from an earlier date, 3/3].<br /><br />Afterwards, Budarin supported the transition of the Russian KTsP1 central<br />post computer #1 and Laptop 1 to the new 7.01 software version, Later today,<br />the SM Terminal (TVM) and Central (TsVM) computers are to be restarted by<br />the ground, to reinitialize their three lanes (subsets). The restart will be<br />on the old Vers. 5.04 software, with transition to the new code scheduled<br />for later. The upgrading will continue this week. [To prepare for the TVM<br />restart (4:20pm), Elektron and SKV-1 will be shut down to prevent C&W<br />(caution & warning) annunciations with no software in control. Similarly,<br />for TsVM restart (9:33pm), Moscow/TsUP will deactivate subsystems such as<br />the DC-1 docking module's fire suppression system (APS) and thermal control<br />system, and US-21 matching unit transfers.]<br /><br />Budarin completed another periodic change-out of the urine receptacle (M-P)<br />and filter insert (F-V) of the ASU toilet system in the Service Module.<br /><br />Budarin also conducted the daily routine maintenance of the SM's SOZh life<br />support system, including ASU toilet facilities, while Bowersox did the<br />regular checkup of the autonomous PCG-STES010 Lab payload.<br /><br />Later in the day, it was time again for Nikolai to work his way through the<br />MO-5 MedOps protocol of cardiovascular evaluation during graded exercises on<br />the VELO cycle ergometer, assisted by FE-2/SO Don Pettit as CMO (crew<br />medical officer). [Using the Gamma-1 ECG equipment with biomed harness, skin<br />electrodes, and a blood pressure and rheoplethysmograph cuff wired to the<br />cycle ergometer's instrumentation panels, the cosmonaut worked the pedals<br />after a prescribed program at load settings of 125, 150, and 175 watts for<br />three minutes each. All measurements were recorded and telemetered to MCC-M,<br />from where the workout was controlled by a specialist.]<br /><br />All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on RED<br />(resistive exercise device), TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and<br />stabilization), and VELO with load trainer.<br /><br />The Vozdukh CO2 removal unit is back up and running. CDRA (CO2 removal<br />assembly) is off.<br /><br />ISS flight attitude is back in XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane).<br /><br />Over the weekend, Bowersox and Pettit, working off the "job jar" task list,<br />completed an inspection of the outer surface of the Node nadir hatch<br />window's EVA Hyzod cover for optical obscurations induced by environmental<br />exposure to atomic oxygen and vacuum ultra-violet. [The task consisted of<br />photo and video documenting of any flaws, marks, particulate contamination,<br />deposited film, large pits, coating de-lamination, or hazing. The inspection<br />helps to determine possible future actions required to maintain a clear CBCS<br />(centerline berthing camera system) view from this hatch, the primary<br />berthing cue for MPLM installation during Mission ULF-1.]<br /><br />Today's targets for the CEO (crew earth observations) program (not using the<br />Lab window due to Flight Rule restriction of no exposure to direct sunlight)<br />were Melbourne, Australia (City at Night: At dusk looking right of track for<br />city view), Detroit, Michigan (City at Night: Looking right of track for the<br />home of the Detroit Motor City Dragway), Rangoon, Myanmar (City at Night:<br />looking right of track toward the Irrawaddy River Delta to document lights),<br />Beijing, China (City at Night; looking left of track for densely populated<br />area), Bombay, India (City at Night), and Patagonian Glaciers (shooting<br />context and detailed views of glaciers before upcoming major winter snow<br />storms).<br /><br />CEO images can be viewed at the websites<br />http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and<br />http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov<br /><br />U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:22pm EST).<br /><br />Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):<br />Elektron O2 generator is powered On (24 Amp mode). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is<br />On (Manual mode 5). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off. TCCS (trace contaminant<br />control subsystem) is operating. MCA (major constituents analyzer) is<br />operating. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode; bed<br />#2 in Purify mode. RS air conditioner SKV-1 is Off; SKV-2 is Off.<br /><br />SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 753; temperature (deg C) -- 26.9;<br />ppO2 (mmHg) -- 183.1; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 3.6 (suspect).<br />SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 751; temperature (deg C) --<br />21.2.<br />FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) -- 752; temperature (deg C) -- 22.0.<br />Node: Pressure (mmHg) -- 743.25; temperature (deg C) -- 23.9 (shell); ppO2<br />(mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a.<br />U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) -- 744.92; temperature (deg C) -- 22.1; ppO2<br />(mmHg) -- 169.1; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 4.1;<br />Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) -- 745.02; temperature (deg<br />C) -- 21.0; shell heater temp (deg C) -- 21.6, ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2<br />(mmHg) -- n/a.<br />PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 24.0<br />PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 12.8<br />(n/a = data not available)<br /><br />Propulsion System (PS):<br />Total propellant load available [SM(786) + FGB(2746) + Progress(490)] ---<br />4022 kg (8867 lb) as of 3/13/03. (Capability: SM -- 860 kg; FGB -- 6120 kg).<br /><br />Electrical Power Systems (EPS):<br />Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and 4B<br />both in Autotrack (sun-following).<br />SM batteries: All batteries (8) are in "Partial Charge" mode.<br />FGB batteries: Batteries #2 is off line; all other batteries (5) are in<br />"Partial Charge" mode.<br />Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 and PCU-2 both in Standby mode.<br /><br />Command & Data Handling Systems:<br />C&C-1 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-3 is in standby.<br />GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is Backup.<br />INT-1 is operating; INT-2 is Off.<br />EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is Off.<br />LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.<br />PL-2 MDM is On (primary); PL-1 MDM is Off<br />APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.<br />SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is<br />out of the set (as of 11/14/02).<br />SM Central Computer (TsVM): 2 redundant lanes (of 3) operational. Lane 1 is<br />out of the set (as of 3/2/03).<br /><br />Attitude Control Systems:<br />3 CMGs on-line (CMG-1 failed).<br />State vector source -- U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)<br />Attitude source -- U.S. SIGI-1 (GPS)<br />Angular rate source -- RGA-2<br /><br />Flight Attitude:<br />XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = "sun-fixed" [yaw: -179.0 deg,<br />pitch: -8.8 deg., roll: 0 deg]), with CMG/Thruster Assist Momentum<br />Management).<br />Solar Beta Angle: 39.0 deg (magnitude increasing).<br /><br />Communications & Tracking Systems:<br />FGB MDM-1 is powered Off; FGB MDM-2 is operational.<br />All other Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.<br />S-band is operating nominally.<br />Ku-band is operating nominally.<br />Audio subsystem operating nominally.<br />Video subsystem operating nominally (VTR1 is operable again).<br />HCOR (high-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.<br /><br />Robotics:<br />SSRMS/Canadarm2 based at Lab PDGF with Keep Alive (KA) power on both<br />strings.<br />MBS: KA power on both strings.<br />MT: latched at WS4, with KA power.<br />POA: KA power on both strings.<br />RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.<br /><br />ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:27am EST [= epoch]):<br />Mean altitude -- 390.9 km<br />Apogee -- 396.3 km<br />Perigee -- 385.6 km<br />Period -- 92.37 min.<br />Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg<br />Eccentricity -- 0.0007897<br />Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.59<br />Solar Beta Angle: 39.0 deg (magnitude increasing)<br />Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 160 m<br />Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 24670<br /><br />For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see<br />http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html