This Echo is READ ONLY !   NO Un-Authorized Messages Please!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8 July 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 5 Jul 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously. Second rest day of this long Fourth of July weekend for
the crew. 

As regularly on Saturdays, Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight
Engineer/Science Officer Ed Lu performed the weekly 3-hr. station
cleaning. [This includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of
compartments with vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning of the SM dining table
and other surfaces with "Fungistat" disinfectant and cleaning fan
screens to avoid temperature rises.]

Ed Lu prepared the daily IMS delta file for automatic export/import
to update the database, while Malenchenko took care of the daily
routine maintenance of the Service Module's (SM) SOZh life support
system (including ASU toilet facilities).

The CDR also completed the regular periodic (weekly) inspection of
the BRPK-1 air/liquid condensate separator in the SM.

Both crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on
TVIS treadmill and RED expander.

As a Russian task list item, Malenchenko was to transfer the
Molniya-SM/LSO data from the equipment mounted at SM window #3 to the
French EGE-1 computer's hard disk drive (HDD). [Since this involves a
large amount of bulk data, Yuri was to start the transfer early in
the morning.] 

Also working off the Russian optional task list, the CDR conducted
another session of the Diatomeya research program, using the Nikon F5
with f/80 mm lens to observe biologically productive ocean waters
near frontal areas of large currents, areas of upwelling (rising of
deep waters), and dynamic centers of macro-scale vortexes. [Where
possible, Yuri was to photograph water bloom and anomalies in the
clouded areas of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Specific
targets today were the Black Sea and the Western sector of the Main
Black Sea Current, the frontal area on the border of the Gulf Stream
and Labrador Current in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Western
anticyclonic vortex in the North Atlantic and at the Antilles.] 

As a third suggested assignment on the task list, Yuri completed
another session with the Uragan earth imaging program, using the
Kodak 760 ESC with f/800-mm lens, today targeting the Northern Kuril
Islands. 

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Seven -- 9th): This was a very good
week for the MSG/InSPACE payload. The crew was thanked for their
great work and some of the most interesting video to date.

GASMAP: Next 30-day health check is planned for mid-July.

Human Research Facility/Workstation (HRF WS): Continuing.

Ultrasound (USND): Next Ultrasound session is planned for
mid-September.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Waiting to begin
operations.

Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS): SAMS is nominal and
currently analyzing data in support of general characterization of
the ISS acceleration environment. The MAMS/SAMS team at Glenn
Research Center, Ohio, wished the crew a Happy 4th of July.

Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System (MAMS): MAMS is nominal
and currently analyzing data in support of general characterization
of the ISS acceleration environment. The MAMS/SAMS team at Glenn
Research Center, Ohio, wished the crew a Happy 4th of July.

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System
(PCG-STES): PCG-STES continues to operate nominally.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal
Emulsions (InSPACE): InSPACE had its last run this week.
Investigators were excited to observe larger, more elaborate and
dynamic structures of paramagnetic particles in the last two runs,
and thought it particularly interesting to watch the structure
migration/transport process on 7/2. The larger structures were acting
as sinks for smaller structures while others acted as sources from
which smaller structures were driven off. This may give scientists
clues into the structure formation process and how they modify the
field around them. 

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE): In progress. Deployed outside.
Nominal and collecting data.

Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM): There
is a possibility that EK operations next week may be cancelled.

Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures-2 (CSLM-2): The ground
successfully uploaded the CSLM-2 software onto the MLC (MSG laptop
computer). The crew should see two new CSLM-2 icons on the MLC
desktop. The CSLM-2 ground team is assembled and is anxiously
awaiting experiment setup during the week of 7/14.

Educational Payload Operations (EPO): The ground is working the final
issues with the remaining EPO activities and plans to resume
activities soon. 

Crew Earth Observation (CEO): PAO has indicated plans to use ISS CEO
images of Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill. In this week's review of
downlinked imagery the ground team was able to confirm the following
requests: St. Peter's Cathedral, the Vatican, Dome and Coliseum in
Rome, Italy, and some of the Great Pyramids in Gizeh, Egypt, but has
not yet seen the Great Wall of China or Alexandria, Egypt. The ground
is gathering and formatting the necessary information for requested
sites in China and hopes to have them included in the target lists
next week. As for Wimbledon, Great Britain (London being one of the
original target requirements), it will continue to be requested every
time suitable viewing conditions are found. 

 - Continued -

@Message posted automagically by IMTHINGS POST 1.30
---