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8 Jul 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 3 Jul 2003

Part 2 of 3

The CDR conducted the daily routine maintenance of SOZh life support
systems and prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system)
"delta" file for updating the IMS database.

MCC-H continues the long-duration on-orbit thermal characterization
test on the station's S-band system String 1, which it started on
6/30. [The test involves powering BSP (baseband signal processor) and
XPDR (standard TDRSS transponder) heaters off and on again after some
time, to obtain temperature readings during various orbit times,
including recordings during LOS (loss-of-signal). The objective is to
correlate actual temperatures with thermal engineering models which
were found to "underpredict" real thermal conditions.]

As per agreement between MCC-H and MCC-M, the Vozdukh CO2 removal
system was switched to Manual Mode 5 yesterday, when the ppCO2 level
reached 4.5 mmHg. As ppCO2 drops, the system will be returned to Mode
3. [In Mode 3, Vozdukh switches between its two regenerative
adsorbent cartridges every 20 minutes. In Mode 5, the switch cycle is
reduced to 10 minutes. Vozdukh was originally designed for three
filter channels, but the third has never been fully implemented.]

Some of the "lost" Russian equipment was found, so that planned IFMs
can proceed (e.g., antenna feeder unit installation, laptop 1
recovery, etc.) 

Moscow has requested U.,S. assistance in recovering the hard disk
drive (HDD) of laptop 1. The R&R is scheduled for 7/8.

Weekly consumables tracking indicates that onboard potable water
supplies are actually 68 liters higher than thought, after residual
contents of partially filled CWCs were taken into account. Food
ration supplies run at slightly over one regular ration per day per
crewmember. Propellants, RED canister capability and TVIS roller
bearing life all remain adequately on plan.

At 12:45pm EDT, the crew participated in a TV event for PAO,
downlinking an ISS status report, to be aired on Independence Day,
covering their thoughts on life on board, getting used to the micro-G
environment, outstanding topics of science, maintenance, educational
and public events, etc. 

Later today, at about 4:10pm EDT, PCU (plasma contactor unit) #2 will
be deactivated to Standby mode after a 48 hrs. run for plasma
environment characterization. The present test is part of a
continuing effort to establish a relationship between the charging
hazard, ambient ionosphere conditions, and the flight configuration
while in LVLH attitude. [PCU Xenon-emission current is the sum of the
electron currents collected from the ambient ionosphere by (1) the
high-voltage (160V) P6 solar arrays (when in ram position) and (2)
via low-voltage induction by the ISS structure moving through the
ionosphere. The currently used FPP (floating potential probe)
instrument data for determining the potential between ISS and the
ambient environment are very limited. A more advanced Floating
Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) will arrive on ULF-1. The present
PCU-2 characterization enables forward-work on extending and
validating the plasma charging model used by the ground for when the
FPMU is in place.] 

Tonight at about 9:55pm EDT, the RS (Russian segment) will transition
to refueling mode, and propellant transfer from the four tanks of
Progress 11P to the FGB tankage will commence, to last about 1.5 hrs.
Prior to the transfer, the FGB prop transfer system will be prepared
and the SM tanks configured to feed attitude control thrusters until
FGB tanks are configured for thruster feeding.

The degraded power situation in the RS continues. Appropriate USOS
power sharing and load shedding plans are in place. For the present
LVLH and the future XPOP attitudes, the immediate power support is
adequate, with no additional SNT (voltage & current
transformer/stabilizer) required, if no further deterioration
occurs. [Of the eight 800A storage batteries in the SM, one is
completely unusable (#4), and three more (#1, #2, and #3) are showing
reduced capacity (i.e., inability to fully charge). TsUP/Moscow
specialists believe that the latter can be restored to normal
operations. Replacement of the failed #4 battery with the FGB spare
will be scheduled in the near future. Two more 800A accumulators will
be manifested on the next Progress cargo ship (12P).]

All three USOS/CHeCS radiation counters are currently down, unable to
dump their accumulated file data. [TEPC (tissue equivalent
proportional counter), IVCPDS (intravehicular charged particle
directional spectrometer), EVCPDS (extravehicular charged particle
directional spectrometer).] 

Today's CEO targets, no longer limited in the current LVLH attitude
and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial
locations, were Delhi, India (looking a touch right. A break in the
monsoon cloud masses should have allowed an opportunity), Jakarta,
Indonesia (nadir pass: looking on the north coast of Java. ISS also
passed right over Krakatau, the volcano island that lies in the
narrow strait between Java and Sumatra [just uptrack of Jakarta].
This volcano was heard in Australia when it exploded in 1883. It
still erupts intermittently), Statue of Zeus at Olympia (nadir pass),
Alexandria, Egypt (nadir pass. Looking on the coast where the
brightly colored salt lakes were the crew's visual cue), Pyramids of
Giza, Egypt (nadir pass. Looking on the west side of the Nile at the
base of the delta), Cairo, Egypt (located at the base of the Nile
delta mainly on the east side. Nadir pass), Angolan Biomass Burning
(offshore flow persists. Looking obliquely right to document probable
aerosol mass being advected into the tropical Atlantic. Best views
obtained with ocean as background and with slight overexposure.
Aerosol loadings increase in proportion to the duration of the high
pressure system, now several days), Johannesburg, South Africa (nadir
pass over this industrial heartland of southern Africa, which draws
workers from as far afield as the Congo, and traders from North
Africa), Amazonian rivers (Dynamic event. Unusually clear conditions
over southern Amazonia: crew was to try for a mapping swath for ~2
mins, looking in/near the sunglint point [nadir], to document the
poorly understood stream patterns of the major south-side tributaries
of the Amazon), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (nadir pass), Las Vegas, NV
(nadir pass), Phoenix, AZ (nadir pass), Tucson, AZ (nadir pass. Crew
was also to look for waning smoke plumes from the forest fire
immediately north of the city), Circular cloud mass, Mexico (Dynamic
event. New storm starting up on the Pacific side of the narrow waist
of Mexico, with well developed, concentric outflow bands of cloud.
Nadir or a touch right of track), Lima, Peru (nadir pass), and Chao
Lava, Chile (mass of lava in the high desert of the Andes, famous in
science for its size, and marked by the "elephant skin" texture of
the lava flow pattern). CEO images can be viewed at the websites

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
http ://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
See also the website "Space Station Challenge" at
http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

 - Continued -

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