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23 Jun 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 22 Jun 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously. It's Sunday, and except for standard maintenance and
optional task list jobs, the crew is off duty.  Ahead: Week 8 of
Increment 7. 

CDR Yuri Malenchenko collected the weekly data readings of the
Service Module (SM)'s toilet flush counter readings, with inspection
of the SP urine collection and pretreat assembly, and SVO water
supply status counter readings, both for calldown to MCC-M/TsUP.

Malenchenko also conducted the periodic inspection of the Elektron
oxygen generator's VM gas/liquid system for obstructing air bubbles
that may linger after IFMs (in-flight maintenances).

Yuri then completed the daily routine maintenance on the SOZh life
support system which comprises the water supply equipment, food
supply subsystem (SOP), and sanitary hygiene equipment (SGO).
[Maintenance generally consists of inspection of fluid
lines/connections and filter replacement.]

FE/SO Ed Lu prepared the daily delta file for automatic export/import
to update the IMS (inventory management system) database.  [Since
implementation of the new IMS software version 1.37 last year, all
outstanding IMS delta files can be automatically imported on board.
Crew support consists in executing a batch file that performs the
automated import (morning) and export (evening) via links on the SSC
(station support computer) Start page.  The complex on-board
inventory tracking system coordinates four separate databases in
close-to-real time: onboard-ISS, MCC-Houston, MCC-Moscow, and
Baikonur (Progress/Soyuz loading).] 

"Yura" Ivanovich also performed his regular daily checkup of the
BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment which investigates growth
and development of plants under spaceflight conditions in the SM's
Lada-2 greenhouse.

Both crewmembers completed their daily 2.5-h program of physical
exercise, on TVIS treadmill, RED expander and, for Yuri, on the
Russian VELO cycle ergometer with load trainer.

The crew had their the weekly PFCs (private family conferences), via
S-band/audio.

The CDR was requested to repeat the downlink of the video footage of
the geophysical GFI-1 Relaksatsiya ("relaxation") experiment with
Soyuz 5S deorbit burn plumes, Earth limb and Turkish landmass views
next week on 6/24, since the previous downlink attempt on 5/20 had
not been satisfactory (did not contain the desired signal).

The crew had their the weekly planning conference with the ground via
S-band/audio, to discuss next week's "Look-Ahead Plan" (regularly
prepared jointly by MCC-H and MCC-M planners and uplinked ahead of
time). 

Today's optional CEO targets, limited in the current XPOP attitude by
flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window,
and including the targets of the Lewis & Clark 200-year memorial
locations, were Yellow River Delta (ISS approached this target from
the NW in fair weather.  Crew was to look left of track to document
this dynamic river delta and the extent of is sediment plumes into
the Yellow Sea), Missouri R. sites (LEWIS & CLARK SITE(S): Weather
was touch and go for the Great Plains today, but the crew's pass may
just have been early enough in the day to beat the clouds.  Looking
left of track mapping the Missouri River to Omaha and beyond.  This
leg of the expedition was not particularly difficult although the
landscape was becoming increasingly less familiar to the travelers),
Fort Mandan, ND (LEWIS & CLARK SITE: Once more CEO was hoping to beat
afternoon clouds and weather to this site.  This is where the
expedition spent the winter of 1804-5 and where Sacagawea and her
husband joined the group. The site is near the present town of
Stanton. Looking right of track and S of the large reservoir, Lake
Sacagawea.  Stanton is on the west bank of the Missouri near where it
turns sharply from S to E), Mouth of Marias River (LEWIS & CLARK
SITE: The Marias is a large, meandering river that joins the Missouri
from the NW about 80 miles northeast of Great Falls, not far W from
the northernmost arch of the Missouri. On the return trip of the
expedition in the summer of 1806, Lewis and nine men temporarily
separated from the main party to explore this river and valley.  If
weather permitted, the crew was to look well left of track for this
river valley that includes the Lake Elwell Reservoir), Gulf of Maine
plankton (the weather remained marginal for this area, but the crew
was to try looking left of track this pass for evidence of plankton
booms), and  Nile River Delta (most of this target lied to the right
of track this pass.  Population pressure continues to alter this once
largely agrarian landscape. Concentrate on the land use patterns near
the western edges of the delta). 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/

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:31am EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 388.2 km
Apogee -- 392.9 km
Perigee -- 383.5km
Period -- 92.32 min.
Inclination (to Equator) --  51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006921
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 60 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98)  -- 26183
For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times,
see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html

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