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11 June 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 11 June 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.

Progress 11P linked up with the station smoothly and two minutes
ahead of schedule (7:15am EDT).  The cargo ship, carrying about 5300
lbs (2400 kg) of consumables, clothing, spare parts and propellants,
is now docked at the DC-1 "Pirs" docking module, radially to the ISS
longitudinal axis. 

Progress Background: The unmanned Progress is similar to the manned
Soyuz spacecraft, but has a cargo module (GrO) instead of the Soyuz
Orbital Module and a refueling module containing propellant tanks
instead of the Descent Module.  The Progress can transfer propellants
into the ISS (SM & FGB) through fluid connectors in the docking ring,
and the propellants in the refueling module can also be used by the
Progress thrusters for controlling and reboosting the ISS.
Propellants can also be transferred back into the Progress.  The
older Progress M's refueling module has four propellant tanks (two
each for fuel & oxidizer, totaling 845 kg of props), and two water
tanks (420 kg).  The newer Progress M1 "tanker" has eight prop tanks
(1695 kg) and no water tanks in the refueling module, but separate
water containers in the cargo module.  Total payload capacity for
both Progress versions is 2500-2600 kg.  The current 11P ship is the
newer M1 version (M1-10, or #259); it differs from previous M1's in
that it has been fitted with a Rodnik water tank in its cargo module.

CDR Yuri Malenchenko, having stood by on the "hot" TORU control
station in the Service Module (SM) in case of failure of the
automated Kurs system, returned the station to nominal stage
operations communications configuration and deactivated the video
connection to the Ku-band assets in the U.S. segment (USOS).

At about 7:40am, Malenchenko and FE/SO Ed Lu performed the mandatory
1-hr leak check of the Progress-DC1 interface.  The two hatches
between the DC-1 and Progress were then opened at about 8:40am and
the quick-release threaded clamps installed by Yuri and Ed.

Malenchenko performed the scheduled Progress air sampling with the
Russian AK-1M sampler, then deactivated the Progress systems and
installed the air vent ducting from the SM and DC-1 for ventilation
of the M1-10's cargo compartment.   In the cargo module, the CDR then
installed the LKT local temperature sensor commutator (TA251M1B) of
the BITS onboard telemetry system and its ROM (read-only memory)
unit (TA765B). 

Ed Lu meanwhile disconnected the UOP-DCP (utility outlet panel to
display & control panel) power cable for the RWS (robotic
workstation) which had covered the docking with its video system.

Before the docking, a radio-equipped accelerometer (RSU/remote
sensing unit) of the IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system)
was installed in the SM for structural dynamics measurements.  After
the docking, Yuri removed the RSU again, while Ed transferred the
recorded structural dynamics (vibratory) data to computer storage.

First priority of the Progress arrival was changeout/update of
onboard crew procedures books with new pages delivered by 11P.  [ISS
crew procedures deal with generic Progress transfer ops (RPR), EVA
cue cards, technical experiments, SOZh life support, IFMs (in-flight
maintenances), etc.  Soyuz crew procedures include ops for ascent and
descent, backup modes, orbital flight, off-nominal situations, etc.]

The Science Officer completed the daily routine maintenance of the
SM's SOZh environment control & life support system, did the regular
status checkup of autonomous Lab payloads, and prepared the daily IMS
inventory "delta" file. [MCC-M wanted to make sure that before
downlinking today's delta file, the crew included an update on used
EDB water containers, KTO solid waste containers, KBO-M soft waste
bags, and KPL food ration containers,- all information needed to
account for resources and develop resupply manifests.] 

MCC-H asked Ed Lu for further description of the damaged TVIS
treadmill harness shoulder straps and his work-around fix of the
broken buckle. 

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) targets, no longer limited in
the current LVLH attitude and including the targets of the Lewis &
Clark 200-year memorial locations, were Amman, Jordan (the Jordanian
capital was located just left of track NE of the Dead Sea), Athens,
Greece (the historic Greek capital lies on the coast, just to the
right of track), Istanbul, Turkey (the Turkish capital lied just
right of track and straddles the narrow Bosporus channel between the
Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea), Brasilia, Brazil (nadir pass over
this master-planned capital city in the Brazilian Highlands),
Casablanca, Morocco (there may have been some coastal clouds, but
otherwise the crew had a nadir pass over this port city of motion
picture fame), Barcelona, Spain (this large city on the Spanish
Riviera lied just left of track), High Central Andean Glaciers (with
a break in the clouds the crew may just have been able to spot and
document these small, illusive targets. Using the long lenses for
detail), Karachi, Pakistan (CITY AT NIGHT: Looking for the lights of
this coastal city, just left of track), Bombay, India (CITY AT NIGHT:
This mega city crowds a small peninsula to the left of track), Tel
Aviv, Israel (CITY AT NIGHT: The Israeli capital is on the coast, at
nadir and should have been the brightest feature), and Amman, Jordan
(CITY AT NIGHT, on this second pass: The lights of the Jordanian
capital should have looked isolated in the desert and near nadir).
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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