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5 June 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 4 Jun 2003

Part 1 of 2

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

After reinstalling the utility outlet panel (UOP)-to-display &
control panel (DCP) power bypass cable for the robotics/MSS (mobile
service system), Edward Lu and Yuri Malenchenko took the Canadian
SSRMS (space station remote manipulator system) on its scheduled
familiarization run.  All planned operations were successfully
completed.  (Lu had already had a session, with Ken Bowersox, on
5/2.)  [Robotics activities today were a maneuver to a pre-grapple
position for the LAB FRGF (flight releasable grapple fixture), two
grapples and releases, and then a maneuver to a stow position.  Each
maneuver used both Joint OCAS (operator commanded auto sequence)
maneuvers and Single Joint modes, chosen for the proficiency training
since they are the most commonly used SSRMS modes.]

For CDR Malenchenko, assisted by Ed Lu, it was time for the second
part of the current MBI-8 Profilaktika ("countermeasures") fitness
test series, today with the NS-01 load trainer on the VELO
(stationary bike) ergometer. [This fitness test consists of four
types of exercise, viz., neck tilting (back/forward), simultaneous
forearm flexing, trunk extension, and trunk flexes. Each type of
exercise consists of a series of 15 motions repeated two times.  Load
levels are selected by the ground and do not change from test to
test.  Total duration of the test is 13 min.  Gas analysis,
subjective evaluation of physical exertion levels, and blood test for
lactate and Creatine Kinase levels are also performed as a part of
this test, using the TEEM-100M gas analyzer, AccuSport analyzer, and
Reflotron-IV blood analyzer.]

Science Officer Lu activated the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox),
then supervised another experiment session with the InSPACE (InSPACE
(Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from
Colloidal Emulsions) experiment.  The MSG was then powered down
again.  [Today's test was the last planned one with coil assembly #5
(CA005), Test 13, at the lowest field strength of 0.875 amps with the
highest frequency, 10 Hz. These two parameters remained the same for
the entire operations, i.e., no parameter changes for the second
monitor period as for some of the preceding runs.  Also planned after
the test was a coil exchange:  CA005, containing 0.4 micron
particles, was to be stowed and CA006 (0.66 micron particles)
installed instead.  The next test will be the first utilization of
CA006, which had been found to be nominal (no cracks, leaks or
bubbles) at last inspection during Increment 6.]

Yuri Malenchenko continued the Russian inventory management system
(IMS) audit, which had to be shortened yesterday from 2 hrs. to 1 hr
due to a timeline overrun incurred for Profilaktika.

Also deferred from yesterday to today was Ed Lu's task to bring the
EMER-1 and EMER-2 warning and emergency operations books up to date
with latest change pages and P&I (pen and ink) updates.  [The third
EMER-1 book which was lost in the Soyuz 5S orbital module, has
meanwhile been reconstituted in its entirety.  There must be three
copies on board, one each in the Russian segment, U.S. segment, and
Soyuz.] 

At 12:35pm EDT, Malenchenko set up and conducted a ham radio session
with students of a school in Moscow.

The CDR also conducted his regular care of the on-board nursery,
i.e., the daily monitoring/servicing of the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 zero-G
plant growth experiment in the Lada-2 greenhouse.  In addition, Yuri
prepared the daily IMS inventory "delta" file and later completed the
daily routine maintenance of the SM's SOZh environment control and
life support system. 

Launch preparations for 11P/Progress-259 on 6/8 (Sunday) continue at
Baikonur.  The cargo ship arrives at the station on 6/11 (7:11am EDT)
and will stay docked at the DC-1 "Pirs" docking module until 8/29,
then make room for 12P.  10P/Progress-247 remains docked at the SM
aft port until 11/17.

Today's CEO (crew earth observation) targets, limited in the current
XPOP attitude by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab
nadir/science window, also excluding any night target viewing, were
Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (crew was asked to check if fires have
reached northern Mozambique [left and right of track near the Indian
Ocean coast].  This region usually burns at the end of the fire
season, but conditions are abnormal this year), Cloudfree Congo
basin (Dynamic event.  Almost cloudfree conditions over the central
Congo basin.  Looking left for sunglint views of river patterns of
these major rivers and especially their less well understood
tributaries), Andean dust, Argentina (Dynamic event.  Fast westerly
winds at the great altitudes of the high Andean desert are probably
producing dust streamers. Looking left and right of track.  The
phenomenon of Andean dust sources giving rise to thick dust-derived
soils in the low country of Argentina was discovered from astronaut
handheld photographs), Lower Amazon River Basin (glint opportunity
just left of track for views of the entire, vast estuary of the
Amazon.  Detailed views of coastline change were requested), High
Central Andean Glaciers (shooting any ice-capped volcanoes in sight
near nadir.  The region has hundreds of volcanoes, many as yet
unmapped), Lima, Peru (looking a touch right), Kuwait City, Kuwait
(nadir pass), Eastern Mediterranean Aerosols (looking left for
probable smog buildup in the Med basin as ISS passed over Cyprus),
Saharan Dust, Senegal (Dynamic event. Dust plume blowing into the
Atlantic Ocean.  Looking left for a good oblique view of the northern
margin 3-4 degrees off track.  Oblique are ideal for capturing
lighter loadings of aerosols), Gulf of Maine plankton (Dynamic event.
Ships are plying east-west transects taking measurements of ocean
color and opacity today, combining these with satellite data.  Any
low earth orbit images the crew can get  may help understand this
early summer blooming of plankton). CEO images can be viewed at the
websites http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

U.S. and Russian Segment Status (as of 1:15pm EST).

 - Continued -

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