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14 Apr 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 12 Apr 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.  Today:  Denj Kosmonavtov -- celebrating Yuri
Gagarin's pioneering flight into space 42 years ago.

In keeping with the festive occasion, the crew's regular weekly 3-hr.
uborka stantsii (station housekeeping) was deferred to tomorrow,
replaced by happy television programming.

The crew awoke to congratulations on both yesterday's outstanding
robotics operations and today's holiday.

After yesterday's SSRMS (space station remote manipulator system)
run, LEE (latching end effect) checkout requirements are now
complete. [Following the operations by Bowersox and Pettit, the
ground collected FMS (force moment sensor) data during two orbits,
with the SSRMS in the new arm configuration, then powered the system
to KA (keep alive) mode.  Disconnecting the DCP (display and control
panel) bypass power cable of the Lab RWS (robotic workstation) was
left up to the crew's convenience.] 

For the April 12 PAO downlinks, there were four scheduled TV passes
during Daily Orbits (DO) 14, 15, 1 and 2, starting at 2:28am EDT
until 7:29am, with a fifth opportunity, at 7:40 (DO 3), as a backup
for the greeting from President Vladimir Putin (from St. Petersburg).
Happy April 12 was wished by the Cosmonaut Corps in Star City; also
participating in the greeting exchanges were RSC-Energia Director
Yuri P. Semenov and Russian Federation Human Rights Commissioner Oleg
O. Mironov, accompanied by Mir cosmonaut and State Duma Deputy Elena
V. Kondakova (from TsUP). 

According to today's edition of "The Moscow Times", during his
address to the ISS crew, Pres. Putin said, "Now that shuttle flights
have been suspended, it is important to preserve the ISS in
operational condition... You had to ensure non-stop manned operation
of the station in the sad weeks following the Columbia tragedy.
You've coped with the task brilliantly." He also said that Russians
sincerely regret "the death of your colleagues and comrades; this
tragedy was felt by everyone on Earth."  Extending his best wishes to
Budarin, Bowersox and Pettit, Putin said, "Work in orbit will never
become routine. People who do this work must not only be real
professionals but also brave and strong people like you."  He
congratulated Budarin on the birth of his granddaughter and wished
Budarin and Pettit "joyful birthday celebrations" on the station.
The CDR thanked Putin for wishing them well and reiterated the need
for Russian-U.S. partnership. 

Also during Cosmonautics Day today, Presidential administration staff
members, Duma deputies and space agency executives placed flowers at
Gagarin's and chief designer Sergei Korolev's tombs at the Kremlin
wall on Red Square.  A mass rally was held outside the Space Hall at
the Russian Exhibition Center.  [Gagarin was accepted into the
cosmonaut unit in 1960. After the historic 108-min. flight around the
Earth he was promoted to unit leader.  Gagarin was killed, with a
flight instructor, in a still not completely explained fighter jet
crash on March 27, 1968.] 

Budarin conducted the regular inspection of the BRPK air/condensate
separator of the SRV-K water processing system and performed the
daily routine maintenance of the SOZh life support system (including
ASU toilet facilities), while Donald Pettit readied the IMS inventory
system for the daily automated export/import of updates.

Nikolai Mikhailovich also took care of his daily checkup of the BIO-5
"Rasteniya-2/Lada-2" zero-G plant growth experiment.

Today's recommended targets for the Russian Diatomeya ocean
observation program, on the Russian task list, were in the Atlantic
Ocean, for the Nikon F5 digital camera (f80mm lens) to record the
spring blooms of phytoplankton near the dynamic centers of the
Caribbean and Sargasso Seas, and colored areas of the Gulf Stream and
North Atlantic Current branches and frontal zones.

Target areas for the Russian Uragan earth imaging program for today,
cloud cover permitting, on Budarin's task list, were the city of
Paris, panoramic shots of the Rhine River, coal pits south of
Leipzig/Germany, and the Oder and Viszla River flood plains.  [Most
images were to be taken with the 800mm tele-lens, then to be
transferred from the camera's CompactFlash card to the laptop for
potential downlink (size permitting) via Regul packet email.] 

Pettit terminated the discharge process for the second EVA EMU
battery, started yesterday.  [Batteries are stored in discharged
condition to prolong capacity performance.]

In accordance with the upcoming station occupancy by only two
crewmembers during Increment 7, the U.S. segment (USOS) fire
procedures have been modified to aid in the execution of fire
location and suppression actions. A summary of the changes was
uplinked for the crew.  [Current procedures call for one crewmember
(SC1) to work the necessary command steps on the PCS (portable
computer system) in the "safe haven", while the other two
crewmembers (SC2, 3) locate and suppress the fire in the affected
module. With only two crewmembers aboard, the "buddy system" aspect
of the fire procedures still is retained, and the procedures are
modified accordingly, to be performed serially, with the two crew
members translating together between the affected module and a PCS
laptop in a safe haven.  The crew is still prime for execution of all
procedures, with MCC-H assisting as required in fire location and
execution of the PCS steps.] 

For a comprehensive Expedition 6 crew debrief scheduled for 4/16
(Wednesday), the ground has uplinked a list of questions gathered by
the Flight Control Team (FCT) concerning procedures and hardware that
have been used by the crew during their stay. [The debriefing list
includes such topics as special installations (Airlock vacuum access
jumpers {VAJs}, high rate communications outage recorder {HCOR}),
preventive maintenance tasks, troubleshooting and R&R tasks, Films
(in-flight maintenances), water usage and inventory.  Discussing
these questions at a time when the crewmembers still have the
hardware in front of them will save a lot of debrief time whenthey
get back.] 

Science Update (Expedition Six -- 19th): Great appreciation was again
expressed to the crew by Lead Increment Scientist Vic Cooley for
accomplishing a significant amount of payloads activities despite a
busy EVA week.  They completed the weekly EVARM badge reading as well
as activation of the CGBA hardware, performed the post-EVA PuFF
session and the EarthKAM setup and activation and capped off the week
with the completion of three runs of the InSPACE samples.  The ground
also appreciates the pictures they took of MSG that "were just what
we needed". 

Extra-Vehicular Activity Radiation Monitors (EVARM):   EVARM files
from the past several badge readings were successfully downlinked
this week and are being analyzed by the PI (Principal Investigator).

GASMAP/Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF):   The PuFF team sent
their thanks for another job well done.  The crew's final inflight
PuFF session is currently planned for next Friday, 4/18.   Renal
(Kidney) Stone Experiment: Completed for Increment 6.  Bowersox and
Pettit continue taking their stone-prevention (or placebo) pills.
Third and final session is planned for next week (of 4/14).

 - Continued -

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