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3\04 ISS On-Orbit Status 04-03-2003
Part 1 of 2

ISS On-Orbit Status 3/4/03

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted 
previously or below. Space Day 101 for Expedition 6 (from STS-113 
launch on 11/23/02).

After wake-up (1:00am EST), the crew was thanked for their "marathon 
troubleshooting" of OpsLAN and DOUG yesterday (see below).

Today's scheduled SSRMS/robotics operations were successfully 
completed, after some DOUG (dynamic operations ubiquitous graphics) 
laptop adjusting.  CDR Ken Bowersox and FE-2/SO Don Pettit maneuvered 
Canadarm2 into specific positions to conduct a survey of the S1 truss, 
to inspect seven RBVM QD (radiator beam valve module quick disconnect) 
thermal covers and the S0-S1 zenith interface. Downlinked video is 
being analyzed, but based on tentative quick-look inspection, all QD 
booties looked OK. SSRMS remains grappled to the Lab PDGF and will be 
reconfigured for the P1 truss survey on 3/6, to survey two RBVM QD 
booties and the port SVS (space vision system) target array. [At end 
of ops, the arm will be left parked in the position required for a 
subsequent Moscow-requested inspection of the Service Module (SM) 
solar array #2 with its portside Kurs-P antenna and its high-frequency 
feeder cable along the array.]

In the Russian segment (RS), FE-1 Nikolai Budarin installed and 
connected some new hardware for the antenna feeder unit (AFU) of the 
SM's television subsystem, including loads, cables and circulators.

Later in the day, Budarin ran tests of video- and audio-recording of 
the LIV onboard television system, with the V/K-1 video camera and a 
new microphone (GNShK). Purpose of the activity was to test a modified 
audio recording procedure in order to reduce noise during the process.

Budarin performed scheduled IFM (in-flight maintenance) on the SRV-K2M
condensate water processor by removing and replacing its BKO
multifiltration/purification column unit which reached its service 
life limit (450 liters min.). During this activity, Nikolai also 
completed the regular inspection of the system's BRPK-1 liquid/air 
separator. [The SRV-K2M converts collected condensate into drinking 
water and dispenses the reclaimed water (warm and hot) for drinking 
and preparation of food and beverages.]

Don Pettit performed the daily routine inspection of the SOSh life 
support system, incl. ASU toilet system. Budarin worked on the IMS 
(inventory management system) delta file, responding to some specific 
tag-up questions uplinked from TsUP to sync up the IMS database.

Ken Bowersox unstowed and set up the Foot (foot/ground reaction forces
during space flight) payload equipment, preparing it for tomorrow's 
EMG (electromyography, i.e., muscular electric signals) calibration 
and day-long experiment run.

Budarin returned to the recently terminated BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 
("Plants-2") experiment for replacement of the old root module with a 
new one, replacement of the experiment software package, and 
activation of the hardware.

All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program. 
Bowersox also conducted the periodic (every other week) inspection of 
the RED (resistive exercise device), and Pettit performed the weekly 
maintenance of the TVIS treadmill (a five-minute task usually done 
just prior to power-down or end of exercise session).

The CEVIS (cycle ergometer with vibration isolation) is failed in 
manual unpowered mode. It can be used for general exercising. No spare 
parts are being manifested on the upcoming Progress resupply flight.

Early in the day, the crew downlinked TV greetings to the ladies of 
the city of Korolev for the upcoming International Women Day (March 
8). The videotaped message will be played tomorrow when the Korolev 
City Administration holds a meeting in the city's Business and 
Entertainment Center as part of the 65th anniversary program of the 
city, dedicated to the March 8 holiday. "We wish you joy, prosperity, 
success, happiness, and love".

The U.S. motion control system continues using Russian attitude, 
angular rate, and state vector (position, velocity) source data, to 
preclude any anomalous RGA (rate gyro assembly) data propagation 
through the system. The GNC (guidance, navigation & control) MDM 
software patch, to correct for the RGA "data staleness" problem, 
worked as expected, but an additional data handling problem with the 
new R3 software was discovered. [Viz., during staleness periods, the 
U.S. ACS (attitude control system) erroneously receives a rate value 
of zero. A new patch is in work, and some other problems are also 
receiving increased scrutiny since last Sunday. R3 transition 
activities are estimated to take another week.]

The upcoming change of ISS attitude from the current sun-oriented XPOP
(x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane) back to earth-oriented LVLH 
(local vertical/local horizontal) will be conducted under Russian 
attitude control, with US control deselected, to ensure safe ops in 
view of the current GNC rate data problem.

Russian 7.01 software transition activities have been stopped for the 
time being, until the USOS GNC MDM patch is in place and the R3 
upgrade is finished. Depending on the GNC fix, they are planned to be 
picked up again on 3/17-19, with 3/20-21 held as reserve days. 
Meanwhile, both the TVM (Terminal) and TsVM (Central) computer systems 
in the SM are running on reduced redundancy.

Depending on how the 7.01 upgrade operations go, first choice for the 
Stage EVA for Bowersox and Pettit, from the U.S. Airlock, would still 
be 3/20, but 3/25 is now under assessment as alternate date, if Moscow 
needs more time margin. The O2 prebreathe for the spacewalk will be 
in-suit, since the failure of the CEVIS manual load selection method 
precludes its use for the procedure (which requires specific exercise 
loads "metering"). [One drawback is that in-suit prebreathe requires 
much more holding time than the exercise procedure.]

TsUP and RSC-Energia are still holding 3/11 and 3/13 for the Progress
thruster manifolds 1 and 2 (4 jets each) dynamic tests, pending final 
inputs from the subsystems manufacturers. Moscow is also developing 
details for the proposed actual reboost/altitude strategy thereafter. 
[Basic intent is to boost ISS altitude as high as possible while still 
able to accommodate rendezvous/docking of 6S/Soyuz TMA-2 in early May. 
A (probably unlikely) Shuttle launch in Summer would then require a 
moderate de-boost to lower altitude for rendezvous compatibility (370 
km).]

Yesterday's OpsLAN (operations local area network) reconfiguration 
steps to connect the upgraded RS BRI SmartSwitch/Ethernet to the SSC 
(station support computer) OpsLAN and subsequent testing were all 
executed by Budarin and Bowersox as planned. But they required 
extensive troubleshooting afterwards when the "ping" tests were 
unsuccessful. [Currently, the only connection from the Lab subnet to 
the SM subnet is the SM printer (i.e., SSC Router 1 in FGB is 
working); other than that, the SSC clients in the SM have no 
connection to the USOS File Server. Intermediate screen captures are 
being downlinked for data analysis.]

MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox) troubleshooting is continuing. No
significant power surge was noticed as a result of the first (P107)
connector re-installation by Pettit yesterday, which clears it from 
the list of potential sources of the +12V trip anomaly at this time. 
[As next step in the lengthy procedure, the rack will be rotated again 
to allow reconnection of connector P108. Because of the very limited 
Ku-band availability, Pettit's involvement has now been added to the 
"job jar" task list for temporal flexibility.]

(continued)

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