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21 Apr 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 19 Apr 2003

Part 2 of 2

Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System
(PCG-STES): Temperatures are nominal.  Crystals are still growing.

Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal
Emulsions (InSPACE):   InSPACE is up and running.  The crew's
suggestions helped greatly in maximizing the useful video data
observed on the ground. The week started with a continuation of the
largest particle size sample in the magnetorheological fluid, showing
several surprises.  Particularly striking were the labyrinth type
structures, which the PI described as "very exciting and
interesting". These structures seem to develop during the "pulse"
mode. However, at the lower field strengths these structures were not
visible during the pulse mode, but they were revealed when Pettit
switched to "steady", as if the particles are swept towards the
larger structures "opening a window in on the structure formation
when the field goes to steady".  The significant aggregate growth and
coating of the particles on the wall that was observed with the
largest particle sample needs to be examined.  At the next smaller
particle size there is a beautiful matrix of chain tips in the right
view during the initial steady field phase.  As the crew described
it, it is as if looking in on-end on the magnetic field lines.
Later, during the next mode change to "steady" there were thicker but
fewer tip structures seemingly showing that the chains had coalesced
into columnar structures.  Plans are to go into more in-depth
analysis on the present data and plan for the next runs.

Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE):  In progress.  Deployed outside.
Nominal and collecting data.

Zeolite Crystal Growth (ZCG):  ZCG has finished science operations
for Increment 6.

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA):  CGBA will be
powered down next week.  All data collected thus far indicate that
CGBA is operating nominally.

EarthKAM (EK):  The entire EarthKAM Team and the UCSD staff greatly
appreciated everything the crew has done for them.  So far, over 696
images requested by 71 middle schools across the globe were received
on the ground. The participating students and teachers are excited
with the results and continue to enjoy the images received.  The UCSD
undergraduate staff is happy to have taken part in the excitement of
NASA and ISS.  EK images can be viewed on the Internet at
http://datasystem.earthkam.ucsd.edu/cgi-bin/datasys/ek_images_station

Crew Earth Observations (CEO):  Review of the latest downlinked
images shows that one of the crew's CEO views was taken almost
simultaneously with a MODIS satellite image of a long complex dust
plume. The plume emanates from the semiarid plains northeast of the
Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan extending westward for hundreds of km. The
handheld image complements the contextual satellite image with
excellent detail of the structure of the plume.  Night photography
continues to provide interesting images; especially a view of
Houston, which indicated apparent fog haze; and a provocative image
of the Nile River lights in the blackness of the unpopulated Western
Desert.  An ISS image of Po River valley smog streaming into the
Adriatic Sea is being shipped to the NASA Earth Observatory website
(see below).

Today's CEO (crew earth observations) targets, currently restricted
by limited the use of the science window in the Lab including
near-vertical targets from the city target list due to the current
XPOP attitude, were Dakar, Senegal (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still
camera]), Lower Amazon River Basin (pass along northern shore of this
vast estuary.  Looking right for detailed views of the islands and
shorelines that are suspected to change quickly), Havana, Cuba (nadir
pass; ESC), Las Vegas, Nevada (nadir pass; ESC), Laysan reef (details
of fringing coral reefs in this one of a string of atolls stretching
NW from Hawaii), N Germany (Dynamic event. Weather remains unusually
clear.  Suggest panoramas looking north far up into the Baltic Sea),
and North Sea dust, Great Britain (Dynamic event. Weather remains
unusually clear.  Highly unusual dust mass, originating in the
Saharan desert, swirling over the North Sea.  Hard-to-get panoramas
of Britain also suggested). CEO images can be viewed at the websites
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:00am EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude -- 392.6 km
Apogee -- 397.1 km
Perigee -- 388.0 km
Period -- 92.42 min.
Inclination (to Equator) --  51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006724
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.58
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 135 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98)  -- 25184
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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