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13 May 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 12 May 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.  Week 2 for Expedition 7 has begun.

Yuri Malenchenko replaced the blood pressure monitor (AD) of the
Russian Gamma-1M medical complex (which also handles ECG/
electrocardiography) with a new unit brought up on Soyuz-212/6S.
[Test activation and checkout of the monitor with its AD cuff and
cuff hose is scheduled for tomorrow.] 

The two crewmembers unstowed the CMRS (crew medical restraint system)
from the CHeCS (crew health care systems) rack and conducted a
checkout.  The board-like CMRS allows strapping down a patient on the
board with a harness for medical attention by the CMO (crew medical
officer) who is also provided with restraints around the device.
[CMRS can be secured to the ISS structure within two minutes to
provide a patient restraint surface for performing emergency medical
procedures, such as during ACLS (advanced cardiac life support).  It
can also be used to transport a patient between the station and the
Orbiter middeck.  It isolates the crew and equipment electrically
during defibrillations and pacing electrical discharges, accommodates
the patient in the supine zero-G positions, provides cervical spine
stabilization and, for a three-person crew, can also restrain two
CMOs (crew medical officers) during their delivery of medical care.]

After lunch (7:55am EDT), CDR Malenchenko and FE/SO Ed Lu conducted a
two-hour emergency OBT (on-board training) drill, with both Russian
and US specialists standing by in case Yuri and Ed had any questions
or comments. The rule is that the emergency egress exercise should be
performed by every new station crew once within seven days after
departure of the previous crew.  The OBT is an on-the-spot review of
crew and equipment readiness to respond to an emergency.  A second
OBT, response to an on-board fire emergency, is scheduled for 5/15
(Thursday).  No software activation or hardware usage are involved in
these drills.   [Purpose of today's OBT was to familiarize the crew
with the locations of emergency equipment and the position of valves
used in emergency situations, to work through the Russian Segment
(RS) deactivation procedures, and to develop crew emergency joint
measures.  Crewmembers verified ISS readiness for emergency response
by performing specific actions such as inspection of all translation
paths to the Soyuz CRV and determination of any obstructions that
would hinder an emergency egress, inspection of all vehicle hatchways
and determination if hatchways can be easily cleared in the event of
an emergency, reviewing and discussing methods to disconnect air
ducts that run through Russian hatches, determining the accessibility
of all communications panels and hardware, of all emergency
equipment, of specific ports, instruments and kits, and confirming
that specific valves are in the expected configuration. The exercise
is usually topped off by a debrief with the ground.]

Malenchenko completed his regular daily inspection of the growing pea
plants of the BIO-5 "Rasteniya-2/Lada-3" (Plants-2) experiment.

Later, Yuri performed the daily routine maintenance on the SOZh life
support system, prepared the daily IMS (inventory management system)
delta file for automatic export/import to update the database, and
completed the regular inspection of the water recovery system's
BRPK-2 air/liquid condensate separator unit, while Ed Lu conducted
the periodic Lab payload status checkup.

Both crewmembers today again had one hour reserved on their schedule
for ISS familiarization and adjustment to their new surroundings and
activities, a standard requirement for new station occupants for the
first two weeks. 

After the RED (resistive exercise device) was returned to service
last Friday when Ed Lu successfully replaced its two Flexpack
canisters with two canisters from Expedition 6, Ed today completed
the routine inspection of the device (every other week).

The Science Officer also was to perform a major (one-hour) inspection
of the TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization) to
take a closer look at and pictures of the wire ropes reported by the
crew to be frayed [For this purpose, the treadmill had to be
partially lifted out of the Service Module (SM) "pit".]

During the course of the day, Malenchenko and Lu completed their
daily physical exercise program, on TVIS, RED, CEVIS bike and, for
Yuri, on the Russian VELO cycle ergometer with load trainer.

Yesterday's station maneuver from earth-oriented LVLH (local
vertical/local horizontal) attitude to XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to
orbit plane) was successfully executed.  MCC-H reported that
temperatures on truss radiator motors started climbing soon
afterwards, as expected, and will probably go as high as 73 degC
before attitude is changed to YVV/"barbecue" on 5/18. [If the temp
limit of 75 deg is exceeded before that, the maneuver may have to be
conducted earlier.] 

With only two crewmembers aboard, O2 (oxygen) partial pressure has
increased to 173 mmHg, equivalent to 27% O2 content in the cabin air
(which exceeds the Flight Rule limit of 24%).  MCC-Moscow has turned
down the Elektron oxygen generator from 24 amps performance to 16A.

Over the weekend, an RPCM (remote power controller module )
controlling critical systems such as the Lab's starboard CCAA (common
cabin air assembly) air conditioner and SSRMS (space station remote
manipulator system) redundant power, has popped a "health" flag.  Its
EEPROM (electronically erasable programmable memory) is being
refreshed today. 

In the SM, battery #2 is showing reduced capacity after Cycle mode.
It will be cycled again and then disconnected for recovery.  If this
is unsuccessful, the 800A unit will have to be replaced with a
remaining spare from the FGB module.  There are currently six good
batteries in the SM (out of eight total) and five in the FGB (out of
six total).  [This could become critical for the RS since, due to the
power-limited orbital orientation of the ISS in YVV beginning on
5/18, the US segment will only be able to provide the RS with power
from one of the SM's four SNTs (voltage and current stabilizer units,
i.e., transformers).  The #2 battery had been returned to Earth on
the Shuttle for refurbishment and reflight, with a one-year certified
service life.  Since then, it has operated for 1.5 years.]

Over the past weekend, on three occasions the two MCCs have tracked
(and prepared for) conjunctions with space debris, none of which
required a DAM (debris avoidance maneuver)

Joint evaluation of near-term orbit altitude maintenance strategy by
the joint US/Russian "Team Zero" is still going on.  In the absence
of an estimated ULF-1 launch date, current Russian data indicate that
we would have to accept a propellant penalty of 150-200 kg if
reboosting is postponed beyond the originally proposed May/June time
frame. 

 - Continued -

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