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25 April 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 24 Apr 2003

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.  Day 152 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch,
11/23/02). 

The crew awoke to thanks from MCC-H for their persistence in
supporting yesterday's MEC (medical equipment computer) 1553
card/cable connection checkout.

No breakfast this morning for FE-1 Nikolai Budarin until after
completion of the MBI-4 "Farma" biomedical experiment, using the
Reflotron-4 equipment. [Farma ("Pharma") studies particulars of
pharmacological effects under long-duration space flight conditions,
involving onboard analysis of blood and saliva samples after taking
specific pharmaceuticals,- today Acetaminophen.  After ingesting the
medication, Budarin collected saliva samples at several different
times during the day, preserving them in the Russian Kriogem-03
refrigerator for analysis.  Blood parameters are also analyzed with
the Reflotron 4, a clinical analyzer used for periodic biochemical
blood and saliva analysis to monitor crew health or to be used
diagnostically on Flight Surgeon request.  Built by Boehringer in
Mannheim/Germany for the Mir program, the Reflotron-4 consists of
the analyzer itself, which has a mass of 13-lbs. and uses 40W power,
a set of measuring strips and a small equipment kit.]

Budarin worked on the "Wiener" power laptop in the Russian segment
(RS) to support the software upgrade (to rev. 1.2) of the SUBA BSMM
multiplex bus synchronization unit of the Russian OpsLAN network from
a CD-ROM. [When tried last time (4/9), the upgrade had not worked,
necessitating a slight modification in the script code by Nikolai.]

FE-2/SO Don Pettit had additional time reserved for troubleshooting
of the ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer.  [He and Sox were thanked for
"another great day of 'above and beyond' work on the ARCTIC
yesterday".  The next major step is leak-testing the fluid loop,
which will take some choreography with the POC (Payload Operations
Center) in Huntsville.  Since Ku-band will not be available at the
scheduled troubleshooting time, payload water flow will be verified
by an appropriate laptop application.] 

In preparation for their return on 5S/Soyuz on 5/4, the crew worked
on their Kentavr ("Centaur") garments.  After the adjustment and
fit-checks, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin tagged up with a Kentavr specialist
at TsUP via S-band.  The suits are kept in the habitation module of
the Soyuz TMA until undock day. [The Russian Kentavr garment is a
protective anti-g suit ensemble to facilitate the return of a
long-duration crewmember into the Earth gravity. Consisting of
shorts, gaiters, underpants, jersey and socks, it acts as
countermeasure for circulatory disturbance, prevents crewmember from
overloading during descent and increases orthostatic tolerance during
post-flight adaptation.  Sizing consists of adjusting lacing on the
outer side of the shorts and on the inner side of the gaiters to
achieve a tight fit.]

Nikolai Budarin performed the periodic functional closure test of the
emergency vacuum valves (AVK) of the Vozdukh CO2 removal system (last
time done: 3/24/03).  [The AVKs are critical because they close the
Vozdukh's vacuum access lines in the event of a malfunction in the
regular vacuum valves (BVK) or a depressurization in the Vozdukh
valve panel (BOA).  Access to vacuum is required to vent carbon
dioxide during the regeneration of the absorbent cartridges (PP).
During nominal operation, the AVK valves remain open.]

Nikolai completed his regular daily 5-min. inspection of the BIO-5
Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 ("Plants-2") plant growth experiment.

After the recurring transfer of accumulated data files from the HRM
(heart rate monitor) to the MEC (medical equipment computer), for
subsequent downlink to the ground, Don Pettit today deleted them on
HRM. 

The crew reviewed Soyuz undock/reentry procedures in preparation for
tomorrow's first of two OBT (on-board training) sessions in the TMA-1
vehicle for their return to Earth on 5/4.  The second OBT is
scheduled for 5/2, with the integrated E6/E7 crew, mentored by the
new CDR, Yuri Malenchenko.  A crew debrief with the ground followed
the prep session. 

The crew also continued their cargo preparations for the upcoming
handover activities to the Expedition 7 crew on 4/28-5/3 and their
own return on Soyuz TMA-1 on 5/4.

Bowersox conducted the daily routine task of SOZh life support
systems maintenance, while Budarin prepared the daily IMS inventory
update file. 

Don Pettit completed, for the last time, his weekly task of filling
out the FFQ (food frequency questionnaire), which keeps a log of his
nutritional intake over time.  Sox's last FFQ turn on the MEC
(medical equipment computer) is on tomorrow's schedule.

After the video routing test scheduled for tomorrow, MCC-H is
considering to leave the RWS (robotic workstation) on through the
weekend.  The crew was asked whether this would present a problem for
them for sleeping. 

Instructions were uplinked for resizing the EMU space suits for the
Expedition 7 crew, Yuri Malenchenko und Edward Lu.

A list of questions was uplinked for the on-orbit crew debrief, a
regular feature of end-of-increment periods.  [Question categories
are CEO (crew earth observations), training for human life sciences
investigations, renal stone experiment,  PERS (personal equipment
restraint system), and general ops/procedures.]

All crewmembers worked out on TVIS, CEVIS, and RED, completing their
daily physical exercise program.

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 London, England (nadir pass; ESC [electronic
still camera].  Weather better then the day before), Yucatan biomass
burning (obliques and low [morning] light are ideal for imaging smoke
clouds emanating from fires on the Mexico-Guatemala borderlands,
where the famous Peten Forest [second largest rainforest in the
Americas], is under heavy settlement pressure from surrounding
communities), Chicago, Illinois (nadir pass; ESC), Germany (weather
remains clear, for suggested panoramic views), and Western
Mediterranean Dust (pass over probable dust plumes in eastern Algeria
and western Libya as an Atlantic storm approaches). CEO images can be
viewed at the websites http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

ISS Orbit  (as of this morning, 7:08am EDT [= epoch]):

Mean altitude  392.0 km
Apogee -- 396.5 km
Perigee -- 387.5 km
Period -- 92.40 min.
Inclination (to Equator) --  51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0006603
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.58
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 110 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98)  -- 25262
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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