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24 April 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 23 Apr 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.  Day 151 for Expedition 6 (since STS-113 launch,
11/23/02). 

Early before breakfast, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin started the Russian
medical experiment PZE MO-11 (blood chemistry analysis) by taking
blood samples, assisted by FE-2/SO Don Pettit as CMO (crew medical
officer).  For the test, yesterday he destowed kits and accessories
of the Reflotron 4 blood analyzer (earlier versions were already on
Mir).  The analysis was conducted several times during the day.
[Fresh blood was drawn from Budarin's finger with a pipette, 20 min.
after he had imbibed 250 ml of warm water or plain (unsugared) tea.
Clinical parameters were then determined from the collected samples.
Using various reagent tabs, the blood was tested for such parameters
as hemoglobin, glucose, bilirubin, amylase, uric acid, triglycerides,
urea, etc.  The tubes with blood samples were then stored in the
refrigerator.  The Reflotron 4 uses 40 W of power, supplied by the
SM electrical system.]

CDR Ken Bowersox and Don Pettit completed their regular PFE (periodic
fitness evaluation) session.  Performed on the CEVIS (cycle ergometer
with vibration isolation), the PFE checks up on blood pressure (BP)
and electrocardiogram (ECG) during programmed exercise, with the
BP/ECG and HRM (heart rate monitor watch) equipment.  [After the PFE,
conducted with EGDH (early generalized data handler) software, they
collected five minutes of real-time BP/ECG data via a MEC (medical
equipment computer) 1553 card/cable connection, to validate newly
updated GDH software.  Start of GDH and subsequent real-time data
dump, enabled by the 1553 connection, were ground-commanded.]

Bowersox and Budarin were scheduled to conduct the second SUD motion
control system test of the Soyuz-211 (TMA-1) to check on its
readiness for undocking and descent.  [This test assumed
nonavailability of U.S. S-band communications during the post-undock
period, relying on Soyuz comm. Assets and Russian ground site (RGS)
coverage alone.] 

After yesterday's installation of the new condensate separator and
sample container in the SKV-K2M condensate water processor, Nikolai
Budarin today went back for another check behind the Service Module
(SM) wall to make sure that the SKV1 fan (VR) is not spreading
moisture. 

Budarin also dismantled and removed the Russian TEX-25 Skorpion
payload in the SM and stowed it in its kit for return.  Skorpion has
flown before during Expedition Four.  [Skorpion's objective was to
monitor environmental radiation parameters with dosimeters inside
station compartments at various places and to characterize
environmental conditions for conducting scientific and technical
experiments.  Skorpion required about 6 W of energy and is supported
by photography of the deployed hardware.] 

Thanks to Don Pettit's superior soldering skills, the results of his
continued repair activity of the ARCTIC-1 refrigerator/freezer
yesterday "far exceeded" the ARCTIC team's hopes.  [Don was able to
recover degraded function of six out of eight TEDs (thermoelectric
devices).  New instructions and a wiring diagram for today's
troubleshooting were uplinked, while the engineering team is
assessing the capability of the ARCTIC in the newly restored
configuration.  Each of the TEDs (i.e., the heat pumps providing the
refrigeration function) consists of many (~100) semiconductor cells
(crystalline Bismuth Telluride, Bi2Te3) in series, arranged in two
stages in form of a double-decker sandwich between aluminum oxide
ceramic plates.  Where the two stages are no longer correctly
connected, possibly due to corrosion, new solder junctions are
required.] 

The crew drew words of praise for the cleaning of smoke detector #2
(SD2) in the Node yesterday and for the resulting video tape.
According to the ground, the sensor "looks like a brand-new smoke
detector".  [SD2 readings have been degraded for over a year, such
that the SD was taken offline.  The crew cleaned the internal
components of the device using the vacuum cleaner, a type of cleaning
that has never been performed by the on-orbit crew but was scheduled
since no other SD will be delivered until Shuttle return-to-flight.
The cleaning was successful, wires were inspected OK and photos were
downlinked for review on the ground. SD readings have now returned to
nominal values.] 

Bowersox performed the daily routine maintenance of the SOZh life
support system (including the ASU toilet facility) and did the
regular Lab payload status checkup, while Pettit prepared the daily
IMS (inventory management system) "delta" file for updating the IMS
database. 

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

The crew continued their 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.

All crewmembers worked out on the RED resistive trainer, CEVIS cycle
ergometer and TVIS treadmill, completing their daily physical
exercise program.

Bowersox's schedule calls for another consumables inventory, this
time of trash bag liners and urine prefilters.  As with the other
consumables audits, its results will be used for manifest decisions
for upcoming Progress flights.

Preliminary plan for the reduced-capacity battery #4 in the SM, now
off-line, is to perform a full discharge/recharge cycle following
5S/Soyuz undock in early May.  [RSC-Energia is coordinating with
Khrunichev SC for use of the remaining FGB spare 800A battery on
board onboard.  An additional 800A battery is currently shown on the
manifest for 11P/Progress.] 

The crew today downlinked three PAO messages of greetings and thanks
for taping for various clients, viz., the Cocoa Beach Space Congress,
the Columbia Recovery Teams reception in Lufkin, TX on 4/29, and a
conference of German engineers (including those who built the
MSG/Glovebox) at Münster, Germany.

Launch preparations for 6S/Soyuz at the Baikonur Cosmodrom remain on
schedule.  Rollout of the Soyuz launcher plus spacecraft will take
place tomorrow (overnight Eastern time).  Launch of 6S is currently
still set for 11:54pm EDT on 4/25 (Friday night).

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 Western Mediterranean Dust (dust entering the
Mediterranean should have been visible left and right of track over
Tunisia as a front passed through the Strait of Gibraltar), Atlanta,
Georgia (nadir pass; ESC [electronic still camera]), Tucson, Arizona
(nadir pass; ESC), French Frigate Shoals (nadir pass over these coral
reefs in the chain of atolls stretching NW from Hawaii.  Detail
images needed for a global mapping study of reefs), Moscow region
(Dynamic event. Best opportunity in many months continues. Long views
north towards Moscow suggested. Looking oblique left), and Eastern
Europe clear (Dynamic event. Best opportunity in many months
continues.  From Denmark, eastwards). CEO images can be viewed at the
websites http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

 - Continued -

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