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2\26 ISS On-Orbit Status 26-02-2003
Part 1 of 2

ISS On-Orbit Status 2/26/03

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted 
previously or below. Space Day 95 for Expedition 6.

The crew woke up to kudos for their help yesterday in MSG 
troubleshooting (see below), the discussion of the consumables 
situation, and their performance during the live PAO/educational TV 
event.

Main crew task today was the two-hour Emergency Descent OBT (onboard
training), a mandatory requirement for each Expedition, to refresh 
crew safety/survival acuity in case of an emergency situation 
requiring rapid station evacuation and descent in the Soyuz CRV (crew 
return vehicle). The drill included tag-up/consultation with a ground 
instructor. [For the sim, the crew reviewed applicable ODF (operations 
data file) sections, going through all necessary steps, from entering 
the Soyuz CRV through closing hatches, checking for leaks and donning 
the Sokol entry suits inside Soyuz, to automatic undock, descent and 
landing, even considering Soyuz engine failure and crew response to a 
leaky Sokol or rapid depress of Soyuz compartments. They also 
practiced Soyuz descent module manual entry control (RUS) mode using 
an on-board trainer program. The necessary software to take them 
through the OBT is set up prior to the sim on an SSC (station support 
computer) laptop.]

CDR Ken Bowersox, FE-1 Nikolai Budarin and MCC-Houston/TsUP began the
crewtime-intensive process of upgrading the Russian computer system 
(BVS) to the new version 7.01 software, which takes several days. 
[Today's activities were a discussion of the process by the crew with 
7.01 upload specialists at TsUP, and preparation of a floppy disk with 
a software patch intended for the installation of three new Russian 
laptops. Before tomorrow's scheduled transfer of all display 
images/frames from CD-ROM to the Central Post Computer 1 (KTsP-1), 
requiring 4 hrs crewtime, and the subsequent reprogramming/transition 
of the four Russian US-21 matching units of the MCS (motion control 
system) by 2/28, the first two US-21 units (#2 & #4) were activated 
and checked out by the ground early this morning. The transition will 
require the installation of permanent SUBA jumper cables, in order to 
compensate for inherent incompatibilities of the new 7.01 s/w with 
ECLSS (environment control & life support system), again involving 
several hours of crewtime. The Service Module (SM) Terminal and 
Central computer systems (TVM & TsVM) will be rebooted on all three of 
their subsets early next week and then transitioned to 7.01, 
completing the operations.]

Later, Budarin completed preparations for the reconfiguration of the 
onboard Ethernet BVS communications network in the SM, scheduled for 
next Monday (3/3). [This involved locating hardware delivered a long 
time ago, routing an additional cable, and replacing the configuration 
file of the BRI SmartSwitch router computer with a new file delivered 
on the ISS Wiener laptop HDD (hard disk drive), which is connected to 
the BRI. The BVS, which is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. OpsLAN 
(operations local area network), is the crew support network in the 
Russian segment (RS).]

CDR Bowersox supported the ground-commanded full calibration of the 
MCA (major constituents analyzer) by first opening its VGA 
(verification gas assembly) valve and later closing it again after 
MCC-H go-ahead.

It was also time again for another microbiological air sampling aboard 
the station, involving the VOA (volatile organic analyzer), GSC (grab 
sample container) and FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit). [After 
ground-commanded startup and a 3.5-hr. calibration run of the VOA, 
followed by its sampling, which looks for potentially toxic volatile 
organic compounds, Bowersox collected a GSC air sample near the center 
of the Lab for comparison with VOA results. Later he deployed two FMK 
(formaldehyde monitoring kit) monitors in the Lab for a 24-hour 
unattended sample collection period. The VOA and GSC activities were 
also documented with digital photographs by FE-2/SO Don Pettit.]

Don took his daily two ppCO2 (CO2 partial pressure) readings with the 
CDMK (CO2 monitoring kit) in SM and Lab, one in the morning, the other 
in the evening.

Budarin conducted the periodic inspection of the pressure hull in the 
SM Working Compartment (RO) behind panels 130, 134, 135, 138, and 
under the TVIS treadmill in the "floor pit", looking for any moisture, 
residue, mold, corrosion, and pitting. [Nikolai was to focus on hull 
shell and cold plates under the SNT voltage and current stabilizers 
and STR thermal control system pipes, using surface wipes to clean the 
area in question, describing any discovered mold as to color, 
consistency (solid, crumbly, powdery) and location, and photographing 
the hull surface with the digital camera before and after the 
treatment. Pictures were to be downlinked to MCC-H for forwarding to 
TsUP. The last hull inspection was performed by Budarin on 12/23/02.]

Pettit completed the daily routine maintenance of the SM's SOSh life 
support system and later prepared the IMS inventory delta file for 
downlink, while Bowersox did the regular status checkup of the 
PCG-STES010 (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure 
System #10) payload in the Lab, and Budarin performed the weekly 
inspection of the BRPK air/condensate separator unit in the SM.

All crewmembers completed their regular daily physical exercise on 
TVIS, RED, CEVIS and VELO with load trainer.

Working off the "job jar" task list, the crew has completed the 
periodic PBA (portable breathing apparatus) and PFE (portable fire 
extinguisher) inspection.

MSG (microgravity science glovebox) troubleshooting by the ground is
continuing. [Yesterday's test run was successful, in that the PDC's 
(power distribution controller's) 12V circuit breaker did not trip in 
Standby mode.  As a result, more testing is being scheduled over the 
next several days, continuing with the sensors powered by the +/- 12V 
and 5V busses. Crew support was not required today.]

Since the CCS (command & control software) step-up in the U.S. 
segment, an anomaly has been found in the GNC (guidance, navigation & 
control) Rev. 3 software that causes an attitude divergence in the GPS 
(global positioning system) system. Although the divergence is still 
minor, attitude and state (position, velocity) update has been 
reprioritized to Russian sources until adjustments to the code are 
worked.

Today's targets for the CEO (crew earth observations program) were 
Mekong River Delta (this large complex delta is intensively developed 
for agriculture. Looking left of track for views of its estuaries, 
land use patterns, and sediment plume), Saharan Jet Stream Clouds 
(DYNAMIC EVENT TARGET: In response to a large Atlantic storm system, 
an active subtropical jet stream cloud formation is setting up over 
northwestern Africa. As ISS tracked southeastward in southern Algeria, 
the crew was to look either side of track for views of the interesting 
cloud structure of this phenomenon), Cape Verde Dust (satellite 
imagery indicates more dust moving off the coast of west Africa. Crew 
was to take advantage of the views to the right of track that will 
include the Cape Verde Islands as landmarks and the special 
illumination effect of sun glint to detect aerosols), Mayan Pyramids 
(CREW REQUESTED TARGET: Crew was to use this pass to begin 
familiarizing themselves with the region of Mayan pyramids in Mexico's 
southern Yucatan and the rugged area of northern Guatemala. Although 
nadir views may not have been possible, they were to try for good 
context views, primarily to the right of track), and Western 
Mediterranean Dust (a powerful Atlantic storm was approaching the Bay 
of Biscay. The wind field of this system will generate much dust over 
the western Med. As ISS tracked across northern Spain, the crew was to 
begin looking either side of track to detect this weather event, 
continuing to the Libyan coast.

CEO images can be viewed at the website
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

(continued)

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