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ISS On-Orbit Status 2/2/03

Mourning for the Columbia Seven, Rick, Willie, Mike, Dave, KC, Laurel 
and Ilan, our hearts go out to their loved ones while gratefully 
taking notice of expressions of grief and condolence from around the 
world. We also deplore deeply the loss of the incredible wealth of 80 
scientific experiments accumulated on board the flight during the 
16-day mission of STS-107 and the terrible impact of that loss on our 
science teams and more than 70 international scientists.

On the ISS, all systems continue to function nominally, except as 
noted previously or below. Ahead: Week 10 for Expedition 6.

At Baikonur this morning, Progress 10P (M-247) launched successfully 
on time (7:59am EST), and all deployments and downlinks were 
reportedly nominal.  After a last-minute review yesterday of possible 
manifest changes, the cargo ship, with about two tons of equipment and 
supplies, is on its way to the ISS. Docking is scheduled for 2/4 
(Tuesday), at 9:48am. [A recent Kurs system test showed that approach 
and docking can be performed with only one of the two radio guidance 
antennas at the Service Module (SM) solar array tips involved.]

For the crew, it was a quiet Sunday with a minimum of scheduled tasks.

FE-1 Nikolai Budarin worked briefly on the Russian laptop 3, returning 
it to its initial configuration after yesterday's "Relaksatsiya" 
observation of the Progress 9P deorbit.

Budarin then completed the regular daily checkup of the BIO-5
Rasteniya-2/Lada-2 ("Plants-2") plant growth experiment.

Afterwards, he performed the weekly routine tasks of collecting SP 
toilet flush counter and SVO water supply readings for calldown, as 
well as the periodic check-out of the Elektron oxygen generator's VM 
gas/liquid system for the air bubble that usually lingers after an 
in-flight maintenance (IFM).

Nikolai also conducted the periodic routine inspection of the BRPK
air/condensate water separator in the SM.

FE-2/SO Don Pettit completed the regular daily task of SOSh life 
support systems maintenance, and took care of the daily IMS database 
update file preparation.

Pettit again took two ppCO2 (carbon dioxide partial pressure) readings 
with the CDMK (CO2 monitoring kit) in the SM and Lab, one in the 
morning, one in the evening, to help resolve discrepancies between 
ppCO2 readings in the SM by the SM gas analyzer and in the USOS (U.S. 
segment) by the MCA (major constituents analyzer).

Budarin prepared for and performed another monthly session of the 
Russian MBI-9 "Pulse" experiment, task-listed and performed before the 
morning physical exercise. [Execution of the medical cardiological 
assessment is controlled from the Russian laptop 3, using a set 
respiration rate (without forced or deep breaths) and synchronizing 
respiration with computer-commanded "inhale" commands. Before the 
experiment, he was to measure his arterial blood pressure with the 
"Tensoplus" sphygmomanometer.  The first "Pulse"
session by Nikolai 
was performed on 11/30/02, the second on 12/30/02.]

Also working from the Russian task list, Budarin was again scheduled 
for the Uragan Earth observations program. [Yesterday's Uragan targets 
for the Nikon D1 were Bouvet Island and South Georgia Island (for ice 
sheet dynamic analysis), Himalayas and Southern Patagonia icefield in 
"convergence shooting" (series of consecutive frames while keeping the 
target at the center of the camera's field of view), and the city of 
Lagos. Today's targets were Bouvet and South Georgia Islands, 
convergence photography of Southern Patagonia icefield, Galapagos 
Islands and the Panama Canal.]

For the task-listed Diatomeya ocean observations sessions, Budarin 
yesterday and today focused on selected seawater bloom features 
(bioproductive areas) in the waters of the South Atlantic and Indian 
Ocean.

All crewmembers had their weekly family conferences, Budarin via VHF,
Bowersox and Pettit on S-band. For Sox and Don, the schedule also 
provided for the regular private psychological conferences.

The crew performed their daily physical exercise sessions on TVIS
(treadmill), RED (resistive), and VELO cycle with load trainer.

Today's targets for the CEO (crew earth observations) program were Ho 
Chi Minh City, Vietnam (ISS followed the delta coast of the Mekong 
River from SW to NE. Crew was to look left for Saigon on the 
easternmost delta distributary. Glint views of the delta waterways are 
possible from this track), SE Africa haze (winds are setting up to 
transport polluted air [industrial sulfates, smoke and dust from 
farmland] from the subcontinent over the recently identified "exit" on 
the SE coast of southern Africa. Only one photo exists of this 
phenomenon. Scientists are very interested to see what the exhaust 
plume looks like), Nile River Delta (nadir mapping strips requested. 
Salt poisoning of soils due to increased rates of irrigation [three 
crops per year versus the pre-Aswan rate of one crop per year] reduces 
usable farmland in the delta. Egypt loses as much cropland to salt as 
it gains by opening up new areas in the desert. Landuse changes are 
therefore constant in the delta), Panama (unusually clear weather 
persists.  Detailed and regional views of this hard-to-photograph 
region are requested.  Looking right of track for the canal zone), and 
Navassa Island corals, Caribbean (coral reef mapping project. Looking 
right for this island that lies between Haiti and Jamaica).

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

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:22am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 387.1 km
Apogee -- 390.7 km
Perigee -- 383.5 km
Period -- 92.30 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.64 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0005385
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60
Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours -- 250 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 23999

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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