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08 Apr 2003

ISS On-Orbit Status 7 Apr 2003

Part 1 of 2

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted
previously or below.  Week 19 is underway.

After wakeup (2:00am EDT), before breakfast and first exercise
session, all crewmembers underwent the regular periodic Russian
biomedical assessments MO-7 (calf volume measurement) and MO-8 (body
mass measurement).  [FE-1 Nikolai Budarin set up the BMM mass
measuring device, which uses calibrated springs to determine the
subject's mass in weightless space, and stowed it away after the
tests.  Calf measurements (left leg only) are taken with the ISOG
device, a custom-sewn fabric cuff that fits over the calf, using the
knee and lower foot as fixed reference points, to provide a rough
index of deconditioning in zero-G and effectiveness of
countermeasures.]

CDR Ken Bowersox and FE-2/SO also completed another round of the
medical assessment MO-9 of the Russian crew health-monitoring
program, preparatory to tomorrow's EVA.  [MO-9 is biochemical
urinalysis, conducted regularly every 30 days (and also before and
after EVAs), and it is one of five nominal Russian medical tests
adopted by NASA for US crewmembers for PHS (periodic health status)
evaluation as part of the "PHS/Without Blood Labs" exam.  The
analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus
"Urolux" developed originally for the Mir program.  Budarin stowed
the equipment after the sessions.] 

Budarin worked on the IK0501 gas analyzer in the Service Module which
for some time has been suspect of not functioning correctly.
[After disconnecting the instrument from BITS2-12 data control mode
(VD-SU) and power-up of VD-SU and BITS from the ground, Budarin took
a range of voltage measurements on IK0501.  The instrument was then
powered off again and data transmission was reconnected.  The device
analyzes the air flow pumped through it for humidity (H2O), oxygen
partial pressure (ppO2), carbon dioxide partial pressure (ppCO2),
volumetric fractions of CO2 and hydrogen (H2), and measures gas
flow.  The measurements are going to a monitoring laptop and, if they
exceed limit values, to the caution and warning panel (PSS).]

In a second SM maintenance activity, Nikolai Budarin, with ground
support from MCC-Moscow, performed testing on the AFU antenna feeder
unit of the television subsystem (TVS), where last month some new
hardware items, including loads, cables and circulators were
installed.

Preparations continued for tomorrow's EVA by CDR Ken Bowersox and
FE-2/SO Don Pettit, supported by a space-to-ground tag-up.
Yesterday's repositioning of the SSRMS (space station remote
manipulator system) went nominally, and the crew is able to see the
worksite quite well via Canadarm2 cameras.  [All EVA systems,
including suits, backpacks, SAFERs, batteries, Metox canisters and
Airlock (except for BC-1, battery charger 1) have checked out fine
and are ready for the spacewalk.  After 1-hr. EMU pre-breathe (on
CEVIS) at 6:30am EDT and 50-min. A/L Crewlock depress, hatch opening
is expected at 8:30am.  With a total planned duration of 6.5 hrs. for
the spacewalk, A/L ingress should be completed at 3:00pm.]

In preparation for the EVA (which includes a recabling of CMG-1 and
-2 to ensure that no single electrical power system failure will
result in loss of two of the three operating control moment gyros), a
GNC (guidance, navigation & control) configuration file was uplinked
for loading on the GNC MDM.  [Its purpose is to make the MDMs "aware"
of the new RPCs (remote power controllers) for CMG-1 and -2 resulting
from the recabling.  The loading will involve a swap of the MDMs.
Also, prior to the EVA CMG-2 needs to be powered off for the task and
then spun up again afterwards, with recovery of both CMGs.]

At 7:30am EDT, in support of the GNC/ACS (attitude control system)
update, ISS was maneuvered to minimum propellant attitude (MPA) in
LVLH and then turned over to Russian segment motion control (RS
MCS).  At about 9:20am, attitude control returned to the U.S. CMGs,
with a coincident maneuver back to LVLH TEA (local vertical/local
horizontal torque equilibrium attitude). [Detailed recovery
procedures in case of a primary GNC MDM failure during the upload had
been uplinked to the crew overnight.] 

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

Pettit activated and checked out another science experiment in the
Lab, the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA), by
connecting cables and powering the payload on.  [The CGBA supports
commercial life science investigations with applications in
biomaterials, biotechnology, medicine and agriculture.  Its ICM
(isothermal containment module) requires almost no crew time for
nominal operations.  CGBA was originally delivered on STS-112 and
left onboard unpowered, until the next opportunity to be brought
home.] 

Budarin performed observations and photography for the Russian GFI-8
Uragan ("hurricane") program, depending on cloud cover.  Areas of
interest today were the Russian Geographic Society and Medvezhy
glaciers as well as northern Iraq, the city of Baghdad, and the
northern coast of the Cheleken peninsula.

Science Officer Pettit completed the regular pre-EVA EVARM (EVA
radiation monitoring) background reading, first activating the EVARM
badge reader, then taking the readings.  After downloading the data
from the reader to the HRF (human research facility) PC for later
downlink, Pettit stowed the equipment again.

Bowersox performed the regular Lab payload status checkup, and Pettit
prepared the daily IMS inventory delta file for download.

All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on
TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization), RED
(resistive exercise device), and VELO ergometer cycle with load
trainer.  Don also performed the weekly maintenance of the treadmill
after his workout on it. 

For the recent CCS (command & control software) step-up from version
R2 to R3, 3559 parameters were "de-selected" (stricken) from the
down-telemetry format for the BGA (beta gimbal assembly) contingency
mode, in order to make room for new parameters for the P4 truss
segment on Mission/Stage 12A. Ground specialists have now verified
that all necessary parameters for crew and vehicle safety are still
available. 

Post-burn evaluation shows that the Progress 10P reboost on 4/4 on
the "healthy" thruster manifold #2, was perfectly nominal.  [The
dynamic test of 3/14, however, had indicated an underperformance of
the #1 manifold, producing only 70% of nominal thrust by spending
nearly equal amounts of fuel and oxidizer, i.e., 30% oxidizer
underuse from the nominal.  Therefore, the #2 manifold  will be used
only in a contingency, after special MCC-M decision.]    With
Progress 11P scheduled for June and 12P for September, planning for
the optimum vehicle sequence is underway.  [As currently planned,
after its upcoming (second) reboost on Thursday, 4/10, 10P will serve
three functions, viz.: support CMG attitude control, perform reboosts
(using back-pumped props) and provide protection of the SM aft end
against solar heating.  It would stay attached after the arrival of
11P, which would dock on the side for providing ISS roll control to
conserve station propellant.  In September, 11P would be discarded
and replaced by the new Progress 12P.  MCC-M is re-assessing the
sequence for NASA to verify its optimality (e.g., retaining 10P
instead of 11P).] 

 - Continued -

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