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More Details for 2008-02-02

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Saturday -- off-duty day for CDR Whitson, FE-1 Malenchenko and FE-2 Tani except for housekeeping and voluntary work.

>>>Yesterday, NASA observed the annual Day of Remembrance honoring those members of the NASA Family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. This memorial event honors the families and crews of Columbia STS-107, Challenger STS 51-L, and Apollo 1, as well as all the astronauts who have sacrificed their lives for this nation. <<<

FE-2 Tani started out with the daily reading of SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment data accumulated during the night, for logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the SLEEP session file on the HRF-1 laptop for downlink. (To monitor the crewmembers' sleep/wake patterns and light exposure, Dan wears a special Actiwatch device which measures the light levels encountered by him as well as his patterns of sleep and activity throughout the Expedition. The log entries are done within 15 minutes of final awakening for seven consecutive days, as part of the crew's discretionary 'job jar' task list.)

Upon wakeup, CDR Whitson performed the last sampling of her Day 120 session with the NASA/JSC experiment NUTRITION w/Repository, collecting a final urine sample for storage in the MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). The sampling kit was then stowed away. (The current NUTRITION project is the most comprehensive in-flight study done by NASA to date of human physiologic changes during long-duration space flight. It includes measures of bone metabolism, oxidative damage, nutritional assessments, and hormonal changes, expanding the previous Clinical Nutritional Assessment profile (MR016L) testing in three ways: Addition of in-flight blood & urine collection (made possible by MELFI), normative markers of nutritional assessment, and a return session plus 30-day (R+30) session to allow evaluation of post-flight nutrition and implications for rehabilitation.)

The crew performed the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning. ("Uborka", usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the CDR's sleep station with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.)

Yuri and Peggy completed preparations for Progress M-62/27P undocking on Monday, 2/4 (5:27am) on its own free-flyer mission (till 2/15). (The FE-1 and CDR finished trash loading and reported completion to the ground for the final Go from TsUP/Moscow, followed by cargo ship activation, tearing down the ventilation air duct, removing the threaded BZV QD (quick disconnect) screw clamps screw clamps of the SSVP docking & internal transfer system, and closing hatches between 27P and the transfer tunnel (PrK) to the DC1 after taking video of the mating surfaces/seals. They then conducted the one-hour vestibule leak check and downlinked the video imagery of the SM/Progress hatch interface. Russian MCS/thrusters were temporarily inhibited during the clamp removal due to loads constraints.)

In the Airlock (A/L), Dan Tani terminated charging on the EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) batteries in the BCA (Battery Charger Assembly) and the regeneration of the METOX (Metal Oxide) CO2 absorption canisters used during the EVA-14.

Yuri completed today's routine maintenance of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables.

At ~8:40am EST, the crew held its regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing next week's "Look-Ahead Plan" (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeline planners) via S-band/audio, reviewing the monthly calendar, upcoming activities, and any concerns about future on-orbit events.

The crewmembers completed their regular 2.5-hr. physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (CDR, FE-2), TVIS treadmill (FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-2), and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

Dan then transferred the crew's exercise data file to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

Working off his discretionary 'time permitting' task list, Malenchenko used the updated Symantec AntiVirus program to run a check on the RSS2 laptop and download data logs.

A second job item on the FE-1's voluntary list for today was another KPT-3 session to make observations and take aerial KPT-3 photography of environmental conditions for Russia's Environmental Safety Agency (ECON) using the Nikon D2X digital camera with SIGMA 300-800mm telephoto lens.

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Sixteen -- Week 15)

ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Last memory card replacement activity has been successfully performed on 1/28. Radiation measurements continue to be performed in the PIRS module..

ANITA: Completed.

BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 3): All the photos that have been taken (up through Tuesday) since astronaut Dan Tani adjusted the camera for BCAT (last weekend) have looked great. The charger for the camera was removed on 1/ 29 to be used for an EVA (which put BCAT photography on hold) and the charger was returned on 1/ 31; it is anticipated that the camera for BCAT-3 will be reinitialized and started next Monday, 2/4.

CARDIOCOG-2: Completed.

CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): Dan, currently you are scheduled to repeat the last CCISS session on 2/4 and 2/5. This session is a repeat due to the Shuttle launch slip moving your last session out of the PI requirements.'

CFE (Capillary Flow Experiment): Reserve.

CSI-2/CGBA (CGBA Science Insert #2/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus): In progress.

CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.

CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): In progress.

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): Complete.

ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive - Space 2): Planned.

EPO (Educational Payload Operations): Reserve.

ETD (Eye Tracking Device): In progress.

IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): First session of the experiment for ISS FE-1 Yuri Malenchenko has been successfully completed from 1/24 to 1/26. Pictures of the blood smear plates have been downlinked and positively assessed by science team. Blood and urine samples have been stored in MELFI.

InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): In progress.

Integrated Immune: In progress.

KUBIK-FM1/ KUBIK-FM2 Centrifuge/Incubators: Completed.

LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): 'Thanks for operating LOCAD on 1/26. You achieved the main goal for that session: a positive spike EU/ml value for the negative control. This was valuable data, as it provides a more definitive indication that the swabbing kits on orbit have remained sterile and free of endotoxin. Your feedback and perseverance through the air bubbles/dispensing issues were especially appreciated, and I fully agreed with your evaluation. It is readily apparent that water is evaporating from the water cartridges over time (due to an incomplete seal), which makes the starting volume uncertain. Bubbles introduced during mixing are further interfering with accurate dispensing. We are working to fix these issues in the short term by flying up new swabbing kits on 1J/A; and in the long term by redesigning the water cartridge with a more complete seal, and redesigning the swab/dispensing tip to reduce bubble formation during mixing. We hope these changes will lead to greater certainty as regards starting/dispensing volumes and more accurate, quantitative analysis.'

MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment): Ongoing.

MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC1 'Pirs'.

MULTIGEN-1: MULTIGEN-1 samples will be downloaded on STS-122 (1E).

MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox): Complete.

NOA-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer): Planned.

NUTRITION/REPOSITORY: In progress.

PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.

SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): Ongoing.

SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): 'Peggy, thanks for any continued logging in the Sleep Log software! Dan, our only remaining activities are Sleep logging and doffing your Actiwatch on the Shuttle with the other 1E crewmembers. We are working to add the Sleep logging to the timeline for your convenience.'

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): In progress.

Swab (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): In progress.

TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.

ULTRASOUND: In progress.

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 1/31 the ground has received a total of 12,994 frames of ISS/CEO imagery for review and cataloging. 'We are evaluating your recent images of our requested target cities of Canberra and Sydney, Australia. We also believe that you have just acquired our first images in years of two islands in the northern part of the South Sandwich Islands archipelago (another target request). We've received confirmation of your acquisition of imagery of mega iceberg A53a from Glaciologist and Lead Scientist, Tom Scambos, at NOAA's National Snow and Ice Data Center. The iceberg is nearing the south side of South Georgia Island now and he says: 'This is an iceberg worth watching, because, being water-saturated, it may well show a sudden, crumbling, disintegration, spreading fine blue micro-icebergs over the ocean surface.' Thanks for your diligence and vigilance in locating and photographing these features under difficult viewing conditions. This weekend an excellent example of your Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico, a Long Term Ecological Research Site, will be posted on NASA/GSFC's Earth Observatory website.'

CEO photo targets uplinked for today was the Kerguelen Islands Icecap, S Indian Ocean (at 50S, these islands support a permanent icefield which is of great interest as 'one of the most sensitive icecap glaciers on earth.' SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data) data created a benchmark measurement of ice volume of the major Kerguelen icecap. Your remotely sensed images show ice margin change (which has a known relationship to ice volume change). Look right (Fig. 1) on the west end of the main island.