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More Details for 2008-02-21

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FE-1 Malenchenko performed the periodic servicing of the Russian BMP (Harmful Impurities Removal System) by starting the "bake-out" cycle to vacuum on absorbent bed #1 of the regenerable dual-channel filtration system.

The regen process will be terminated before sleeptime, at ~2:15pm EST. Regeneration of bed #2 follows tomorrow. (Regeneration of each of the two cartridges takes about 12 hours and is conducted only during crew awake periods.)

CDR Whitson and FE-2 Eyharts completed the mandatory 30-min. medical CBT (Computer-based Training) contingency drill, with video & text material, to refresh their CMO (Crew Medical Officer) proficiency/rating. (To maintain proficiency in using HMS (health maintenance systems) hardware, today's training focused on Part 2 of the regular exercise, viz., a review of Nasal Airway, Suction Device, ILMA (Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway) with endotracheal tube, and Cricothyrotomy (incision to re-enable breathing air inflow).)

FE-1 Malenchenko worked in the Soyuz TMA-11/15S vehicle, docked at the FGB nadir port, dismantling the KURS-A rendezvous and approach radar system of its SUDN motion control & navigation system and removing it from the Orbit Module (to be jettisoned prior to reentry), a 3.5-hour job including logging it in the IMS (Inventory Management System). These valuable components will be returned to Earth on the Shuttle for reuse. (KURS, not required for Soyuz reentry or prox ops (relocation), has two components: KURS-A is the active half of the Russian space program's proven S-band radar system for automated flight, which measures relative motion parameters between Soyuz(or Progress) and the ISS during rendezvous operations, to enable the autopilot's calculation of corrective impulses. The system's passive transponder counterpart (KURS-P) is on the Service Module (SM), with one antenna each at the tip of the two solar array wings.)

Leo continued preparing the ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive - Space 2) hardware for operation, connecting camera cables to its IMU (Interface Management Unit) and routing them in the Lab, then activating the ELC (EXPRESS Laptop Computer) and installing the ELITE-S2 Remote Desktop Client software from CD. (The Italian (ASI) experiment ELITE-S2 is a human motion analysis facility for technological characterization and potential application for multifactorial movement analysis, to study the connection between brain, visualization and motion in micro-G. By recording and analyzing the three-dimensional motion of astronauts, this study should help engineers apply ergonomics into future spacecraft designs and determine the effects of weightlessness on breathing mechanisms for long-duration missions.)

Peggy Whitson performed clean-up operations on the EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System) facility, exchanging a number of EMCS modules in preparation for the upcoming CW/RW (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) experiment. (The EMCS rack contains a rotating centrifuge that can support a wide range of small plant and animal experiments under partial gravity conditions.)

The CDR also conducted the periodic check of active U.S. payloads, viz., cleaning the ANITA (Analyzing Interferometer for Ambient Air) inlet plus inspecting and filter cleaning of the CGBA-5 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5) incubator payload. (The CGBA incubator is controlled from the ground, with automatic video downlinked to Earth. ANITA continues to collect data every six seconds and downlinks the data daily to the ground team. ANITA monitors low levels of potential gaseous contaminants in the ISS cabin atmosphere with a capability of simultaneously monitoring 32 gaseous contaminants. The experiment is testing the accuracy and reliability of this technology as a potential next-generation atmosphere trace-gas monitoring system for ISS and future spacecraft. This is a collaborative investigation with ESA.)

Continuing his COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) commissioning work, Leo Eyharts set up hardware in the FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory), specifically the upper section of the CEM (Central Experiment Module), including removing launch fixation bolts and installing some ORUs (Orbital Replacement Units),

In Node-2, Whitson installed and configured an SSC (Station Support Computer) A31p laptop as SSCR (Station-to-Shuttle Communications Router), loading it with the necessary image software (V.4.0) and connecting it to the ISL UIP (Integrated Station LAN Utility Interface Panel). (The SSCR will enable wireless connectivity between the Shuttle and Station LANs (Local Area Networks) during a flight, which will allow the Shuttle to shut down its own Ku-band to help save fuel cell cryo. During the 1J/A mission, the laptop will be powered up again, and the ground will verify that everything works OK with the Shuttle network.)

The CDR also continued troubleshooting & cable connectivity checkout of the PS28 (Powerstrip 28) junction box with Part 2 of the uplinked procedures.

Later, Peggy conducted the weekly 10-min. CWC (Contingency Water Container) audit as part of on-going WDS (Water Delivery System) assessment of onboard water supplies. (Updated 'cue cards' based on the crew's water calldowns are sent up every other week. The current cue card (#16-0018T), to be updated with today's d data, lists 36 CWCs (~1295.1 L total) for the four types of water identified on board: technical water (695.3 L, for Elektron, flushing, hygiene), potable water (559.5 L), condensate water (40.2 l), waste/EMU dump and other (0 L). Of the 36 containers, nine CWCs with technical water (251.1 L) cannot be used until cleared for Wautersia bacteria, and 10 CWCs with potable water (427 L), transferred from Atlantis, are not cleared for use pending analysis of samples returning on 1E.)

Regular servicing & maintenance tasks completed by Yuri Malenchenko today included -

Linking up with TsUP-Moscow stowage specialists at ~3:05am EST via S-band to conduct the weekly IMS (Inventory Management System) tagup, discussing stowage issues and equipment locations,
The periodic checkout/verification of IP-1 airflow sensors in the various RS (Russian segment) hatch openings (8) in the SM, FGB and DC1 (Docking Compartment),
The monthly maintenance on the Russian IK0501 GA (gas analyzer) of the SOGS Pressure Control & Atmospheric Monitoring System, adjusting for O2 readings (IK0501 is an automated system for measuring CO2, O2, and H2O in the air as well as the flow rate of the gas being analyzed),
The daily monitoring, picture-taking and downloading on the BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment. (Rasteniya-2, researches growth and development of plants (peas) under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-12 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP)), and
Completing the routine servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM.
Also, working from the Russian voluntary 'time permitting' task list, Yuri was to -

Perform the periodic downloading of accumulated log files from the Russian BSMM (Payload Matching Unit/computer) to the US OCA for downlink,
Complete the daily IMS maintenance, updating/editing its standard 'delta file' including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur), and
Conduct the regular checkup on the Japanese experiment GCF-JAXA (Granada Crystallization Facility) in the Russian TBU incubator, maintained at +20 degC, including a temperature check on its ART (automatic temperature recorder). (This is a daily monitoring/temp checking, carried on the Russian voluntary task list for the duration of Expedition 16.)
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), TVIS treadmill (FE-1), RED resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1, FE-2).

Peggy then transferred the crew's exercise data file to the MEC laptop for downlinking, 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).

Shortly before sleep time, Malenchenko will set up the Russian MBI-12 SONOKARD (Sonocard) payload and started his tenth experiment session, using a sports shirt from the SONOKARD kit with a special device in the pocket for testing a new method for acquiring physiological data without using direct contact on the skin. Measurements are recorded on a data card for return to Earth. (SONOKARD objectives are stated to (1) study the feasibility of obtaining the maximum of data through computer processing of records obtained overnight, (2) systematically record the crewmember's physiological functions during sleep, (3) study the feasibility of obtaining real-time crew health data. Investigators believe that contactless acquisition of cardiorespiratory data over the night period could serve as a basis for developing efficient criteria for evaluating and predicting adaptive capability of human body in long-duration space flight.)

At ~3:25am EDT, Leo Eyharts powered up the SM's amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, and power supply), to conduct, at 3:30am, a ham radio exchange with students at Robespierre School in Rueil-Malmaison, France. Questions to Leo were uplinked by ARISS (Amateur Radio on ISS) beforehand. ('When do you know when it is time to sleep?'; 'What do you like to eat on earth, that you could not have in the ISS?'; 'Is it frightening to go to space?'; 'How long could the Space Station remain in space?'; 'What do you do if you get sick?'; 'Are there any meteors passing nearby the ISS?'; 'How could you take a shower in zero-gravity?'; 'Is the Earth pollution visible from the space?'; 'What did you put in your suitcase before leaving to the space?'; 'Do you plan to live one day on another planet?')

VolSci Program Update: For the Voluntary Science program on 2/24 (Sunday), Peggy Whitson has opted for another session with the InSPACE-2 experiment.

VOA Shutdown: Yesterday the US VOA (Volatile Organics Analyzer) shut down after successfully running through a test and shortly after the standard Sample Acquire command was sent by the ground. Specialists are analyzing a VOA data dump before any further troubleshooting will be performed.

CEO photo targets uplinked for today were Brent Impact Crater (weather was predicted to be partly cloudy in this area, but hopefully it was clear enough for the crew to see this crater. Brent impact crater is 3.8 kilometers in diameter and is one of the older craters, dated at approximately 396 million years. As with many craters in Canada, this one is highlighted by the lakes that fill in part of the crater), and Charlevoix Impact Crater (as with Brent crater, the area around Charlevoix is also predicted to be partly cloudy. Roughly half of this impact crater is visible along the left bank (western side) of the St. Lawrence River. Charlevoix is 54 kilometers in diameter and 342 million years old).