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More Details for 2007-12-08

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

The delayed launch of STS-122/Atlantis/Mission ISS-1E has tentatively been rescheduled for tomorrow, Sunday (12/9) at 3:21pm EST, assuming no major problems turn up in engineering reviews taking place today. Weather forecast for 12/9 predicts an 80 percent chance of good weather.

Aboard the space station, FE-2 Dan Tani again accessed the SLEEP experiment (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) software after wakeup and before breakfast, for data logging, completing questionnaire entries in the experiment's laptop session file on the HRF-1 laptop for later downlink. (To monitor the crewmember's 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.)

The crew conducted the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough station cleaning. ("Uborka", normally 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 FE'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.)

For today's Voluntary Weekend Science activities, CDR Peggy Whitson started out with software replacement for the HRF-2 RIC (Human Research Facility 2 Rack Interface Controller), first replacing the HRF-2 laptop's Ultrabay Adapter, then uploading the RIC software (EXPRESS Load 5) and rebooting the computer. (This activity was also performed on HRF-1 on 12/2.)

Later, Dr. Whitson also set up the PD-100 camcorder for unattended video of herself performing BCAT-3 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-3) science activities involving mixing magnet unsticking from Samples 3, 5 and 9, followed by returning the sample module from CGBA-4 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4), deactivating the hardware and leaving CGBA powered off but recabled.

FE-2 Dan Tani retrieved and stowed the two FMKs (Formaldehyde Monitoring Kits) deployed by him on 12/6 in the Lab (below CEVIS cycle) and SM (most forward handrail).

FE-1 Yuri Malenchenko completed the daily routine maintenance of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables. (Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists among else of replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers.)

The crewmembers conducted 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 exerciser (CDR, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

Afterwards, the CDR copied the exercise data file to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

At ~6:35am, the FE-1 had his weekly PFC (Private Family Conference) via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on the SSC-9 laptop).

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Sixteen -- Week 7)

ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Radiation measurements continue nominally in the PIRS module. The next memory card replacement activity is currently scheduled on 12/10.

ANITA: Completed.

BCAT (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test): Reserve.

CARDIOCOG-2: Completed.

CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): 'Dan, thanks for completing your in-flight portion of the CCISS experiment! Also, thanks for completing the Holter check out procedure off the task list. The PI looks forward to seeing you on landing day!'.

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): CSLM-2 SPU #2 operated 12/3-5, currently reviewing down linked files.

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

EPO (Educational Payload Operations): 'Thank you for your excellent EPO Sanitation demo this week. The PD was very happy with the downlinked video and audio.'

ETD (Eye Tracking Device): In progress.

Integrated Immune: In progress.

LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): Complete.

MISSE (Materials ISS Experiment): Ongoing.

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

MULTIGEN-1: From Week 5: 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 completing the Sleep Actiwatch download/initialization activity off the task list. You have monthly downloads, doffing the Actiwatch, and two more weeks of required sleep logging. Additional sleep logging is above and beyond and greatly appreciated by the PI. Dan, thanks for participating in the sleep experiment as a reserve subject. Please continue to sleep log until 12/14 to fulfill the three week requirement.'

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): In progress. To be conducted tomorrow (12/2).

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

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

CEO (Crew Earth Observations): Through 12/6 the ground has received a total of 5,003 CEO frames for review and cataloging for Increment 16. 'Once again about 1,000 frames in the past week alone! We are focusing our efforts on 5 sessions in which you acquired imagery with camera times corresponding to our target request times: S. Georgia/ S. Sandwich Islands, South Atlantic Ocean (2 sessions confirmed); Patagonian Glaciers (confirmed); Nairobi, Kenya; and Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya. We are also pleased to confirm your excellent imagery for Acraman Impact Crater, Australia with a few more clouds than we expected. A portion of your handsome image of the New Zealand capital of Wellington will be published on NASA/GSFC's Earth Observatory website this weekend. Your sharp, long lens view provides great detail for this rarely photographed city.'

CEO photo targets uplinked for today were Coastal dunes, Namibia (Dynamic event. Small crescent-shaped dunes are driven north along the hyperarid coast of Namibia by very strong southerly winds. Small dunes move fast, many yards per year. Looking immediately left and right of track as ISS crossed the coastline (the driest part of the desert), shooting a few detailed images of the coastal strip where these small dunes occur. There is interest in comparing positions of known dunes through time, both for geological and budgetary reasons -dunes 2-4 feet high often cross roads and other infrastructures. Clearing these dunes (or slowing them down by spraying with oil) is a major public-works expense around the few coastal towns in Namibia.)