Updates ISS UPDATES

ESA: European training for Russian cosmonauts:
3 February 2012

In the spirit of the international nature of the International Space Station, ESA’s Astronaut Training Division not only welcomes European astronauts: four Russian cosmonauts are also working hard at the European Astronaut Centre this month.

Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko received training on docking Europe’s ATV-3 cargo vehicle last week. ATV Edoardo Amaldi will dock with the International Space Station in March, bringing supplies and fuel.

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From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 05/02/2012.

Conjunction Alert:
Flight Controllers are tracking a conjunction with Object 27098 (PSLV debris) with two TCAs (Times of Closest Approach) on Tuesday, 02/07, at 3:50 PM & 5:22 PM GMT. Controllers are currently logging this conjunction as a low-concern level because the debris object does not exhibit extremely high drag characteristics (although it is draggier than ISS, which is typical) and the predicted space weather is expected to be quiet for the next three days. These features should lead to fairly stable miss distances overall. If a DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) should become necessary, it would have an estimated TIG (Time of Ignition) of 1:32 PM GMT on Tuesday. [PSLV = Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, an Indian four-stage launcher. This object is a piece from the fragmentation of the fourth stage of the 2001 launch of this launcher type. The breakup occurred approximately two months after its successful launch and payload deployment.]
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 06/02/2012.

Conjunction Update:
Flight Controllers continue to track a conjunction with Object 27098 (PSLV debris) with two TCAs (Times of Closest Approach) on Tuesday, 02/07, at 3:50 PM & 5:22 PM GMT. The debris has moved into the Green zone and is currently no longer of concern.
 

Time-lapse video from the ISS on Jan. 30, 2012. These sequences of frames were taken at the rate of one frame per second, therefore the slower speed of the video represents nearly the true speed of the International Space Station.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 30, 2012 from 06:13:36 to 06:23:09 GMT, on a pass from northern Mexico to northwest New Brunswick. This video begins looking northeast over Texas, where cities like San Antonio, Houston, and the Dallas/Fort Worth area can be seen. Continuing northeast over the Great Plains states, cities like Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and St. Louis can be easily distinguished. The pass continues over the familiar shape of the Michigan Peninsula, with Chicago at the south edge of Lake Michigan. As the ISS continues northeast, the Aurora Borealis can be seen over Canada.

From the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/

Video courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center





Expedition 30 astronaut Don Pettit uses knitting needles and water droplets to demonstrate physics in space through 'Science off the Sphere.' This is part of the first video in a series for a partnership between NASA and the American Physical Society to share unique videos from the International Space Station with students, educators and science fans from around the world.
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 07/02/2012.

RS Propellant Transfer:
After yesterday's transfer of fuel (UDMH/unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine) transfer from the Progress M-14M/46P cargo ship to the SM BG1 tank (3:22 PM-12:43 AM GMT) with compressor K3 and today's transfer of oxidizer (N2O4 or NTO, nitrogen tetroxide) to SM tank BO2 (2:25 PM-11:47 PM GMT) with compressor K2, another fuel transfer will take place tomorrow (1:28 PM-10:50 PM GMT) to BG1, followed later by oxidizer transfer to BO2, with BITS2-12 onboard realtime telemetry system and VD-SU mode off. [When VD-SU mode is deactivated and BITS is powered down, affected equipment must be turned off to avoid operation in the absence of real-time telemetry. The most notable impacts are:
  1. Elektron oxygen generation system (shutdown by crew or ground).
  2. SKV air conditioning system (shutdown by crew or ground).
  3. Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal unit (no telemetry if in automatic mode, no impact if in manual mode).
  4. BMP micropurification unit (automatically shutdown).
  5. SRV-K condensate water processor (can be shut down by crew or ground, usually not required).
  6. BRI data conversion unit (smart router) is power cycled when VD-SU mode is cycled. After VD-SU activation, the crew may execute a test to assess the impact of VD-SU mode cycling on the BRI.
  7. No dP/dt (pressure change) detection in RS due to the lack of telemetry.
  8. Fire & smoke alarms (audio only) will annunciate onboard in the SM through the C&W panel (PSS) speaker.
  9. Total pressure alarms (audio only) will annunciate onboard in the SM through the C&W panel (PSS) speaker.]
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 08/02/2012.

RS Propellant Transfer:
TsUP-Moscow continued transferring propellants from the Progress M-14M/46P cargo ship's SD tankage today, pumping fuel (UDMH/unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine) to the SM BG2 tank (1:28 PM-10:50 PM GMT) with compressor K3. This will be followed tomorrow by transfer of oxidizer (N2O4 or NTO, nitrogen tetroxide) to SM tank BO2 with compressor K2, with BITS2-12 onboard real time telemetry system and VD-SU mode off.
 
Our beautiful Earth from the ISS.

[ame="http://vimeo.com/32001208"]Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS on Vimeo[/ame]

This video is not so recent, but I couldn't find any post about it. Sorry if this is already posted.

:hailprobe:
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 09/02/2012.

For the Russian EVA-30 from the DC-1 (Docking Compartment-1) airlock, Anton Shkaplerov & Anatoly Ivanishin prepared the Progress M-14M/46P cargo ship, docked at DC-1, for unscheduled (contingency) undocking by ground commanding if required, by removing the two handles (ruchek) from the Progress hatch door and installing the StM docking mechanism in the port.

RS Propellant Transfer:
TsUP-Moscow finishes up today pumping propellants from the Progress M-14M/46P cargo ship's SD tankage, pumping oxidizer (N2O4 or NTO, nitrogen tetroxide) to SM tank BO2 with compressor K2 (12:31 PM-9:54 PM GMT), with BITS2-12 onboard real time telemetry system and VD-SU mode off. This concludes prop transfer operations, during which a total of 540 kg propellants were transferred to the ISS.
 
NASA:
MEDIA ADVISORY : M12-024
NASA TV to Broadcast Space Station Spacewalk Feb. 16

Feb. 10, 2012

HOUSTON -- Two cosmonauts will conduct a five-and-a-half-hour spacewalk Thursday, Feb. 16, to continue outfitting the International Space Station. NASA Television will broadcast the spacewalk beginning at 7:45 a.m. CST.

Expedition 30 Russian Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Anton Shkaplerov will move one of the two Strela cranes from Pirs, the oldest Russian airlock and docking module, to the newer Poisk docking module. The 46-foot boom will be used for future assembly and maintenance work. The duo also will install five debris shields on the Zvezda service module and, if time permits, a small experiment on the forward section of the module, an experiment sample pack on Poisk and support struts on the Pirs ladder.

Both spacewalkers will wear Russian Orlan suits bearing blue stripes and equipped with NASA helmet cameras. They will emerge from the Pirs airlock at about 8:15 a.m.

This spacewalk will be the 162nd in support of space station assembly and maintenance. The last spacewalk occurred Aug. 3, 2011. For Kononenko, it will be his third spacewalk following two in July 2008 during Expedition 17. His two previous spacewalks lasted a total of 12 hours and 12 minutes. It will be Shkaplerov's first spacewalk and the only one scheduled during Expedition 30.

Because of the location of the activities, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and Russian Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin will be isolated in their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft, which is attached to the Poisk module, for the duration of the spacewalk. NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers will be free to move about the U.S. segment of the complex. Their Soyuz TMA-03M is attached to the Rassvet module.

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NASA:
MEDIA ADVISORY : M12-027
Station Astronauts Capture Stunning Views of U.S., Canada, Northern Lights

Feb. 10, 2012

HOUSTON -- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station recently filmed what is among the most spectacular night imagery ever taken from space of the United States. The video, comprised of hundreds of sequential still images, will air on NASA Television's video file beginning today.

The imagery also is available on the internet at NASA's Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth:


Taken between Jan. 29-Feb. 3, the images show a continent ablaze with light, from the electric glow of hundreds of cities to a spectacular aurora borealis flickering on the northern horizon. The video includes flights above Mexico showing the entire Gulf Coast and continuing the length of the East Coast. Other video capture scenes from Brownsville, Texas, to the Great Lakes and above the St. Lawrence Seaway. Still another sequence begins in the western U.S. and continues across the Great Plains.

New imagery also shows the aurora during flights above Canada. The imagery was taken using a still camera aboard the station, orbiting 240 miles above Earth.

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Universe Today: A Continent Ablaze in Auroral and Manmade Light
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 12/02/2012.

Nominal crew schedule was interrupted last night by a critical power loss on the ISS when Channel 3B BCDU (Battery Charge & Discharge Unit) suffered a POR (Power On Reset), cutting off power from essentially one solar array (see Update below). Crew sleep ended at ~12:00 AM GMT (instead 6:00 AM GMT), and the crew spent the night on supporting ground teams in restoring onboard systems. ISS should be fully recovered by about 6:00 PM GMT. The recovery was extremely well executed. Thanks everyone!

ISS Power Loss Update:
The power loss on Channel 3B (i.e., essentially all of solar array 3B) was caused by a POR (Power On Reset) on a major DCSU (Direct Current Switching Unit). This shifted loads upstream to BCDUs (Battery Charge & Discharge Units) and tripped all of the BCDU fuse-type RBI (Remote Bus Isolator) switches. As a result, power was lost to CMG-3 (Control Momentum Gyro-3), Ku-band communication prime antenna, and several MDM (Multiplexer/Demultiplexer) computers with their clients. Ground teams immediately swung into action, monitoring thermal clocks to ensure no components violated their thermal limits, and keeping proper attitude control with the remaining 3 CMGs. After analyzing the problem, flight controllers, with crew support, dove into several hours of repowering systems. The crew was in no danger and the station was stable. As of this morning all major power boxes were back online (one box took two power cycles to recover), and ISS is now almost fully recovered from the event. There are a few minor cleanups needed to restore full station configuration. CMG-3 is presently spinning up and should be back on line at about 6:00 PM GMT. Background: PORs occur occasionally and are considered random events (perhaps radiation induced). The last one, on MBSU-1 (Main Bus Switching Unit-1) was on 11/03/2008, the first time for an MBSU; systems restoration took 3 hrs. The only other POR on a DCSU to date occurred on 02/11/2007, causing loss of Channel 2A (i.e., solar array 2A) with CMG-2 and other critical systems.

Conjunction Advisory:
Flight controllers are monitoring a conjunction with Object 34284 (COSMOS 2251) with a TCA (Time of Closest Approach) Tuesday (02/14) at 1:43 PM GMT. Radial miss distance of this object is ~250m, remaining stable to date. The first decision point (Go/NoGo for maneuver data Cyclogram development) is tomorrow (02/13) at 2:13 AM GMT, for a DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) tomorrow at 11:25 PM GMT, if required.
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 13/02/2012.

Andre Kuipers reviewed background material on the upcoming commissioning of the MARES (Muscle Atrophy Resistive Exercise System) Part 1. [Commissioning will consist of MARES deployment, functional verifications and stowage for Checkout. It will be split in two days with main activities as follows: Day 1: Deployment/connection on ISPR (International Standard Payload Rack) F3 Auxiliary Power, VIF (Vibration Isolation Frame) functional test, battery charge, guided crew procedures load & spares MARES main box hard drive test. Day 2: MARES functional test, battery discharge, disassembly/disconnection, stowage & log files copying.]

Conjunction Update:
Flight controllers are standing down from planning a DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) for tomorrow's (02/14) conjunction with Object 34284 (COSMOS 2251) at 1:43 PM GMT. The debris has moved into the Green zone and is currently no longer of concern.
 
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 14/02/2012.

CD Dan Burbank began another checkout and activities session with Robonaut, today setting up the hardware, powering up Robonaut and performing checkout activities, starting with testing all joints by driving them one at a time to verify their health and proper operation. [The also scheduled checkout of force sensors (by pushing on each forearm in multiple directions) was deferred. Thus, the first-ever handshake in space between a humanoid robot and an Astronaut will have to wait. Robonaut was powered down but remains installed on its stanchion, covered by a protective bag. More activities are scheduled tomorrow.]

Burbank, Don Pettit & Andre Kuipers joined up for a 30-min review of uplinked material dealing with the unusual rates (motions) exhibited by ISS as recorded by instruments of the MCS (Motion Control System). Proposed crew activities will support an ongoing ground investigation of possible causes, and will attempt to mitigate the phenomena, by responding to uplinked crew poll questions, avoiding possible inputs like stronger push-off & landing loads, certain cyclic motions, exercise grounded to ISS main structure, etc. [Unusual rates were first noticed in February 2010 via SAMS (Space Acceleration Measurement System) sensors. An unusual rate is defined by an oscillatory LVLH (Local Vertical/Local Horizontal) rate exceeding 0.003 deg/s with a period of 2.75- 4 sec. Structural Life assessments account for VELO exercise (all other exercise are assumed isolated) and some crew push-off/landing load cycles. Since Soyuz TMA-03M/29S docking, rate limit threshold has been exceeded dozens of times, far more than previous increments, and structures teams on the ground are concerned that ISS structural life may be shortened if this trend continues.]
 
NASA / NASA JPL:
Advanced Communications Testbed for Space Station

February 13, 2012

New and improved ways for future space travelers to communicate will be tested on the International Space Station. The SCaN Testbed, or Space Communications and Navigation Testbed - designed and built at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland over the last three years. - will launch later this year from Japan, for delivery to the Space Station.

The SCaN Testbed will provide an orbiting laboratory on the Space Station for the development of Software Defined Radio technology. Researchers will have the capability to load new software onto these devices even after they've launched. Future space missions will be able to return more scientific information by changing the radio's behavior, allowing for communication with later missions that might use different signals or data formats.

[table="head;width=450"]{colsp=2}
Click on images to enlarge​

|

NASA Glenn Research engineers prepare the SCaN Testbed flight system hardware in Vacuum Facility 6 for rigorous thermal-vacuum testing.
Image Credit: NASA​
|Glenn Research Center engineers and technicians (left to right, clockwise): Joe Kerka, Tom Hudach, Andrew Sexton, and Allan Rybar transport the SCaN Testbed flight system in the West High Bay area of the Power Systems Facility on a dolly cart. The team prepares to perform weight and center of gravity tests on the flight system hardware using lift equipment suspended in the background.
Image Credit: NASA​
[/table]​


The testbed will be the first space hardware to provide an experimental laboratory to demonstrate many new capabilities, including communications, networking and navigation techniques that utilize Software Defined Radio technology. The SCaN Testbed includes three such radio devices, each with different capabilities. Two Software Defined Radios were developed under cooperative agreements with General Dynamics, West Falls Church, Va., and Harris Corp., Melbourne, Fla., and the third was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, Calif. JPL also provided the five-antenna system on the exterior of the testbed, which will be used to communicate with NASA's orbiting communications relay satellites and NASA ground stations across the United States.

These systems will allow researchers to conduct a suite of experiments over the next five years, enabling the advancement of a new generation of space communications.

"Public researchers such as students and professors or industry will have the opportunity to write software to test on the devices, which makes this testbed unique," said Jim Lux, a JPL scientist and SCaN Testbed co-principal investigator. "The NASA/JPL radio has been developed using open source software, and most of the documentation is available to the public."

The SCaN Testbed was developed at Glenn Research Center, which is also responsible for
mission operations, with high-speed ties to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., for real-time command and telemetry interfaces with the Space Station. NASA Johnson Space Center's White Sands Test Facility, Las Cruces, N.M., and Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., will provide Space Network and Near Earth Network communications. JPL provided the radio frequency switching system that connects the five exterior antennas to the radios.

The SCaN Testbed will launch to the International Space Station on Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's H-IIB Transfer Vehicle and be installed by extravehicular robotics to the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-3 on the exterior truss of the Space Station.

The SCaN Testbed will join other NASA network components to help build capabilities for a new generation of space communications for human exploration.

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ESA: Orbital science within reach of the public:
14 February 2012

Under the rubric 'Research in Space for the Benefit of Humankind', ESA is hosting the global International Space Station Symposium 2012, a unique scientific conference and public outreach event in Berlin on 2–4 May.

The symposium will showcase the vital research being done on the International Space Station and participants will discuss the future path and priorities of space research across a broad spectrum of disciplines.

Alongside the professional programme, the public are invited on 3 May to meet astronauts, engineers and scientists and see how orbital science benefits daily life on Earth.


Beyond earthly limits

For more than a decade, scientific research performed on the Space Station and other microgravity platforms has pushed the boundaries of science beyond earthly limits and provided new knowledge that is improving our future.
 ​
From medicine, including cardiology, neuroscience, osteology and immunology, to geophysics, space sciences, biotechnology, astrobiology and education, scientists worldwide are using the unique microgravity conditions offered by the orbital laboratory to obtain results not possible on Earth.
 ​
The symposium's professional programme targets a wide range of invited experts and features presentations of the latest findings by scientists from all five Station partner agencies and researchers worldwide (details on registration for the three-day professional programme via the link on the right).|

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