[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #41

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Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC





International Space Station Status Report #02-41 
4:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, September 13, 2002 
Expedition Five Crew

The fifth resident crew on the International Space Station completed 100
days in space at 4:23 p.m. CDT today as it wrapped up a week that saw the
first-ever on orbit operational use of ultrasound for medical diagnosis.
The busy week also included completion of the first materials science
experiment in the station's new Microgravity Sciences Glovebox, a reboost
of the station's orbital altitude, and a day of robotic arm activity. 

This morning Expedition Five Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson set up and
activated the ultrasound equipment at the Human Research Facility rack in
the Destiny laboratory, then with guidance from flight surgeons in
Houston, used it on herself to capture live video images for more than
four hours. The ability to capture and downlink ultrasound imagery from
orbit expands the kinds of medical research that can be conducted in
space by scientists on Earth, and could offer physicians the chance to
diagnose ailments in space station crewmembers earlier than they could
otherwise. This possibly could improve the chances of effectively
treating the problem without requiring an emergency deorbit of the crew
and abandonment of the station. 

Whitson completed another research milestone on Wednesday when she
removed the last sample of the experiment known as SUBSA (Solidification
Using Baffle in Sealed Ampoules), the first science project conducted
inside the Destiny lab's new Microgravity Sciences Glovebox.
Investigators observed via videotape as semiconductor materials were
melted inside a transparent furnace. They are investigating methods for
reducing the magnitude of motions in those melting materials as a means
of reducing defects in the manufacture of semiconductors. The next MSG
experiment, which begins operation next week, is PFMI (Pore Formation and
Mobility Investigation), in which scientists will observe the formation
and movement of bubbles trapped in melting metal and crystal samples,
which might diminish material strength and effectiveness. 

Thursday, Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Whitson used the
station's Canadarm2 to visually examine the Common Berthing Mechanism on
the nadir (Earth pointing) side of the Unity module. The examination was
prompted by the discovery of some foreign object debris on the CBM of the
Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that was docked to Unity during
the most recent shuttle mission in June. During a three-hour procedure,
the station crewmembers gathered close-up views of Unity's berthing port
with its protective petals closed and open. Specialists in Houston are
reviewing the images along with crewmember descriptions to determine if
any action is required. 

Wednesday night Russian flight controllers commanded a firing of
thrusters on the Progress cargo craft docked to the aft end of Zvezda,
raising the station's average altitude by 1.5 nautical miles to 243
statute miles (391 kilometers). The reboost sets the stage for the
arrivals of a new Progress resupply ship, targeted to launch from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 24, and a new Soyuz rescue craft,
planned to launch on Oct. 28 carrying a "taxi" crew consisting of Russian
cosmonaut Sergei Zalyotin and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De
Winne of Belgium. 

Along with getting time for rest and family conferences last weekend, the
station crewmembers fashioned a temporary grounding strap for the Active
Rack Isolation System in the Destiny laboratory's Express Rack No. 2
using standard grounding straps found in the lab's zero-g stowage racks.
This temporary repair, permitting ARIS activation for operations
recalibration, became necessary when the original strap became frayed.
New hardware to finalize this repair is being scheduled for delivery to
the station on the next shuttle flight. 

The shuttle that next will visit the International Space Station moved to
Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday for final
preparation for the next assembly mission (9A). STS-112 is targeted for
an Oct. 2 launch on a flight to install the next component of the
station's Integrated Truss Structure, the S1 Truss, during three planned
spacewalks. The move to the launch pad was completed following
replacement of bearings in the Jacking, Equalization and Leveling
cylinders of shuttle Crawler Transporter No. 2. 

Next week Korzun and Whitson are expected to return to maintenance of the
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the Destiny laboratory, which is still
scrubbing the station's environment of carbon dioxide despite indications
of interior leaks. Troubleshooting by flight controllers in Houston led
to the conclusion that the desiccant valves in the Desiccant/Sorbent Bed
Assemblies are seated properly, and that a leak is likely in one of the
hydroflow lines; a visual inspection of that area by Whitson confirmed
the analysis. Time should be scheduled for Korzun and Whitson next week
to open the system rack housing CDRA, as they did when they replaced one
of the sorbent bed assemblies in July, to make repairs. 

Information on the crew's activities aboard the space station, future
launch dates, as well as station sighting opportunities from anywhere on
Earth, is available on the Internet at: 

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov 

Details on station science operations can be found on an Internet site
administered by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., at: 

http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov 

The next ISS status report will be issued on Friday, Sept. 20, or sooner
if events warrant. 



 

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