Today is the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Service Module "Zvezda" (launched on 12/07/2000)!
Here's to another 10 years!
Roscosmos PAO: "The ISS Service Module Flew to the Station 10 Years Ago".
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From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 12/07/2010:
FE-2 Tracy Caldwell-Dyson & FE-4 Doug Wheelock continued the IFM (Inflight Maintenance) on the CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly), finishing up CDRA back bed (#201) installation by mating the fluid, power, and data connections. [Remaining work includes installation of the hydraflow connectors (when the AR (Air Revitalisation) racks are swapped) and to clean the Node 3 AR rack AAA (Avionics Air Assembly), not required for Node 3 CDRA activation. All beds are installed and the rack swap will be scheduled in the next few weeks. The rack that is in Node 3 does not work in Node 3 so it has to move to the lab. This is due to 1553 comm. connection issues.]
Tracy unstowed, configured and installed the US EK (EarthKAM) hardware, for the first time in the unpowered WORF (Window Observational Research Facility) for a new session, powered by a Ku-band power supply unit. Unfortunately, errors were encountered on the laptop and the setup could not be completed. Over 50 schools have already signed up to participate.
FE-6 Shannon Walker unstowed the new NASA CubeLab-1 hardware and installed it for operation, then recorded documentary video of the setup and ensuing operations. [CubeLab is a low cost 1kg platform for educational projects. It is a multipurpose research facility that interfaces small standard modules into the ERs (ExPrESS Racks). The modules can be used within the pressurised space station environment on orbit, with a nominal length, width, and height of 100mm and a mass of no more than 1g. Up to 16 CubeLab modules can be inserted into a CubeLab insert inside an ER.]
FE-3 Mikhail Kornienko & FE-5 Fyodor Yurchikhin had ~3 hours set aside for an in-depth review of their upcoming EVA-25 (26/07).
Meanwhile, Shannon spent about an hour on gathering US EVA tools which will be supporting the Mikhail & Fyodor on their EVA.
Doug worked in the US A/L (Airlock) on his and Tracy's EMUs (Extravehicular Mobility Units), setting up EMUs #3010 & #3011 with their SCUs (Service & Cooling Umbilicals) and initiated the standard one-hour scrubbing process on the spacesuits’ cooling water loops, filtering ionic and particulate matter (via a 3 micron filter), then reconfigured the cooling loops and started the ~2 hour biocide filtering. [Loop scrubbing, including iodination of the LCVGs (Liquid Cooling & Ventilation Garments) for biocidal maintenance, is done to eliminate any biomass and particulate matter that may have accumulated in the loops.]
OGA Update:
The OGA (Oxygen Generator Assembly) H2 (Hydrogen) Dome ORU (Orbital Replacement Unit) is considered failed. The path forward is to finalize procedures to flush the acidic water from the current OGA recirculation loop and then replace the H2 Dome with the onboard unit. Currently, O2 (Oxygen) is at 158mmHg; Russian Elektron is on in 31 Amp mode.
---------- Post added 13th Jul 2010 at 08:20 PM ---------- Previous post was 12th Jul 2010 at 11:51 PM ----------
Here's some great images of Soyuz TMA-19 docked to MRM-1!
Hi-res version.
Hi-res version.
---------- Post added at 11:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 PM ----------
From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 13/07/2010:
Today Sasha, Misha & Tracy have their 100th day on orbit. Congrats!
Wheels performed the first steps of the scheduled X2R9 software transition, installing the first two R13 HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) with the upgrade in two PCS (Portable Computer System) laptops, followed by power-up and network connection. Four remaining R13 HDDs were installed later in the day. The old R12 drives and one spare R13 drive stowed. [MCC-H continued the transition of the C&C (Command & Control) MDM (Multiplexer/Demultiplexer) software to CCS (Command & Control System) R9, the Node 1 MDMs to NCS R4, the Payload MDMs to R9, and the PCS software step-up to PCS R13. The current C&C MDM configuration is as follows: C&C3 is prime, loaded with R9, C&C2 is backup, loaded with R8, C&C1 is standby with the new load but will be transitioned to backup this evening by ground controllers. Transitions activities will continue tomorrow.]
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Roscosmos PAO: "ISS USOS Oxygen Generation System is Still Off".
The OGS (Oxygen Generation System) in the US section of the station is currently down. The leading cause of the system's failure is believed to be contamination of the membranes in the H2 (Hydrogen) dome. The pH of the water in the loop is around 4.0, which is causing a breakdown of some of the materials used in the construction of the dome leading to the contamination of the membranes. Teams in Houston are working on a plan to scrub the recirculation water loop before replacing the H2 dome with a spare kept aboard the station. The water scrub procedure also will be used to bring the pH up to a more neutral level. The oxygen level on the station will be maintained via Elektron and Progress tanks. Procedures to restore the OGS are expected to begin by the end of the week.