All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below.

After breakfast and daily planning conference, FE-1/SO Peggy Whitson began her day with science, viz., the second of three ADVASC (advanced astroculture) fluid runs, consisting of the removal of excess fluid from the nutrient reservoir (approximately 300 ml), the soybean seed pods in the growth chamber being mature enough for the ongoing dry-down and preservation phase.

Later, Whitson deactivated the PFMI (pore formation and mobility investigation) hardware and MSG (microgravity science glovebox) video system, removed the finished sample (PFMI-12), loaded the data on a PCMCIA (portable computer memory card international adapter) and removed the video tape. The MSG was later powered down. [The first PFMI processing run yesterday was fully successful. POC (Payload Operations Center) was able to melt and directionally solidify the PFMI-12 sample as planned while observing the movement of bubbles and growth of dendrites in the sample. Post-run images, uplinked to the crew, show streaks in the solid, referred to as "rat tails" by the PFMI team. They are formed when the bubbles in the sample are pushed by the solid/liquid interface during directional solidification. The bubble rides along with the interface and forms a continuous void space in the succinonitrile sample. It means that good science was obtained.]

CDR Valery Korzun completed today's EVARM (extravehicular radiation monitoring) activities. After activating the badge reader, he inserted appropriate badges (three per EVA crewmember) in the reader for a pre-EVA radiation reading, then powered down the system again. Should Korzun and Whitson be called upon to do a contingency spacewalk during 9A, the badges would be inside their spacesuits to collect readings external to the station.

Peggy's ARIS (active rack isolation system) adjustments yesterday have corrected the compensator pushrod hyperextension problem, and MCC-H can proceed with the snubber cup containment test postponed from 9/18. The activity was added to the optional task list.

The crew conducted a one-hour review of the EVA timeline for 9A. It was followed by another hour of gathering and pre-packing 9A equipment and transferring it to suitable staging locations (mostly FGB and Node). Further clarifications were messaged up by MCC-H "pre-pack caretakers".

Valery Korzun worked on Progress M-46 (8P), removing no-longer-needed electronic equipment, viz., a local signal switch device (LKT/TA251) with its ROM memory. Other electronics, i.e., a S-21 matching unit in its container box, will be deinstalled on 9/23 (Monday). [The matching unit and associated TA251 commutator gear provided the electronic interface between the SM and the Progress for SM computer control of the Progress thrusters. It will be returned to Earth and recycled on a future Progress.]

Whitson performed the periodic HMS (health maintenance system) WinSCAT (spaceflight cognitive assessment tool) experiment. Her last session was on 7/8, not long after arriving on board. [WinSCAT is a time-constrained test of cognitive abilities that is routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS [periodic health status] test or on special CDR's, crewmember's or flight surgeon's request.]

The CDRA (carbon dioxide removal system) came through its 24-hr. shakedown test with flying colors, to the great joy of the ECLSS (environment control and life support system) team. Declared fully functional, it was deactivated since Vozdukh is running OK.

The ground also commanded a temperature setpoint change for the Lab IATCS (internal active thermal control system), which provides cooling, so that Whitson could disconnect its LTL (low temperature loop) from the AR (air revitalization rack), preparatory to MCA (major constituent analyzer) maintenance. [The MCA, which determines atmospheric constituent partial pressures, stopped processing yesterday because of what is believed to be an out-of-sync condition between it and its processing computer, the INT MDM (internal multiplexer/demultiplexer). Until troubleshooting is finished, MCA data is invalid.]

At 10:10 am EDT, a maneuver was initiated to turn the ISS to a new attitude, which was determined to be better suitable to the current high solar Beta values, power requirements and Russian constraints. [The new attitude continues XVV (x-axis in velocity vector), but with a 5 deg roll bias towards the sun (i.e., z-axis no longer in local vertical).]

CDR Korzun downlinked the second part of the video data from the Plasma Crystal-3 experiment conducted on 8/2 in the Service Module (SM). The transmission was again executed by the automated daily timeline system (SPP).

On a subsequent comm pass, tagging up with a TsUP specialist via VHF, Korzun conducted a test of the TORU teleoperated approach/docking system for SM and Progress, without involving Progress 8P thrusters.

The pre-emptive refresh of EEPROM (electronically erasable programmable memory) microchips of RPCM (remote power controller modules) 13 BB and 13BC in the Node yesterday was successful. Two more RPCMs will be refreshed over the weekend.

Daily routine servicing tasks were performed by FE-2 Treschev (SM life support systems maintenance; IMS inventory update preparation) and FE-1/SP Whitson (Lab autonomous payloads status checkup).

All crewmembers completed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS, RED and CEVIS.

The task-listed swap-out and reload of two laptops, SSCVT (station support computer for video recorder) and SSC4, was completed by the crew yesterday without problems. [Some files on SSCVT had been suspected to be corrupted.]

With Progress 8P to be undocked on 9/24 (9:58 am EDT) and 9P docking planned for 9/29 (1:07 pm), the ISS will be four days without Progress propulsion to handle potential collision avoidance maneuvers. While the SM thrusters have apparently not been formally certified for this purpose, TsUP (MCC-M) is confirming that appropriate procedures for executing the maneuver are in place, should this become necessary.

TsUP has decided not to request "Canadian" video coverage of 8P undocking and 9P docking by the SSRMS cameras.

Today's targets of the U.S. CEO (crew earth observations) program were Angolan Biomass Burning (visibility was probably poor over the Angolan part of this pass, however both northern Namibia and Botswana should have been good for oblique and limb views of fire conditions there), Industrialized Southeastern Africa (southern Africa has remained under cool high pressure for nearly a week now. As the ISS transected the Vaal River valley, the crew was to try for oblique views either side of track to detect smog palls from the heavy industry there), Johannesburg, South Africa (the crew should have had excellent weather to photograph the industrial city Johannesburg and its southern suburbs), Recife, Brazil (a fair weather pass over this costal city located on Brazil's easternmost bulge, with the target just left of track), Buenos Aires, Argentina (a late season cold front was expected to be well past this target by the time of the pass. Crew should have had excellent near-nadir views of the Argentine capital as well as the large estuary of the Rio de la Plata and even Montevideo, Uruguay on the north shore), Patagonian Glaciers (another storm is approaching from the west, but lighting was excellent and the crew should have been able to use the long lens of the DCS [digital camera system] to photograph details of glaciers of both the Southern and Northern Patagonian Ice Fields, especially on the eastern flanks. On a second and southernmost pass over this target, the crew was to try for oblique, context views of the southern Andes by looking left of track. On a third pass, lighting was still adequate, but the weather was deteriorating from the west. Crew was again to use the long lens of the DCS to concentrate on the visible structures of the glaciers on the eastern flank of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field), Tuamotu Archipelago ( the pass clipped the western end of this target where there is a high concentration of reefs and atolls. Cloudiness was on the increase, but use of the long lens of the DCS to document details of any visible reef structures was recommended), and American Samoa (good lighting and fair weather should allow good nadir views of the reef structures of these beautiful islands. Long lens of the DCS requested for detail).

CEO images can be viewed at the website http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/

Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) and Thermal Control (TCS):
Elektron O2 generator is powered On (16-amp mode), on backup pump. Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is ON in MANUAL cycle mode #5, i.e., 10-min. cycle time (vacuum pump failed). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is offline. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

SM Working Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 75361, temperature (deg C) -- 26.5, ppO2 (mmHg) -- 160.6, ppCO2 (mmHg) -- 0.8.
SM Transfer Compartment: Pressure (mmHg) -- 751, temperature (deg C) -- 20.0.
FGB Cabin: Pressure (mmHg) -- 752, temperature (deg C) -- 22.0.
Node: Pressure (mmHg) -- 747.07, temperature (deg C) -- 22.7 (shell); ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a.
U.S. Lab: Pressure (mmHg) -- 749.26, temperature (deg C) -- 25.2, ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a;
Joint Airlock (Equip. Lock): Pressure (mmHg) -- 749.26, temperature (deg C) -- 24.0; shell heater temp (deg C) -- 23.0, ppO2 (mmHg) -- n/a; ppCO2 (mmHg) -- n/a.
PMA-1: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 22.9
PMA-2: Shell heater temp (deg C) -- 18.4

(n/a = data not available)

Propulsion System (PS): Total propellant load available (SM + FGB) -- 3639 kg (8023 lb).

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B in Autotrack mode (solar-tracking).
SM batteries: Battery data not available.
FGB batteries: Battery #4 is in "Storage" mode (offline), battery #5 is in "Cycle" mode; all other batteries (4) are in "Partial Charge" mode.
Plasma Contactor Unit PCU-1 in Standby mode; PCU-2 in Standby mode.

Thermal Control Systems:
Air conditioner SKV-1 is On; SKV-2 is Off.

Command & Data Handling Systems:
C&C-3 MDM is prime, C&C-2 is back-up, and C&C-1 is in standby.
GNC-2 MDM is prime; GNC-1 is Backup.
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-1 MDM is On (primary); PL-2 MDM is off (cold backup).
APS-1 (automated payload switch #1) and APS-2 are both On.
SM Terminal Computer (TVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.
SM Central Computer (TsVM): 3 redundant lanes (of 3) operational.

Attitude Source:
3 CMGs on-line.
State vector -- US GPS (SIGI string 1)
Attitude -- Russian segment
Angular rates -- US RGA1 (rate gyro assembly 1)

Communications & Tracking Systems:
All Russian communications & tracking systems are nominal.
S-band is operating nominally.
Ku-band is operating nominally.
Audio subsystem operating nominally.
Video subsystem operating nominally.
MCOR (medium-rate communications outage recorder) is operating nominally.

Robotics:
SSRMS/Canadarm2 at MBS PDGF1 (mobile base system/power & data grapple fixture 1) and PDGF2, with Keep Alive power on both strings. SSRMS based on PDGF1 (LEE A, derigidized)
MBS: Keep Alive power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:54am EDT [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 388.5 km
Apogee -- 400.5 km
Perigee -- 376.6 km
Period -- 92.3 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0017667
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60
Solar Beta Angle -- 45.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
Altitude decrease -- 250 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 21889
Current Flight Attitude -- XVV (x-axis in velocity vector, 5.0 deg roll bias [yaw: -10 deg, pitch: -9.5 deg, roll: -5 deg], with CMG momentum management).

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, see
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html

Source: NASA