All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except as noted previously or below. A short day of rest before the new visitors arrive.

After wake-up at the regular 3:30am EST, the crew found "Happy Halloween" wishes from Flight Control, and a few new tasks added to their "job jar" task list.

CDR Valery Korzun performed the daily checkup of the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("plants-2") experiment, which researches growth and development of plants under space flight conditions.

Valery also completed the routine maintenance of the Service Module's SOSh life support system, while FE-1/SO Peggy Whitson checked up on the status of the autonomous Lab payloads (PCG-STES007, CGBA, PGBA).

FE-2 Sergei Treschev meanwhile worked on the SM's toilet system (ASU), replacing the urine receptacle with a new one brought up on Progress 246 (8P).

The crew again had time reserved on today's schedule for preparations for their departure on 11A in November.

All crewmembers performed their daily physical exercise program on TVIS (treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization) and RED (resistive exercise device).

The CDRA (carbon dioxide removal assembly) failed last night during an out-of-comm (LOS) period. Ground engineers began troubleshooting after crew wakeup.

New items that were added to the US task list include a recharge of the battery of the Scopemeter "Natalie" in the SM using the SMPA (SM power adapter) battery charger connected with US cables to the Russian power system. [The SMPA transforms 28 volts direct current to 12VDC for the battery.] Second task list item is a continuation of Peggy Whitson's search for a missing grounding strap. [The only place left for her to look is in a Node portside stowage location which was blocked by 9A pre-pack items the last time this search was performed.]

The ground continued remote troubleshooting of the ARCTIC refrigerators. Whitson's help was needed to restart both ARCTIC-1 and ARCTIC-2.

At 8:40am EST, the crew conducted a 25-min. live interactive TV event with the morning show at KXTV-TV in Sacramento, CA.

Data from the TVIS SDTO (station development test objective) on 10/28 to determine the structural dynamics (vibratory) excitation of the ISS during an operational run on the treadmill were inspected by the IWIS (internal wireless instrumentation system) team and found to be "looking great". There had been problems with radio comm from some RSUs (remote sensor units) but it turns out that all data were collected as planned.

Rendezvous ops by Soyuz TMA-1 (211) continue for tonight's docking at midnight. [At 5:45 pm (all times EST), final data for the automated rendezvous/docking will be uplinked from TsUP during Soyuz Daily Orbit 14 (30 orbits since launch). Air conditioner SKV-1 on the SM will be shut off at 9:30pm. After a BINS (strap-down inertial navigation system) correction with the BOKS star trackers and feathering of FGB and SM solar arrays, Kurs-A on Soyuz will be activated at 9:47pm, followed by Kurs-P activation on the SM two minutes later. Soyuz fly-around and stationkeeping will occur from 10:17-10:37pm, followed by final approach and docking at 00:00am, on Soyuz orbit 34. The approach and docking will be tracked by the two new ETVCGs (external TV camera groups) on the S1 truss (outboard lower camera port 3, CP3) and Lab module (camera port 13, CP13). The SSRMS/Canadarm2 cameras will not be active. After docking, solar arrays will be moded back to tracking, SKV-1 and SKV-2 will be activated, the Elektron will be switched to 50 amps, and the SM batteries will be turned from "full charge" back to "partial charge" mode.]

After interface leak check and air sampling in the SM, a special TV event/ceremony via Moscow's "Ostankino Channel" is planned for hatch opening and crew meeting at 1:26am, at the beginning of RGS (Russian ground site) coverage, to be relayed to Belgium. [Rosaviakosmos and RSC Energia are be represented by Yuri Koptev, Nikolay Moiseyev, and Yuri Semenov. ESA will be represented by Belgian Minister of Economic Affairs and Scientific Research Charles Picqui, Member of Belgian Commission on Scientific Policy Yvan Ylieff, and ESA Director of Strategy and External Relations Jean-Pol Poncelet. The interview will be conducted in Russian, English, French, and Dutch without interpretation.]

After the arrival and before handover of ISS attitude control from Russian thrusters to the US segment, two software patches will be loaded on the two GNC MDMs (guidance, navigation & control multiplexer/demultiplexers, i.e., computers), first onto the backup, then, after a mode swap, on the second MDM. [The patches correct code deficiencies which caused the GNC MDMs to fail on 9/24, when they received an anomalous "not a number" (NAN) value from the SIGI (space integrated GPS/inertial navigation system), against which the GNCs were not protected by an exception handler, causing them to switch to Diagnostics mode.]

Today's CEO (crew earth observations) targets: Western Mediterranean Dust and Smog (as ISS tracked across the northern regions of Spain, the crew was to try for oblique and limb views left of track to document aerosols and smog over the prominent islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Italian coastal views should be visible as well), Eastern Mediterranean Dust and Smog (satellite weather imagery indicated clear areas over the Libyan-Egyptian coasts. Good opportunity to detect dust plumes blowing off North Africa), Congo-Zimbabwe Biomass Burning (first sufficient pass over the savanna/rainforest margin in a few days. Crew was to look right of track for any remaining fire scars from the season's burning and to capture oblique views of any aerosols), and Angolan Biomass Burning (clearing weather at the Angolan coast should yield good opportunity to observe any fires and recent burn scars). [Note: target lists are short during XPOP attitude because the number of viewing opportunities from nadir-facing window is quite limited. Since most of CEO science targets require nadir views, targets are mostly atmospheric phenomena, sun glint conditions of targets or dynamic events where oblique views are preferred].

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 (32 Amp mode, on backup pump). Vozdukh CO2 scrubber is ON in AUTO air flow mode (ppCO2 limit: 4 mmHg). U.S. CDRA CO2 scrubber is Off (failed). TCCS is operational. BMP Harmful Impurities unit: Absorbent bed #1 in Purify mode, bed #2 in Purify mode.

Propulsion System (PS): Total propellant load available (SM + FGB + Progress) -- 3903 kg (8605 lb) [as of 10/24/02].

Electrical Power Systems (EPS):
Both P6 channels fully operational. Beta Gimbal Assembly (BGA) 2B and BGA 4B in Autotrack mode (solar-tracking).
SM batteries: All batteries (8) are in "Full Charge" mode (late afternoon).
FGB batteries: Battery #1 is offline; battery #6 is cycling; 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.
EXT-1 is On (primary), EXT-2 is off.
LA-1, LA-2 and LA-3 MDMs are all operating.
PL-1 MDM is On (primary); PL-2 MDM is off (diagnostic
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 -- U.S. SIGI-1
Attitude -- Russian segment (RS)
Angular rates -- U.S. RGA-1 (from RS attitude)

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 PDGF3 (mobile base system/power & data grapple fixture 3) and 11A park position, with Keep Alive power on both strings.
MBS: Keep Alive power on both strings. POA: Keep Alive power on both strings.
RWS (robotics workstations): Lab RWS is Off; Cupola RWS is Off.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:10am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 394.4 km
Apogee -- 404.4 km
Perigee -- 384.4 km
Period -- 92.45 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0014728
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.58
Solar Beta Angle -- -49.3 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Altitude loss -- 200 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 22524
Current Flight Attitude -- XPOP (x-axis perpendicular to orbit plane = "sun-fixed" [yaw: -5.0, pitch: -8.6 deg., roll: 0.4 deg]),with CMG/Thruster Assist 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