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EXP 14 Crew Relocates Soyuz Spacecraft
by Arthur Rowe 11 Oct '06

11 Oct '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AC #31468 The Expedition 14 crew members boarded their Soyuz spacecraft Tuesday for a short move. With Soyuz Commander Tyurin at the controls, they undocked from the Zvezda port at 3:14 p.m. EDT and redocked to the Earth-facing Zarya module port at 3:34 p.m. This relocation frees the Zvezda's docking port for the arrival of a new Russian Progress cargo spacecraft later this month. One of the station's four Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) used to maintain the station’s orientation in space was shut down early Tuesday after exceeding the allowed vibration limit. Only three CMGs are needed to properly maintain the station's orientation. Ground controllers will monitor the CMG and perform additional diagnostic testing.

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Mn. Astronaut Stefanyshyn-Piper Set for Interviews
by Arthur Rowe 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT AC #31468 > Oct. 10, 2006 > > James Hartsfield > Johnson Space Center, Houston > 281-483-5111 > > Gray Hautaluoma > Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0668 > > > > MINNESOTA ASTRONAUT STEFANYSHYN-PIPER SET FOR INTERVIEWS > > NASA astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, a Minnesota native who > performed two spacewalks during the Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission > in September, is available for satellite interviews from 7:30 to 9 > a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 13. > > Stefanyshyn-Piper and fellow spacewalker Joe Tanner installed a > 17.5-ton, bus-sized new section of a girder-like truss on the > International Space Station. Called the P3/P4 truss, the new > component includes a second set of huge solar arrays for the station > and a first giant rotary joint to allow the panels to follow the sun. > > > A native of St. Paul, Stefanyshyn-Piper is only the seventh woman to > have walked in space. Her flight, designated shuttle mission STS-115, > began a series of station assembly flights as challenging and complex > as any in space history. > > Piper's interviews will be carried > live on the NASA TV analog satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west > longitude; transponder 5C, 3800 MHz, vertical polarization, with > audio at 6.8 MHz. > > For information about STS-115 and its crew, visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle > > For Piper's biographical information, visit: > > http://www11.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/stefanys.html > > > > >

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2 Line ISS Keps 10-10
by Dave Larsen PhD 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

ISS 1 25544U 98067A 06282.93793891 .00017929 00000-0 11255-3 0 8294 2 25544 051.6369 316.3023 0013283 078.3109 340.1773 15.76742132451266

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2 Line ISS Keps 10-9
by Dave Larsen PhD 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

ISS 1 25544U 98067A 06282.31203318 .00018574 00000-0 11656-3 0 8232 2 25544 051.6363 319.5279 0013233 075.8149 027.4861 15.76720193451164

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2 Line ISS Keps 10-8
by Dave Larsen PhD 08 Oct '06

08 Oct '06

ISS 1 25544U 98067A 06280.83315972 .00017644 00000-0 11122-3 0 8153 2 25544 051.6380 327.1528 0013277 071.1247 272.2800 15.76661008450926

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Great eyeball of ISS
by Tony, VK5ZAI 07 Oct '06

07 Oct '06

My first eyeball sighting of the ISS since the new solar panels have been installed. The previous passes have been obscured by cloud from my QTH. It was a great sight tonight, almost overhead and a clear sky. -- Regards Tony. VK5ZAI J.A.(Tony)Hutchison P.O.Box 470 Kingston SE South Australia 5275 Australian ARISS Co-ordinator and Satellite ground Station. Web Site :- http://www.electric-web.org

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Smoking Out Space Fires: ON THE ISS
by Arthur Rowe 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT AC #31468 Smoking Out Space Fires: NASA Study Helps Prevent Fires in Space If you've ever burned your dinner, you know how startling a smoke alarm can be. Now, imagine you're 220 miles away from Earth in an orbiting lab when the alarm sounds. Fires are no laughing matter on Earth, but in space they could be even more devastating. "If a chair is on fire in your home, you have time to get out. In a spacecraft, you don't," said NASA scientist Dr. David Urban. "You have to detect smoke in an early pre-fire state, so you can stop it before it starts." This may not sound like a major challenge. After all, household smoke detectors are mass produced and inexpensive. But detecting smoke in space isn't quite so simple. Smoke detectors work by looking for particles in the air that are about the same size as the particles normally found in smoke. However, a 1996 NASA Glenn study showed that smoke particles in space are bigger than those on Earth. "Smoke particles form differently in microgravity than they do on the ground," said William Sheredy, project manager for the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME). "When smoke is created in microgravity, the particles have more time to gather together, producing larger particles or particle chains than in normal gravity." So far, nobody knows exactly how big those particles are. That's why the NASA Glenn team created SAME. This space station experiment will burn samples of materials normally found in space -- like Teflon, silicon, cellulose and Kapton -- and then measure the size of the particles in the smoke. Engineers will use this information to design the next generation of spacecraft smoke detectors. As NASA often does, the team used several commercial parts to build the experiment. One of those parts, the P-Trak, was made by Minnesota company TSI. Designed to measure air quality, this small handheld device is capable of counting individual smoke particles. It's also the perfect size and weight for a space station experiment. There's just one catch: It wasn't designed for space. P-Trak works by passing air through a heated chamber of vaporous alcohol. When the air is cooled, the alcohol condenses around dust particles much like water condenses on a cold glass. This makes the particles large enough that an optical sensor can detect them as they scatter light from a laser beam. "We were concerned because gravity assists in the circulation of the alcohol inside the device," Sheredy said. "We weren't sure it would work properly in the absence of gravity." So the scientists modified the device by carving tiny grooves inside its chambers to improve the flow of alcohol in microgravity. Of course, the scientific method requires every theory to be tested, and this experiment was no exception. Before they could use the device in SAME, the team had to be sure the modification would work. To do so, they created another space station experiment called the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT), to test the modified P-Trak. In September, astronaut and Expedition 13 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams operated DAFT on the station. Urban, Sheredy and other DAFT team members watched in real time as Williams called in the recordings to Payload Communications. The results showed that the commercial particle counter works in space. "It was really exciting. For people who work on projects like we do, days like this are highlights in our careers," said Sheredy. "From beginning to end, DAFT took about 3.5 years, and it all came down to about six hours of operation." Those crucial six hours brought the team one step closer to understanding the nature of space smoke and improving NASA's detectors. They look forward to another career highlight next summer when their primary experiment, SAME, is scheduled to travel to the station aboard the space shuttle. FOR PHOTOS GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/space_smoke.html Jan Wittry (SGT, Inc.) NASA's Glenn Research Center

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ISS STATUS REPORT #06-43
by Arthur Rowe 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT AC #31468 *International Space Station Status Report #06-43* *3 p.m. CDT – Friday, Oct. 6, 2006* *Expedition 14 Crew* Expedition 14 completed its first full week solo on the International Space Station performing standard early mission checks and drills plus some equipment troubleshooting. Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin have been aboard the station for 19 days, while Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency is in his third month in orbit. Along with other work, the crew members prepared this week for a short trip away from the station next week, when they will fly the Soyuz spacecraft from one docking port to another. Early in the week, the crew conducted a check of procedures required to exit the station in an emergency, ensuring all necessary equipment is in place. Throughout the week, time was set aside for Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin to familiarize themselves with the station and its operations. They started several new scientific activities and medical checks. Lopez-Alegria began his first session with the nutrition experiment. He collected blood and urine samples and began logging all of his food and drinks consumed. The experiment, which tracks many vitamins and minerals essential for good health, is the most comprehensive in-flight study to date of human physiological changes during long-duration spaceflight. The information will help define nutritional requirements and food systems for future missions to the moon and Mars. Lopez-Alegria also supported the Passive Observatories for Experimental Microbial Systems in Micro-G, or POEMS experiment, by storing the next set of samples into the Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS, or MELFI. MELFI is a cold storage unit that maintains experiment samples at temperatures of minus 80 degrees Celsius, minus 26 degrees Celsius or 4 degrees Celsius throughout a mission. POEMS will evaluate the effect of stress in the space environment on the generation of genetic variation in model microbial cells. NASA’s payload operations team at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., coordinates U.S. science activities on the station. On Friday, all crew members performed a normal periodic fitness evaluation, exercising on a stationary bicycle aboard the station and measuring heart rate and blood pressure. One new scientific investigation began with Reiter as part of his evaluation. An oxygen uptake monitor provided by the European Space Agency was used to measure Reiter's oxygen consumption, a key parameter that can be used to measure fitness. The fitness evaluations are conducted once a month. Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin also checked emergency medical equipment and supplies, a check done early in each crew's flight. Tyurin spent time mid-week continuing to troubleshoot the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system. The system converts water into oxygen to replenish the cabin air. It has not been functional since it overheated just before Expedition 14 arrived. The crew replaced components in an Elektron control panel this week, but problems with its operation persisted. Russian engineers are evaluating the system and further repairs may wait until the next supply ship arrives with additional parts. The next Progress cargo craft is set to launch later this month. Plentiful oxygen supplies are available on the station. Oxygen is now being replenished in the cabin from tanks located on the Quest airlock. U.S. flight controllers are evaluating a vibration seen in one of the station's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) this week. The electrically powered CMGs maintain the station's orientation so that thrusters and limited fuel do not need to be used for that purpose. The vibrations were first observed Sept. 28 as a station maneuver was performed using thrusters. The gyroscope, CMG-3, was taken offline to allow additional testing. Since then, controllers have run various tests with CMG-3 to better characterize the intermittent vibrations, and engineers have determined it could be put back online and in normal operation, if needed. Only three CMGs are necessary to properly maintain the station's orientation. The station crew members will board the Soyuz spacecraft docked at the rear of the Zvezda living quarters module on Tuesday to prepare for the short move. NASA Television will cover the activity live beginning at 1:45 p.m. CDT(1845 UTC). With Soyuz Commander Tyurin at the controls, they will undock from the Zvezda port at 2:14 p.m. and redock to the Earth-facing Zarya module port at 2:39 p.m. CDT. The next status report will be issued Friday, Oct. 13, or earlier if events warrant. For more about the crew's activities and station sighting opportunities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

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ARISS TEAM "ALWAYS ON A ROLL,"
by Arthur Rowe 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT AC #31468 REPRINTED FROM ARRL WEEKLY- " NO ACTIVITY FROM ISS" > > ==>ARISS TEAM "ALWAYS ON A ROLL," ARRL LIAISON SAYS > > Recent meetings with NASA officials have laid the foundation for the > future > of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program > <http://www.rac.ca/ariss> and, at the same time, garnered accolades for > Amateur Radio. Sponsorship of the ARISS program is moving from NASA > Headquarters to Johnson Spaceflight Center (JSC) in Houston, and ARISS > International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and ARISS International > Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, recently held planning sessions > with various JSC offices. White described the sessions as "stepping > stones" > to the realization of future ARISS projects and programs. > > "The ARISS Team continues to be on a roll with new and exciting > aspects to > plan and develop," White said. "It isn't just daydreaming. It is > dreams that > turn into reality for hundreds of thousands of youths, thousands hams and > even most astronauts!" Accompanying Bauer and White on the visits were > Bauer's deputy, Mark Steiner, K3MS, and NASA ISS Ham Radio Project > Engineer > Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO. > > The ARISS team's first stop was the ISS Program Office to review a new, > nearly completed NASA-ARISS charter. The ISS Program Office's Carlos > Fontanot confirmed that the ARISS team will be charged with overseeing > all > Amateur Radio-in-space activities, no matter what ham radio group > initiates > them, White said. > > At the JSC Education Office, the ARISS delegation discussed the > transition > of ARISS sponsorship from NASA Headquarters to JSC. They met with > Education > Leader Cynthia McArthur -- wife of astronaut and ISS Expedition 12 > Commander > Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. Bauer and White asked McArthur to thank her > husband > for thrilling thousands of hams by getting on the air so often during his > ISS mission. McArthur said she was impressed by the number of > Expedition 12 > Google hits that mentioned Amateur Radio. > > The ARISS delegation also met with ISS Expedition 9 astronaut Mike > Fincke, > KE5AIT. "He made it very plain that he truly enjoyed getting on the > air for > ragchew QSOs and being interviewed by school children about the ISS," > said > White. "He expressed the hope that all astronauts will earn their ham > licenses and be able to realize the same pleasures he got from hamming." > > Fincke told the ARISS team that he found ARISS to be both exciting > and, as > an educational outreach program, a great global teaching tool. He > recounted > that when he missed his family and friends while on orbit, he'd grab the > NA1SS mike and call CQ, finding hams all over the world just waiting > to make > a contact with him. "ARISS lets the ISS crew make contacts with unknown > citizens. A crew member needs that," he told Bauer and White. > > Huddling later with Al Holt of the JSC Space Operations Sponsored > Experiments Office, Bauer and White said they'd like to an ARISS role > in the > "Moon, Mars and Beyond" initiative. They cited Amateur Radio's > potential as > a valuable tool to people living on the moon for several months at a > time. > > "Moon-base hamming could be similar to hamming in Antarctica," White > said. > "ARISS is the foundation for worlds of opportunity. The ARISS Team is > cautiously optimistic that it will be supporting Moon, Mars & Beyond." > > The ARISS Team also consulted with Steve VanderArk, KC5WKH. He heads the > Wyle Labs team of contractors that schedules the astronauts' workdays. > Once > the exploration initiative ramps up, he said, the ISS Program Office will > schedule many construction-related flights. He pointed out that while the > busy crews may not have as much time for Amateur Radio, more of them > will be > available to do ARISS QSOs. "ARISS makes a huge impact on the crew and on > education," Vanderark said. > >

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2 Line ISS Keps 10-5
by Dave Larsen PhD 05 Oct '06

05 Oct '06

ISS 1 25544U 98067A 06277.98593750 .00017365 00000-0 11006-3 0 7999 2 25544 051.6377 341.8330 0012852 060.1235 312.1298 15.76560478450484

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