[sarex] ISS Info

["Robert O" <n2xzs@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Provided by space daily

Zvezda Does The
Orbital Dance
Korolev - July 19, 2000 - The International Space Station (ISS) and Zvezda 
service module continue their orbital ballet with all systems on both 
spacecraft in excellent shape leading toward a planned docking at 8:53 p.m. 
Eastern Time, July 25.
Since the last report, Zvezda's secondary computer system was tested to 
verify its ability to receive commands from the ground and to notify the 
Mission Control Center here in Korolev that it received those commands. The 
Regul system has two identical 'sets' and both now have proven to be in 
excellent shape.

Yesterday aboard the ISS, the Zarya control module performed two small 
correction burns lasting five seconds each, which raised the station's orbit 
by about two miles (3.3 km). Each was about two miles per hour, or one meter 
per second.

The engine firings were part of a two-orbit simulation of all events leading 
to the actual docking. The first occurred at 10:59 p.m. EDT Monday and the 
second was at 12:25 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

The simulation of docking night activities included testing the automatic 
docking system called Kurs. Though full data analysis from the test still is 
ongoing, Russian flight controllers reported that both the prime and 
secondary systems operated as expected.

The next scheduled rendezvous maneuver is by Zvezda and is scheduled for 
10:24 tonight EDT. This will be the first correction burn performed by the 
module after the two major altitude adjust burns that occurred five days 
ago.

Russian 'ballistics' engineers are continuing to refine the planned duration 
and velocity change, but it is presently designed to be about 15 seconds in 
duration with a change in velocity of about 10 miles per hour, or 4.5 meters 
per second.

Today, while Zvezda and the ISS are out of communications range, Russian and 
American flight controllers will conduct a simulation for the docking of the 
next vehicle with the station - the first Progress M1 supply spacecraft.

Engineers presently are at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, loading 
the Progress with supplies and equipment destined for use by the first 
resident crew of the ISS scheduled to arrive in the fall.

The Progress will be launched on a Soyuz rocket. It presently is scheduled 
to be launched about Aug. 6 with docking two days later. The Progress will 
be unloaded by the crew of the next space shuttle to visit scheduled for mid 
September.

Tomorrow, controllers will review telemetry data on the battery current in 
each of the five onboard powerplants. Each produces electricity for use by 
equipment onboard. This energy is obtained by the twin solar arrays, which 
gather the Sun's energy and transfers it to the batteries.

On Friday, a docking test will be performed that includes conducting a 
mechanical capture test of Zvezda's docking mechanism. This test will verify 
the operation of the software and mechanical systems associated with 
docking.

As of Noon EDT Monday, Zvezda had completed 120 orbits of the Earth since 
its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 12.


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