[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT #04-17

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat #31468


Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington                    June 29, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-4769)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS04-017

     Mission managers are giving the green light for 
crewmembers to try again Wednesday to repair a circuit 
breaker on the exterior of the International Space Station 
(ISS). The goal of tomorrow's spacewalk is restore power to a 
gyroscope that helps control the Station's orientation in 
orbit.

The Expedition 9 crew's first spacewalk was cut short last 
Thursday when flight controllers in Moscow noticed almost 
immediately an unexpectedly high rate of pressure loss in the 
primary oxygen bottle on Astronaut Mike Fincke's Russian 
spacesuit.

Based on analysis, testing and troubleshooting by the crew, 
managers concluded the excessive oxygen pressure drop was 
caused by an open oxygen flow switch on Fincke's suit. The 
switch was not fully seated into the normal flow position 
before the spacewalk started, causing an unexpectedly swift 
flow of oxygen from the primary oxygen bottle into Fincke's 
spacesuit. Russian technicians concluded that it was an 
isolated event and gave the crew approval to use the same 
suits for tomorrow's rescheduled spacewalk. The spacewalk 
procedures have been updated to provide additional crew 
verification steps to ensure the handle is properly 
positioned.

The two spacewalkers will restore power to Control Moment 
Gyroscope (CMG) #2 by replacing a Remote Power Controller 
Module (RPCM). CMG #2 was taken off line April 21 by the 
failure of a circuit breaker in the RPCM.  Currently, because 
of the failure of CMG #1 about two years ago, the attitude of 
the Station is being controlled by the two remaining CMGs.

Coverage and commentary of the spacewalk will begin June 30 
at 4:30 p.m. EDT. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 5:40 
p.m. The excursion is expected to last up to six hours.

Because the spacewalk will be occurring at the same time the 
Cassini-Huygens spacecraft is arriving at Saturn, coverage of 
the spacewalk will be broadcast on AMC-9, Transponder 5, C-
band, 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization, 3800 
MHz with audio at 6.8 MHz. Cassini's mission will be seen on 
NASA Television's regular satellite channel, AMC-9, 
Transponder 9, 85 degrees west longitude, vertical 
polarization, 3880 MHz with audio at 6.8 MHz.

Both the spacewalk and Cassini programs will be broadcast 
live on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA and agency missions on the 
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Information about crew activities on the Space Station, 
future launch dates and Station sighting opportunities from 
Earth, is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

Details about Station science operations are available on an 
Internet site administered by the Payload Operations Center 
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., 
at:

http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/



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