Updates ISS UPDATES

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NASA:
Dextre's Final Exam Scheduled for December 22-23, 2010


On December 22-23, 2010, Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency’s robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), will undertake a series of tasks that will officially certify the robot for duty.

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A computer simulation showing Dextre picking up the cargo transport carrier. Credit: Canadian Space Agency​

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Since launched in 2008, Dextre has completed several rounds of tests as part of its certification process. These steps are essential to test the Dextre’s systems and performance, since the robot could not be assembled and tested in Earth’s gravity.

Dextre will ride on the end of Canadarm2 to the External Logistic Carrier (ELC2) on the starboard side of the ISS. Dextre will then relocate a storage box known as a Cargo Transport Carrier, a generic platform for ISS cargo and payloads, containing ten circuit breaker boxes (remote power control modules). Dextre will begin by picking up the 442-kg cargo transport carrier and placing the box on its workbench. While still riding on the end of Canadarm2, Dextre will install the cargo transport carrier at its new location a short distance away.

The move will create more space in the vicinity for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, scheduled for delivery on STS-134, the final space shuttle flight, in 2011. It will also serve as a dry run for Dextre’s first official task when it will unload the External Pallet from Japan’s HTV-2 spacecraft (a space “moving van” that carries supplies to the ISS) in early February 2011.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Here's a graphic of the SPDM ops. from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 22/12/2010.

FE-5 Paolo Nespoli closed the protective shutters of the Lab, JPM & Cupola windows to prevent thruster plume contamination from the ISS reboost at 3:15 PM GMT.

In the Cupola, Paolo reloaded the RWS (Robotic Workstation) PCS (Portable Computer System) laptop with new software from a DVD from the CD Library in an effort to eliminate a software error seen a few weeks ago. [After Paolo had reloaded the PCS via a CD, MCC-Houston uploaded two corrective patches.]

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Roscosmos PAO: "Russia's Mission Control Raises ISS Orbit by 4.2 km".

Russia's Mission Control has adjusted the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by raising it 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles), a spokesman for the control center said on Wednesday, RIA Novosti informed.
"The maneuver was carried out to ensure the best conditions for the docking of [Russia's] Progress M-09M space freighter and the [U.S.] Discovery shuttle using eight thrusters of the Progress M-07M cargo spacecraft [currently] docked with the station's Zvezda module," the spokesman said.
He added that the ISS orbit has been raised to 352.9 km (219 miles).
Reboosts to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically before launches of Russian cargo ships and U.S. shuttles to compensate for the Earth's gravity and to safeguard successful dockings.
Russia's Progress M-09M space freighter is scheduled for launch on January 28, while the final Discovery shuttle is expected to depart for the ISS on February 3, 2011.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Space News: "ESA Unable To Secure Commitment to Station Extension".

Once again I see that European politicians are firmly supporting modern science, exploration & discovery. :dry:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Space News: "ESA Unable To Secure Commitment to Station Extension".

Once again I see that European politicians are firmly supporting modern science, exploration & discovery. :dry:

I'm becoming afraid that Energia will have to fulfill their promise to provide for RSOS autonomous flying when it becomes too bothersome to stay a single space station... :hmm:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Roscosmos PAO: "ISS Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka Celebrates His Birthday Today".

ISS-26 flight engineer Oleg Skripochka celebrates his birthday today. Skripochka turns 41.
As usual for an ISS crew member, Skripochka will take part in many operations today.
These include Uragan, Econ and Matreshka experiments. ISS flight engineer will perform studies of ground catastrophe monitoring system validation, ecological monitoring and investigation of radiation effects onboard the station.
In the evening, following the tradition, the ISS crew will get together to have a party dinner.
Oleg Skripochka is making his first space mission since Oct. 2010.

Oleg Skripochka's bio >>

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

I've been waiting for this photo for a while. All 4 CQs installed around Node 2 Bay 5! :thumbup:

Hi-res version.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 23/12/2010.

Working on the ASN-M satellite navigation system in the SM (Service Module), FE-1 Alexander Kaleri replaced the two NVM-1,2 navigation computer modules behind panel 228 with new units from stowage in MRM-1. [The ASN-M satellite navigation system, Russia's equivalent of the US GPS, will be required for the arrival of the European ATV-2 next year (26/02).]

Working on the OGS (Oxygen Generator System), FE-6 Cady Coleman mated a number of QD (Quick Disconnect) connectors inside the OGS in support of its scheduled activation later today. [The OGS has been dormant for a couple months due to concerns about the water quality (pH value). This afternoon's planned activation was delayed due to a fault seen during the start-up phase. A second attempt is planned later tonight.]

Reboost:
Yesterday's ISS reboost was performed nominally, using Progress M-07M/39P DPA Rendezvous & Docking thrusters. The reboost was Part 1 of the plan to optimally shape the ISS orbit for the HTV-2 launch on 20/01/11, as well as to set up STS-133/ULF-5 rendezvous altitude and provide FD-3 (Flight Day-3) rendezvous opportunities for February. Another reboost is planned on 13/01/11 to set up the final conditions. TIG (Time of Ignition): 4:28 PM GMT. Burn Duration: 21 minutes 11 seconds. Delta-V: 2.30 m/s (7.55 ft/s). Mean altitude gain: 4.10 km (2.21 nmi).

 

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NASASpaceFlight: ISS Reviews Upcoming Software Changes for Visiting Vehicles:

As the International Space Station prepares to enter a new era of governmental (ATV, HTV, and Progress) and commercial (SpaceX’s Dragon and Orbital’s Cygnus) unmanned resupply services, the ISS Program (ISSP) is pressing ahead with three software upgrades for the Space Station – which are aimed at accommodating multiple visiting vehicles at a single time, improving visiting vehicle communications, and correcting issues identified during previous visiting vehicle missions to the orbital outpost.

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Among the software changes – one of which will be implemented prior to the launch of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) HTV automated resupply spacecraft to the ISS in the middle of next month (January 2011) – are software specific changes for the accommodation of multiple visiting vehicles (including commercial vehicles) at a single time, projected alterations to the COTS UHF Communication Unit and upgrades to HTV2′s Caution and Warning system.

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[Orbinaut Pete]

Florida Today: "Space station gesture goes global tonight".

Popular Mechanics: "What It's Like to Live in the Space Station: Q&A with Col. T.J. Creamer".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Dextre gets his diploma!

Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's robotic handyman aboard the International Space Station (ISS), successfully passed his final exam yesterday and is now officially certified for duty.

While riding on the end of Canadarm2, Dextre performed a series of steps to remove a 442-kg storage box known as a cargo transport carrier (a generic platform for ISS cargo and payloads) and relocate it to another worksite a short distance away. The move was necessary to free up the worksite for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, scheduled for delivery on STS-134 (the final Space Shuttle flight) in 2011.

Extreme precision—with a delicate touch

For humans, the exam seems deceptively simple: it’s a no-brainer for us to pick up a box and move it a few metres away. Not so for a robot, though—especially one working in weightlessness, where everything not properly anchored down could risk floating away, and possibly even becoming a danger to the Station.

Instead, the move was broken down into a sequence of steps that took a total of two days to complete. First, Dextre unbolted the cargo transport carrier, lifted it up and then fastened it onto his workbench (a temporary storage platform that allows the robotic handyman to carry equipment while keeping his hands free). But setting the cargo transport carrier down onto the workbench requires extreme precision and delicacy: Dextre’s human operators on the ground needed to align the carrier within one degree in order to lock down the interfaces properly, all while ensuring that the mechanical parts were not crushed in the process by applying too much force.

"When astronauts train to do this type of task during a spacewalk, they get to practice again and again until they are comfortable with the procedure," says Tim Braithwaite, the Canadian Space Agency's representative at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. "We're operating a new robot via remote control, doing a task that has never been done robotically, with precision levels that have to be near-perfect. So this test is also about gaining experience for the ground team and learning how to operate Dextre's complicated systems."

Operations on the first day wrapped up when Dextre successfully locked the cargo transport carrier down onto his workbench, where it sat throughout the night. Day 2's tasks consisted of removing the carrier from the workbench, and latching it down to its new location on the ISS.

What’s next for Dextre?

Dextre was developed by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency to reduce the need for astronauts to conduct spacewalks for routine maintenance on the Space Station’s exterior, and therefore free up the crew’s time for more important activities, like conducting science experiments. Since its launch in 2008, Dextre has been completing a series of planned tasks to certify the robot for duty. Designed to test its systems and performance, the certification process is essential because the robot could not be assembled and tested in Earth’s gravity. It also serves as a dress rehearsal for Dextre’s first official task when it will unload EP (External Pallet) from Japan’s HTV-2 spacecraft (a space “moving van” that carries supplies to the ISS) in early February 2011.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Roscosmos PAO: "'Yolki' in Space, or ISS Family Show".

Timur Bekmambetov’s Christmas comedy “Yolki”, the Russian for Christmas trees, has travelled to space. On December 22, it screened aboard the International Space Station.

As it turned out, the idea of bringing “Yolki” to the ISS was not at all unrealistic and surprisingly in tune with Bekmambetov’s story. An orphaned girl from the Russian northwesternmost city of Kaliningrad manages to do a virtually unimaginable thing - to reach out to the President, which is almost like reaching out to the Moon. Many people across the country, from Kaliningrad to Yakutsk, help make her Christmas dream come true.

Before being shown in zero gravity, “Yolki” had been premiered in 11 cities. Bekmambetov’s spokeswoman Irena Nazarova, told the Voice of Russia that the idea of a family film show aboard the ISS was backed by Russian Mission Control.

"We brought the wives and children of the ISS crew and young students from the school of cosmonautics for a simultaneous film show at the Mission Control Center in Korolyov near Moscow and aboard the ISS. The cosmonauts said they enjoyed the film immensely, that it put them in a festive mood and that it was great to be able to watch it together with the whole nation and not after they return to Earth several months later."

There is a huge film collection aboard the ISS and the crew can watch their favorite movies, choosing films to suit their taste. Sometimes they even watch them whiling working out. But the “Yolki” premiere was something extraordinary. Irena Nazarova:

"I wonder why it didn’t occur to anyone before. Perhaps, there was no such opportunity. But here, many things just coincided, even the finale, which shows Russia and the Earth as if seen from space, the way cosmonauts see it."

And here is one more coincidence: the film lasts 90 minutes, exactly the length of time it takes the ISS to orbit the Earth.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 24/12/2010.

SPDM Demonstration:
The SPDM (Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator) "Dextre" has for the first time been taken through a series of ground-commanded maneuvers without crew involvement to demonstrate its powerful capability to accomplish tasks that once could only be done with EVA. [First, the SPDM arm 1 grappled CTC-3's (Cargo Transportation Container-3's) micro fixture and released it from ELC-2 (Express Logistics Carrier-2) site 1. CTC-3 was then maneuvered from the ELC and attached to the SPDM's EOTP (Enhanced ORU Temporary Platform). Next day, CTC-3 was released from the EOTP and placed back on ELC-2 site 2 after several cycles of unfastening and re-aligning. The planned OTCM (ORU Tool Changeout Mechanism) umbilical checkout was deferred due to time shortage until after the Holiday break. The starboard HRS (Heat Rejection Subsystem) radiator survey that was previously deferred is now planned for 29/12 (Wednesday). This activity is being performed in preparation for the planned SPDM ops to unload cargo from HTV-2 in February. This is truly a remarkable achievement, CSA (Canadian Space Agency)!]

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Spaceflight Now: "Space station's Dextre robot passes crucial test".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 25/12/2010.

OGS Up and running:
Flight controllers successfully activated the OGS (Oxygen Generator System) yesterday, for the crew's "breathing pleasure". It is planned to run it for approximately 2 days to increase the cabin oxygen content and then deactivate it nominally.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Roscosmos PAO: "Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov Approves the Patch of the Soyuz TMA-21 Crew".

The Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov approved the patch of the next crew to fly to the International Space Station in Russian vehicle Soyuz TMA-21 in March next year.

The patch uses a drawing by French boy Marciel Santos Kayle, 12, who lives in French Guiana, not far away from the new launch pad for Russian Soyuz rockets.

As Roscosmos Head had noted earlier, Soyuz TMA-21 will have GAGARIN sign on it. The launch is to be devoted to the 50th anniversary of the first space mission by Yury Gagarin.
Marciel’s sketch was chosen for the crew emblem, as it depicts Gagarin and his crew vehicle Vostok.

Read more.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Canadian astronauts could take commercial flight to space station.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Here's some real nice images of the SPDM ops! Go Canada! :thumbup:

Hi-res version.

Hi-res version.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From ISS On-Orbit Status Report for 28/12/2010.

FE-4 Dimitri Kondratyev & FE-2 Oleg Skripochka got together for several hours to review preparatory material for the next Russian spacewalk, EVA-27, currently scheduled for 21/01, then proceeded to search for and collect equipment & tools required for the external activities. Scheduled tasks for RS EVA-27 by Dima & Oleg are:

1. Installation of the RSPI radio data transmission system for the SVPI Napor experiment (a system for high-speed information transmission) on the SM (Service Module) RO (Working Compartment).
2. Photographing the SM plasma pulse injector monoblock (IPI-SM), placing a protective cover on, then deactivating & removing the monoblock from the portable workstation in Plane II of the SM RO.
3. Placing the protective cover on the EXPOSE-R monoblock, then deactivating & removing the monoblock from the portable workstation.
4. Installing/connecting a TV camera at the MRM1 ASP passive docking unit side.

Two potential jettison items are the protective cover of the SVPI high-speed data transmission system unit and the cable reel for the RSPI radio transmission system.