ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (06/12/91)
MCC STATUS REPORT #12 -- FLIGHT DAY 7 12:30 a.m. CDT -- Tuesday, June 11, 1991 The Space Shuttle Columbia's crew will get an extra day to gather science in the Spacelab today during flight day 7. Original flight plans called for the Spacelab to be unpowered on flight day 7 because of concern over limited consumables, but because of crew members' and flight controllers' conservative use of consumables crew members will conduct science investigations in a fully powered Spacelab module. Among the activities scheduled for flight day seven are trouble shooting the Gas Analyzer Mass Spectrometers and the Orbiter Refrigerator Freezer, and working with the lymphocyte experiment. The Gas Analyer Mass Spectrometers or GAMS 1 and 2 analyzes the crew member's inhaled and exhaled gases at the point of the mouthpiece and the cardiopulmonary rebreathing unit or CRU connection. Gas samples are transported to the instrument by a capillary tube. The gases are analyzed for this experiment by the GAMS are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and argon. The results of the GAMS analysis are entered into the data stream for downlinking. GAMS 2 worked for a while earlier today then went into automatic shutdown. While trouble shooting began on that unit, the GAMS 1 was used to downlink data. Trouble shooting on the orbiter refrigerator/freezer or ORF was conducted yesterday but was stopped when Mission Specialist Jim Bagian detected the same odor observed previously. The ORF was powered off and will remain off pending further evaluation. The lymphocyte investigation involves the injection of cell specimens with substances to study white blood cell reproduction in a weightless environment. Among the optional activities for flight day seven should the crew have time are: the verification of an animal handling procedure that will involve rodents currently housed in the Research Animal Holding Facility or RAHF which is installed in the Spacelab module. During the procedure an animal will be removed from the RAHF and, while in a transfer unit, moved to the General Purpose Work Station or the GPWS. Other optional activities for tomorrow are: the rotating dome experiment; a rodent health check; videotaping jellyfish; and conducting intravenous fluid pump procedures. Just before crew members began their sleep period last night, a detailed test objective (DTO 910) Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment was activated. The primary objective of the DTO is to provide accurate measurements of aerodynamic acceleration in a specific gravity range along the orbiter's principal axes. These measurements will increase the data base for the fundamental aerothermodynamic flow phenomena in the upper atmosphere. This information will enable predictions of aerodynamics for advanced re-entry missions. The DTO also will provide data at orbital altitudes to expand the technology that might be used for orbital drag predictions in the design of space systems such as the Space Station Freedom. To accommodate this DTO the orbiter will fly in a gravity gradient or stable attitude during the crew sleep period with its nose pointing toward the earth and its port wing into the velocity vector or the line of travel. Crew members will perform a supply water dump this morning, then they will perform both waste water and supply water dumps this evening. Flight controllers are continuing to analyze an earlier problem that was encountered with the Spacelab Experiment Computer Operating System (ECOS) and now feel that the problem was hardware related. The ECOS is one of three identical computers in the Spacelab command and data management system which provides a variety of services to Spacelab experiments and subsystems. ECOS is dedicated to Spacelab experiments, a second computer referred to as SCOS or Subsystem Computer Operating System and it supports Spacelab subsystems, and the third computer is a backup that is referred to as BUC that can function in the place of either computer. Planning shift flight controllers are spending their overnight shift monitoring systems, working on minor adjustments to the flight plan and preparing messages that will be uplinked to the crew this morning. MCC STATUS REPORT #13 -- Flight Day 7 4:30 a.m. CDT --- Tues., June 11, 1991. The Space Shuttle Columbia's crew was awakened this morning to the lively tune "Shout - The Faber College Theme" from the movie "Animal House." CAPCOM Kathy Thornton told the crew that ground flight controllers had seen a second link error in the Spacelab Experiment Computer Operating System (ECOS). The computer experienced its first link error on flight day four (Sat., June 6). A trouble shooting procedure was performed and the computer was recovered within 10 minutes. Ground flight controllers opted not to awaken the crew when the link error was seen at a MET of 5/16:02 or about 12:30 a.m. CDT and crew members apparently were not awakened by the low level, single tone message alert on board. Flight controllers commanded the computer to downlink its data from its mass memory. This precaution insures that no data will be lost while controllers and crew members trouble shoot the link error. The crew and flight controllers are expected to work a recovery procedure later this morning. The ECOS is one of three identical computers in the Spacelab command and data management system which provides a variety of services to Spacelab experiments and subsystems. ECOS is dedicated to Spacelab experiments. A second computer, called the Subsystem Computer Operating System or SCOS, supports Spacelab subsystems. A third computer, called the Backup Computer or BUC, can function in the place of either the ECOS or the SCOS. The flight crew monitors and operates Spacelab subsystems and payload experiments through data display and keyboard units. The experiment computer, or ECOS, activiates, controls and monitors payload operations and provides experiment data acquisition and handling. The subsystem computer provides control and data management for basic Spacelab services that are available to support experiments, such as electrical power distribution, equipment cooling and scientific airlock operations. Planning shift flight controllers spent their overnight shift monitoring systems, adjusting the flight plan, and preparing messages that have been uplinked to the crew. Crew members will get an extra day to gather science in the Spacelab today during flight day 7. Original flight plans called for the Spacelab to be unpowered on flight day 7 because of concern over limited consumables, but because of crew members' and flight controllers' conservative use of consumables crew members will conduct science investigations in a fully powered Spacelab module. MCC STATUS REPORT #14 -- FLIGHT DAY 7 11:30 a.m. CDT -- Tuesday, June 11, 1991 Columbia's crew got an extra day to gather science in the Spacelab module today due to conscientious planning to conserve onboard fuel used to produce electricity for all orbiter and payload systems. Optional activities for the payload crew aboard Columbia included verifying a handling procedure that will involve rodents currently housed in the Research Animal Holding Facility installed in the Spacelab module. Other optional activities are working with the rotating dome experiment; a rodent health check; videotaping jellyfish; and conducting intravenous fluid pump procedures. Last night the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment was activated. The objective of the experiment is to accurataly measure aerodynamic acceleration rates in zero G to expand the database of knowledge in predicting orbital drag in the design of future space systems like Space Station Freedom. Earlier on the orbit 1 shift, OARE was performed as Columbia flew three separate 360 degree maneuvers: pitch, yaw and roll. The orbiter was also put into calibration attitude and the crew remained still and quiet for about an hour. Commander Bryan O'Connor radioed to Mission Control that the crew apparently had traced the communication problem that the two payload specialists encountered yesterday to a faulty audio interface unit. The two had switched to a unit mounted in the crew cabin to reestablish communications. Shortly after handover from the Planning Team, the Text and Graphics System jammed and has not been used since. Messages are currently being routed through the onboard teleprinter. Other orbiter systems continue to perform smoothly with no systems problems being tracked by the flight control team. -- Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu