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