Directorate of Human SpaceflightDirection des Vols Habité

on stationThe Newsletter of the Directorate of Human Spaceflight

number 12, march 2003

http://www.esa.int/spaceflight

CC olumbiaolumbia AAff tterermamath fth for ESAor ESA

Jörg Feustel-BüechlESA Director of Human Spaceflight

The Columbia accident has been a tremendous shock for thewhole space community, and the loss of the seven astronautsin such tragic circumstances touches us all in the globalspace-faring community. Indeed, the shock is being felt atevery level of space activity. For ESA, and particularly ourengineers and scientists involved in STS-107, it was anintensely grave event as they had been closely cooperatingwith the Columbia astronauts. Europe, in having a significant600 kg of payloads on this mission, was heavily involved withcrew training in Houston and mission operations. Indeed, thewhole crew visited ESTEC in May 2001 as part of their payloadfamiliarisation training programme.

Of the seven ESA payload investigations, three lost thebiological and medical data samples that were being returnedfor ground analysis, so there will be no results from thatresearch. This is a particular regret as the crew performedthese experiments impeccably during the mission.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), createdby the NASA Administrator immediately after the accident,has yet to reach a firm conclusion but there is still some timeto go before the final report is delivered from the 60-dayinvestigation. We hope the root cause of the tragedy isclarified in that final CAIB report.

The Internationa Space Station (ISS) is severely affected bythe Columbia loss. Directly after the accident, ESA took thenecessary steps to ensure that we are taking the rightdecisions with our ISS Partners. With almost daily meetings,we continue to investigate what steps and activities areneeded in order to hold the Station in a safe condition. TheShuttle fleet, typically used to transport large elements for ISSassembly, is also a crucial logistics carrier for resupplying theStation. This route is obviously closed for a while, so it wasnecessary to assess alternative measures to get the Stationinto a safe mode and to maintain it there. Two major decisionshave already been taken within that context. The firstconcerned using the Soyuz for crew exchange: the

in this issue

Columbia Aftermath for ESA 1

Jörg Feustel-Büechl

An Eye for Columbus 4

Manfred Krischke, Maurizio Belingheri

& Gianfranco Gianfiglio

Odissea: Operations and 6

Ground Segment

Aldo Petrivelli & Thierry Lefort

Medical Support for Odissea 11

Frits de Jong

The ICAPS/IMPF Laboratory 14

Roland Seurig et al.

Towards the Future 17

Pia Mitschdoerfer

The ISS Education Programme 20

Sylvie Ijsselstein

Listening in to the Cosmonauts 22

Christiaan M. van den Berg

icaps/impf

commercialisation

education

iss

health

future space

foreword

mission planning

Soyuz-TMA2 taxi mission on 26 April will carrytwo new long-stay crewmembers to theStation and the present crew of three willreturn in the Soyuz currently docked at theStation. This means that the flights for ESAastronauts Pedro Duque and André Kuipershave to be delayed by 6 months. In otherwords, Pedro will make his flight in October2003 and André in April 2004. The Spanish andDutch governments have been veryconstructive and flexible in supporting ESA inrearranging these flights, and bothgovernments are to be congratulated for theircooperation and solidarity in this process.

Reducing the permanent crew to tworequires the supplies and resources to beproperly controlled and managed. So thesecond decision is to increase the Progressflight rate – it is expected that these will risefrom three to four in 2003, and from four to fivein 2004. The financial arrangements for theseresupply flights still have to be settled with ourRussian counterparts.

As a direct consequence of the Orbiter fleetbeing grounded, the Station assemblysequence has been put on hold. A positiveeffect of this is to provide the resident crewwith more time for research. We are currentlyvery busy searching for opportunities withinthe existing infrastructure and 2-person crew.The Progress flights will be able to deliverresearch equipment to the Station once the

supply needs have been satisfied on themanifest.

The planning for reassigning ChristerFugelsang’s flight opportunity on STS-116,previously scheduled for July 2003, will bedelayed until the Shuttle launches restart and arevised launch and assembly schedule isdetermined.

We are not yet sure of the delays that wemust endure for the launch of Columbus,previously planned for October 2004. There willin all probability be some delays before Shuttleflights resume but whether they will translatedirectly into slippage of the Columbus launchschedule remains to be determined. We willknow only when the post-Columbia Shuttlemanifest is issued.

For the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV),the situation is reversed. There is now increased

on Station no. 12, march 2003

foreword

on

Station

2

The STS-107 crew during training at ESTEC in May2001. From left: WilliamMcCool, Mike Anderson,Laurel Clark, Rick Husband,Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawlaand David Brown.

pressure to deliver earlier so that it can be usedfor resupply operations. This is very muchwelcomed by the Partners in order to provide amore robust Station scenario overall. From ourside, we are determined to meet the originalSeptember 2004 launch date and possiblyeven improve on it.

Programme Action PlanIndependently of the Columbia accident, wecontinue with the implementation of theProgramme Action Plan that was agreed withour Partners at the 6 December 2002 Heads ofAgency meeting in Tokyo. This 2003 Planrequires a number of actions in order to bringthe Station back to its original capabilities. Twomajor issues need to be resolved: settling thedetailed configuration of the Station and,secondly, the agreements within thePartnership to accomplish that. Some progresshas already been made with the provision byNASA of both the Life Support System andNode-3 to the Station. A further major issue,the provision of sufficient Soyuz spacecraftbetween 2006 and 2010, still needs to beagreed. 2010 is the end date because it marksthe entry of the NASA Orbital Space Plane intoservice as a crew return vehicle. I personallyhope that we will have a workable baselinesolution by mid-2003 for procurement of anadditional two Soyuz vehicles per year, therebyallowing a resident crew of six from 2006 to2010.

Columbus assembly is proceeding asplanned, with good progress being made. ATVdevelopment is also going positively. The ATVCritical Design Review (CDR) recently beganand is planned to finish with the CDR BoardMeeting in June 2003.

ESA’s utilisation preparation of the Stationhas, largely, been undisturbed by the Columbiaevents. We are continuing as planned with thedevelopment of our research facilities. It is our

intent not to slow down as a consequence ofColumbia but to follow our original path atleast until we know the final consequences ofthe accident.

The Columbus Control Centre, to be locatedat Oberpfaffenhofen (D), is a key element of ouroverall programme, as is the ATV ControlCentre at Toulouse (F). The developmentcontracts for these centres are now close toconclusion. The Columbus Control Centrecontract with DLR will be signed by ESA on31 March and the ATV Control Centre contractwith CNES also around that date.

Finally, we continue to follow the AstronautPolicy that also actively supports nationalshort-duration flights with the Russians. We arelooking forward to having a Europeanastronaut aboard the Columbus 1E Shuttlelaunch. Our first astronaut for a full incrementof several months will arrive shortly afterColumbus is attached to the Station. We areabout to nominate the prime and back-upcandidates for that opportunity so that theycan begin formal training. The Astronaut Policyalso provides opportunities for those Europeanastronauts currently not in active training toprovide technical support to the variousprojects. This not only bridges the gapsbetween flights but also helps to build theastronauts’ stock of expertise and is highlyappreciated by the technical teams. ■

on Station no. 12, march 2003

3

on

Sta

tio

n

ESA astronaut assignments and collateral duties.

Jean-François Clervoy (F) Les Mureaux: ATV operations supportFrank De Winne (B) ESTEC: supporting the Module Project Division for

ColumbusPedro Duque (E) ISS Advanced Training. Star City: crew training for

Soyuz-TMA 3 flight scheduled for October 2003Reinhold Ewald (D) ESTEC: ISS and Soyuz operations supportLéopold Eyharts (F) ISS Advanced Training. JSC: ISS Branch: Systems,

Software; Shuttle Branch: Payload General SupportComputer

Christer Fuglesang (S) JSC: crew training for STS-116/12A.1 ISS AssemblyFlight

Umberto Guidoni (I) ESTEC: ESA payloadsAndré Kuipers (NL) Star City: crew training for Soyuz-TMA 4 flight April 2004Paolo Nespoli (I) ISS Advanced Training. JSC: Shuttle Branch, Cape

CrusaderClaude Nicollier (CH) JSC: EVA Branch member, support work includes

European hardware EVA interfaces and working asAstronaut Instructor for robotics and EVA

Philippe Perrin (F) Toulouse Space Centre: ATV operations supportThomas Reiter (D) ISS Advanced Training. Soyuz-TMA Return Commander

Training. EAC: support to the Columbus projectHans Schlegel (D) JSC: Capcom BranchGerhard Thiele (D) EAC: Acting MSM-AAMichel Tognini (F) JSC: ISS Branch, responsible for Russian interfacesRoberto Vittori (I) JSC: Shuttle Branch, working on Vehicle System

UpgradeATV: Automated Transfer Vehicle. JSC: NASA Johnson Space Center.

Left: the appearance ofColumbus at Astrium inBremen (D), as of 7 March.

Right: testing the ATVavionics.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

4

commercialisation

IntroductionThe Columbus module is set to become acommercial provider of Earth-observationservices according to the plans of RapidEye AG.Incorporated in December 1998, RapidEye is asatellite-based geo-information service

company, concentratingon the agricultural andcartographic markets. Theyoffer geographicinformation products,

which are integrated into the clients’ workprocesses and therefore offer significant costadvantages and/or new revenue potential.

The ability to guarantee delivery ofinformation products is the key for anysuccessful commercial Earth observationservice. Reliability can only be achieved if thedata source is able to provide full coverage ofcountries and continents within a few weeksand on a regular basis. This understanding ledto the definition of the RapidEye system.RapidEye is a satellite-based remote-sensingsystem consisting of five satellites offering amulti-spectral (and optional stereo) imagingwith a resolution of 6.5 m of any point on Earthat least every day. The camera swath is 80 km.Ground processing, data analysis andinformation generation will take place atRapidEye’s premises or jointly with partners,based on proprietary algorithms and standardsoftware. RapidEye plans to establish a reliableand sustained service for its customers fromearly 2006.

RapidEye and ESA are evaluating theaddition of a sixth RapidEye camera to theExternal Payload Facility (EPF) of the Columbusmodule. It would be identical to those flying on

the satellites and it would be operated on acommercial basis by covering its costs withincome generated from customers.

Why a RapidEye-ISS Camera?A RapidEye camera on the ISS will penetratenew markets and improve services to existingmarkets. It will take high-resolution images ofmajor parts of Europe, North America and Asia,enabling the company to offer regular andfrequent updates of highly accurate maps. Thedetection of changes even in urban areas– new dwellings, streets, roads and bridges –

A commercial Earth-observationservice from Columbus is under

study ...

AAn En Eyye fe for Cor ColumbusolumbusThe Commercial RapidEye-ISS Camera

Manfred KrischkeRapidEye AG, Wolfratshauser Strasse 48, D-81379 München, Germany. Email: krischke@rapideye.de

Maurizio Belingheri1 & Gianfranco Gianfiglio2

1Head of ISS Commercialisation Division; 2Head of Mission Implementation of External Payload Section;Directorate of Human Spaceflight, ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands

The RapidEye constellation.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

5

on

Sta

tio

n

will be possible. The combination of large-areacoverage, high resolution and high revisit rate,as well as low cost, will allow maps to beupdated frequently.

New, affordable consumer services willappear. Using the Internet, people will be ableto see up-to-date images of their next holidaydestination to check for snow coverage, waterpollution or hotel location. Moving house willbe made easier by taking a quick andinexpensive look at the new city, the site of thenew house, the infrastructure, etc.

Products and Service BenefitThe ISS is ideally suited for providing apermanent, maintainable, high-resolutionEarth-pointing camera. The location on theColumbus EPF ensures an undisturbed view ofthe Earth’s surface. This additional servicesignificantly improves the offering from thesatellite constellation by:

– improving the ground resolution from 6.5 m to 4-4.5 m;

– improving coverage up to around 51º latitude (e.g.Amsterdam, London, Kiev);

– increasing frequency of revisits to more than one per day;

– increasing capacity and redundancy of the overall constellation.

Target MarketThe availability of suchproducts translates intobenefits for the finalcustomers who use theinformation for:

– urban mapping;– agricultural producers and

traders for precision farming and crop-yield assessment;

– agricultural insurance companies andtraders to assess high-value crop risk;

– reproduction of direct images in high-resolution;

– tourism planning for location information.

Market analysis by Frost & Sullivan showsthat the overall Earth remote-sensing market isexpanding in excess of 13% per year and will

reach €5 billion in 2006. This market covers thetotality of remote-sensing activities, includingairborne remote-sensing and the completevalue-adding market. The market for satelliteremote sensing (excluding value-addedactivities) is projected by Frost & Sullivan to bealmost €600 million.

Such a market needs high-resolution, low-cost images as well as high-quality informationand services. The RapidEye constellation canprovide these at competitive cost. Moreimportantly, RapidEye will be the onlyconstellation providing daily revisits and globalcoverage, thus offering regular and guaranteedinformation.

Project StatusThe RapidEye project entered its hardwarephase at the end of 2002. It is currentlyplanned to launch the satellites by the end of2005. The feasibility of installing the camera onthe lower Columbus EPF position is now beinginvestigated by a pre-Phase-A study. Followingcompletion of this study, it is planned to beginPhase-A in 2003.

As part of the commercialisation process ofthe ISS, ESA, RapidEye AG, Kayser-Threde GmbHand other partners intend to realise this projecttogether. ESA will partly finance it, Kayser-Threde will be responsible for the technicalaspects and RapidEye AG will assumeoperational control of the camera, process thedata and market the images and informationservices.

The decision to proceed to Phase-B and -C/Dwill be taken during 2003, at the end of thePhase-A study, based on the technical andprogrammatic feasibility of the project and theprospects of the return offered to the investorsby RapidEye’s business plan. ■

The RapidEye-ISS camera on the Columbus external facility.

RapidEye cameraaccommodation on the lowerColumbus EPF position.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

6

mission planning

IntroductionThree Soyuz flights to the International SpaceStation have been sponsored and flown so farby European countries using ESA astronauts:

Claudie Haigneré (France),Roberto Vittori (Italy) andthe Odissea mission ofFrank De Winne (Belgium).The sponsorship, financiallysupporting the launch anduse of Soyuz as the ISS

lifeboat, is helping to secure the operation ofthe Station during its early years. Deliveringexperiments aboard both the unmannedProgress and the manned Soyuz, combinedwith the available time of the visiting crew ofup to three astronauts, provides a uniqueopportunity to conduct importantexperimentals. Odissea used this opportunityto the maximum. Frank De Winne’s schedule of23 experiments encompassed four in the ESA-developed Microgravity Science Glovebox(MSG) in the US Destiny module and theremainder performed in the Russian segment.He was assisted by Soyuz commander SergeiZalutin and flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov. Forexample, the two Russians acted as testsubjects in all of the human physiologyexperiments.

The Odissea mission has generated aremarkable technical, technological andscientific legacy. An important result for ESA isthe experience gained in mission preparation,integration and operations that will be criticalfor future European activities aboard the ISS.

The Ground Segment and OperationsAlthough the Soyuz missions are controlled byRussia’s Mission Control Centre in Moscow(MCC-M), Odissea required us to create aspecific ground system that could coordinateexperiments conducted in the modules of twoInternational Partners (IPs) by a crew belongingto a third IP.

This ground segment consisted of differentEuropean and IP operations centres hostingthe teams involved in Odissea’s payloadoperations. It was designed as a decentralisednetwork, with the main operationscoordination team located at the Erasmuscentre at ESTEC. This configuration wasdesigned for smooth coordination of payloadoperations as the European crew moved backand forth across the Russian and US segments,linking with the different networks as they didso, using both IPs’ Station and groundnetworks.

The mission and payload operations organi-sation scheme relied on close cooperation by

The Odissea mission in October2002 provided valuable

experience for the Columbus erain planning and performing

experiments aboard the ISS ...

OOdissea:dissea: OpOpereraations andtions andGGrround Sound SegmenegmenttLessons for the Future

Aldo PetrivelliMission Manager, European Soyuz Missions,D/MSM, ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The NetherlandsEmail: Aldo.Petrivelli@esa.int

Thierry LefortSpace Operations and Technology Consultant, Booz Allen HamiltonEmail: Lefort_Thierry@bah.com

Frank De Winne workingwith the Microgravity ScienceGlovebox.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

7

on

Sta

tio

n

the Odissea project team with the RussianMCC-M team and the MSG Telescience SupportCenter (TSC) team. ESA payload activities in theMSG were coordinated with the PayloadOperations and Integration Center (POIC) atthe NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)in Huntsville, Alabama, through the MSGoperations team at the MSFC TSC.

Based on the experiment programmerequirements and IP interfaces, a detailedoperations implementation plan was drawn upfor the operations integration to follow. Theactivities included:

– definition of the operations organisationscheme and the role of teams at eachcentre;

– preparation of the ground segment, basedon voice, data, video services and bandwidthrequirements for each of the participatingremote sites;

– procurement of hardware and software;– preparation with NASA of ground databases

defining telemetry and commands;– preparation of ground procedures and

displays, operations handbooks and arepository for flight products;

– preparation of operations-support tools,including planning viewers and operationschange request systems;

– preparation of the ground planningtimeline;

– training of the payload operations andground operations personnel;

– simulations involving both ground andflight operations personnel from all centres,with one simulation during crew training atthe NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC);

– certification of the ground segment.

This work was carried out in parallel withexperiment development and integration, andthe flight-planning activities.

Each remote site was in charge of producingits set of operations procedures and consolehandbooks, and in implementing its securitysystem. Operations interface proceduresspecific to the Soyuz-5S taxi flight weredeveloped in coordination with ESA, NASA andRSC-Energia.

Two months before the mission, a JointIntegrated Simulation involving JSC, MSFC andall European sites provided the framework forall European and NASA teams (crew, flightoperations, ground operations, scienceoperations) to rehearse their roles and

procedures, exercise interfaces coordinationbetween the remote centres, and test teamswith simulated payload failures that createddeviations from the nominal flight timelinesand allowed operations teams to exercise thereplanning cycles. A second simulation wasperformed a few days before launch. Thesesimulations provided NASA-MSFC and ESA withmulti-partner operations for the first time, acrucial requirement when Columbus is activeand when ISS partners have facilities andexperiments operating in each other’smodules. The simulations were also milestonesin the Odissea certification process.

The Ground SegmentThe Odissea ground segment linked up thefollowing teams and centres:

– ESA Odissea Operations Coordination Teamat the Taxi Operations Coordination Centre(TOCC), in the Multimedia Library of theErasmus Centre, ESTEC for payloadmanagement and coordination;

– Belgian Science Payload Operations Team atthe Belgian User Support and OperationsCentre (B-USOC) in Brussels for theexperiment scientific and technical support;

– ESA Mission Operations Support Team atMCC-M for the operations management andcrew interface coordinators (CICs);

– ESA Astronaut Support Team at ESA’sEuropean Astronaut Centre (EAC) for thecrew surgeon and medical support;

– Communication Network Support Team atESA’s European Space Operations Centre(ESOC), for ground communications support;

– NASA MSG Operations Team at MSFC-TSC,with local ESA representation;

– NASA Payload Operations Team for the ISS atMSFC-POIC;

The ground communicationssystem for Odissea. Acronymsare explained in the text.

– NASA Operations Team for the ISS at JSC’sMission Control Center-Houston (MCC-H);

– Interconnected Ground System (IGS)Phase-1 Team at ESTEC, for planningmanagement and ground segment control.

The operations set-upreused a communicationssystem conceivedoriginally by ESOC tosupport Spacelab remoteoperations with NASAMSFC and the GoddardSpace Flight Center (GSFC)via leased lines and ISDN,including the Atlas-2,Atlas-3, IML-2, LMS andHitchhiker missions. IGSPhase-1, an autonomousIntranet with gateways tosecure networks of other

space agencies, formed the core of thecommunication system. Its successor will bethe core of the Columbus ground segmentcommunication system. The IGSinterconnected all European centres to POIC,MCC-H and MCC-M via a combination of leasedlines, ISDN and the central IGS node at ESOC.

The IGS system at each European nodeconsisted of a rack accommodatingISDN/leased line interfaces, a modem for rackremote maintenance, a multiplexer/demulti-plexer serving a Network router, a video Codec,and NASA voice system routing equipment. Inaddition, the equipment at ESTEC includedthree data servers to handle datacommunications between the MCC-H andMCC-M interfaces and remote users locatedeither locally at ESTEC or distributed at EACand B-USOC. Effectively, the data were acquiredonce and redistributed to limit the number ofclients towards the international partners.These servers included the Data ServicesSubsystem (DaSS) server to handle fileexchange and notably planning products withMCC-M and MCC-H, an ISP/WATTS servercollecting ISS housekeeping data from MCC-H,and a TreK workstation server for redistributionof payload telemetry to 12 user workstations atESTEC and B-USOC. Ground communicationsnetwork planning and operation wereperformed from the Phase-1 ManagementSupport Room (PMSR) at ESTEC, also inErasmus.

Given the short time for deploying aEuropean voice system, it was decided to use

the MSFC Huntsville Voice Distribution System(HVODS) with a configuration of 39 voice loopsmanaged by MSFC POIC, and deployed at allEuropean sites, albeit with an overall limitationof eight pairs of keysets that could besupported by the IGS interface at MSFC. Theloop configuration included standard MSFCpayload operations loops, to which were addedBelgian Taxi Flight-specific loops establishedfor European coordination, and ISS loops pulledfrom JSC. At MCC-M, the set-up made use of aRussian voice system available at the ESAsupport room. Seamless voice communicationamong all sites was finally achieved byextending six loops from MCC-H to MCC-M andpatching them together with other essentialMCC-H loops into the HVODS system at MSFC.This resulted in:

– direct voice contact between the Europeanteam at Moscow, using Russian keysets, andall European centres, equipped with HVODS,via Huntsville and Houston;

– direct access, some restricted to listen mode,to Russian and US space-to-ground loops,space-to-ground translation loops, all ISSFlight Director, ISS Operations and USPayload Operations Center loops used byNASA.

The Operations ToolsThe Odissea ground segment also relied partlyon existing operational tools either from NASAor from the IGS Phase-1, and partly on specificdevelopments such as experiment displays fortelemetry, a man-machine interface fortelecommanding the PROMISS experiment, andan Operations Change Management System byESA/MSM that allows submission and approvalof mission execution operations changesissued by participating European Centres. TheTables provide an overview of the operationaltools that were deployed for payloadoperations and mission management supportfrom the European centres.

Of the 23 experiments, only the fourinvolving MSG used ISS telemetry andtelecommand resources. For these, the MSGTSC defined and baselined on ESA’s behalfGround Data Services data sets through thePayload Data Library process for remote accessto TreK and POIC services, thereby routing real-time MSG telemetry from the Payload DataServices System (PDSS) to the remote TreKserver at ESTEC, and accepting commandsdirectly from B-USOC.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

mission planning

on

Station

8

Scenes from TOCC during theOdissea mission.

OperationsThe daily operations activities at TOCC includedthe coordination of payload operations, ofpotential modifications to flight procedures,the coordination and approval of planningupdate inputs to NASA and Russia, and thehandling of off-nominal situations related tothe experiment programme.

The TOCC team provided the decision-making functions for the mission, missionmanagement, operations management, sciencecoordination, mission safety, ground segmentcontrol and operations as well as flightplanning, and the interfaces to all partners’control centres. ESA, responsible for integrationof the overall Odissea science programme, builta balanced timeline by performing trade-offsamong the MSG payloads, the remainingscience payloads in the Russian module andother Odissea crew activities, such as publicrelations. ESA payload activities for MSG werecoordinated with POIC through the MSGoperations team at the MSFC TSC.

MCC-M was responsible for the overallintegration of the Soyuz flight programme,development of the integrated plan for thecrew’s timeline, and the operations of theEuropean payloads in the Russian segment.MCC-H was responsible for the overallintegration of the ISS, developing theintegrated plan for the ISS crew’s timeline, andintegrating the Soyuz crew’s timeline in theOn-board Short Term Plan (OSTP).

In close cooperation with the Russian flightcontrollers, the ESA crew support team was indirect contact with the visiting crew. Thisincluded medical support by a doctor fromEAC in contact with the Russian medical staff,with private communication lines to the crewavailable if required.

After daily contacts with the crew on theresearch programme and operational activities,the crew interface coordinators (CICs)discussed the issues with the payloadcoordinators in the user centre and in ESTEC,with the Russian partners and with NASArepresentatives. Every day, a ‘Form 24’ with thedaily planning was sent to the Station. Otherinputs to the crew, like new or updated Russianflight procedures, were then sent as aradiogram and/or directly by voice during thefollowing Russian communications pass. Inparallel, MCC-H uploaded daily updates of theOSTP for display on the US Destiny modulesystem laptop.

The communications sessions used a VHF

channel when there was coverageby the Russian ground stations,which occurred only a few timesper day.

The involvement of the crew inMSG operations in the Destinymodule resulted in additionalregular contacts via the S-bandcommunications sessions of theUS segment with Houston, whichgreatly increased the number ofopportunities for crew feedback toEuropean operations teams. In addition,space-to-ground contacts includedprivate phone calls through the S-bandlinks on the US side, email exchange andamateur radio sessions.

The important role played by TOCC incoordinating payload activitieswas demonstrated several times,including the difficult butultimately successful activation ofPROMISS, the NANOSLAB failureto activate, and the real-timeadjustment of the time windowfor COSMIC ignition by the crewto ensure video coverage to theground. The spectacularimages from COSMIC werereceived in real-time at TOCCand B-USOC, where scientistscould comment on thequality of the combustionprocess for direct feedbackto the crew. This was madepossible by workingprecisely to a detailedtimeline modified by theavailability of NASA’s TDRSSsatellite coverage. WhenNANOSLAB failed to activate, along troubleshooting sessionbegan with Frank De Winne andall the ground teams,Unfortunately, it was not possibleto assess or resolve the problem.

TOCC’s role was to reactto any changes throughoutthe mission by coordinatingdecisions and prioritisingchanges in the schedule toany of the Europeanexperiments. The goal was tominimise the impact on thecrew while maximising thereturn on the experiments.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

9

on

Sta

tio

n

Commanding of the PROMISS experimentwas successfully performed from B-USOC,without resorting to the backup commandfunction in place at the ESTEC coordinationcentre.

Acquired ExperienceThe Odissea mission was a first step incoordinating ISS operations with multiple

partners. Neither NASA nor Russia had everperformed payload operations across multiplecontrol centres and continents. The Odissearequirements were established to link all thePartners and to operate seamlessly in nominaland off-nominal situations. For the first time, allthe ISS Partners involved in payload operationsdepended on each other to achieve missionsuccess.

This set-up, with some adaptations to reflectspecific experimental programmes andinvolvement of national USOCs, is ready tosupport the next two ESA Soyuz missions andmay, later on, integrate the Columbus GroundSegment, which will be coordinated by theColumbus Control Centre.

Odissea presented a remarkableopportunity for all the teams to acquire anunderstanding of ISS processes and experiencein using operational tools as precursors tothose being developed for Columbus payloadoperations. Participation in a Soyuz mission fora user site such as B-USOC, as well as ESTEC,provides a real scenario for understanding theissues in operating payloads in the ISS-USsegment environment. All European payloadsin Destiny will be operated in a similar fashion,with similar interfaces to POIC. It also providesa test for Columbus development andoperations teams looking for early feedback onthe use of ISS and Columbus tools.

Conclusion Two further European-sponsored Soyuz taximissions are now being prepared, althoughtheir exact details are uncertain following theloss of Shuttle Columbia. The first, sponsored bySpain, aims at Spanish-ESA astronaut PedroDuque flying on the Soyuz of October 2003.The second, sponsored by The Netherlands, willhave Dutch-ESA astronaut André Kuipers flyingon the Soyuz of April-May 2004.

The highly successful results of Odisseaprove that these missions are an excellent wayfor European astronauts and experiments toaccess the ISS. The experience gained inpreparing the astronauts, integrating thefacilities and experiments into missions, andpreparing the ground segment and theoperations is remarkable. This experience isalready proving valuable for preparing thecoming Soyuz flights. In particular, theexperience acquired in the ground segmentand operations is being used for the next twomissions and in preparing payloads operationsfor the Columbus era. ■

on Station no. 12, march 2003

mission planning

on

Station

10

Acronyms not explained in text. APID: Application Identifier. CEPP: Customised ESA PlanningPublisher. EHS: Enhanced HOSC System. HOSC: Huntsville Operations Support Center. OSTPV:Onboard Short Term Plan Viewer. PACRATS: Payloads and Components Real-time AutomatedTest System. STP: Short Term Plan.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

11

on

Sta

tio

n

IntroductionThe Odissea mission with Frank De Winne wasthe third Soyuz mission to the ISS with an ESAastronaut as a Soyuz crewmember. The ESACrew Medical Support Office (MSM-AM)provided the medical support to Frank duringall phases of his mission.

The experience gatheredby the Office fromsupporting Shuttlemissions and Soyuz flights tothe Mir space station provedessential for Frank’s medical support during histraining in Star City. However, the in-flightsupport concept was very different from theway medical operations services were providedto ESA astronauts in the past. The main reasonis that the ISS uses multilaterally coordinatedmedical support, so the Medical Office is usingthese Soyuz opportunities to prepare for itsresponsibilities in future ISS Expeditions.

This article focuses on the new aspects ofESA’s medical support concept for missions tothe ISS, as well as the development of theground support infrastructure at the EuropeanAstronaut Centre (EAC) and relatedcoordination among International Partners.

OverviewThe ESA Crew Medical Support Office at EAC inCologne is responsible for providing medicalservices to ESA astronauts during ISS, Soyuzand Shuttle operations. The primary goal is tomaintain crewmembers’ physical, mental andsocial well-being. A team consisting of an ESAFlight Surgeon (ESA FS) and an ESA BiomedicalEngineer (ESA BME) was assigned in early 2002to support Frank De Winne. The ESA FSprimarily takes care of the clinical aspects. He

spent a significant time with Frank pre- andpost-flight, supported him during medicaltests, medical evaluations, experiment trainingsessions, baseline data collections and travelledto Kazakhstan for the landing, and assisted himin the first 4 weeks after landing. The ESA BME

focused on the pre-flightcoordination with the

different ESA teams andPartner Medical Operations

teams, as well as the moretechnical and conceptual aspects of

the mission preparation and ground supportinfrastructure.

Distributed Medical Operations SupportISS Medical Operations (ISS MedOps) inprinciple do not distinguish between the Soyuzcrew and the ISS Increment crew. As soon asthe Soyuz spacecraft docks with the Station,the medical responsibility for the completecrew aboard the Station lies with the ISS CrewSurgeon (ISS CS), in the Mission Control CenterHouston (MCC-H). The ISS CS is supported bydifferent Partner Medical Operations teams,depending on crew composition, missionprofile, onboard medical systems and thescientific programme.

Back in the late 1990s, all ISS MedicalPartners decided to introduce progressively adistributed medical operations supportscenario with different Partner Medical Teamssupporting the ISS CS from their own agencymedical support consoles. The various Soyuzmissions to the Station provide the ESAMedical Office with ideal opportunities to buildup the infrastructure, to refine the operationalsupport concept and to gather operationalexperience. This ensures that the Medical Office

MMedicedical Sal Suppupporor t ft fororOOdisseadisseaThe ESA Crew Medical Support Office

Frits de JongCrew Medical Support Office, European Astronaut Centre, Linder Hoehe, D-51147 Cologne, GermanyEmail: frits.de.jong@esa.int

ESA continues todevelop its expertise in

providing medical support toits crewmembers ...

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

12

is ready to providelong-duration missionmedical support afterthe Columbus modulearrives in orbit in late2004 and the first ESAIncrementcrewmember startsworking onboard ISS.

Build-up of MedicalConsoles at EACThe build-up of themedical consolesstarted in January2002 with theinstallation of theIntegrated GroundSegment (IGS) Phase-I node. This is a securenetwork of leased and on-demand lines ofvoice, video and data services that can beconfigured according to mission needs. Voiceand data services are permanently supportedby a 256 Kb leased line. Two bundled dial-upISDN channels provide a back-up. Video isprovided only on demand using ISDN dial-upconnections (384 Kb). Alternatively, privateInternet streaming video or ESA TV can beselected.

Security is a key requirement for the medicalconsoles, ensured by using separate machineson separate networks:– three IGS machines linked to the IGS data

network;– two Internet computers outside the ESA

firewall, one of which used VPN tunnelling toaccess different NASA sites;

– two Office Automation computersconnected to EAC’s office automationnetwork.

Two 52-cm plasma screens display ISS video,the location-appropriate clocks and the ISSgroundtrack monitor. As a temporary solution,two Huntsville Voice Distribution Systems wereused, made available by NASA’s PayloadOperations Control Center at the MarshallSpace Flight Center.

With the basic technical infrastructure inplace, the operational build-up of the consolesbegan. A key component was the fact that theMedical Office is an integrated member of twodifferent teams – the ISS MedOps Team and theESA Mission Operations Team for Odissea.

As a member of the ISS MedOps Team, theMedical Office supported the ISS CS and

ISS BME, who were familiar with the basics ofthe Odissea mission but relied on the ESAMedical Office team for all details regardingthe experiment programme, ESA astronautissues, etc.

As a member of the Odissea MissionOperations Team, the Medical Officecoordinated with other ESA teams such aspayload operations, crew operations andplanning to provide medical services to theESA astronaut.

The following operational tools wereimplemented specifically at EAC to support theMedical Office’s role as a member of the ISSMedOps Team:

Voice loops ISS Surgeon, a non-private loop,used by all console positions in MCC-H tocontact the ISS CS; ISS MedOps, a non-private loop, used by all console positions inMCC-H to contact the ISS BME; Surgeon R/Ta semi-private loop, used by the differentPartner medical teams to coordinate ISSMedOps issues. It allowed the Medical Officeto discuss issues with the ISS CS and theRussian Medical Team simultaneously;

OSTPV the Onboard Short-Term PlanningViewer allowed teams outside of MCC-H toview the correct Short Term Plan (STP) beingused aboard ISS as well as the different draftSTPs being discussed on the ground;

MedOps Displays all ISS CS displays and theEnvironmental Control and Life SupportSystem (ECLSS) displays were available inreal-time on the medical consoles, using theWATTS Java-application. They allowed theMedical Office to monitor a wide range ofISS systems affecting crew health.

health

Working the medical consolesat EAC.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

13

on

Sta

tio

n

The main tools that supported the MedicalOffice’s role as a member of the OdisseaMission Operations Team included:

Voice loops multiple ESA-internal voice loopsallowed communication with key membersof the Odissea team, both in the TaxiOperations Coordination Centre (TOCC) atESTEC and the Mission Control CentreMoscow (MCC-M);

OCMS this is a web-based tool used by all ESApositions to insert and coordinateoperational change requests;

CEPP the Central ESA Planning Product gaveaccess to ESA-specific timeline information.

The Medical Office further developed theESA MedOps Portal, which provided a singleinterface to all software tools, consoledocumentation and the main web pages usedon-console.

In-flight Medical Operations SupportThe medical support concept workedexceptionally well during the mission. Theassigned ESA FS supported the launch inBaikonur. Afterwards, he supported the crewoperations team at the TsUP control centreTsUP in Moscow (MCC-M) during the mission.An ESA FS and ESA BME manned the twomedical consoles at EAC. Their shifts started anhour before the crew awoke and ended anhour after the crew went to sleep. These 18 hwere split into two shifts, with an overlappinghandover period of an hour.

A large amount of coordination among thedifferent operational teams was needed toresolve several issues that contributed to themission’s success. For example, the mandatorydaily exercise of the three ISS crewmembersgenerated unacceptable microgravity

disturbances for ESA’s COSMIC materialscombustion experiment. It was discovered theywere unacceptable only during the 2-mincombustion process for each individual reactor.Between each process (six in total), a pause ofat least 30 min was needed to reconfigure theequipment. A coordinated solution wasdeveloped which had Frank notifying thecrewmember to stop exercising for a fewminutes when he was ready to ignite the nextreactor, allowing simultaneous completion ofboth activities.

As a second example, late in the evening(01:00 UT) on Flight Day 8, the crew discoveredthat the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)loading port was not completely sealed. Thecrew requested further information aboutpotentially hazardous leaks from experimentsinside MSG. Within 30 min, the Medical Officeevaluated the issue and provided the ISS CSwith the toxicological information to send upto the crew before they went to sleep, assuringthem that the issue was not generating ahealth concern.

ConclusionsThe two examples above illustrate how the

Office operated as avaluable and integratedteam member to providetimely and critical support.

The Medical Office willuse the Spanish and Dutch Soyuz missions inOctober 2003 andApril/May 2004, respect-ively, to refine its opera-tional concept andtechnical infrastructurefurther, as well as togather experience forfuture Increment flights. ■

The real-time EnvironmentalControl and Life Supportdisplay.

The MedOps Portal is a singleinterface to all software tools,console documentation andthe main web pages used on-console.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

14

icaps/impf

IntroductionThe International Microgravity Plasma Facility(IMPF) and Interactions in Cosmic andAtmospheric Particle Systems (ICAPS)laboratory are destined to be ESA’s premierresearch facility for plasma and dust physicsaboard the ISS. IMPF will investigate complexplasmas (such as the recently-discovered

‘plasma crystals’), whileICAPS will look at, forexample, how planetsform from dust clouds, andhow particles in our

atmosphere affect the weather.The European Programme for Life and

Physical Sciences Research in Space (ELIPS) wasapproved by the Ministerial Conference inEdinburgh (UK) in November 2001. InSeptember 2002, under the auspices of thisframework, ESA’s Human Spaceflight Researchand ApplicationProgramme Boardapproved theinitiation of theICAPS/IMPFLaboratory Phase-Bstudy. The contractaward to industry forPhase-B is expected inearly 2003.

Initially conceivedas two separatefacilities with verydifferent developmenthistories throughPhase-A, IMPF andICAPS were combined in May 2002 on therecommendation of their individual scientificadvisory boards. This merger has provided theresearchers and engineers with a feasible routeto realising both projects without any loss of

the original scientific objectives of theseunique projects. They share hardware, ISSaccommodation and operations, and dataprocessing and downloading functions,thereby eliminating duplication of expensivedevelopment, manufacturing and qualification.

ICAPS History and Science DriversICAPS will investigate interactions of cosmicand atmospheric particle systems undermicrogravity conditions. Why ‘switch gravityoff’? In a dust cloud in a terrestrial laboratory,gravity forces larger particles to sediment out,and drives turbulent diffusion, eventuallycollapsing the dust cloud completely. Tosimulate planet formation in terrestriallaboratories, and further our understanding ofhow our Solar System formed, or understandhow particles interact in our own atmosphere,we need to tackle aggregation and evolution

of dust clouds in amanageable environment,without gravity getting inthe way. Aboard the ISS,microgravity can bemaintained for at least 30days, allowing us tosimulate the processesinvolved in planetarygrowth from a small dustcloud.

In response to ESA’sAnnouncement ofOpportunity ‘PhysicalSciences and MicrogravityApplications (AO 98/99)’,

ESA’s Topical Team for ICAPS submitted thescientific proposal AO-99-018. The ESA-fundedPhase-A feasibility study was completed inSeptember 2002 by Kayser-Threde (D) and itssubcontractor Nubila (I), with close cooperation

A new-generation researchfacility for Columbus is already

under development...

TThe IChe ICAPS / IMPFAPS / IMPFLLababororaattoror yyESA’s premier research facility for plasma and dust physics on the ISS

ICAPS Team Coordinator: Jürgen BlumAstrophysical Institute, University Jena, Germanyblum@astro.uni-jena.de

IMPF Team Coordinator: Gregor E. MorfillMPE, Garching Germanygem@mpe.mpg.de

ESTEC: Christian Schmidt-HarmsICAPS/IMPF Project ManagerChristian.Schmidt-Harms@esa.int

Kayser-Threde: Roland SeurigICAPS/IMPF Project Managerrs@kayser-threde.de

on Station no. 12, march 2003

15

on

Sta

tio

n

from theextensiveinternationalscientific usercommunity.

A range ofexperimentswill try tounderstandplanetformation in a

series of dust-aggregation experiments. Inaddition, ICAPS will address a number of otherkey scientific questions concerning small dustparticles in our Solar System. For example,ICAPS will study simulated cometary dust. Untilthe Rosetta lander touches down on a comet,observations of how ejected dust and icescatter and interact with sunlight are our onlyroute to understanding the behaviour andmake-up of cometary nuclei.

The surfaces of asteroids are covered by‘regolith’ – layers of loose and fluffyfragmentary debris. The formation andevolution of regolith depends on the asteroid’sgravity and on the mechanical properties of itsparticles. ICAPS will be used to form such fluffydust layers and study their physical properties.

ICAPS will also study systems of interest toatmospheric and aerosol sciences. If there wereno particles or water vapour in theatmosphere, our weather would be verydifferent. At present, we cannot predict whenand where a cloud will start raining. ICAPS willstudy the interactions of aerosols with dropletsor ice crystals on atmospheric timescales, bymaking model clouds of pollutants andprecipitants.

ICAPS is also an exciting prospect for long-term research and industrial applications.Potential industrial applications include thedevelopment of aerosol technologies,improved abatement strategies, and particle-based cleaning devices. Light-scatteringtechniques are already used in the paperindustry to control bleaching and quality, butICAPS will improve our knowledge of light-scattering both theoretically andexperimentally.

Following the work of the ESA Topical Team‘Physico Chemistry of Ices in Space’, it isenvisaged that an ‘ice experiment’ insert,capable of reaching very low pressures andtemperatures will be added to ICAPS, perhapsin 2012. This instrument will not only reachmore realistic space-like conditions, but will

allow us, for the first time, to simulate preciselythe conditions under which stars, planets andcomets form, and to study the physical andchemical properties of the dust in theseregions.

For further information on ICAPS, please visitwww.icaps.org

IMPF History and Science DriversIMPF will investigate complex plasmas undermicrogravity conditions. Initially developed inresponse to the same Announcement ofOpportunity as ICAPS, its Phase-A FeasibilityStudy and Special Development, in whichselected critical hardware items were

developed and tested on parabolic flightcampaigns, was funded by DLR. This proposalformed the basis of a DLR-funded Phase-Afeasibility study, concluded in December 2001by Kayser-Threde with close cooperation fromthe Max-Planck-Institute for ExtraterrestrialPhysics (MPE) and the extensive internationalscientific user community.

A complex plasma contains ions, electrons,neutral gas and micron-sized particles at low-temperature. The micro-particles are highlycharged, each collecting up to 100 000 surfaceelectrons. They therefore interact stronglythrough the electrostatic (Coulomb) force.These interactions have yieldedobservations of entirely newphenomena, including a ‘plasmacrystal’ of an ordered, self-organised structure of micro-particles. This was observed atMPE in 1994 for the first time.Space experiments,complementing laboratoryexperiments on Earth, areimportant for removing theinfluence of gravity, which exertsa significant stress on the complex plasmasystem.

A complex plasma is a unique system thatcan be used to study many importantfundamental processes in physics such as

A plasma crystal inmicrogravity; width shown is1.4 mm.

A 3-D reconstruction of a fractal aggregate formed by Brownianmotion under microgravity during the Cosmic Dust AggregationExperiment aboard Shuttle mission STS-95 in October 1998.

crystallisation and other phase transitions (e.g.glass transitions), at the kinetic andmicroscopic levels. Furthermore, interactionsbetween plasmas and micro-particles are ofgreat interest in astrophysics, where dustformation in stellar atmospheres, planetformation and even star formation can occurunder ‘dusty plasma’ conditions. Technologyapplications include the avoidance of dustcontamination during microchip production byplasma etching.

The ‘PKE Nefedov’ experiment aboard the ISShas already shown some surprising, newbehaviour of complex plasmas undermicrogravity conditions, including the surfacestructures of complex plasmas and chargedinduced dilation transitions. IMPF will be amodular, long-term facility, which will allow thesystematic study of fundamental aspects andapplications of complex plasmas, respondingto exciting new and unexpected results as they

occur. Via telescience, IMPF will be at thedisposal of many different internationalresearch groups, allowing us to exploit thisfacility fully and to make important progress inthe rapidly growing research field of complexplasmas.

For further information on IMPF please visitwww.mpe.mpg.de/www_th/plasma-crystal/index_e.html

The Laboratory Design ConceptTo maximise the use of existing hardware,ICAPS/IMPF will be hosted in ESA’s Columbusmodule using Japan’s International StandardPayload Rack (ISPR) and built from a range ofStandard Active Containers (SACs). Commonsupport services, such as vacuum and gascontrol, and high-speed/high-volume realtimedata acquisition, are integrated in 4-PU (‘PanelUnit’) and 8-PU SACs. Typically, all theexperiment ‘inserts’ will be integrated in 12-PUSACs, which offer payload capacities of110 litres, 56 kg and 560 W powerconsumption. This modular design permits fastand easy on-orbit reconfiguration for evenlarger experiments.

The laboratory design is a multi-userconcept with high modularity on the level ofthe laboratory infrastructure and the individualexperiments. This will allow the engineers andscientists to make maximum and optimal useof the facility over the lifetime of the ISS, andthrough perhaps more than one generation ofusers, beyond the existing experiment teams.Furthermore, it allows for multiple repeats ofexperiment runs, vital for verification of newand unexpected observations, and scientificcredibility in the wider literature. Rapid reactionand response to the experiments will bepossible, with the inclusion of on-orbit andtelescience-reconfigured science protocols, aswell as future on-orbit upgrades and/orrefurbishment of the experiment modules.

ScheduleDepending on the Human SpaceflightResearch and Application Programme Boardapproving the Phase-C/D budget in 2004, theICAPS/IMPF Laboratory will become availableto the international scientific community from2008 aboard ESA’s Columbus module. For moreinformation on research opportunities,researchers should contact the ISS Utilisationand Microgravity Promotion Division(MSM-GAP) at ESTEC: Jorge Vago,tel +31 71 565-5211, Jorge.Vago@esa.int ■

on Station no. 12, march 2003

icaps/impf

on

Station

16

Front panel view of theICAPS/IMPF Laboratory.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

17

on

Sta

tio

n

IntroductionDevelopment of the many European elementsof the International Space Station is almostcomplete. European industry now hasconsiderable expertise in manned spacevehicle development. It is a leader in thedesign, development and production of spacemodules. When the Automated Transfer Vehicle(ATV) is completed in 2004, Europe’s capabilitywill extend to automatic cargo transportationin space, technologically and operationallyrivalling that of Russia, and arguably exceedingthat of NASA.

In order to sustain Europe’s leading positionin human spaceflight, we need to continue theevolution towards future space infrastructureand exploration. As the development phases oftoday’s projects approach conclusion, theDirectorate has initiated a major effort toprepare a new vision for human spaceflight. Aspart of its recent reorganisation, it hasconcentrated all the related preparatoryactivities in its new Development Department.With the intention of submitting a dedicated‘Preparatory Programme’ to ESA’s MemberStates in late 2004, preliminary activities arealready underway under various existingprogrammes, with all the work beingcoordinated and integrated to form a coherentwhole. The different activities are performedunder the following programmes:

– the Studies, Technology and EvolutionPreparation (STEP) programme, which aimsto improve the existing services of theEuropean segment of the ISS; reduceoperational costs for the current ISS; andplan future capabilities in preparation forfuture developments. This is a slice of the ISSExploitation Programme subscribed to, sofar, by Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain andSwitzerland.

– the Interim Technology Effort for ReusableTransportation and Atmospheric ReentrySystems, managed in cooperation with theDirectorate of Launchers, and includingtechnologies related to spacetransportation and atmosphericreentry for crew and cargovehicles. This makes use of thelegal frame of ESA’s GeneralSupport & Technology Programme(GSTP) and is funded via dedicatedsubscriptions from Austria, Belgium, Italy,The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

– the General Study Programme, covering thestrategic subjects of human spaceflight:crew transportation, payload transportation,on-orbit servicing platforms and vehicles,long-duration habitats and ATV evolution.

– ISS Development Programme, small funds toenable coordination by Prime Contractors ofthe above activities.

Main Activity ThemesThe future of European human spaceflight willbuild on the achievements of the last 25 yearsand will lead Europe through independentinitiatives and international cooperationtowards a new set of projects. The current ISSinfrastructure needs to be improved, toincrease the scientific return from this world-class facility and to expand its applications. Anext-generation in-orbit infrastructure,allowing substantial operations growth toinclude in-orbit servicing, spacecraftintegration and mission support, long-durationautonomous habitats, and future activities suchas space tourism and in-space powergeneration can be envisaged. The explorationof celestial bodies making use of the spaceinfrastructure is also being prepared, under theAurora programme.

Independent of the eventual overall long-

ESA is already studying whatneeds to come after

Columbus, ATV and its othercurrent ISS activities ...

TToowwarards the Fds the FuturutureeDevelopments in the Directorate

Pia MitschdoerferHuman Spaceflight Development Department, MSM-MD/MSM, ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The NetherlandsEmail: Pia.Mitschdoerfer@esa.int

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

18

term future programme(s), specific enablingtechnologies are mandatory. However, Europehas not yet mastered some domains and, inothers, the state-of-the-art must be improved.The main themes have been identified forpriority development in the coming monthsand years:

– closed-loop systems for long-duration mannedspaceflight. Regenerative closed-loop foodsystems and life support / water systems willminimise supply logistics for near-Earthoperations and eliminate them forexploration missions.

– habitats. Large-volume, ergonomicallydesigned living and working quarters forlong-duration occupation and travel.

– robotic systems, to reduce the non-intellectual and dangerous work ofastronaut activities, both EVA and IVA.

– transportation and reentry systems forastronauts and payloads. Includes ATVevolution, which might also form the basisof mobile servicing systems and/or scientificfreeflyers.

Activities StatusWithin the main themes identified above, thefollowing activities have been initiated:

Closed-loop systemsARES, an Air Revitalisation System, will bedesigned for installation in any suitablelocation within the ISS pressurised modules. It

will control carbondioxide and oxygenlevels, while achievingconsiderable economicsavings by reducing theupload of water requiredby the baseline systemenvisaged by NASA. Anelegant breadboard ofthis system will beassembled and tested toverify the technology.

Studies will design acontainer for closed-loop food systems(making maximum useof the MELISSA ‘micro-ecological life supportalternative’ project) thatcould be placed on theISS to verify thetechnologies.

HabitatsScenarios and solutions for space-based, low-orbit vehicles to perform in-orbit servicingfunctions are being studied in order toevaluate inflatable modules and associatedsubsystems that will be required for humans tosurvive long-duration space exposure. Inparallel, the long-term habitability ergonomicsof such a habitat are being studied. A crewrestraint for long-duration work, based on anew concept, is planned to be flight-tested onthe ISS by ESA astronaut Pedro Duque during aSpanish Soyuz taxi mission. The closed-loopsystems described above will be necessary forsuch habitat elements.

RoboticsDesign studies of a quasi-autonomous robotcalled Eurobot, a space robot to supportastronauts during long spaceflights andplanetary exploration, will be conducted.Eurobot will be autonomous or controlled byan operator on Earth or inside the spacecraft,and will translate along the space stationstructure with arms gripping standard EVAinterfaces. With dextrous end-effectors, Eurobotwill perform or support EVA tasks, such asmanipulating payloads or parts of the ISSinfrastructure and perform inspections. It willseek its home base, where its batteries will berecharged. The robotics simulators developedfor the European Robot Arm (ERA) will verifyEurobot’s functions, and a 1 g demonstratorwill be constructed in ESTEC’s Erasmusbuilding.

Large-scale robotic assembly study, scenarios forfuture robotic assembly at the ISS of largespace structures like XEUS, or exposed ISSpayload facilities tended by ERA, will bestudied.

Space transportation and reentryInflatable Reentry and Descent Technology (IRDT)/ Payload Download System, demonstration of

future space

The ARES air revitalisationsystem will be moreeconomical than currentsystems. A: carbon dioxideabsorber. B: Sabatier reactor.C: electrolyser.

A

B

C

A Eurobot mockup at ESTEC.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

19

on

Sta

tio

n

inflatable reentry concepts as a precursor to anoperational concept for payload retrieval fromthe ISS. The ISS has limited download flexibility,restricted to the Shuttle (high capability buthigh cost / fixed opportunity) and the Radugacapsule (very limited capability). An ATV-and/or Progress-based payload downloadsystem could save on download costscompared to Shuttle and increase capabilitycompared to Raduga.

The Interim Technology Phase for SpaceTransportation and Atmospheric Reentryincludes development and demonstrationactivities in hot structures and thermalprotection systems, reusable metallic structuresand control surfaces, mechanisms, avionics andman-machine interface technologies. Thedevelopment of the International Berthing andDocking Mechanism (IBDM) engineering unit isa continuation of activities under theX-38/Crew Return Vehicle programme andrepresents a significant potential contributionby Europe to any future ISS visiting vehicle.

Within this domain, the development andflight of ‘Expert’ is being undertaken. Expert is areentry vehicle for in-flight experimentation,designed to provide reentry conditions for thestudy of critical aerothermodynamicphenomena, such as laminar-to-turbulenttransition, material catalytic properties, shock-wave / boundary layer interactions, real gasand rarefaction effects.

ATV-derived infrastructure elements / evolutionstudy, involving configuration and operationalstudies towards European human access tospace capability and/or combined logistics andexperiment vehicle. These studies will beharmonised with the payload download

system work, ATV being a prime candidatebase for that deployment system.

Human TransportationIn addition to the items above, proposals arebeing developed to evaluate potential mannedtransportation systems. These are embryonic atthe moment, but under consideration are:

– Orbital Space Plane. European participationin NASA’s Orbital Space Plane to carryhumans to and from orbit and to serve asthe ISS crew return vehicle is beingdiscussed with NASA.

– European Crew Transporter to LEO studies.Include feasability of launching mannedSoyuz missions from Kourou. Additionalstudies on aspects for an evolvedtransporter, launched on either Soyuz fromKourou or on unmodified Ariane-5, areplanned.

– Earth reentry capsule/lifting reentrydemonstrator vehicle for a high-energy reentry mission asrequired by a sample return fromMars, focusing on thermalprotection system andaerothermodynamics.

ConclusionThe work to establish a preparatoryprogramme for the future of humanspaceflight is underway, but muchremains to be done. In the climate of smallbudgets and undetermined delays to theSpace Station programme caused by the tragicloss of Shuttle Columbia, the challenge is togenerate ideas that are practical, useful,attractive and beneficial to mankind. ■

A mockup of the Expertreentry vehicle.

A potential future payloadreturn system, using ATV.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

20

education

IntroductionAn ISS Education Programme has beendeveloped by ESA, coordinated with andcomplementing the Agency’s corporate

Education and Outreachactivities. The long-termobjectives of theprogramme are to:maximise the use of the

ISS as a tool for teaching science-related topicsin European classrooms; increase the numberof students of scientific/ technical disciplines atsecondary and University level, with anemphasis on female students; improve thequality of scientific/ technological teaching andsupport the development of modern, high-techteaching tools.

In 2001, the educational activities focusedon the definition and promotion of theprogramme as well as the definition of an ISSEducation Fund supported by entities externalto ESA. In 2002 we developed ‘content’ andbuilt on the input and contacts established in2001 with external entities (UNESCO, EuropeanUnion/Commission, publishers and theEuropean teaching community).

The aim over the next 5 years is toconsolidate the above with the production ofeducational material for 8-18 year olds (written,video, web-based), activities targeting

The creation of educationalmaterial focusing on the ISS is

now well underway ...

If you are a teacher interested in receiving an ISS

Education Kit and are prepared to provide

feedback on its content, contact

Solveig.Pettersen@esa.int

For more information on the ISS Education

Programme of activities, please visit

http://www.esa.int/spaceflight

TThe ISShe ISS EEducducaationtionPPrroogrgrammeammeThe Future of Space and Technology Education

Sylvie IjsselsteinISS Utilisation Strategy and Education Office (MSM-GS),D/MSM, ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The NetherlandsEmail: Sylvie.Ijsselstein@esa.int

university-levelstudents (student experiments aboardthe ISS) and events for students and teachers(seminars, conferences, teacher exchanges),some examples of which are outlined below.Where possible, some of these activities will beimplemented in coordination with otherinstitutions and organisations, such as nationalspace agencies and other ISS InternationalPartners, education ministries, non-governmental organisations and the EC.

Promotional activities, including contestsand special events, will also be developed tosupport the awareness and distribution of theprogramme.

Education Activities to dateEducational Material for 8-18 year oldsIn October 2002 the first pilot ISS Education Kit,aimed at pupils aged 12-15, was distributed tomore than 700 teachers across Europe. The kit,developed in collaboration with teachers,describes the ISS with related interdisciplinaryexercises that challenge the students’ creativity,stimulate their curiosity and encourage themto discuss the topics presented. Different topicsand teaching methods make it relevant toexisting curricula and teaching practices inEurope.

The pilot kit will be followed up by anextensive evaluation after which the final ISSkit will be produced and translated into severallanguages this year.

A pilot ISS Education Kit for 8-12 year olds aswell as ‘Lessons in Life and Physical Sciences’for 15-18 year olds will also be developedduring the course of 2003/2004. Furthermore, aprogramme of educational experiments

on Station no. 12, march 2003

21

on

Sta

tio

n

In addition, one or more teachers arecollocated on a yearly basis within the MSMDirectorate to develop the material for the ISSEducation kits.

The ISS Education FundThe fund’s main objective is to providefinancial support for the development,integration and testing of student experimentsthat will fly on the ISS. These experiments cancall on up to 1% of ESA’s accommodation andoperational resources (up/down mass, crewtime, power, data links) on the ISS.

Following its formal establishment in July2002, the fund will be activated this year,beginning with the nomination of itsParticipants and Honorary Participants.

ConclusionThe Space Station and human spaceflightare of great interest to youth. ESA is obligedto foster this interest and channel it into arenewed interest in science and technologyeducation so that they will be motivated tobecome a science-literate and space-educated generation. ■

Working at TeachSpace 2001.

targeting 12-15 year olds will be filmedaboard the Station during the April andOctober 2003 Soyuz missions involvingEuropean ESA astronauts. The footage willthen be made available to schools acrossEurope.

Targeting University-Level StudentsIn August 2002, the SUCCESS contest waslaunched to invite university students topropose experiments for flight aboard the ISS.The final selection of proposals is planned forthe first quarter of this year.

Within the ‘Pyramid of Space’ programme ofthe ESA Education and Outreach Office,university students are also given theopportunity to fly experiments on parabolicflights and unmanned Foton missions. Two ofthe student experiments (WINOGRAD andCHONDRO) launched on the recent but ill-fatedFoton mission will now fly aboard the ISSduring the next two Soyuz missions in Apriland October.

These flight opportunities are important asthey represent the acceptance and recognitionof student research by the scientificcommunity.

Events and Opportunities for TeachersIn 2001, ESA invited secondary school teachers

to TeachSpace 2001, the first ISS educationconference, with the aim of betterunderstanding their needs and where ESAcould be of assistance in establishing networksand developing suitable material. One of theoutcomes was the pilot ISS Education Kit.

In March 2003 a TeachSpace in PrimaryEducation workshop will be held at ESTEC inorder for ESA to identify which topics aretaught at primary level across Europeancurricula and what material ESA can provide tosupport teachers’ efforts.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

on

Station

22

iss

IntroductionThe Russians’ use of relatively low radiofrequencies on their manned spaceflights isconvenient for radio amateurs and services

trying to listen in on theirspace communications.Beginning with the Mirspace station (1986-2001),

the shortwave bands were no longer used bymanned spacecraft and stations. The mostimportant channels for Mir voicecommunications were 143.625 MHz FrequencyModulation-Narrow (VHF-1) and 130.165 MHzFM-N (VHF-2). Channels for telemetry andbeacon transmissions were active in the 165,166, 600 and 900 MHz bands. The mannedSoyuz ferries were equipped with the voicechannels 121.750 MHz FM-N and 130.165 MHzFM-N, and telemetry and beacon channels at165, 166 and 900 MHz. The unmanned Progressfreighters use the same frequencies but, ofcourse, do not need the voice channels.

For those of us who had listened in to Miroperations for many years, it was no surprisewhen the Zvezda Service Module of the ISSbegan using almost the same frequencies

– Zvezda was originally built as part of a Mir-2.In addition, Zarya was based on the samedesign as some of the Mir modules. So theswitch from Mir to the ISS was very simple forlong-term radio observers.

Monitoring Russian ISS CommunicationsWe can hear Zvezda’s downlink voice channelusing receivers tuned to the 144-145 MHzamateur bands. Most radio ham receivers canalso reach 121.750 and 130.165 MHz. I use theYaesu-9600, Icom-R7000 and FRG-7700receivers with an FRV-7700 converter. Thereceivers are fed by active broadbandantennas. But the cosmonauts can also beheard on much simpler equipment – manyhand scanners can receive space channels.More information can be found on sites such aswww.amsat-dl.org/ and www.amsat-uk.org/.Cheap, second-hand receivers can often befound for sale on radio amateur websites.

Unfortunately, the amount of ISS voicecommunications via Russian channels is muchless than aboard Mir. The cosmonauts nowoften use the systems in NASA’s segment,which we cannot hear because they are routedvia the TDRS geostationary satellite system.

Topics discussed between the cosmonautsand Mission Control Centre-Moscow (TsUP-M)concern mainly the life support systems thatare the responsibility of the Russian flightengineers (this is Nikolai Budarin during thecurrent Expedition-6).

A Daily Routine for Effective MonitoringThe ISS orbital inclination of 51.6° means thereare six daily passes within the range of WestEuropean listeners. Voice communications canbe expected during the first four of thesequence. We can readily compute the

Listening to ISS crews talkingwith Russian mission control ...

ListListening in tening in to theo theCCosmonautsosmonautsMonitoring the ISS Radio Communications

Christiaan M. van den BergRetired radio communications expert, spaceflight observer and reporter, The Hague, The NetherlandsEmail: cmvdberg@planet.nl

The author’s display fortracking the ISS orbitallocation.

on Station no. 12, march 2003

23

on

Sta

tio

n

windows when ISS reception is possible, using‘two-line elements’ that can be downloadedfrom, for example, www.Celestrak.com.Alternatively, predictions are freely available atwww.heavens-above.com.

When the Station is flying from west to east,it passes over my position in The Hague (NL)and is within range of the most westerlytracking stations in Russia (Shcholkovo andSt Petersburg). Communications with MCC-Mthen begin. Reception of the radio traffic is verysimple using amateur equipment. Many radioamateurs are even able to communicate withthe Station (see the article in On Station 10,September 2002, pp.14-15). They receive ISSPacket Radio and voice at 145.800 MHz andtransmit via 145.990 MHz (P/R) or 145.200 MHz(Voice).

Listening to SoyuzSoyuz ferry flights to the Station typically take2 days and there is insufficient information tocompute the exact passes, so manualmonitoring is inevitable. Some 4.5 hours afterthe launch of a Soyuz we need to listenintently, as then we can expect to hear thecrew talking on 121.750 MHz. This traffic isalways interesting because the commander hasa lot to report on the state of the Soyuz in ashort time. We can expect the same during theupcoming Soyuz flights with ESA astronutsPedro Duque (April) and André Kuipers(October). During his October 2002 flight, FrankDe Winne could be heard talking with Kuipersin Dutch. At the same time, a second receiver isuseful for monitoring the Soyuz telemetrychannels: 922.755, 167.873 and 166.134 MHz.The receiving mode for these channels is SingleSide Band (SSB). Of course, it is not possible todecode the telemetry itself, but it providesinformation such as the time of closestapproach (when the Doppler shift is zero). Ifthe Station raises its orbit, Zvezda (628.125,630.125 MHz) and Zarya (633.850 MHz)telemetry signals can help to correct the oldcalculations before the official two-lineelements become available.

Docking with the ISSOf course, the Soyuz approach and dockingwith the ISS takes place within radio range ofMCC-M. This means that western Europeanobservers can hear the final stages. Voicecommunications can be expected via121.750 MHz (Soyuz), 143.625 MHz (ISS) andsometimes 130.165 MHz. Soft capture alwaysoccurs a few minutes after the loss of signal atmy location in The Netherlands, so I have towait until the following pass to be sure thatcapture and docking were successful. The bestway to do this is via the three channels(143.625, 130.165, 121.750 MHz) whereintensive voice traffic can be expected. TheSoyuz guest crew waits to enter the Station, air-seal checks are performed, the hatches areopened and the crews meet. During this or thefollowing pass, Russian space VIPs,representatives from the foreign cosmonaut’shome country, family and friends send theircongratulations to both crews. The

130.165 MHz channel is often active withstrong signals.

The guest cosmonauts usually have anintensive scientific programme to perform andemploy all the possible communicationssessions with scientists in MCC-M. Often it isnecessary to use two channels: one for theguest cosmonaut and the other for the ISScommander to discuss technical andoperational matters.

Guest cosmonauts also often establishcontacts via the ISS ham equipment accordingto a published schedule (more information canbe found at www.ariss-eu.org). It is alwaysworthwhile to pick up this voice traffic fromthe ham channel at 145.800 MHz. ■

The author listening to the ISS.

The amount of ISS traffic during orbit 23532.

On StationISSN 1562-8019

The Newsletter of ESA’s Directorate of Human Spaceflight

This newsletter is published by ESA Publications Division.It is free to all readers interested in ESA’s manned

spaceflight and microgravity activities. It can also beseen via the website at http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/

For a free subscription or change of address, please contact Frits de Zwaan at Frits.de.Zwaan@esa.int

ESA Publications Division/SER-CPESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands

Fax: +31 71 565-5433

Editor: Andrew Wilson (Andrew.Wilson@esa.int)Contributing Writer: Graham T. Biddis

Design & Layout: Eva Ekstrand & Carel Haakman

http

://w

ww

.sp

acef

light

.esa

.int/

pac

-sym

po

sium

pac

@es

a.in

t

16th ESA Symposium onEuropean Rocket and Balloon

Programmes and Related Research

Switzerland

2-5 June 2003