2.4 ON-ORBIT EVENTS

¶By 11:39 a.m. EST, one hour after launch, Columbia was in orbit and crew members entered the "post-insertion timeline." The crew immediately began to configure onboard systems for their 16-day stay in space.

¶Flight Day 1, Thursday, January 16

¶The payload bay doors were opened at 12:36 p.m. and the radiator was deployed for cooling. Crew members activated the Extended Duration Orbiter pallet (containing extra propellants for power and water production) and FREESTAR, and they began to set up the SPACEHAB module (see Figure 2.4-1). The crew then ran two experiments with the Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System stationary bicycle in SPACEHAB.

¶The crew also set up the Bioreactor Demonstration System, Space Technology and Research Students Bootes, Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System, Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System, and Biopack, and performed Low Power Transceiver communication tests.

¶Flight Day 2, Friday, January 17

¶The Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment 2 began measuring the ozone layer, while the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX) was set to measure atmospheric aero- sols over the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert. The Critical Viscosity of Xenon 2 experiment began studying the fluid properties of Xenon.

¶The crew activated the SPACEHAB Centralized Experiment Water Loop in preparation for the Combustion Module 2 and Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment and also activated the Facility for Absorption and Surface Tension, Zeolite Crystal Growth, Astroculture, Mechanics of Granular Materials, Combined Two Phase Loop Experiment, European Research In Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis, Biological Research in Canisters, centrifuge configurations, Enhanced Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer Operations, and Microbial Physiological Flight Experiment.

¶Not known to Mission Control, the Columbia crew, or anyone else, between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. on Flight Day 2, an object drifted away from the Orbiter. This object, which subsequent

¶analysis suggests may have been related to the debris strike, had a departure velocity between 0.7 and 3.4 miles per hour, remained in a degraded orbit for approximately two and a half days, and re-entered the atmosphere between 8:45 and 11:45 p.m. on January 19. This object was discovered after the accident when Air Force Space Command reviewed its radar tracking data. (See Chapter 3 for additional discussion.)

¶Flight Day 3, Saturday, January 18

¶The crew conducted its first on-orbit press conference. Because of heavy cloud cover over the Middle East, MEIDEX objectives could not be accomplished. Crew members began an experiment to track metabolic changes in their calcium levels. The crew resolved a discrepancy in the SPACEHAB Video Switching Unit, provided body fluid samples for the Physiology and Biochemistry experiment, and activated the Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment.

¶Figure 2.4-1. The tunnel linking the SPACEHAB module to the Columbia crew compartment provides a view of Kalpana Chawla working in SPACEHAB.

¶Flight Day 4, Sunday, January 19

¶Husband, Chawla, Clark, and Ramon completed the first experiments with the Combustion Module 2 in SPACEHAB, which were the Laminar Soot Processes, Water Mist Fire suppression, and Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis number. The latter studied combustion at the limits of flam- mability, producing the weakest flame ever to burn: each flame produced one watt of thermal power (a birthday-cake candle, by comparison, produces 50 watts).

¶Experiments on the human bodyʼs response to microgravity continued, with a focus on protein manufacturing, bone and calcium production, renal stone formation, and saliva and urine changes due to viruses. Brown captured the first ever images of upper-atmosphere "sprites" and "elves," which are produced by intense cloud-to-ground electromagnetic impulses radiated by heavy lightning discharges and are associated with storms near the Earthʼs surface.

¶The crew reported about a cup of water under the SPACE- HAB module sub-floor and significant amounts clinging to the Water Separator Assembly and Aft Power Distribution Unit. The water was mopped up and Mission Control switched power from Rotary Separator 1 to 2.

¶Flight Day 5, Monday, January 20

¶Mission Control saw indications of an electrical short on Rotary Separator 2 in SPACEHAB; the separator was powered down and isolated from the electrical bus. To reduce condensation with both Rotary Separators off, the crew had to reduce the flow in one of Columbiaʼs Freon loops to SPACEHAB in order to keep the water temperature above the dew point and prevent condensation from forming in the Condensing Heat Exchanger. However, warmer water could lead to higher SPACEHAB cabin temperatures; fortunately, the crew was able to keep SPACEHAB temperatures acceptable and avoid condensation in the heat exchanger.

¶Flight Day 6, Tuesday, January 21

¶The temperature in the SPACEHAB module reached 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The crew reset the temperature to acceptable levels, and Mission Control developed a contingency plan to re-establish SPACEHAB humidity and temperature control if further degradation occurred. The Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System, which detects ground-based radio frequency sources, experienced minor command and telemetry problems.

¶Flight Day 7, Wednesday, January 22

¶Both teams took a half day off. MEIDEX tracked thunder- storms over central Africa and captured images of four sprites and two elves as well as two rare images of meteoroids entering Earthʼs atmosphere. Payload experiments continued in SPACEHAB, with no further temperature complications.

¶Flight Day 8, Thursday, January 23

¶Eleven educational events were completed using the low- power transceiver to transfer data files to and from schools in Maryland and Massachusetts. The Mechanics of Granular Materials experiment completed the sixth of nine tests. Biopack shut down, and attempts to recycle the power were unsuccessful; ground teams began developing a repair plan.

¶Mission Control e-mailed Husband and McCool that post-launch photo analysis showed foam from the External Tank had struck the Orbiterʼs left wing during ascent. Mission Control relayed that there was "no concern for RCC or tile damage" and because the phenomenon had been seen before, there was "absolutely no concern for entry." Mission Control also e-mailed a short video clip of the debris strike, which Husband forwarded to the rest of the crew.

¶Flight Day 9, Friday, January 24

¶Crew members conducted the missionʼs longest combustion test. Spiral moss growth experiments continued, as well as Astroculture experiments that harvested samples of oils from

¶roses and rice flowers. Experiments in the combustion chamber continued. Although the temperature in SPACEHAB was maintained, Mission Control estimated that about a half-gal- lon of water was unaccounted for, and began planning in-flight maintenance for the Water Separator Assembly.

¶avid Brown stabilizes a digital video camera prior to a press onference in the SPACEHAB Research Double Module aboard olumbia during STS-107.

¶Flight Day 10, Saturday, January 25

¶Experiments with bone cells, prostate cancer, bacteria growth, thermal heating, and surface tension continued. MEIDEX captured images of plumes of dust off the coasts of Nigeria, Mauritania, and Mali. Images of sprites were captured over storms in Perth, Australia. Biopack power could not be restored, so all subsequent Biopack sampling was performed at ambient temperatures.

¶Flight Day 11, Sunday, January 26

¶Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment operations were complete; SPACEHAB temperature was allowed to drop to 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists received the first live Xybion digital downlink images from MEIDEX and confirmed significant dust in the Middle East. The STARS experiment hatched a fish in the aquatic habitat and a silk moth from its cocoon.

¶Flight Day 12, Monday, January 27

¶Combustion and granular materials experiments concluded. The combustion module was configured for the Water Mist experiment, which developed a leak. The Microbial Physiology Flight Experiment expended its final set of samples in yeast and bacteria growth. The crew made a joint observation using MEIDEX and the Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment. MEIDEX captured images of dust over the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

¶Flight Day 13, Tuesday, January 28

¶The crew took another half day off. The Bioreactor experiment produced a bone and prostate cancer tumor tissue sample the size of a golf ball, the largest ever grown in space. The crew, along with ground support personnel, observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the men and women of Apollo 1 and Challenger. MEIDEX was prepared to monitor smoke trails from research aircraft and bonfires in Brazil. Water Mist runs began after the leak was stopped.

¶Flight Day 14, Wednesday, January 29

¶Ramon reported a giant dust storm over the Atlantic Ocean that provided three days of MEIDEX observations. Ground teams confirmed predicted weather and climate effects and found a huge smoke plume in a large cumulus cloud over the Amazon jungle. BIOTUBE experiment ground teams reported growth rates and root curvatures in plant and flax roots different from anything seen in normal gravity on Earth. The crew received procedures from Mission Control for vacuum cleanup and taping of the Water Separator Assembly prior to re-entry. Temperatures in two Biopack culture chambers were too high for normal cell growth, so several Biopack experiments were terminated.

¶Flight Day 15, Thursday, January 30

¶Final samples and readings were taken for the Physiology and Biochemistry team experiments. Husband, McCool, and Chawla ran landing simulations on the computer training system. Husband found no excess water in the SPACEHAB sub-floor, but as a precaution, he covered several holes in the Water Separator Assembly.

¶Flight Day 16, Friday, January 31

¶The Water Mist Experiment concluded and the combustion module was closed. MEIDEX made final observations of dust concentrations, sprites, and elves. Husband, McCool, and Chawla completed their second computer-based landing simulation. A flight control system checkout was performed satisfactorily using Auxiliary Power Unit 1, with a run time of 5 minutes, 27 seconds.

¶After the flight control system checkout, a Reaction Control System "hot-fire" was performed during which all thrusters were fired for at least 240 milliseconds. The Ku-band antenna and the radiator on the left payload bay door were stowed.

¶Flight Day 17, Saturday, February 1

¶All onboard experiments were concluded and stowed, and payload doors and covers were closed. Preparations were completed for de-orbit, re-entry, and landing at the Kennedy

¶Rick Husband works with the Biological Research in Canister experiment on Columbiaʼs mid-deck.

¶Space Center. Suit checks confirmed that proper pressure would be maintained during re-entry and landing. The payload bay doors were closed. Husband and McCool configured the onboard computers with the re-entry software, and placed Columbia in the proper attitude for the de-orbit burn.