Inside the International Space Station: NASA Mission Control Flight Rules

Malfunctions. Anomalies. Failures. Emergencies. Off-nominal situations. Glitches. Regardless of what you call them, our new International Space Station is bound to experience difficulties. Some will be minor, while other might be life-threatening. One thing, however, is certain: Mission Control will turn to the Flight Rules document for the plans and information to resolve the problem! Over the years, you've probably heard of the "Flight Rules" document for manned missions. The Flight Control team at the Johnson Space Center relies on the rules document as an "operational bible" with preplanned decisions for abnormal situations as they arise. NASA states that the purpose of the rules is to "outline decisions planned in advance - they are designed to minimize the amount of real-time discussion." The document makes an invaluable reference, since the rationale for each rule is explained in detail. This World Spaceflight News Special Report represents the "Final" version of the second volume of the Flight Rules set, covering ISS generic rules. With over 115,000 words, it contains thousands of rules for every imaginable Space Station situation. Here are just a few examples:

What is the authority of the crew commander?
How are operations divided between the U.S. and Russian ground control teams?
What languages can be used during space-to-ground communications?
Can "black box" components be borrowed from one segment of the station to repair another?
Can commands be sent up to the station in the blind?
What is the appropriate response to a confirmed fire?
What maneuvers will be used to avoid debris?
How will nuisance alarms be handled?
What malfunctions will cause the GPS systems to be declared failed?
When should the window shutters be closed?
Under what circumstances should the S-band backup be placed into warm configuration?
What are the constraints on Mobile Transporter translation?
When will an EVA be considered for SSRMS failures?
What is the minimum habitable element pressure?
What are the limits on carbon dioxide partial pressure?
How will decompression sickness symptoms be handled?
Why should the crew avoid spending "unnecessary time" in the Soyuz descent module?
What are the rules for EVA self-rescue?
Are there smoke detector failures that require an awake crew member in the module?
Failure definitions and responses for every major system (GNC, Propulsion, Electrical Power, Mechanical, Communications, Data Systems, Robotics, Life Support) are provided.