NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 July 2015

A new trio of space station crew members arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Friday to complete mission preparations. In space, the orbital residents began a series of Cubesat deployments.
The Expedition 44/45 crew comprised of Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui are wrapping up preflight training in Kazakhstan. They will launch July 22 aboard the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft for a six-hour ride to the International Space Station.

On board the International Space Station, One-Year crew member Scott Kelly set up the Japanese Kibo airlock for Cubesat deployments this week. Kelly also explored fluid physics for the Capillary Beverage study. Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko studied liquid crystals and observed chemical reactions in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

On-Orbit Status Report

NanoRack Cubesat Deployer (NRCSD) Operations: On Saturday Kelly completed final preparations for a series of deployments of CubeSats from a NRCSD by performing a leak check of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (AL) and venting residual air. Kelly opened the outer hatch and extended the JEMAL slide table to the JEM Exposed Facility (JEF) on the exterior of the ISS. The ground operations team used the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) Small fine Arm (SFA) to grapple the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) mounted on the slide table and maneuvered it into position for the initial cubesat deploys. Today the first 2 Dove Cubesats of the “Flock 2” fleet of satellites were launched. These nanosatellites enable imagery of the entire planet to be taken on a frequent basis, with humanitarian and environmental applications ranging from monitoring deforestation and the ice caps to disaster relief and improving agriculture yields in developing nations. Kelly used a still camera to take photos of the CubeSat deployment from the Cupola window. A total of 16 cubesats will be deployed this week: 14 Planet Lab Doves, 1 Arkyd-3 and 1 Centennial-1 satellite.

Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage): Kelly continued the Capillary Beverage experiment today, drinking from a specially designed Space Cup with an open top to demonstrate how a fluid reacts to the cup’s design. High definition video captured images that will be analyzed on the ground. Since microgravity affects fluid dynamics, in the past crew members have drunk from special sealed bags instead of using straws or normal cups. The Capillary Beverage investigation studies the process of drinking from Space Cups with different design configurations that mimic the gravitational flow of a liquid through capillary forces.

Observation and Analysis of Smectic Islands in Space (OASIS): Padelka reviewed OASIS products, then filled the inkjet droplet device with glycerol/water for the final experiment protocol on each sample container and exchanged hard drives. This first of four OASIS experiment operations will be ground commanded beginning Wednesday. OASIS studies the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and the merging of crystal layers known as smectic islands. Liquid crystals are used for display screens in televisions and clocks, and they also occur in soaps and in cell membranes. The experiment allows detailed studies of the behavior of these structures, and how microgravity affects their unique ability to act like both a liquid and a solid crystal.

Portable Emergency Provisions (PEPS) Inspection: Kelly inspected Portable Fire Extinguishers (PFEs), Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBAs), and Extension Hose Tee Kits (EHTKs) to verify there is no degradation in the units and that they are ready for use.

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA): Sunday 12-July-2015 the Remote Power Controller (RPC) that powers the Lab CDRA valves tripped due to an overcurrent event, this signature has been seen past several times. Several RPC reclosure attempts have been performed followed by additional overcurrent trips. At the time of this report the RPC has been closed for two hours. Earlier today, the Node 3 (N3) CDRA Air Selector Valve (ASV) 104 faulted out when it failed to reach position B. Ground controllers performed multiple troubleshooting steps, but were unsuccessful in getting the valve to reach position B. The next step is to leave the RPC open overnight to allow the CDRA to cool down and cycle the valve again tomorrow. If ASV 104 cannot be recovered, it will likely need to be replaced. The Vozdukh is operating as the primary means for scrubbing CO2 and is operating nominally. Onboard ppCO2 is currently at 2.2 mmHg.

Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

On MCC Go Regeneration of ??? ?1 Micropurification Cartridge (start)
JEMRMS RLT Laptop Activation
JEMAL Table Extension
Closeout Ops after completion of [???-?] and [???-?] tests r/g 9249
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 9277
EXPRS2 – Video Cable Connection to Laptop
Inspection of Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBA) and Portable Fire Extinguisher (PFE)
Replacing E-K container and hose in ??? r/g 9316
JEMRMS Small Fine Arm (SFA) Ungrapple
VIABLE – Experiment OBT
VIABLE – Kit Inspection
Exercise Data Downlink / r/g 6797
JEM AL Slide Table Retraction
Procedure Draft Review
CMS – Replacement of batteries
RELAKSATSIYA. Hardware Setup r/g 9313
Photography to Check Secondary Latch of NanoRacks Cubesat
OASIS – Filling container with glycerin-water mix and replacement of HDD
Photography to Check Secondary Latch of NanoRacks Cubesat
OASIS – Filling container with glycerin-water mix and replacement of HDD
RELAKSATSIYA. Parameter Settings.r/g 9313
RELAKSATSIYA. Observation r/g 9313
CUBESAT – Deployment Photo
CAPBEV. Maintenance Work Area Preparation
CAPBEV. Hardware and Camcoder Setup
ASEPTIC. ???-? No.04 Thermostat Deactivation / r/g 9312
RELAKSATSIYA. Closeout Ops. r/g 9313
CAPBEV. Hardware Testing
ASEPTIC Photography r/g 9312
IMS Delta File Prep
NAPOR-miniRSA. Cleaning ???-? vents / r/g 9311
ASEPTIC. Photo Edit and Downlink / r/g 9312
CAPBEV. Transfer Video and Closeout Ops
??? Maintenance
Crew Discretion Conference
Dust Filter Replacement and ?1, B2 Fan Grille Cleaning in MRM2 r/g 8393
ARED – Flywheel Cylinder Cleaning
Physical Exercise Private Conference
?2 Treadmill System Monthly Inspection
Daily Planning Conference (S-band)
Cognition – Experiment Ops
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 9277
On MCC Go ??? ?1 Absorption Cartridge Regeneration (end)
Completed Task List Items

WHC KTO replace
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

JEMRMS/CubeSat ops
OASIS video
Capillary Beverage video
Three-Day Look Ahead:

Tuesday, 07/14: Radi-N, NanoRacks #3 comm troubleshooting, Pilot, Sprint setup
Wednesday, 07/15: Sprint ops, VEG-01 plant thinning, JEM mesh cover-return grille cleaning, SSC loading prep for 43S crew
Thursday, 07/16: JEMRMS/CubeSat activities, SPHERES Slosh review, N3 CDRA leak check
QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – On
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Override
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Shutdown
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up