NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 29 July 2015

A pair of cosmonauts are preparing for Russian spacewalk while a pair of NASA astronauts are working on a U.S. spacesuit. Meanwhile, another cosmonaut and a Japanese astronaut are working a variety of microgravity research and orbital maintenance.
Commander Gennady Padalka and One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko are getting their tools and gear ready for a six-hour spacewalk planned for Aug. 10. They will exit the Pirs docking compartment in their Russian Orlan spacesuits for a photographic inspection of the station’s Russian segment, retrieval of an experiment, window cleaning and surface sampling. The duo also spent time Wednesday logging their food and liquid intake for the Korrektsiya biomedical experiment.

One-Year crew member Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren were back at work again in the Quest airlock installing a fan pump separator in a spacesuit. New Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui analyzed microbes then moved on to a fluid physics experiment. Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko worked on Russian maintenance tasks before exploring how microgravity disturbs the motion of crew members for the Motocard study.

On-Orbit Status Report

Capillary Flow Experiment-2 (CFE-2)-Vane Gap: Yui reviewed onboard training materials prior to configuring the CFE Vane Gap experiment on the Maintenance Work Area (MWA). He configured the assembly to create appropriate conditions within the CFE chamber for fluids to fill the small perforations within the chamber. The primary objective of Vane Gap is to determine equilibrium interface configurations and critical wetting conditions for interfaces between interior corners separated by a gap. Secondary objectives are to determine critical wetting transient as well as to validate numerical predictions of the large length scale discontinuous or near discontinuous wetting phenomena. CFE involves many studies centered on a phenomenon called wetting. Wetting describes the ability and degree that a liquid spreads across a surface. The original CFE tests were highly successful at uncovering the dynamics of wetting in microgravity. Capillary Flow Experiment -2 (CFE-2) determines the critical wetting conditions for screens and perforated plates for perfectly wetting fluids. The impact of such ‘porous substrates’ has immediate implications to the design of passive geometries to manage highly wetting fuels, cryogens, thermal fluids, and contaminated aqueous solutions for urine processing. The unique vane gap critical wetting phenomena is greatly complicated by the presence of three-dimensional (3-D) porous walls.

Human Research Program (HRP) Operations: Today’s HRP operations included the Flight Day (FD) 6 Cognition, FD7 Microbiome and FD10 Salivary Markers for Yui; Habitability Observation #6 for Kelly; and the Microbiome questionnaire for Lindgren. The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results, which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body.

The Microbiome experiment investigates the impact of space travel on both the human immune system and an individual’s microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in and on the human body at any given time).
Individualized Real-Time Neurocognitive Assessment Toolkit for Space Flight Fatigue (Cognition) is a battery of tests that measure how spaceflight-related physical changes, such as microgravity and lack of sleep, can affect cognitive performance.
Salivary Markers samples will be used to measure markers of latent viral reactivation (a global indicator of immune impairment and infection risk) in conjunction with salivary antimicrobial proteins and immune cell functional assays. This research study will help identify if there are any risks of an adverse health event in crewmembers due to an impaired immune system.
Habitability assesses the relationship between crew members and their environment in order to better prepare for future long-duration spaceflights to destinations, such as Near Earth Asteroids (NEA) and Mars. The ultimate goal is to understand how much habitable volume is required for vehicle internal design and layout, and if mission duration impacts the volume needed.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) 3011 Return To Service (RTS): Following yesterday’s gas trap and Water Line Vent Tube Assembly (WLVTA) Remove & Replace (R&R), today Kelly and Lindgren successfully R&Rd the Fan Pump Separator. As part of the R&R, they cleaned and inspected the Primary Life Support System (PLSS).

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

HRF – Sample Collection and Prep for Stowage
HRF – Sample MELFI Insertion
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9451
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9431
CONTUR-2. Installation of P/L and Cables. / r/g 9471
Gather EVA Equipment and Tools. Photography, Photo Downlink / r/g 9464, 9465, 9468
HABIT – Hardware activation
ISS Crew / SSIPC FD Conference
BIOME – Survey Completion
EMU – Fan Pump Separator (FPS) Remove and Repair, Part 1
JEM Stowage Consolidation – Part 1.
EMU – Cleaning Fan Pump Separator (FPS)
EMU – Fan Pump Separator (FPS) Remove and Repair, Part 2
EXPANDER Exercise
Study of veins in lower extremities / r/g 9462
EHS MCD – In-flight Microbiology Water analysis and data recording
ISS O2 Repress from ??? 425 (Aft) ???? Section 1 (start)
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9451
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9431
EMU – Fan Pump Separator (FPS) Remove and Repair, Part 3
ISS O2 Repress from ??? 425 (Aft) ???? Section 1 (terminate)
CFE – Big Picture Overview
Consolidate Tool Caddy, Photography, Photo Downlink. / r/g 9464, 9465, 9468
Filling (separation) of EDV (KOV) for Elektron or EDV-SV r/g 9372
Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation
HRF – Hardware Setup
MOTOCARD. Experiment Ops. / r/g 9469
MOTOCARD. Assistance with the Experiment / r/g 9470
SHD – Weekly Questionnaire
NEIROIMMUNITET. CORRECTSIA. MORZE. Experiment setup / r/g 9463
Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation
CFE – MWA Setup
CFE Teardown
NEIROIMMUNITET. Saliva Test / r/g 9467
COGN – Experiment Ops and Filling Questionnaire
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9451
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 9431
Completed Task List Items

NOD1 Galley Rack Prep [In Work]
IMAX VEG scene [In Work]
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

EMU FPS R&R support
DOUG prep for RS EVA #41 crew
Three-Day Look Ahead:

Thursday, 07/30: CFE ops, EMU flush, N1 Galley Rack Prep
Friday, 07/31: N1 stowage reconfig, Microbiome
Saturday, 08/01: Crew off duty, housekeeping
QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

Component – Status
Elektron – Off
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 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Shutdown
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up