NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 February 2016

The Expedition 46 crew members kicked off their work week today with a series of physics experiments and life science studies. The crew also worked on U.S. and Russian spacesuits and continued packing trash inside the Orbital ATK resupply ship.
British astronaut Tim Peake wrapped up maintenance work on the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace which will study the thermophysical properties of various materials. NASA astronaut Tim Kopra tested the flammability of different textiles inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox for the BASS-M experiment.

Peake also explored crew immunology to potentially improve astronaut health and life on Earth. Kopra continued taking out the trash today loading the Cygnus spacecraft before its release on Feb. 19 for disposal over the Pacific Ocean.

Peake then joined Commander Scott Kelly in the Quest airlock to get a U.S. spacesuit ready for gear replacement work on Wednesday. Kelly also partnered up with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko for vision tests and blood pressure checks for the Ocular Health study.

Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is recharging Russian Orlan spacesuit batteries after completing a spacewalk last week. His fellow cosmonaut Sergey Volkov also helped stow spacewalk tools.

On-Orbit Status Report

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Troubleshooting: Peake successfully performed troubleshooting steps for the accessibility issue that has prevented mating of a hose between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ELF and the Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) for cooling. He connected the cooling water hose between the MTL connection on the MSPR2 and the ELF. The ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials employing containerless processing techniques that use the electrostatic levitation method with charged samples and electrodes. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.

Burning and Suppression of Solids – Milliken (BASS-M): Today Kopra completed the fourth set of BASS-M operations, preparing and testing five different samples with ground assistance from the Principal Investigator. The BASS-M investigation tests flame-retardant cotton fabrics to determine how well they resist burning in microgravity. Results benefit research on flame-retardant textiles that can be used on Earth and in space.

Ocular Health Testing: Kelly and Kornienko performed their Return minus 30 day (R-30) Ocular Health activities. They completed tonometry and vision testing, measured blood pressure, and completed a vision questionnaire. Volkov completed a fundoscopy to obtain images of the retinal surface, a vision test, and a vision questionnaire. The Ocular Health protocol calls for a systematic gathering of physiological data to characterize the risk of microgravity-induced visual impairment/intracranial pressure in ISS crewmembers. Researchers believe that the measurement of visual, vascular and central nervous system changes over the course of this experiment and during the subsequent post-flight recovery will assist in the development of countermeasures, clinical monitoring strategies, and clinical practice guidelines.

Multi-Omics: Peake completed the second sampling on Saturday for JAXA’s Multi-Omics Investigation. The Multi-omics analysis of human microbial-metabolic cross-talk in the space ecosystem (Multi-omics) investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts’ immune function, by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the gut microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system. Biomarkers for immune dysfunction during the crewmembers time on the ISS could be useful for the health management of astronauts.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Preparation: In preparation for EMU 3003 Fan Pump Separator changeout scheduled to start this Wednesday, Kelly removed EMU 3008 from the Aft EMU Don/Doff Assembly (EDDA) then installed EMU 3003 in its place. Later, Kelly and Kopra reviewed the procedure associated with the Fan Pump Separator changeout activity.

Orbital ATK (OA)-4 Cargo Operations: The crew transferred trash into the Cygnus vehicle today in preparation for the vehicle’s unberth from ISS on February 19th.

Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) Demonstration: Over the weekend, the Robotics Team completed their three day activity to validate the robotic transfer of battery style Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) prior to the delivery of new ISS batteries on HTV-6. On Friday evening, the team successfully removed the MBSU from the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) structure and temporarily stowed it on the Enhanced ORU Temporary Platform (EOTP) before returning the MBSU back to the FRAM. On Saturday, the demonstration concluded when the MBSU/FRAM was moved back to its home on Express Logistics Carrier 2. One issue was encountered during the demonstration which prevented the SPDM from grasping the Robotic Offset Tool (ROST) in order to remove it from its holster for use. Robotics team accomplished the bolt loosening task using the OTCM instead.

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

SLEEP – Questionnaire
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
Acoustic Dosimeter Setup – Day 1
Ocular Health (OH) – Tonometry Test Configuration
PILOT-T. Preparation for the Experiment
Installation of ??-? Charger No.13010004 (009709R, ???1???_2_221_1, Soft Container 422-6 (00062719R) for Orlan Battery
HMS – Visual Testing Activity
BASSM – Preparation Operations Part 1
on MCC GO Mating Telemetry Connector to ??-?
Multi Omics (MO) – Saliva Collection Equipment Setup
PILOT-T. Experiment Ops
Vision Test – Questionnaire Completion
HMS – Vision Test
Set up the First Orlan-MK 825?3 Battery Pack ?126499191 (?/? 00068690R, ???1???_2_221_1) for Discharge and Start Discharging the First Pack
Columbus – Stowage and Consolidation
Ocular Health (OH) – Blood Pressure Operations
Pressurization of Elektron-VM Liquid Unit before Activation. Tagup with specialists for opening Elektron ??2
Ocular Health Experiment – Tonometry Test
Vision Test – Complete Questionnaire
Ocular Health Experiment – Measurements with Holter Arterial BP Unit – Test Subject
MYCO – Familiarization
Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) – Payload Partial Removal
CBEF- Hardware Setup
Ocular Health Experiment – Tonometry Test
Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) – Connecting Camcorder
Post-Tonometry Stowage
PILOT-T. Closeout Ops
XF305- Camcorder Setup
MSPR2 – Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Troubleshooting
HMS – Vision Test
Vision Test – Complete Questionnaire
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Cattell’s Test
PK4- Hard Drive Installation
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
Crew Medical Officer (CMO) Proficiency Training
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Strelau Test
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Disconnecting RAD Detector from SSC12
Photography of Plume Impingement and Deposit Monitoring Unit (????) Position on MRM2 through SM Window No.13 (after EVA-42)
BASSM – Experiment Start
FSL Rack Fiber Optical Connector Troubleshooting [Deferred]
VEGGIE-01 Water Syringe Transfer in MELFI
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
EarthKAM – Setup and Hardware Activation in Node 2
EMU Backpack Replacement
Post-EVA Tool Re-stow, IMS Ops
HRF2- Photography
EMU Fan Pump Separator (FPS) R&R Procedure Review
MORZE. NEIROIMMUNITET. CORRECTSIYA. Experiment Setup
Fundoscope Exam Subject Preparation
Cygnus Cargo Operations
HABIT- Questionnaire Completion
Fundoscope Setup for Exam
Preparation for Stereo Macro-Photography of EV Hatch 2 Windows in MRM2 (Preparation for the Activity, Procedure and R/G Review)
Fundoscope – Eye Examination
??? Maintenance
Stereo Macro-photography of EV Hatch 2 Windows in MRM2
Equipment Stowage after Fundoscope Eye Imaging
JRNL- Journal Entry
Evening Work Prep
INTERACTION -2. Experiment Ops
Video Footage of Greetings
Cygnus – Cargo Operations Tagup
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
NEIROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample
Ocular Health Reminder
SPLANH. Diet Restrictions Reminder
Ocular Health Reminder

Completed Task List Items
Crew Choice Event for YouthSparks Program
SSC NAS1 Deploy

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
MCC-21 Final Command Testing
MT Translation from WS-2 to WS-4

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 02/09: Ocular Health, CARDOX, EMU 3005 Dump and Fill, FPS Tool Gather
Wednesday, 02/10: SPRINT, EMU 3003 FPS R&R, BASS-M
Thursday, 02/11: EVA FPS R&R, Ocular Health, SPRINT, NanoRacks Multi-Gas Monitor Deploy, Col Desiccant Module R&R, PEPS Inspection

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 – Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off