NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 August 2016

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT, approximately 326 miles west of Baja California, marking the end of the company’s ninth contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA.
Following splashdown, Dragon will be recovered from the ocean and put on a ship for transportation to a port near Los Angeles, where some cargo including research will be removed and returned to NASA within 48 hours. Dragon will be prepared for a return journey to SpaceX’s test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth at this time.

Dragon is returning more than 3,000 pounds of NASA cargo and science samples from a variety of technological and biological studies about the International Space Station. Results from the Heart Cells study, which investigated how heart muscle tissue contracts, grows and changes in microgravity, may help advance the study of heart disease and development of drugs and cell replacement therapy on Earth and on future space missions. Other experiments returning include tomato “space seeds” that were flown to station and will be planted on Earth as part of STEM education program with NanoRacks; Multi-Omics, which looked at impacts of space on astronauts’ immune systems; and OASIS, which studied the behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and merging of crystal layers.

On-Orbit Status Report

SpaceX (SpX)-9 Release: Following the unberth of Dragon yesterday afternoon, the crew used the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to release Dragon at 5:11 AM Central Time for its return to Earth. The Dragon capsule executed a de-orbit burn shortly after 10 AM Central Time, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 45 minutes later. SpaceX-9 returned cargo and science samples which were processed onboard the ISS for analysis on the ground.

Biological Rhythms 48 Holter and Actiwatch Removal and Data Save: Following two consecutive days of Biological Rhythms recording sessions, the crew removed the Digital Walk Holter Electrocardiogram (ECG) and the Actiwatch Spectrum and saved the collected data to the medical laptop. This concluded the Biological Rhythms experiment where two separate 24-hour Actiwatch measurements were performed to study the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on heart functions by analyzing an astronaut’s electrocardiogram for 48 hours.

Biomolecule Sequencer Hardware Setup and Sample Initialization: The crew retrieved the Flow Cell and the Media Syringe Tube from Minus Eighty-degree Freezer for ISS (MELFI) before using the syringe to inject the sample into the Biomolecule Sequencer, which began the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing process. The Biomolecule Sequencer investigation seeks to demonstrate for the first time that DNA sequencing is feasible in an orbiting spacecraft. A space-based DNA sequencer could identify microbes, diagnose diseases and understand crew member health, and potentially help detect DNA-based life elsewhere in the solar system.

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Manifold Bottle Replacement: The crew R&Rd a CIR manifold bottle on one of the four CIR Manifolds in support of upcoming Flex 2 payload investigation activities.

Fine Motor Skills: A series of interactive tasks on a touchscreen tablet were completed for the Fine Motor Skills investigation. This investigation is critical during long-duration space missions, particularly those skills needed to interact with technologies required in next-generation space vehicles, spacesuits, and habitats. The crewmembers’ fine motor skills are also necessary for performing tasks in transit or on a planetary surface, such as information access, just-in-time training, subsystem maintenance, and medical treatment.

Space Headaches: The crew completed the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Headaches questionnaire which provides information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space.

LS-1 Server Issues: Following the recent issues with the LS-1 server, the crew performed a laptop shell swap (motherboard, processor, memory) and retained only the hard drives. The LS-1 came back online without any issues.

LAB RWS Monitor Display Issue: Prior to Dragon release, the SSRMS Lab Robotic Work Station (RWS) Monitor 1 was observed to be very dim, with the image shifted, and it seemed to be a negative image. The crew tried the brightness adjustment and checked the cables with no success. The video feed was moved from the degraded display Monitor 1 to a Monitor 3 which was operating nominally. The release and departure monitoring were completed nominally and on time. The LAB RWS Monitor 1 was later recovered by power cycling the Control Electronic Unit (CEU). The root cause is still under investigation.

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

MORZE. Evaluation using SPRUT-2
Crew Command Panel (CCP) Cable Route and Checkout
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 3208
ISS crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Management Team) r/g 3173
On-orbit Hearing Assessment using EARQ
BLR48 Saving Experiment Data
On-orbit Hearing Assessment using EARQ
JEM Stopping Gas Supply
Pre-pack cargo items for return or disposal on Soyuz 720 / r/g 3099, 3098
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Tsentrovka, SENSOR Tests
Fine Motor Skills (FINEMOTR) Experiment Ops
Fine Motor Skills (FINEMOTR) Experiment Ops
BLR48 Data Saving
Dragon/Node 2 Vestibule Closeout Ops
BMS Equipment Gathering
???1 (R-107) Firmware Upgrade using re-programming hardware r/g 3200
Camcorder Setup to View LAB RWS Monitor 3
Configure Robotic Workstation (RWS) for Dragon Release
SSRMS Dragon Release from Node 2 Nadir
SSRMS Dragon Release and Departure Monitoring
CARDIOVECTOR. Experiment / r/g 3210
??? Maintenance
Gas Analyzer ?? 0501 Adjustment for O2 channel
Crew Departure Prep
LBNP Exercise (PRELIMINARY) r/g 3206
CIR Upper Rack Doors Open
CIR Payload Partial Removal
BMS Hardware Setup
CIR Rack Doors Close
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 3208
Crew Departure Prep
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Cattell’s Test
SHD Weekly Questionnaire
Food Frequency Questionnaire
Pre-pack cargo items for return or disposal on Soyuz 720 / r/g 3099, 3098
Food Frequency Questionnaire
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Strelau Test
Crew Command Panel (CCP) Cable De-route
RWS Power Down
Countermeasures System (CMS), Sprint Exercise, Optional
BMS Retrieval from MELFI
IMS Delta File Prep
BMS Retrieval from MELFI
Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position / SM Pressure Control & Atmosphere Monitoring System
MORZE. Closeout Ops
BMS Initiate activities with samples
LBNP Exercise (PRELIMINARY) r/g 3206
Food Frequency Questionnaire
Vestibule Reconfig post-Dragon departure
CUCU Deactivation
Video Downlink End
OBT, Crew Medical Officer (CMO), Computer based training
EVA-SAFER Checkout
HMS. Psychological Evaluation Program (WinSCAT)
IMS Conference
PAO Hardware Setup
Crew Prep for PAO
PAO Event
Fundoscope Setup for exam
Fundoscope Exam Setup
OBT, Crew Medical Officer (CMO), Computer based training
Columbus module Standard Utility Panel (SUP) Loads Power Up
SHD Weekly Questionnaire
Fundoscope, Eye Exam (Subject)
Fundoscope, Eye Exam (CMO)
Crew conference with Astronaut Office
Flight Director / ISS Crew Tagup
Equipment stowage after Fundoscope Eye Imaging
CORRECTSIYA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medicine) Intake / r/g 3208

Completed Task List Items
None

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Dragon release
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 08/27: Crew off duty
Sunday, 08/28: Crew off duty
Monday, 08/29: EVA preparations, mouse habitat removal from CBEF, DOUG review

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
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) – Norm
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up