NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 3 February 2017

NASA is planning human spaceflight missions further out into space and is learning how astronauts adapt to life off Earth for months and years at a time. The International Space Station provides the laboratory environment for numerous studies into how the human body reacts when exposed to microgravity.
Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet, from the European Space Agency, is wearing the new SkinSuit to study its ability to offset the effects of living in space including back pain and spine-stretching. The unique, tailor-made suit squeezes the body from the shoulder to the feet mimicking the force felt on Earth. Pesquet is evaluating the SkinSuit’s comfort, range of motion and its functionality while exercising.

Lighting is also very important when living in space since the daily sunrise and sunset cycle that guides life on Earth no longer applies. The crew is participating in tests helping researchers understand how new station lights that can be adjusted for intensity and wavelength are affecting crew sleep patterns and cognitive performance.

The cosmonauts, Oleg Novitskiy, Andrey Borisenko and Sergey Ryzhikov, were conducting their own set of human research experiments today. The trio collected blood and saliva samples to explore how the immune system and bone mass is affected in outer space. The samples were stowed in a U.S. science freezer for later analysis on Earth.

This entry was posted in Expedition 50 and tagged European Space Agency, Expedition 50, International Space Station, NASA, Roscosmos on February 3, 2017 by Mark Garcia.

On-Orbit Status Report

Exposed Facility Unit (EFU) Adapter Transfer: Overnight ground controllers maneuvered the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Robotic Manipulator System (RMS) Small Fine Arm (SFA) to a position to remove the EFU Adapter from the EFU-5 location. Once the EFU Adapter was removed, it was transferred and installed onto the JEM Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table. The slide table, with the EFU adapter, was then retracted back into the JEMAL. These activities are part of a series of tasks required to deploy the High Definition Television Camera – Exposed Facility 2 (HDTV-EF2) experiment next week. HDTV-EF2 is a high-definition television camera system, which will be used for earth observation from the ISS.

Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Halo: The crew completed the second of two days of initial checkout and runs in support of the SPHERES Halo investigation. The crew loaded the SPHERES and the Vertigo Avionics Stack and performed tests of the Halo configuration. Sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), SPHERES Halo utilizes the SPHERES facility (satellites) and is designed to mature adaptive Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) technology in support of on-orbit, robotic satellite assembly and servicing in a risk-tolerant, dynamically authentic environment. The Halo has six Halo ports and is able to support up to six peripherals, including docking ports, cameras, and other sensors and actuators. These peripherals can be added and removed from the Halo by the astronaut as necessary for each test. Future use includes the SPHERES Docking Port.

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Sample Holder Exchange: The crew performed an exchange of the Sample Holder contained in the JAXA ELF facility housed in the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack-2 (MSPR2). Following the exchange ground teams will continue checkout activities. The ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate/melt/solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the Electrostatic Levitation method. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured, and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.

Lighting Effects Cognition Test: Using the Cognition application, the crew completed three runs of the Cognition test. Scheduled at 1-4 hours after wakeup, 6-10 hours after wakeup, and 12-18 hours after wakeup, the crew completed the Cognition test which includes pre-test questions and an array of cognitive tests with performance feedback. 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. Cognition includes ten brief computerized tests that cover a wide range of cognitive functions, and provides immediate feedback on current and past test results. The software allows for real-time measurement of cognitive performance while in space. The Lighting Effects investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance.

SkinSuit: The crew performed Day 2 of the first session of SkinSuit taking measurements at donning in the morning and again in the afternoon at doffing. The Skinsuit is a tailor-made overall with a bi-directional weave specially designed to counteract the lack of gravity by squeezing the body from the shoulders, to the feet, with a similar force to that felt on Earth. The subjects of the investigation perform an evaluation of the efficacy of Skinsuit in reducing/preventing low back pain and preventing spine elongation; measure the gravitational load provided by Skinsuit on the ISS crewmember; evaluate operational considerations, in particular hygiene/microbiology, comfort, thermoregulation, donning/doffing, impingement and range of motion to prepare for Long Duration Missions; and evaluate the effect of wearing Skinsuit while exercising.

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

Multi Omics Saliva Operations
Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry – Subject
Multi Omics Saliva sample MELFI Insertion
NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample.
Multi Omics Saliva Stow
Multi Omics Question
KORREKTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Collection of Blood Samples
NEUROIMMUNITET. Venous blood sample processing (smear).
KORREKTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Venous blood sample processing using Plasma-03 centrifuge
KORREKTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Handover to USOS for MELFI Insertion
KORREKTSIYA. Closeout Ops
Fine Motor Skills Experiment Test – Subject
JEMRMS BUS MONITOR ACTIVATION AND START
JEF HDTV Closeout
Inventory Management System (IMS) conference
Lighting Effects Cognition Test 1 – Subject
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Scheduled monthly maintenance of Central Post Laptop. Laptop Log-File Downlink.
SkinSuit Height Measurement & Questionnaire
Habitability Narrated Task Video Setup – Subject
NEUROIMMUNITET. Psychological Test
RELAKSATSIYA Hardware Setup.
TIMER. Battery Charge
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace(ELF) Sample Holder Exchange
IMS Update
Habitability Narrated Task Video End – Subject
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Environmental Health System (EHS) Acoustic Dosimeters – Data Transfer and Stow
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) /Group Combustion Module (GCM) Component Deactivation
JEMRMS BUS MONITOR STOP
SPHERES Test Session Setup
JEMRMS USB Memory Virus Check
JEMRMS Bus Monitor Transfer
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Setup
RELAKSATSIYA. Parameter Settings Adjustment
RELAKSATSIYA. Observation
TIMER. Experiment setup and initiation of video recording
Lighting Effects Cognition Test 2 – Subject
SPHERES Halo Test Session
VIZIR. Experiment Ops.
Strata Status Check
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Subject
TIMER. Experiment Ops Video Termination and Cleanup
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Stow
RELAKSATSIYA Closeout Ops and Hardware Removal.
PILOT-T. Preparation for the experiment.
PILOT-T. Experiment Ops.
NEUROIMMUNITET. Hair Samples Collection
SkinSuit Height Measurement & Questionnaire
SkinSuit Stowage
Initiate water transfer from CWC-I to ???
PILOT-T. Closeout Ops.
HRF Generic Urine Collection Setup
Terminate water transfer from CWC-I to ???
Lighting Effects Cognition Test 3 – Subject
Space Headaches – Weekly Questionnaire
SPHERES USB Download
NEUROIMMUNITET. Saliva Sample. Stress Test
NEUROIMMUNITET. End of ECG Recording. Close-out Ops and Data Downlink

Completed Task List Items
New Food Eval
Food Consolodate Part 2
Photo/TV Ghost Card Format
Reseat CB2 Primary Drive

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEMRMS Ops
SPHERES Halo support
PCS Reboot and File Download

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 02/04: Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty, HRF Collections
Sunday, 02/05: Crew Off Duty, HRF Collections
Monday, 02/06: (Crew Light Duty payback from EVA) Dragon OBT, Lighting Effects, ExPress Locker Config

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 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Standby
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