NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 16 March 2017

Today – Rodent Research (RR) Habitat Stow: Following Tuesday’s completion of operations, today the crew stowed the RR habitats. The habitats were cleaned and sealed prior to their next use, planned for RR-5 scheduled for SpX-11.
Advanced Plant Experiments (APEX)-04 Harvest: The crew removed the APEX-04 petri plate from the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) facility and harvested the plants. The crew photographed the plants within the petri plate on the Advanced Biology Research Facility (ABRS) photogrid then all plants were inserted into a single Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Fixation Tube (KFT) with RNAlater. The APEX-04 (Epigenetic change in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to spaceflight – differential cytosine DNA methylation of plants on the ISS) experiment investigates how spaceflight can affect an organism on a molecular level without altering its outward appearance. Previous research has demonstrated that large numbers of plant genes are expressed differently in space compared to plants on Earth, which can alter how plants grow. This investigation studies the entire genome of thale cress plants grown in space, creating maps of spaceflight-specific changes in certain groups of genes. Results give new insight into plants’ molecular responses to spaceflight, which benefits efforts to grow plants in space for food and oxygen.

TangoLab Card Removal and Cold/Conditioned Stowage Transfer: The crew removed several experiments from the TangoLab Facility and then stowed them in the returning General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerators (GLACIERs). Additionally, the crew transferred conditioned stowage samples from Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) to the GLACIERs and Polar facilities that will be returning on SpX-10.

Aquapad Analysis: The crew performed the analysis for the water samples taken on Tuesday. Using the EveryWear application, the crew captured images of the Aquapad Containment Boxes which will be downlinked for analysis. After image capture, the Aquapad Containment Boxes were packed for SpX-10 return. Aquapad is a new approach developed by France’s CNES space agency: paper impregnated with powdered growth medium creates a 3D petri dish. When water is added, the microbes form colored spots revealing their locations. Using a tablet computer application the crew will photograph the dots to calculate precisely how many bacteria are present.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Suit Maintenance: The crew performed routine maintenance tasks on EMU 3006 and EMU 3008 including a water recharge, loop scrub, a post-loop scrub water sample and an EMU conductivity test.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Overnight, the Robotics Ground Controllers stowed the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) on Mobile Base System (MBS) Power Data Grapple Fixture #2 (PDGF2). After Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) had released SPDM, SSRMS Latching End Effector (LEE) diagnostics and checkouts as well as SSRMS Joint Diagnostics were performed on the prime and redundant strings. Finally, SSRMS grappled the SpX-10 Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture (FRGF) in preparation of the SpX-10 release. MSS performance was nominal.

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) 275 Failure: White Sands Facility reported a timeout of the 275 satellite. Specialist are working the issue and expect a return to service no earlier than 18:30 GMT.

Depress Pump Test: Today the crew turned on the airlock depress pump for 44 minutes in order to verify proper Node 3 to Airlock Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) cooling. This test was performed because when the Airlock cooling was switched from Lab MTL to Node 3 MTL the team realized the flow is in reverse. Temperatures during the test confirmed better cooling to the depress pump and downstream hardware than predicted.

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

Crew Prep for PAO
ISS HAM Video Power Down
Rodent Research Habitat Bag Retrieval
Review of Polar transfer to Dragon Overview
TV PAO Conference with the Participants of the Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad Step into the Future, Cosmonautics
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
Aquapad Water double Analysis
ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry preparation for and measurement session.
FGB (??) Vacuum Cleaning
AQUAPAD Packing
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Initiation
Manufacturing Device Dragon to ISS Stow
Depress Pump cooling test with MTL cooling reversed.
Coliform Water Sample Analysis 44 +/- 4 hours post processing
Depress Pump cooling test with MTL cooling reversed.
Polar Transfer To Dragon Overview Review
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Post Scrub Cooling Loop Water (H2O) Sample
Google Street View Dragon Photo Operations
Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Deconfiguration
APEX-04 Hardware Gather #3
Rodent Research. Stowage of Habitat Module
Water Recovery System Waste Water Tank Drain Termination
Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject
SODI Flash Disk Wrap
On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Conductivity Test
Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Open
LMM APEX-04 LMM Petri Plate Remove
ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure Algometry Measurement Ops
Preparing For Upcoming MagVector Science Run
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Termination
Video Recording of Greetings
Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Close
ESA Weekly crew conference
APEX-04 LMM Petri Plate Harvest
Fluid Shifts CCFP Setup
IMS Update
Fluid Shifts CCFP Data Transfer
MOTOCARD. Operator Assistance with the Experiment
Fluid Shifts CCFP Baseline Stow
Rodent Research. Stowage of Habitat Module
COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Checkout
TangoLab Card Cube Remove
??? maintenance
TangoLab Glacier Sample Insertion
Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Rodent Research Habitat Stow
MELFI to Glacier Sample Transfer
Countermeasures System (CMS) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Set Screw Tightening
MELFI to POLAR Sample Transfer
Stow Syringes used in H2O Conductivity Test
ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry Measurement Session. Closeout Ops
RELAKSATSIYA Charging battery for Relaksatstiya experiment (initiate)

Completed Task List Items
Replace KTO when full
Recorded Greeting – SCH 25th Anniversary
Recorded Greeting – RNASA

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
SSRMS Dragon Grapple
CUCU Checkout

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 03/17: At Home In Space, Dragon Depart OBT, Dragon Transfers, Rodent Research Stow, Conclude PMA3 Fine Leak Check, WVE R&R Prep
Saturday, 03/17: Dragon Unberth Prep (Coldbag Packing, Center Stack Load, N2 CPA Install, Vestibule Depress), Dragon Unberth and Overnight Park
Sunday, 03/18: Dragon Release, Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty

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