NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 24 July 2017 – New Crew Ready for Flight

A new International Space Station crew is less than a week away from beginning a 4-1/2 month mission living and working in space. The trio from the United States, Russia and Italy is in Kazakhstan counting down to a Friday launch at 11:41 a.m. EDT inside the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft.
Cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy will command the Soyuz vehicle during the six-hour, 19-minute ride from Earth to the station’s Rassvet module. He will be flanked by crewmates Randy Bresnik of NASA and astronaut Paolo Nespoli from the European Space Agency. NASA TV will cover the launch and docking activities live.

Meanwhile, the Expedition 52 crew orbiting Earth now explored how microgravity impacts cancer therapies. The trio also worked on various maintenance tasks throughout the orbital lab.

New space research aboard the station is providing insights that may accelerate development of drugs that target only cancer cells. Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson peered at cells today through a microscope for the cancer study that started in April this year. Results may create more effective treatments for cancer patients on Earth.

Jack Fischer of NASA moved a variety of science gear around and cleaned a mouse habitat. He also swapped out a hard drive for an experiment that measures the composition of meteors orbiting and entering Earth’s atmosphere.

On-Orbit Status Report

Efficacy and Metabolism of Azonafide Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Microgravity (ADCs in Microgravity): With assistance from the Payload Developer, the crew viewed ADC cells with a microscope and fixated the BioCells. The crew also performed additional viewing of the cells with the microscope. The ADCs in Microgravity investigation evaluates new antibody-drug conjugates that combine an immune-activating drug with antibodies in order to target only cancer cells, increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reducing its side effects. In microgravity, cancer cells grow in three-dimensional, spheroid structures that closely resemble their form in the human body, allowing for better drug testing. This investigation may accelerate development of targeted therapies for cancer patients.

Meteor Hard Drive Swap: The crew performed a regular changeout of the Meteor hard drive located in the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF). The Meteor payload is a visible spectroscopy instrument with the primary purpose of observing meteors in Earth orbit. Meteor uses image analysis to provide information on the physical and chemical properties of the meteoroid dust, such as size, density, and chemical composition. Since the parent comets or asteroids for most of the meteor showers are identified, the study of the meteoroid dust on orbit provides information about the parent comets and asteroids.

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pump Separator Replacement: On June 30th, the crew reported that the Pump Separator was making unusual noises and running longer after they shut off the urine valve. The Pump Separator had been installed since November 2016, past its expected life of ~180 days. Today the crew R&Rd the Pump Separator and the system is performing nominally.

Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) Troubleshooting #3: On Saturday, the crew replaced the CEVIS Ergometer and Control Panel with “degraded” spares. This third round of troubleshooting was performed to determine if functionality still existed with Ergometer (S/N 1002) and Control Panel (S/N 1006). The crew had been using CEVIS with a Contingency Controller since June 3, 2017 and had recently reported that it had become cumbersome to use. CEVIS is currently functioning nominally utilizing the spares.

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

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
On MCC GO ??? ?1 absorption cartridge regeneration; (init)
FLUID SHIFTS [Deferred]
Solution Crystallization Observation Facility (SCOF) Cable Connection
Combustion Integrated Rack Alignment Guide Removal
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain Part 2
Antibody Conjugates MELFI Sample Retrieve
Antibody Conjugates Microscope Operations
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
SSC
Auxiliary Laptop Computer System Virus Definition File Update
Antibody Conjugates Biocells Fixation
AQM Sieve Cartridge Remove and Replace
Antibody Conjugates MELFI Sample Insertion
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Polar Hardware Install into Express Rack
Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4, Unit Relocation
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Meteor Hard Drive Swap out
Medical Laptop (MDLT) Relocate
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) Removal
Antibody Conjugates Microscope Operations
Evening Preparation Work
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3
ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE. Hardware Deactivation and closeout ops
RADIOSKAF. ???-120 small satellite battery setup and connection to HAM radio station power supply for recharge
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Waste Water Bag (WWB) Changeout

Completed Task List Items
Treadmill 2 System (T2) Monthly Inspection [Completed GMT 203]
Crew Medical Officer (CMO) Proficiency Training [Completed GMT 203]

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal System Commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 07/25: Fluid Shifts Chibis ops, Lighting Effects meter ops, RR habitat restock
Wednesday, 07/26: T2 monthly inspection, ELF sample swap, ADC B cell fixation
Thursday, 07/27: Spring VO2 ops, Capillary Structures, CBEF ops

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – Off
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Standby
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off