NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 4 January 2018 – Canadarm2 Swaps Experiments
Robotics controllers have completed the science cargo transfers from the rear of the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, also known as its trunk. Dragon is due to depart the International Space Station Jan. 13 and return to Earth.
Over the holidays, the ground robotics teams remotely operated the Canadarm2 to remove a pair of new external experiments from Dragon and install them on the station. The teams also finished installing an older experiment back inside the cargo craft’s trunk in time for its departure.
Dragon delivered the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) and the Space Debris Sensor (SDS) when it arrived on Dec. 17, 2017. TSIS-1 was attached to an External Logistics Carrier on the port solar alpha rotary joint. It will study the sun’s natural influence on the Earth’s ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and ecosystems. The SDS was installed outside the Columbus lab module where it will directly measure the orbital debris environment around the space station for two to three years.
The successful RapidScat experiment was installed back in Dragon’s trunk after being delivered in September 23, 2014, on the SpaceX CRS-4 mission. RapidScat observed wind patterns on the ocean’s surface providing agencies better data for weather forecasting before ending its mission in August of 2016.
RapidScat will be destroyed inside Dragon’s trunk when it separates from the Dragon resupply ship to burn up over the Pacific Ocean. Dragon itself will safely parachute to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of California.
On-Orbit Status Report
NanoRacks External Platform (NREP)-3 Payload Swap: Today crewmembers extended the JEM A/L slide table into the JEM Pressurized Module (JPM) and exchanged payloads on NREP by removing the External Platform Module 2 (Charge Injector Device), External Platform Module 4 (Dependable Microprocessor) before installing the External Platform Module 5 (Cavalier) on NREP. The slide table was retracted from the JPM side and the inner hatch was closed, and depressurization and ventilation was completed. The Cavalier experiment is a technology demonstration mission with a goal to provide hands on opportunities for working with flight hardware. NREP will remain inside the JEM Airlock until next week when it will be deployed to the JEM External Facility site #4. Cavalier is a 4U active payload that will remain on NREP for approximately six months. NREP represents the first external commercial research capability for testing in support of scientific investigations, sensors, and electronic components in space.
Cell Science Validation Bag Change-Out Operations: The crew replaced the Bioculture System Cassette media and sump bags in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) with the media and sump bags from an ambient stowage container and then transferred the cassettes back into the Bioculture System. Once the change out activities were completed, the crew removed the Life Science Ancillary Hardware (LSAH) hardware from the MSG to conclude the Cell Science Validation operations. The objective of this flight of the Bioculture System is to validate the hardware by testing and checking out its engineering and operational capability to maintain cell cultures for a long duration in the space flight environment on the ISS. The new enabling capabilities and procedures to manually conduct experiments with the specimens cultured in the Bioculture System will also be demonstrated. The validation of the Bioculture System performance in the space flight environment is a critical step to ensure the success of future space bioscience experiments that will be conducted on ISS using this facility.
Lighting Effects: A 53S crewmember completed a Visual Performance Test by setting the light to the correct mode, turning all other light sources in the crew quarters off, and performing a Numerical Verification Test and a Color Discrimination Test. 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.
At Home in Space: A 53S crewmember completed an At Home in Space questionnaire today. This Canadian Space Agency experiment assesses culture, values, and psychosocial adaptation of astronauts to a space environment shared by multinational crews on long-duration missions. It is hypothesized that astronauts develop a shared space culture that is an adaptive strategy for handling cultural differences and they deal with the isolated confined environment of the spacecraft by creating a home in space. At Home in Space uses a questionnaire to investigate individual and culturally related differences, family functioning, values, coping with stress, and post-experience growth.
ZBook Transitions: Today the crew continued activities to transition the laptops onboard from the T61P model to the newer ZBook model. Today’s transitions include SSCs 1 (in the Russian segment) and 22 (attached to T2).
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Coliform Water Sample Analysis 44 +/- 4 hours post processing
JEM System Laptop Terminal Reboot
NanoRacks External Platform Operations Review.
NanoRacks External Platform Hardware Gather
On MCC Go: Removal of ????-1? UNIT (?304)
ISS Crew Orientation
Cell Science Validation Glacier Sample Removal
Cell Science Validation Bag Change Out Ops Session3
ISS CREW/SSIPC CONFERENCE
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Activation
MRM1 Fan Screen Cleaning (group C) [Aborted]
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
Installation of insert-cable on location ?304
NanoRacks External Platform Slide Table Remove
NanoRacks External Platform Hardware Swap
Removal of ????-1? UNIT (?308)
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Formaldehyde Monitoring Kit (FMK) Stow Operation
NanoRacks External Platform Slide Table Assist Capture
Microbial Tracking-2 Operations Review
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
JEM Airlock Depressurization
Transfer of ????-1? from location ?304 to location ?308
Cargo Transfer to Dragon
Locating and gathering Velcro tape for application on unit 800? (?102)
At Home In Space Questionnaire
Video Recording of Greetings
Microbial Tracking-2 Crew Conference
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup
????-1? Temperature Check (?308), operator
Storage Battery Current Converter ????-1? (?308) temperature check
Cell Science Validation MSG Cleanup and LSAH Remove
Transparent Alloys Payload Procedure Review2
JEM Airlock Vent
Replacement of SSC1 laptop (SM) with Zbook
??? maintenance
Lighting Effects Visual Performance Tests Light Setting – Subject
IMS Update
MELFI TDR Battery Removal
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Terminate
Manufacturing Device Feedstock Canister Exchange
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Initiate
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Termination
MOTOCARD. Experiment Ops
MOTOCARD. Operator Assistance with the Experiment
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Transparent Alloys Hardware Setup
Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Rad Detector Rotate
ZBook Client Swap
SCENARIO. Observation and photography using Photo Equipment
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE
Completed Task List Activities
US EVA Tether Inspection
Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
ZBook transitions.
Nominal commanding.
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 01/05: ACME, Microbial Tracking, Dragon Cargo Operations, JEM Camera Setup for Amyloid
Saturday, 01/06: HRF fluid collections, Petri Plate, Crew off duty
Sunday, 01/07: HRF fluid collections, 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 – 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) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off
