NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 14 November 2018 – U.S. Resupply Mission Postponed to Friday

Dismal weather on Virginia’s Atlantic coast has pushed back the launch of a U.S. cargo craft to the International Space Station one day to Friday.
Russia’s resupply ship is still on track for its launch to the orbital lab from Kazakhstan less than nine hours later on the same day.

Mission managers from NASA and Northrop Grumman are now targeting the Cygnus space freighter’s launch on Friday at 4:23 a.m. EST from Pad-0A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Cygnus sits atop an Antares rocket packed with approximately 7,400 pounds of crew supplies, science experiments, spacesuit gear, station hardware and computer resources.

Cygnus will separate from the Antares rocket when it reaches orbit nine minutes after launch and begin a two-day journey to the station’s Unity module. Its cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays will then unfurl to power the vehicle during its flight. Expedition 57 astronauts Alexander Gerst and Serena Auñón-Chancellor will be in the cupola to greet Cygnus Sunday and capture the private cargo carrier with the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 4:35 a.m.

Russia rolled out its Progress 71 (71P) resupply ship today at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan where it stands at the launch pad for final processing. The 71st flight of a Progress cargo craft to the orbital laboratory is scheduled for launch Friday at 1:14 p.m. Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev will be monitoring the arrival of 71P when it automatically docks to the rear port of the Zvezda service module Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Gerst and Prokopyev started Wednesday morning training for the arrival of 71P. The pair practiced commanding and manually docking the vehicle on a computer in the unlikely event the Russian cargo craft is unable to dock on its own. Gerst then moved on to Cygnus capture training after lunchtime with Auñón-Chancellor following up before the end of the day. NASA TV will cover live the launch, capture and docking of both Cygnus and Progress on Friday and Sunday.

On-Orbit Status Report

Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) Gas Trap Degassing IFM-return line: A crewmember installed a gas trap into the return line of the LSG in preparation for removing trapped gas from system lines. During the activity, ground teams observed a 93mL accumulator drop, which then leveled off. The LSG was subsequently isolated by closing the Flow Control Valve (FCV) via ground command. Teams are reviewing the telemetry and are developing a forward plan. The LSG is a sealed work area that accommodates life science and technology investigations in a “workbench” type environment. Due to its larger size design, two crewmembers can work in the LSG simultaneously.

BioServe Protein Crystallography (BPC)-1 Microscopy Ops: A crewmember performed the final Microscopy operations Phase 2 by placing samples under the microscope for observation and providing photographic documentation. BPC-1 seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting protein crystal growth in real time onboard the ISS. Crewmembers add solutions to the hardware, observe the crystals that form and adjust for follow-on experiments. This approach gives scientists the ability to optimize crystal growth in microgravity instead of waiting for samples to return and then launching them again.

Veggie: Veggie-03 plants were checked for growth progression and watered as necessary. Photos were taken and placed on a flash card for downlink to the ground. The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a deployable plant growth unit capable of producing salad type crops to provide the crew with a palatable, nutritious, and safe source of fresh food and a tool to support relaxation and recreation.

Cimon (MObile companioN): Sound and Camera Check: The crew performed a Cimon microphone adjustment and camera view check with the ground in preparation for upcoming Cimon demonstrations. Both the sound and camera checks were deemed successful. The Pilot Study with the Crew Interactive MObile companioN (Cimon) is a technology demonstration project, and an observational study, that aims to obtain the first insights into the effects on crew support by an artificial intelligence (AI), in terms of efficiency and acceptance during long-term missions in space. Spaceflight missions put the crew under a substantial amount of stress and workload, and it is thought that AI could provide operational support to crewmembers.

Robotics On-Board Training (OBT): Today the crew performed a self-study training session using the Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT). They exercised Cygnus approach and retreat monitoring, as well as capture, using a simulated Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). ROBoT is an on-orbit version of the ground-based Dynamics Skills Trainer (DST) that simulates robotics operations with graphical feedback. Northrop Grumman 10 (NG-10) Antares 230 Rocket is scheduled to launch from Wallops Flight Facility on November 16 at 09:27 GMT and Cygnus capture is planned for November 18 at 09:35 GMT.

TORU Training Session: Alexander Gerst and Sergey Prokopev participated in a TORU training session today. During the session the crew practiced working through TORU procedures and expected docking data, prepared for TV coverage and photography, and practiced rendezvous and docking using an onboard simulator. TORU is a manual docking system for Soyuz and Progress spacecraft that serves as a backup to the automatic Kurs System. Today’s training was performed in preparation for Progress 71P docking scheduled for November 18.

Completed Task List Activities:
None

Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
LSR Checkout [Ongoing]

Two Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 11/15:

Payloads:
Food Acceptability (NASA)
LSG Gas Trap Degassing IFM Supply Line (NASA)
Cimon Activation and Checkout (ESA)
FROST1 Condensation and Corrosion Removal (JAXA)
Meteor On-Board Training (NASA)

Systems:
Cygnus Offset Grapple Practice
Cygnus Attached Phase Operations Review

Friday, 11/16:

Payloads:
LSG Act and Checkout-Integration and Work Volume Stow (NASA)
POLAR Transfer Review (NASA)
RR-08 Hardware wanted poster (NASA)
VEG-03 CHK and Watering (NASA)
METEOR Hard Drive Swap (NASA)

Systems:
Life Science Glovebox (LSG) Integration to Express Rack 4
Node 1 Centerline Berthing Camera System Installation and Checkout
Cygnus ROBoT Training Session 2

Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

IMS Update
Video recording of greetings and of a footage for the Dobroye Utro (Good Morning) show
SCENARIY. Observation and photography using Photo Equipment
ECON-M. Observation and Photography
FGB Gas Analyzer Vacuum Cleaning
MORZE. Evaluation using SPRUT-2. Tagup with specialists
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Tsentrovka, SENSOR Tests
Cimon Unstow and Setup
JEM Stowage Consolidation
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check
Glacier Desiccant Swap
Setup and configuration of КСПЭ camcorder in SM for mpeg2 TV broadcast of TORU OBT
TORU OBT
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Coliform Water Sample Analysis 44 +/- 4 hours post processing
Material Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) Accumulator Connection
NOD1D2 Clear
Microscope Reposition Preparation
BioServe Protein Crystallography Microscope Phase 2 Final Operations
Microscope Reposition Post Ops
Cimon sound and camera check
On MCC Go Deactivation of camcorder, TV System monitoring equipment and closing applications
СОЖ Maintenance
Multi-use Variable-g Platform Power On
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check Data Record
On-board Training (OBT) Cygnus Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Self study Session
In-Flight Maintenance Life Science Glovebox (LSG) Gas Trap Fill Fixture Installation
End discharge of the 2nd Orlan Battery Pack 825М and remove from discharge the 2nd Battery Pack No.1267421122 (00073849R, stow in ФГБ1ПГО_2_221_1)
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: SUPOS Test
MORZE. Closeout Ops
VEG-03G Plant Check/Water
Replacement of Voltage Converter ПН28-120
On-board Training (OBT) Cygnus Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Self study Session
Cimon stowage
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Prep
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Setup
Evening Preparation Work
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Eye Exam – Fundoscope
CB/ISS CREW CONFERENCE
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Tear Down and Stow