NASA Space Station Status Report 10 May, 2022 – A New Spacecraft to Visit Next Week
Human research took precedence aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the seven-member Expedition 67 crew explored how living in space affects the human body.
Meanwhile, Boeing’s first crew ship to visit the orbiting lab is targeted to launch late next week.
Exercise research and a central nervous system study were the main experiments today helping doctors learn how to keep astronauts healthy and successful during long-term space missions. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module throughout the day. The trio spent nearly an hour each working out while attached to sensors providing scientists insights into the aerobic capacity of a crew member in living and working weightlessness.
Lindgren later worked in the Tranquility module replacing components on the advanced resistive exercise device that simulates free-weight training on Earth. At the end of the day, he switched to a space botany study investigating hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil.
Hines and Watkins also swapped a virtual reality headset in the Columbus laboratory module as they explored how the human brain adapts to the lack of up and down references in microgravity. Observations will help researchers understand how the lack of gravity affects the way astronauts reach for and grasp objects.
The three cosmonauts spent the majority of their time today working in the station’s Russian segment. Commander Oleg Artemyev partnered with Flight Engineer Denis Matveev servicing a variety of communications and life support hardware. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov worked on ventilation systems and an oxygen generator while also maintaining a pair of Russian laptop computers.
The next spacecraft to visit the space station, Boeing’s Starliner crew ship, is targeted to launch at 6:54 p.m. EDT on May 19 atop an Atlas-V rocket from United Launch Alliance. The unpiloted commercial crew vehicle will liftoff on Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It would dock to the Harmony module’s forward port the next day and depart five days after that for a parachuted return to Earth.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Behavioral Core Measures (BCM): The crew performed a BCM research session consisting of a set of 12 tests. The Standardized Behavioral Measures for Detecting Behavioral Health Risks during Exploration Missions (BCM) experiment initially examined a suite of measurements to reliably assess the risk of adverse cognitive or behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders during long-duration spaceflight. The tests evaluated the feasibility of those tests within the operational and time constraints of spaceflight for two crewmembers. Subsequent subjects perform a subset of the original activities to measure the performance capabilities of deconditioned crew members to complete either individual or crew telerobotic operations within the first 24 hours after landing. This information could help characterize what tasks a crewmember who has spent months in weightlessness can reasonably be expected to perform after landing on the surface of Mars.
Cerebral Autoregulation: The item gather and initial setup were performed in preparation for the science session tomorrow. As the body’s most important organ, the brain needs a strong and reliable blood supply, so the brain is capable of self-regulating blood flow even when the heart and blood vessels cannot maintain an ideal blood pressure. The Cerebral Autoregulation investigates whether this self-regulation improves in the microgravity environment of space. Non-invasive tests measure blood flow in the brain before, during, and after a long-duration spaceflight, and provide new insights into how the brain safeguards its blood supply in a challenging environment.
eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS): The crew continued the water management system troubleshooting which included electrical resistance checks of various subsystems in the unit, and assembly of new water flow hardware. The XROOTS investigation uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Video and still images enable evaluation of multiple independent growth chambers for the entire plant life cycle from seed germination through maturity. The results could identify suitable methods to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions.
Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping (GRASP): Several sessions of the GRASP science protocols were performed using the virtual reality headset with the crew in the quasi-free-floating configuration. The purpose of the GRASP investigation is to better understand how the central nervous system (CNS) integrates information from different sensations (e.g., sight or hearing), encoded in different reference frames, in order to coordinate the hand with the visual environment. More specifically, the science team seeks to better understand if, and how, gravity acts as a reference frame for the control of reach-to-grasp.
Plasma Kristall-4 (PK-4): The hard drive system was exchanged, and photos of the final configuration were taken. PK-4 is a scientific collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), performing research in the field of Complex Plasmas: low temperature gaseous mixtures composed of ionized gas, neutral gas, and micron-sized particles. The micro-particles become highly charged in the plasma and interact strongly with each other, which can lead to a self-organized structure of the micro-particles: so-called plasma crystals. Experiments in the facility aim to study transport properties, thermodynamics, kinetics and statistical physics, and Non-linear waves and instabilities in the plasmas.
Repository: Blood and urine sample were collected in support of the Repository investigation. The NASA Biological Specimen Repository (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. This repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment. The research provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions. Samples from the ISS, including blood and urine, are collected, processed, and archived during the preflight, in-flight, and postflight phases of ISS missions. This investigation archives biosamples for use as a resource for future space flight related research.
SpaceBorne Computer-2 (SBC-2): In an attempt to recover functionality of one of the two SBC-2 server units, an inspection and replacement of the system’s ethernet cable was performed. Spaceborne Computer-2 High Performance Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Computer System on the ISS (SBC-2) builds upon the successes of the Spaceborne Computer. The Spaceborne Computer explored how COTS can advance exploration by processing data significantly faster in space with edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Spaceborne Computer-2 further tests additional techniques for recovering or mitigating errors in the extreme environment of unprotected solar radiation, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and other events. Additionally, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) works with the space community and the International Space Station-National Laboratory (ISS-NL) to test and demonstrate that current Earth-based data processing of ISS experimental data can be performed onboard during the anticipated 24-to-36-month mission of Spaceborne Computer-2.
Systems:
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cable Arm Rope (CAR) Remove & Replace: Today, the crew removed and re-installed the Cable Arm Ropes on the ARED. To finish the ARED setup, the crew applied proper tension to the cables and inspected the cable-pulley system bearings. At the time of re-installation, the Cable Arms Ropes had not engaged in the detents due to the cable’s material properties. The ARED is currently not operational for bar exercises until the detents engage. Several exercise sessions using the exercise rope may be required for Cable Arm Ropes to allow the detents to engage.
Oxygen Generation System (OGA) Avionics Air Assembly (AAA) Filter Block Removal and Replacement (R&R): Today as part of routine maintenance, the crew performed an OGA AAA R&R to remove a damaged filter block and replaced it with a Filter Block with an updated design. The new filter block includes fast clips which aid for a more user-friendly filter removal. The OGA produces oxygen via electrolysis using iodinated water from the Water Processor Assembly (WPA).
Max Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS): The crew completed Max CEVIS today which is used by the medical community to evaluate astronauts’ aerobic fitness. The test is performed every 90 days and upon the crew’s arrival and departure from the ISS.
CST-100 Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT-2) Conference: Today, the crew completed onboard training in preparation for the upcoming CST-100 OFT-2. The conference debriefed the crew on the training plan for Starliner systems, rendezvous approach monitoring and docking, changes to emergency response, and undock and departure. The OFT-2 mission is planned to span late-May and scheduled to launch on May 19th and dock May 20th.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Cold Atom Lab Ops Commanding and Downlink
HRF Rack 1 Rack Power Up Commanding
ECLSS Oxygen Generation System Activation [Active]
Look Ahead Plan
Wednesday, May 11 (GMT 131)
Payloads:
Cerebral Autoregulation
CAL MTL jumper check
FNS lab relocate
LIDAL return
Photocatalyst filter check
Repository
Systems:
EMU Cooling Loop Scrub
CST-100 Post Docking Leak Checks and Ingress
and HRF Generic Sample Collection
Thursday
May 12 (GMT 132)
Payloads:
Acoustic Diagnostics
APM data transfer
Astrobee review
AWP
ISS Ham pass
Photocatalyst hardware remove and stow
Repository
rHEALTH review
Wireless Compose-2 BCG
XROOTS
Systems:
Cupola Window #7 Scratch Pane Installation
Waste and Hygiene Compartment Dose Pump and Pretreat Tank Remove and Replace
and Water Recovery Management (WRM) Water Balance Placeholder
Friday
May 13 (GMT 133)
Payloads:
Astrobee/ISAAC-SoundSee
BioMonitor config file upload
CAL MTL jumper check
Repository
rHEALTH demo
Standard Measures
Systems:
CST-100 OFT Procedure Review
Treadmill 2 (T2) Yearly and 6 Month Maintenance
and HRF Generic Sample Collection
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Behavioral Core Measures ROBoT-r Research Testing 2
Cerebral Autoregulation Data Measurement
Cell Biology Experiment Facility Left Turn Table Check
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device Cable Arm Rope Remove & Replace
Max CEVIS Portable PFS Subject
Cupola Window Shutter Close
Acoustic Monitor Setup for Crew Worn Measurements
Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check
GRASP Science Configuration Performance
HRF Generic Sample Collection
OGA Avionics Air Assembly Filter Block Removal and Replacement
Waste and Hygeine Compartment (WHC) Urine Receptacle (UR) and Insert Filter (IF) R&R
ISS Crew Orientation
Robotics On-board Trainer (ROBoT) Setup
Max CEVIS Exercise Video
Photocatalyst Filter Check
??-4 Experiment: Hard Drive Replacement
Spaceborne Computer-2 Cable Inspect
Treadmill MTL Hose Inspection
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill
XF705 Camcorder Setup
XROOTS MWA Preparation
