NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 01 August 2016
The six-member Expedition 48 crew participated in a series of experiments today exploring how living in space affects the human body. Also, a set of bowling ball-sized experimental satellites was set up for a student contest.
Scientists are sampling crew respiration today to understand the health impacts of living in the International Space Station’s closed atmosphere. Astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi used a portable device measuring the amount of nitrogen that is exhaled and diffused in the blood.
Onishi also collected biological samples for the Multi-Omics study that is observing how the human immune system functions in space. Commander Jeff Williams set up hardware to research how upper body fluid shifts affect a crew member’s head and eye structure.
Williams then joined cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka configuring tiny internal satellites for a planned high school student competition next week. The contest, known as SPHERES Zero Robotics, uses student written algorithms to control small SPHERES satellites performing functions similar to a space mission.
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On-Orbit Status Report
Airway Monitoring Ambient and Reduced Pressure Operations: The crew completed part of today’s session of the European Space Agency (ESA) Airway Monitoring experiment in the US Airlock.
– The protocol was successfully performed at ambient pressure. The crew was scheduled to repeat the protocol at a low pressure (10.2 psi) during which oxygen concentration in the Airlock would be increased to 27.5% but the low pressure portion was not performed and will be rescheduled.
– The second part of the experiment was to be performed at a pressure of 10.2 psi (700 mbar) with closed hatch. Both crew members would wear an Oxygen Finger Clip on the index finger prior to hatch closure for monitoring heart rate and oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the blood and the clip would not removed until the hatch was reopened. This portion of the experiment was not completed and will be rescheduled.
Airway Monitoring is the first experiment to use the US Airlock as a hypobaric facility for performing science which allows unique opportunities for the study of gravity, ambient pressure interactions, and their effect on the Human Body. This investigation studies the occurrence and indicators of airway inflammation in crewmembers using ultra-sensitive gas analyzers to analyze exhaled air. This helps to highlight health impacts and to maintain crewmember well-being on future human spaceflight missions, especially longer-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, where crewmembers will have to be more self-sufficient in highlighting and avoiding such conditions.
Multi-Omics Operations: The crew supported the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Multi-Omics investigation by collecting human samples and inserting them into a Box Module in the Minus Eighty-degree Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts’ immune function by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system.
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) Zero Robotics: A USOS crewmember and a Russian crewmember participated in a conference with the SPHERES Principal Investigator and configured the SPHERES work area to activate and check out the hardware before completing test runs on the Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites. The investigation establishes an opportunity for high school students to design research for the ISS. As part of a competition, students write algorithms for the SPHERES satellites to accomplish tasks relevant to future space missions. The algorithms are tested by the SPHERES team and the best designs are selected for the competition to operate the SPHERES satellites on board the ISS.
Fluid Shifts Hardware Transfer and Service Module Setup: To prepare for Ultrasound activities in the Service Module this week, the crew transferred and setup hardware that supports the Fluid Shifts investigation from the US Segment to the Russian Segment. The experiment measures how much fluid shifts from the lower body to the upper body, in or out of cells and blood vessels, and determines the impact these shifts have on fluid pressure in the head, changes in vision and eye structures.
Onboard Training (OBT) Emergency Event: All six crewmembers participated in this training covering required response during depress, ammonia, US fire and Russian Segment fire events. The crew practiced procedure management, equipment gather (what would be used and from where), hatch closures and communication with the ground. This is in preparation for tomorrow’s planned OBT ISS emergency simulation.
Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Microbial Check Valve (MCV) Intermittent Checking: On July 26th, the MCV in the WPA was Removed and Replaced (R&Rd). The WPA had been experiencing high pressure faults when in reprocess mode due to high delta-pressure (dP) values across the MCV. After the second processing run following the R&R, the newly installed MCV began experiencing intermittent checking. This is an issue that the previously installed MCV also encountered. Over the weekend, the Flight Control Team successfully implemented a workaround in which the 3-way valve upstream of the MCV was cycled to relieve enough pressure that the MCV was able to check. Since the new MCV was installed, the WPA has not experienced any high dP faults.
Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Reconfiguration and Samples: In an attempt to understand the root cause of high conductivity observed in the distillate, the engineering team requested a series of return-to-ground samples be taken from the UPA during various times during two separate Recycle Tank concentration cycles. The first of the activities supporting these samples was performed this afternoon. The crew reconfigured the UPA back to the nominal configuration by tearing down the CWC-I setup that has been in place to collect Separator Plumbing Assembly (SPA) effluent, and reconnecting the SPA. Additionally, the 100 Micron Distillate Filter was R&Rd. Both the CWC-I and Distillate Filter will be returned on SpX-9 for analysis.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
WHC Maintenance – Full Fill
SPHERES. Payload OBT
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 2888
AIRMON Unit Activation
Portable Fan Assembly (PFA) Setup
Pressurization of Elektron-VS Liquid Unit before Activation
SPHERES Crew conference with P/L Developer
AIRMON Set up and first measurement
VIZIR. Experiment set up and start using ???? P/L r/g 2948
In Flight Maintenance (IFM), Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Full Fill
On MCC GO Transfer of brine/urine from ???-? to Progress 433 (DC1) Rodnik H2O Tank 1 / r/g 2946
JEM System Laptop Terminal Reboot
AIRMON Calibration and Measurements
Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) Tank Drain
Rack 5 Locker Removal
PCML. MultiLab card installation and activation
Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain Part 2
WRS – Water samples analysis
Multi Omics. Fecal Sample Operations
AIRMON. DLNO Measurements
MO- Samples insertion into MELFI
MO – Hardware stowage
AIRMON. Preparations for and depressurization
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
AIRMON – Crew health status monitoring
AIRMON Experiment Ops
AIRMON Measurement at Low Pressure [Not performed]
SPHERES Camera Setup and Video Recording
CONTROL. Switching Measuring Modes of Indicator-ISS P/L and Photography / r/g 2943
VIZIR. ???? Closeout Ops r/g 2948
Recharging Soyuz 720 IRIDIUM Phone, Setup, Start Charging
Recharging Soyuz 720 IRIDIUM Phone, Battery Status Check
Recharging Soyuz 720 IRIDIUM Phone, Terminate Charge
AIRMON. Pressure Measurement
??? Maintenance
Preventive Maintenance of FS1 Laptop (Cleaning and rebooting)
SPHERES. Maintenance Run
BRI Monthly Maintenance
AIRMON Hardware Deactivation
Fluid Shifts – Hardware transfer to RS
FLUID SHIFTS. Ultrasound 2 Setup in SM
TOCA Data Recording
UPA reconfiguration and distillate filter replacement
NAPOR-mini RSA. Cleaning Onboard Memory Storage ???-? vents / r/g 2949
UPA reconfiguration and distillate filter replacement
FLUID SHIFTS. Connecting Ultrasound Equipment to ??? / r/g 2944
Recharging Soyuz 731 IRIDIUM Phone, start charge
Recharging Soyuz 731 IRIDIUM Phone, Battery Status Check
Recharging Soyuz 731 IRIDIUM Phone, Terminate Charge, Tear down the Setup
SPHERES. Test Shutdown
EMU Space suit Li battery recharge end
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 2888
ISS Emergency OBT Review
ISS Emergency OBT Review
FLUID SHIFTS. Chibis Measurements in SM Reminder 2
Completed Task List Items
None
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Airway Monitoring support
Nominal ground commanding.
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 08/02: Fluid Shifts, Mouse cage maintenance, Airway Monitoring Airlock stow, OBT Emergency simulation
Wednesday, 08/03: Fluid Shifts, Heart Cells, OBT CheCS drill, EVA Airlock restow
Thursday, 08/04: NREP hardware assembly/install to JEMAL, Fluid Shifts, EVA tool config
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 – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up
