NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 June 2016

A pair of spaceships is getting ready to depart the International Space Station next week. The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft will be released from the Unity module June 14. Three Expedition 47 crew members will depart June 18 returning to Earth after 186 days in space.
Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm when it releases Cygnus at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Cygnus will orbit Earth for eight more days of scientific tests exploring how materials burn in space and the orbital dynamics of a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

Kopra and Peake will then join crewmate Yuri Malenchenko for a ride home inside the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft on June 18. The moment the trio undocks from the Rassvet module, Expedition 48 will officially begin with Williams as commander staying behind with Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin.

As always, a wide variety science continues on the International Space Station to improve life on Earth and benefit crew members in space. Peake researched the cause of accelerated skin aging in space and studied plant hormones. Kopra drew a blood sample for stowage in a science freezer and later analysis.

Skripochka researched the radiation the station and its crew are exposed to internally and externally. Ovchinin explored plasma physics while Malenchenko and Skripochka partnered up for cardiovascular health studies.

On-Orbit Status Report

Skin-B Operations: Earlier this morning the crew performed Corneometer, Tewameter and Visioscan measurements on his forearm. The Corneometer measures the hydration level of the stratus coreum (outer layer of the skin); the Tewameter measures the skin barrier function, and the Visioscan measures the skin surface topography. Skin B is a European Space Agency (ESA) investigation that aims to improve the understanding of skin aging, which is greatly accelerated in space. The data will also be used to verify the results from previous testing on the ISS.

Improved Payload Ethernet Hub Gateway (iPEHG) Installation: The crew replaced the iPEHG in the EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack 5 with a newly designed unit. The rack has been powered and checkout is in work. The new iPEHG design corrects performance limitations often experienced by the older iPEHG.

Auxin Transport Run #3-2: The crew retrieved samples that were installed in the Cell Biology Experiment Unit (CBEF) four days ago for incubation and conducted the fixation, sampling and closeout activities which completes the final of four Auxin Transport experiment runs. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Auxin Transport investigation clarifies the role of auxins in pea and maize (corn) seedlings grown in microgravity, leading to new insight into how gravity, or the lack of gravity, affects plant development. This study may contribute to increasing the efficiency of plant cultivation in plant factories. The data obtained from the second experiment run will provide evidence of spaceflight?alterations in auxin polar transport and endogenous levels of auxin, resulting in automorphogenesis.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N) Retrieval: A USOS crewmember retrieved all 8 of the Space Bubble Detectors that were deployed last week in the ISS for the Radi-N experiment and handed them over to the Russian crewmember to be processed in the Bubble Reader. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) RaDI-N investigation measures neutron radiation levels in the ISS. RaDI-N uses bubble detectors as neutron monitors which have been designed to only detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation.

Material Science Laboratory (MSL) Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) Exchange 2B #1: The crew removed the MSL Furnace Calibration Cartridge, installed the new MSL SQF Sample Cartridge, and prepared the facility for a sample run next week. During these operations, debris was found inside the MSL and vacuumed out by the crew. MSL engineers are evaluating, but the operations team is proceeding with preparation for the upcoming science run, pending an engineering decision. The MSL can accommodate one Furnace Insert (FI) at a time for experiment processing. Two ESA-developed FIs are presently available: the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification and Quenching Furnace (SQF), Sample-Cartridge Assemblies (SCAs) for science programs.

Human Research Program (HRP) Operations: The crew continued HRP operations that began earlier the week by collecting saliva and urine samples and processing a set of blood samples for double spin operations using the Refrigerated Centrifuge. The samples will be stowed in the Minus Eighty-degree Freezer for ISS MELFI.

Space Headaches: The European Space Agency (ESA) Space Headaches questionnaire wascompleted to provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crew members which can influence performance during a space mission.

Cygnus Departure Preparations: Last night Robotics Ground Controllers commanded the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to grapple Cygnus for release and departure scheduled for next Tuesday, June 14. Today the crew completed an On Board Training (OBT) session to review release procedures.

Cygnus Cargo Operations: The crew reported that he needed an additional 45 minutes to complete operations and take closeout photos. Forty-five minutes will be added to the crew’s timeline over the weekend. Approximately 49 hours have been completed.

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

Samples Collection in a CQ with CDM
HRF. Samples Collection and Stowage Preparation
HRF. Samples Insertion into MELFI
HRF. Urine Samples Collection
HRF. Assistance during Blood Samples Collection
HRF. Refrigerated Centrifuge Configuration
HRF. Blood Samples Retrieval and their Preparation for Cool Stowage
Countermeasures System (CMS) Treadmill 2 (T2) Exercise Session
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
EML. Experiment Operations
HRF. Insertion of Samples into MELFI
HRF. Closeout Operations
Skin B. Nominal Operations with Downlink
VIZIR. Experiment Ops with ????? Hardware r/g 2493
LBNP Training (PRELIMINARY) r/g 2494
ER5. Locker Removal
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
ER5. Cables Demating
IMS Conference (S-band)
STRATA. Hardware Check
SHD Questionnaire
PLASMA CHRYSTAL
Installation of PEHG Hardware on EXPRESS Rack 5
DAN. Experiment Operations r/g 0119
MSL. Replacement of Calibration Cartridges for the First Sample Run
Monitoring of ??-1 Sensors Installation
OTKLIK. Hardware Monitoring / r/g 1588
HRF. Urine Samples Collection
Separation Assembly Operations r/g 2498
HRF. Insertion of Samples into MELFI
On MCC Go ISS N2 Pressurization from Section 2 of 62P ???? (DC1) (start)
INTER-MAI-75. ??? Hardware Activation r/g 2486
ALBEDO. Observation and Photography with VSS / r/g 2491
Cargo Transfer into Cygnus
On MCC Go ISS N2 Pressurization from Section 2 of 62P ???? (DC1) (end)
Soyuz 719 Descent OBT. Consultation on the Composition and Location of Return Cargo. r/g 2374, 2495
Installation of PEHG Hardware on EXPRESS Rack 5
MATRESHKA-R. Gathering and Taking Measurements of BUBBLE Dosimeters r/g 2492
[?3] Fan Screen Cleaning in DC1 / Ventilation and Air Conditioning System [????]
Cygnus. Cargo Transfer Conference
AUT. Hardware Setup
RADIN. Radi-N Detectors Retrieval
MATRESHKA-R. Takeover of BUBBLE Dosimeters from the USOS r/g 2492
RADIN. RADI-N Detectors Handover to RS
MATRESHKA-R. Gathering and Taking Measurements of BUBBLE Dosimeters. Memory Card Replacement r/g 2492
ER5. Cables Mating
AUT. MEU-B (2) Detachment
ER5. Locker Installation
AUT. Samples Fixation
AUT. MEU-B (2) Detachment
Preparation of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) for Multi Omics Experiment
AUT. Samples Fixation
Vacuum Cleaning of [??1] and [??2] Air Ducts in MRM2
Transfer of Equipment into Soyuz 719 (MRM1) for Removal / r/g 2446
HRF. Urine Samples Collection
AUT. Insertion of Samples into MELFI
AUT. Closeout Ops
HRF. Insertion of Samples into MELFI
OBT. Cygnus Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Release
??? Maintenance
Measurement of Perforation Holes in SM Inflight Maintenance Intravehicular Activities Outfitting ODF / r/g2497
INTER-MAI-75. Hardware Deactivation and Closeout Ops / r/g 2486

Completed Task List Items
iPAD certification update [Active]

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Cygnus OBT support
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 06/11: Crew off duty, housekeeping
Sunday, 06/12: Crew off duty
Monday, 06/13: Cygnus egress, REBR activation/installation, CQ deck cleaning, CBEF reconfig

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