NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 17 October 2016

Launch day has arrived for the Cygnus cargo craft which is scheduled to liftoff aboard the Orbital ATK Antares rocket today at 7:40 p.m. EDT. Two days later, three new crew members will launch aboard a Soyuz rocket for a two-day trip to the International Space Station.
Cygnus will wait for the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft to dock on Friday before it approaches the station Sunday for capture and installation to the Harmony module. Cygnus is delivering about 2,400 kilograms of crew supplies and research.

Meanwhile, the three orbiting Expedition 49 crew members stayed busy with life science research, lab maintenance and cargo packing.

Astronauts Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi took body measurements to determine the impacts microgravity has on body size. Rubins also explored how skin ages quicker in space while Onishi attached electrodes to himself to analyze his heart function. The duo also reviewed Cygnus approach and rendezvous procedures.

Commander Anatoly Ivanishin looked at wide variety of Russian research including nutrition and pain thresholds in space. The veteran cosmonaut also began loading cargo for his crew’s return home at the end of October.

On-Orbit Status Report

Cygnus Launch Status: Yesterday’s planned launch of the OA-5 mission was postponed for 24 hours due to an issue with a ground support equipment. OA-5 launch is set for today, 17-October at 6:40 PM CDT. This launch attempt will result in OA loitering until after 48S docking, scheduled for Friday 21-October. OA-5 approach and berthing is planned no earlier than 23-October.

Body Measures: Over the weekend, FE-6 performed the Return minus 15 day (R-15) session for Body Measures with assistance with FE-5. The crew configured still cameras and video, then collected the Neutral Body Posture video and stow the equipment. NASA is collecting in-flight anthropometric data (body measurements) to assess the impact of physical body shape and size changes on suit sizing. Still and video imagery is captured and a tape measure is used to measure segmental length, height, depth, and circumference data for all body segments (chest, waist, hip, arms, legs, etc.) from astronauts before, during and after their flight missions.

Urine Collections: Over the weekend, the crew continued with collections in support of several Human Research Experiments. Urine samples were collected, spun in the refrigerated centrifuge and placed in Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for the Biochemical Profile, CardioOx, and Repository experiments. The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results, which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body. The goal of Cardio Ox is to determine whether biological markers of oxidative and inflammatory stress are elevated during and after space flight and whether this results in an increased, long-term risk of atherosclerosis risk in astronauts. Twelve crewmembers provide blood and urine samples to assess biomarkers before launch, 15, and 60 after launch, 15 days before returning to Earth, and within days after landing. Ultrasound scans of the carotid and brachial arteries are obtained at the same time points, as well as through 5 years after landing, as an indicator of cardiovascular health. 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 the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions.

Biological Rhythms 48-Hour Session: Sunday, FE-5 initiated a 48-hour Biological Rhythms session, donning a Holter Monitor and Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes. Today, half-way through the collection period, he changed the Multimedia Card (MMC) and resumed data collection. Biological Rhythms 48 hours is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) experiment that studies the effects of long-term microgravity exposure on heart function by analyzing an astronaut’s electrocardiogram for 48 hours.

Electromagnetic Levitation (EML) Configuration: FE-5 continued with configuration of the EML facility today, opening the valve to the Argon (Ar) gas supply and closing the Helium (He) valve. The crew then changed the magnification factor to standard mode. The EML is a multi-user facility designed for containerless materials processing in space.

Soyuz (47S) Return Cargo Packing: On Sunday, the crew started packing the cargo that will be returning on 47S. The remaining packing will be completed prior to undocking.

Environmental Health System (EHS) Microbial Air and Surface Sampling: The crew acquired air samples for microbial analysis using the Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) with Petri Dishes and surface samples with slide media. The EHS monitors the atmosphere for gaseous contaminants from nonmetallic materials off-gassing, combustion products, and propellants, microbial contaminants from crewmembers and Station activities, water quality, acoustics, and radiation levels.

Robotics External Leak Locator (RELL) Reposition: Earlier today the crew extended the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (A/L) slide table and repositioned the RELL in the JEM Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) Transfer Interface (JODI) so that it is consistent with the configuration required by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) for successful removal. The JEM A/L slide table was then retracted back into the A/L.

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

Calf Measurement
Personal CO2 Monitor iPad Application Restart
MORZE Food and liquids (medications) intake registration in flight log
Biological Rhythms 48 Multi Media Card Exchange
EML Gas Valves Opening
EML High Speed Camera Lens Switch
Samsung tablet charge in Soyuz 731 – charge init
Examination of lower extremities veins
Skin B Nominal Operations with Downlink
Photo/TV JEM Camcorder Swap
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
Structures and Mechanisms Robo Ext Leak Locator Assist 1
Structures and Mechanisms Robo Ext Leak Locator Reposition
Structures and Mechanisms Robo Ext Leak Locator Assist 2
JEM Airlock Slide Table Retraction from JPM Side
??? Maintenance
Profile of Mood States (POMS) Questionnaire
Exercise Equipment Gather
ELEKTRON-VM [??] repress
Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
SODI External Hard Disk Connect
[???] condensate sampling from [???-?2?] upstream ??? using Russian samplers, Initiate
ALGOMETRIA. Experiment Ops
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) QD27 Remate
MORZE. Food and liquids (medications) intake registration in flight log
Samsung tablet charge in Soyuz 731 – charge term
Surface Sample Kit (SSK) Collection/Incubation
Personal CO2 Monitor Doff
Water sampling from ???-? in Russian bags for beverages
MERLIN2 Latch Striker Shim Removal
Water sampling from ???-?? in Russian bags for beverages
VEGGIE Facility Sanitization
ISS Crew departure preparation
Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) Kit Sample Collection
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
MORZE. Experiment setup
CCE Preparation
VHF Emergency Communication Check Out (US Ground Sites)
Crew Choice Event
MORZE. Food and liquids (medications) intake registration in flight log

Completed Task List Items
Crew Departure Prep (FE-5) [Completed Sunday]
O2/N2 Adapter Sort [Completed Sunday]
47S Prepack [Completed Sunday]
Urine Receptacle (UR) and Insert Filter (IF) Retrieval [Completed Sunday]

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Nominal Ground Commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 10/18: METEOR HD Setup, CardioOX, Vascular Echo, PWD Sample, Microbial Monitoring System
Wednesday, 10/19: 47S Return Prep, 48S Launch, MDCA Hose Replace, EMU 3006 Checkout
Thursday, 10/20: 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 – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Manual
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