NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 October 2015

The hatches were opened today to the new space delivery from Russia’s Progress resupply craft. The Expedition 45 crew also worked on orbital lab maintenance and on science to improve life on Earth and in space.
The Progress 61 space freighter arrived at the International Space Station Thursday evening delivering more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies six hours after its launch from Kazakhstan. The vehicle is docked to the Zvezda service module and ready for two months of cargo transfer activities. Japan’s delivery space ship, the Kounotori HTV-5, finished its five-week stay at the space station Monday morning.

The six station residents were busy throughout the U.S. and Russian segments on a wide variety of activities. Commander Scott Kelly performed high-tech plumbing work as he replaced gear in the Water Processing Assembly. NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren built a custom tool for lubricating the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which he and Kelly will do on a spacewalk at the end of October. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui installed a Cubesat deployer, and then worked on plant science.

Cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko opened the Progress hatch and began checking inventory and unloading the cargo craft today. One-Year Crew member Mikhail Kornienko, Kelly’s partner, checked the station’s air quality and worked on Russian life support systems.

On-Orbit Status Report

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock Preparation for NanoRack Cubesat Deployer 6 (NRCSD#6) Cubesat Launches: During yesterday’s preparation of the NRCSD, there was an issue installing the Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI). Yui implemented a workaround with an alternate set of fasteners to attach MLI to the deployer. He then returned the slide table to the Airlock and depressed and vented the Airlock. The 16 cubesats in the deployers are scheduled for launches on Monday through Wednesday of next week, October 5th – October 7th.

Plant Gravity Sensing 2 (PGS2) Experiment Run 1: Yui retrieved culture dishes containing seed papers from a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI), inserted them into Plant Experiment Units (PEUs), and attached the PEUs to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) to start a 10 day incubation period. This investigation supports the study of cellular formation of gravity sensors and the molecular mechanism for gravity sensing in plants grown in microgravity conditions. The research results may have implications for higher crop yield in farming and for cultivating plants for long-duration space missions.

Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) 2 Troubleshooting: Lindgren performed troubleshooting for MELFI #2. Preliminary results indicate a Rack Interface Unit (RIU) failure. An onboard spare is available to replace the RIU next week. On September 7th this unit stopped providing Health and Status updates and the temperature started to change, indicating a Brayton motor stop.

Reaction Self-Test: Kelly and Kornienko performed sessions for the Reaction Self-Test investigation. Reaction Self-Test helps crewmembers objectively identify when their performance capability is degraded by various fatigue-related conditions that can occur as a result of ISS operations and time in space (e.g., acute and chronic sleep restriction, slam shifts, extravehicular activity (EVA), and residual sedation from sleep medications).

Space Headaches: Yui and Lindgren answered their weekly Space Headaches questionnaires today. Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will 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.

Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Maintenance: The crew performed a series of maintenance items related to the WPA today. Based on recent trending of the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentration in the WPA product water, the Multi-Filtration (MF) Beds were known to be at the end of their life, and therefore, were replaced. Additionally, the Ion Exchange (IX) Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) was replaced due to the recent detection of Silica in a product water sample that was returned on SpaceX-6. The presence of silica is evidence that this ORU had also reached the end of its life. The team also took advantage of this maintenance opportunity by replacing a degraded Microbial Check Valve (MCV) ORU, however, following the replacement there was a flow issue with the new spare, so the degraded spare was re-installed. Additionally, an External Filter Assembly (EFA) change out was performed due to trending that has shown an increase in loading on the Waste Water Filter. It is anticipated that changing out the IX Bed in conjunction with the MF Beds will return the TOC to below minimum detectable limits. The team is currently working on returning the WPA to operational following these activities.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: In support of the ISS Upgrades EVA planned for October 28th, Lindgren built a Ballscrew Lubrication Tool (BLT) that will be used to lubricate the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Latching End Effector (LEE)-B. He then filled both prime Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garments (LCVGs) with EVA Mobility Unit (EMU) feed water. Once the LCVGs were filled, the EMUs were left powered for an additional 10 minutes in order to dry out the EMU Fan Module. Later in the day he also initiated a battery charge cycle for the Pistol Grip Tools (PGT), Helmet Lights, and two Rechargeable EVA Battery Assemblies (REBA) which will be used during the EVA.

Inter-Module Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurements: Yui used the Velocicalc and a set of aids to measure the air flow exiting outlets and entering inlets throughout the USOS modules. In addition to flow rate measurements, inspections were performed in select locations. The results of this survey, which is performed every 120 days, are used to monitoring the health of the ISS IMV system and determine if any additional corrective actions are required.

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

Gathering IFM Hardware
Closing USOS Window Shutters
JEMAL – Depress and Vent
MELF2 – ORU Troubleshooting
ISS HAM – Activation of ISS HAM Radio and Video
In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) – Multifiltration ORU R&R
NANORACK – Hardware Checkout
Drinking demonstrations using specially-designed cups
Reaction Self-Test
On MCC Go Regeneration of ??? ?1 Micropurification Cartridge
WRS Waste Water Filter R&R
Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Ion Exchange Filter R&R
JEMAL – Depress and Vent Completion Verification
Water Processor Assembly (WPA) Microbial Check Valve (MCV) ORU R&R
Photography of the Central Post Interior
EVA – LEE Survey
Photography of the Central Post Interior
Restow IFM Hardware
PGS2 – Equipment Gathering
ARED Exercise
On MCC Go ??? 429 and SM Aft Interface Leak Check
JEMAL – Depress and Vent Completion Verification
Private Psychological Conference
Post-Exercise Hygiene Procedure
???-?? Hatch Opening
PGS2 – Sample Retrieval from MELFI
PGS2 – Plant Unit Attachment Run 1
On MCC Go ???-?? Hatch Opening
PMM Hygiene Questionnaire
Installation of Quick Release Screw Clamps on SM Aft side after ??? 429 Docking and Hatch Opening
??? 429 (Aft) Air Sampling Using ??-1? sampler
??? 429 deactivation, air duct installation
Station Support Computer (SSC) Installation of IMAX Hardware
PGS2 – Plant Exp Unit Operation Start
Audio Session with A. A. Volkov
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
On MCC Go ??? 429 docking mechanism disassembly, hatch tool installation on the front side of the hatch
On MCC Go Progress 429 Docking Mechanism Removal
EMU-LVCG Water Charge
Stow T2 Exercise Video Equipment
EMU – Long Dryout
??? 429 (SM Aft) Transfers and IMS Ops
IMV Flow Measurement
Start BSA Battery Charge
??? 429 (SM Aft) Transfers and IMS Ops
??? Maintenance
Bringing ODF up to date using ??? 429 (SM Aft) delivered files
IMS Delta File Prep
MATRYOSHKA-R. Transfer and Deploy Differential Pressure Indicator [???] Assemblies at Their Exposure Locations
SHD – Weekly Questionnaire
Restow IFM Hardware
SHD – Weekly Questionnaire
On MCC Go Regeneration of ??? ?1 Absorption Cartridge
Reaction Self-Test
Preparation of reports for Roscosmos
ECON-M. Observations and Photography

Completed Task List Items
None

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEM Airlock Depressurization

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 10/03: Weekly Cleaning, Crew Off Duty
Sunday, 10/04: Crew Off Duty
Monday, 10/05: NRCSD #6 Deploys, Node1 Power/Data Jumper Routing, Robonaut

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:

Component – Status
Elektron – Off
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Shutdown
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Full Up