NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 September 2016
Two astronauts are cleaning up after a spacewalk while a pair of cosmonauts are getting a Soyuz spacecraft ready for departure after the Labor Day weekend. On the ground, three new crew members are preparing for a launch to the International Space Station at the end of the month.
Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins completed a spacewalk Thursday, retracting a thermal radiator and installing a pair of high definition cameras. Today, the astronauts are recharging spacesuits and tidying up the Quest airlock by stowing their tools and other spacewalk gear.
The Expedition 48 crew now turns its attention to a change of command on Monday, followed by three crew members returning to Earth on Tuesday. Williams will hand over station control to cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin before going home the following day with Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin.
The trio will undock Tuesday at 5:51 p.m. EDT inside the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft officially ending the Expedition 48 mission. After a few hours they will parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan after 5-1/2 months in space.
Back on Earth, new station crew members Shane Kimbrough, Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko participated in traditional ceremonies and final qualification exams. They will join the Expedition 49 crew two days after their Sept. 23 launch inside the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft.
On-Orbit Status Report
Trailing Thermal Control Radiator (TTCR) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Post-EVA Activities: Today, the USOS crew had a half-duty day. They completed their post-EVA medical checkups, and performed an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge procedure on EMUs 3003 and 3008. The EMUs and associated equipment were then be prepared for storage. They then participated in an EVA debrief to discuss any comments regarding preparation and execution of the EVA.
Skin-B Operations: The Skin-B investigation was conducted as FE-6 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 for the SkinCare investigation on the ISS.
Space Headaches: The crew completed the ESA Space Headaches questionnaire which provides 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.
Habitability Walk-through: The crew recorded a walk-through video documenting observations of life onboard ISS, providing insight related to human factors and habitability. The Habitability investigation collects observations about the relationship between crew members and their environment on the ISS. Observations can help spacecraft designers understand how much habitable volume is required, and whether a mission’s duration impacts how much space crew members need.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Closing Window Shutters 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14
Regeneration of ??? ?2 Micropurification Cartridge
Soyuz 720 ???? Test Prior to Undocking
CALCIUM. Experiment Session 8
Post EVA Crew Health Status Examination
ISS crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Management Team) weekly conference
Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
Soyuz 720 Samsung tablet recharging
USOS EVA Photo Cameras Reconfiguration
Skin B Nominal Ops (SKNB) Setup and hardware gathering
CALCIUM. Bioekololgiya Cases: Photography, Processing, and Photo Downlink, Pre-pack for Return
ISS HAM – Activation of ISS HAM Radio and Video
IMS Tagup (S-band)
HABIT Habitability Walk-Through Video
Crew Departure Prep
BIODEGRADATSIYA. Sample collection from structure surfaces and photography
WRS Recycle Tank Fill from EDV
Water flow through Microbial Removal Filter
Soyuz 720 [???] Activation
Pille Dosimeter Readings after US EVA
Prepack USOS hardware for stowage in Soyuz
EMU Water Refill
Soyuz 720 Descent OBT
Crew’s Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review
Food Frequency Questionnaire
Microbial Removal Filter (MRF) Purge
Expedition 49/50 Crew Handover Conference
Post-EVA PBA Relocation
Crew Departure Prep
METEOR Rack Doors Open
Crew EVA Debrief
??? Maintenance
Onboard Training (OBT) Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Debrief
Space Headaches (SHD) Weekly Questionnaire
IMS Delta File Prep
Space Headaches (SHD) Weekly Questionnaire
IMS Conference
Initiating potable water flow through the Microbial Removal Filter into the Water Processor Assembly
Daily Planning Conference
Flight Director / ISS Crew Tagup
Regeneration of ??? ?2 Absorption Cartridge
Completed Task List Items
None
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
46S Thruster Test (first time Soyuz thruster test performed on US CMG Control)
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 09/03: Crew Off Duty, Housekeeping, Overhead CQ Cleaning
Sunday, 09/04: Crew Off Duty
Monday, 09/05: EMU Loop Scrub, Port Crew Quarters Cleaning, BEAM Ingress and Sampling
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) – Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up
