NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 January 2016
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will conduct the first ever NASA Reddit Ask Me Anything from space to help everyone understand what it means to spend a year in space.
A year is a long time to live without fresh air, gravity and human contact from loved ones. While science is at the core of Kelly’s groundbreaking spaceflight, it has also been a test of human endurance.
Kelly has just completed an unprecedented 300 consecutive days in space, and he has two more months before the end of his Year In Space mission which began last March. By the end of this mission, Kelly will be the first American to spend one continuous year in space and the record holder for total days in space and single longest mission. To say the least, he is currently NASA’s most experience astronaut.
The Reddit AMA will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. ET. To follow the event, visit the Reddit AMA page. Kelly’s session will be added to the page once it begins.
Don’t be afraid to ask your questions. Connections back on Earth are very important when isolated from the entire world. So Kelly is looking forward to connecting with you during this event!
On-Orbit Status Report
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Setup Part 2: Kelly attempted the final setup for the ELF facility. He was only able to connect one of four Quick Disconnects (QDs) due to accessibility. Ground teams are reviewing downlinked imagery to determine the next steps to complete connection of the MTL and Gaseous Nitrogen (GN2) supply and return lines. The ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials employing containerless processing techniques that use the electrostatic levitation method with charged samples and electrodes. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.
Ocular Health: Kopra and Peake completed their Flight Day 30 Ocular Health activities this morning, performing both ocular and cardiac ultrasound scans. The Ocular Health protocol calls for a systematic gathering of physiological data to characterize the risk of microgravity-induced visual impairment/intracranial pressure in ISS crewmembers. Researchers believe that the measurement of visual, vascular and central nervous system changes over the course of this experiment and during the subsequent post-flight recovery will assist in the development of countermeasures, clinical monitoring strategies, and clinical practice guidelines.
Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM) Task Board 4 Removal: Earlier this month, the RRM Task Board 4 and the Robot Micro Conical Tool (RMCT) was placed on the JEMAL Slide Table and last week the table was retracted and JEMAL repressed. Today, Peake removed the Task Board and RMCT and packed them for return on a future flight. Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) is an external International Space Station (ISS) investigation that demonstrates and tests the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically refuel, repair, and upgrade satellites in space, especially satellites that were not designed to be serviced.
Observation Analysis of Smectic Islands in Space (OASIS) Removal: Kelly started removal of OASIS from the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Ground teams are developing a timeline and troubleshooting plan for one of the camera focusing axes. Removal of OASIS took longer than expected, mainly due to the amount of hardware that needed to be restowed, and will be completed next week. After OASIS removal is completed next week, the crew will insert the Burning and Suppression of Solids-Milliken (BASS-M) experiment into the MSG. Observation and Analysis of Smectic Islands In Space (OASIS) studies the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and the merging of crystal layers known as smectic islands. Liquid crystals are used for display screens in televisions and clocks, and they also occur in soaps and in cell membranes. The experiment allows detailed studies of the behavior of these structures, and how microgravity affects their unique ability to act like both a liquid and a solid crystal.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Conductivity Test: Today, Kopra tested the conductivity of water samples obtained earlier this week from EMUs 3008 and 3011. The results were reported as expected.
ISS Medical Accessory Kit (IMAK) Unpack: Kopra unpacked the IMAK kits delivered on Orbital-ATK-4 (OA-4). He distributed the crew personal IMAKs, resupplied earwear, resupplied ISS Medical Kits, and prepacked controlled medications for return to ground on SpaceX-8 (SpX-8).
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Reaction Self-Test
SLEEP – Questionnaire
AIRMON
ISS crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Management Team) weekly conference / r/g 1188
IMS Tagup
On-orbit hearing assessment
PEV Activation Test
Ultrasound2
MSPR2. Cable Connection
DOUG Review
Charging Soyuz 719 Samsung tablet
Study of EVA 42 Translation Path and Work Zones using DOUG Application.
Replacement of Storage Battery Module 800? No.8 (A108) and No.1 (A101) in SM
Ocular Health (OH)
COSMOCARD. r/g 1204
Hand Ergometry Test. / r/g 1219
EXPANDER -3
ELF Experiment Setup
EMU – Conductivity Test
Review EVA-42 Translation Paths and Work Zones through ISS Windows
Troubleshooting to investigate the reason why Soyuz 230 DM gas analyzer blows power line fuses. / r/g 1220
USND2 – Hardware Deactivation
Urine Processor (UPA) Procedure Review
JEMAL – Slide Table extension
Robotic Refueling Mission Experiment (RRM) TB4 Removal
Pre-packing cargo Items for disposal via Cygnus AO-4 / r/g 1021
OASIS
VIZIR. ???-? Hardware Setup. / r/g 1221
??? EVA Support Panel (???) Checkout.
JEMAL – Slide Table Retraction
SHD – Weekly Questionnaire
DC1 EVA Support Panel Test.
URAGAN / r/g 1222
ISS Medical Accessories Kit (IMAK) Unpack
Food Frequency Questionnaire
Nutritional Assessment (ESA)
Completed Task List Items
None
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
RWS AVU Checkout
JEMAL Deactivation Post-RRM Activities
Nominal System Commanding
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 01/23: Crew Off Duty, Weekly Housekeeping
Sunday, 01/24: Crew Off Duty
Monday, 01/25: SPHERES Zero Robotics Test, UPA Fill Drain Valve Mod Kit Install, Cygnus Cargo Transfer
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 – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Override
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 Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Off
