NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 28 April 2016

The crew trained for an experiment that is exploring new technologies to support missions farther out into space. Life science also continued this week as the astronauts researched how the lack of gravity affects their bodies.
Scientists are studying the possibility of a space internet and remotely controlling rovers on a planetary surface from a spacecraft. British astronaut Tim Peake trained on the rover control software for the METERON experiment that may also enable closer human and robotic connections in hazardous conditions.

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin joined each other for more work on the Fluid Shifts study. That experiment observes how living in space impacts a crew member’s cells, blood vessels, brain pressure and vision.

Commander Tim Kopra is stowing gear inside the SpaceX Dragon for retrieval back on Earth. The Dragon is due to be released from the Harmony module May 11 for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean a few hours later.

On-Orbit Status Report

Fluid Shifts (FS) Baseline Imaging Operations: With guidance from the ground teams, crewmembers continued supporting the second week of FS operations by conducting an Ultrasound 2 scan and eye exams using the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) hardware. Fluids Shift is divided into three one-week segments: Dilution Measures, Baseline Imaging, and Baseline Imaging using the Russian Chibis Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) device. The experiment measures how much fluid shifts from the lower body to the upper body, in or out of cells and blood vessels, and determines the impact these shifts have on fluid pressure in the head, changes in vision and eye structures.

Cell Mechanosensing- 3 (CMS-3) Closeout: Following completion of microscope observations last week, the crew completed closeout activities by removing the Thermal Container from the Microscope in Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack Work Volume (MSPR WV). The investigation identifies gravity sensors in skeletal muscle cells to develop countermeasures to muscle atrophy. Scientists believe that the lack of mechanical stress from gravity causes tension fluctuations in the plasma membrane of skeletal muscle cells which changes the expression of key proteins and genes and allows muscles to atrophy.

Strata Payload Activation: The crew configured and activated Strata-1 in the US LAB. Strata-1 investigates the properties and behavior of regolith on small, airless bodies. Regolith is the impact-shattered “soil” found on asteroids, comets, the Moon, and other airless worlds, but it is different from soil on Earth in that it contains no living material. Strata-1’s goal is to provide answers about how regolith behaves and moves in microgravity, how easy or difficult it is to anchor a spacecraft in regolith, how it interacts with spacecraft and spacesuit materials, and other important properties.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations/HTV-6 Get-ahead Tasks: Robotics Ground Controllers are currently performing 1A battery operations. The first bolt’s torque has been successfully released. Engineering and robotics teams are working a forward plan for battery 3A2-2 H1 bolt completion including increasing the maximum commanded torque. Additional attempts are tentatively scheduled tomorrow.

Inadvertent Time Tag Command during 4A3 Battery Reconditioning: During 4A3 battery reconditioning operations this morning, a time-tagged command executed after the time tag queue had been cleared. The executed command was the Battery Charge Discharge Unit (BCDU) Fault Isolator Closed command. After the error was discovered, a BCDU Fault Isolator Open command was executed to correct. There were no impacts to the vehicle. Data will be evaluated following 4A3 battery reconditioning completion on May 4 to determine if there was any impact to the reconditioning effort.

Human Research Facility (HRF) Resupply: The crew restocked HRF supplies and trashed expired and limited life items.

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

CORRECTSIYA. Blood Collection r/g 2091
CORRECTSIYA. Venous blood sample processing using Plasma-03 centrifuge / r/g 2091
CORRECTSIYA. Sample Handover to USOS for MELFI Insertion / r/g 2091
RUEXP – Blood Sample Insertion into MELFI
ENERGY Diet Log of Breakfast
JEMAL Slide Table extension
FLUID SHIFTS. OCT Setup
FS-OCT-BL SETUP Baseline OCT Setup
DRAGON Transfers
Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Payload Closeout Ops
CORRECTSIYA. Closeout Ops / r/g 2091
FINEMOTR Experiment Ops
FLUID SHIFTS. Ultrasound 2 Power On
FLUID SHIFTS Donning CardioLab Holter, Subject
CORRECTSIYA. Questionnaire Photos / r/g 2091
FLUID SHIFTS Baseline Ultrasound Scan, Subject
Formaldehyde Monitoring Kit (FMK) Stow Operations
CIR Hardware Setup
OTKLIK. Hardware Monitoring / r/g 1588
JEMRMS Hardware Checkout
FLUID SHIFTS Scanning Operator Assistance
SPHEROIDS Copying KUBIK 6 Data to EDR
Intermodular TORU Test with Mated Progress 431 (DC1) r/g 2096
SPHEROIDS Taking KUBIK 6 Temperature Data
SPHEROIDS Copying KUBIK 6 Data to EDR
Medical Kit Audit / r/g 2056
Changeout of Replaceable Condensate Removal Lines [????] r/g 2056
Retracting Slide Table in JEMAL and closing Outer Hatch
JEMRMS Equipment deactivation
FLUID SHIFTS CCFP Baseline Test, Subject
METERON Onboard Training
Laser Eye Protection Disk Removal from Cupola windows Part 2
Periodic Fitness Evaluation – Nom Ops (subject)
FLUID SHIFTS Assisted Test, Subject
FLUID SHIFTS Baseline Test, Operator
FLUID SHIFTS DPOAE Baseline Test, Subject
FLUID SHIFTS Hardware Power Off and Stow
FLUID SHIFTS Tonometry Baseline Setup
FLUID SHIFTS. Ultrasound 2 Hardware Power Off
FLUID SHIFTS Baseline Test, Operator
FLUID SHIFTS Tonometer Test, Subject
FLUID SHIFTS Doffing CardioLab Holter, Subject
FLUID SHIFTS. Tonometry Equipment stow
FLUID SHIFTS CCFP Baseline Stowage
RSS1 laptop BRI data download / r/g 2052
DRAGON Transfers
THERM Closeout Ops
ENERGY Diet Log of Lunch
SPHEROIDS. Temperature Check.
URAGAN. [???] R&R and Test Photography r/g 2095
Changeout of Replaceable Condensate Removal Lines [????] r/g 2056
Pre-packing EDV 1240 shell for return / r/g 2093
WRS – Recycle Tank Fill from EDV
Crew Prep For PAO
PCO2M Interface Check
PAO Snapchat [Deferred]
??? Maintenance
Water Recovery System (WRS): Payload Water Reservoir (PWR) Fill 1
SmartCycler (SCYC) Battery Check
HRF Blood collection setup
Vacuum cleaning ventilation grille on FGB interior panels (201, 301, 401)
IMS Delta File Prep
WRS-PWR-Reservoir Fill (PWR)
DRAGON Transfers
HRF2 Supply Kit Resupply
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
ENERGY Diet Log of Dinner

Completed Task List Items
None

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
1A battery bolt ops
Nominal ground commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 04/29: SmartCycler, METERON, ENERGY, MSPR Microscope closeout, N1 reconfig
Saturday, 04/30: Crew off duty; housekeeping
Sunday, 05/01: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – On
[???] 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 – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Normal
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up