Space Stations

NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 28 December 2016

By Marc Boucher
Status Report
December 29, 2016
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NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 28 December 2016
A U.S. spacesuits is seen attached to the wall inside the Quest Airlock aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 50 crew performed routine maintenance on the suits throughout December to prepare for upcoming spacewalks in January 2017 that will see the astronauts work in tandem with external robotics to install six new lithium-ion batteries on the station. Credit: NASA.
NASA

Today: Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Prep: The crew reviewed procedures for the upcoming S4 Battery EVA.
During this session the crew reviewed the generic EVA prep, emergency and post EVA procedures along with the EVA specific procedures, detailed timelines, and EVA systems briefing. Earlier today ground teams tied Channel 3A to Channel 3B via Seamless Power Channel Handover prior to starting the process of completely discharge the Channel 3A batteries which is expected to be completed on Friday.

Fluid Shifts Dilution Measurements: The third of three 49S subjects initiated their Flight Day 45 (FD45) Fluid Shifts Dilution Measurements activities. Beginning with wakeup the subject collected saliva, blood and urine and inserted them into Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) prior to ingesting a Sodium Bromide (NaBr) tracer. Throughout the day, the crew performed additional urine, blood, and saliva collections, inserting those samples into MELFI as well. Finally, the crew configured for tomorrow’s Baseline Imaging in the USOS. Fluid Shifts is divided into three experiment portions – Dilution Measurements, Baseline Imaging, and Baseline Imaging with Chibis (Lower Body Negative Pressure). The Fluid Shifts experiment investigates the causes for severe and lasting physical changes to astronaut’s eyes. Because the headward fluid shift is a hypothesized contributor to these changes, reversing this fluid shift with a lower body negative pressure device is investigated as a possible intervention. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) Depress: Following the successful installation of the J-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) #6 on the JEMAL slide table, the crew depressed the airlock in preparation for the mid-January deployment of the satellites. The J-SSOD facility provides a reliable, safe and economically viable means of deploying research small satellites into Earth orbit. Atmospheric and surface monitoring, radio communications testing, and small object and sample return to the ground for testing and analysis are all potential candidates for this facility.

Veg-03 Harvest and Stow: The crew performed the final harvest of the Outredgous Romaine Lettuce from the Veggie facility today. Leaves were collected divided between those for consumption and those for return that were placed in the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). Following the harvest, the Veggie equipment was cleaned and stowed. The overall goal of Veg-03 is to further demonstrate proof-of concept for the Veggie plant growth chamber and the planting pillows using ‘Outregous’ Red Romaine lettuce. Future long-duration missions into the solar system, will require a fresh food supply to supplement crew diets, which means growing crops in space. Previous investigations focused on improving productivity in controlled environments, but the limited quarters of the space shuttle and ISS made it difficult to conduct large-scale crop production tests. Veg-03 expands on previous validation tests of the new Veggie hardware, which crew members will soon use to grow cabbage, lettuce and other fresh vegetables in space. Tests determine which types of microorganisms are present in space-grown cabbage, providing baseline data for future crop-growing efforts. Behavioral health surveys assess the impact of growing plants on crew morale and mood.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) 3008 Loop Scrub: Last Friday the crew began EMU 3008 loop scrub which could not be completed due to a leak at the Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Display and Control Module (DCM) interface. Following yesterday’s installation of a new SCU, this morning the crew completed the activation and checkout of the new equipment followed by a nominal EMU 3008 loop scrub.

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

Fluid Shifts Saliva Baseline Collection
Fluid Shifts MELFI Insertion Operations
Fluid Shifts Urine Collection – Subject
Fluid Shifts Blood Baseline Collection – Subject
Fluid Shifts Galley Water Collection Tracer Ingestion Operations – Subject
UIA Oxygen Valve Close
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
Orlan No.4, No.6 checkout prep
Fluid Shifts Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin Conclude
Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Gather
Fluid Shifts MELFI Insertion
JEM Airlock Depressurization
Service and Cooling Umbilical (SCU) Activation and Checkout Part 2
UDOD. Experiment Ops with DYKNANIYE-1 and SPRUT-2 Sets.
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
SkinSuit H/W Retrieval and Height Measurement Setup
??-3? Oxygen Tank Pressure Check in DC1.
SkinSuit Height Measurement Operator
SkinSuit Height Measurement & Questionnaire
Orlan No.6 Backup Bladder Leak Check.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance – Part 1
Fluid Shifts Urine Collection – Subject
Orlan No.4 Backup Bladder Leak Check.
Fluid Shifts MELFI Retrieve Insertion Operations
Fluid Shifts Blood 3-Hour Collection – Subject
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
Water Recovery Management (WRM) Condensate Pumping Initiation
Fluid Shifts Saliva 3-Hour Collection – Subject
Fluid Shifts MELFI Retrieve Insertion Operations
Spacesuit and ??? (Orlan Interface Unit) leak checks and Orlan valve test.
Fluid Shifts Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin Conclude
MERLIN Desiccant Pack Swap and Door Inspect
Fluid Shifts MELFI Retrieve Insertion Operations
Fluid Shifts Blood Collection Conclude Stow
Water Recovery Management (WRM) Condensate Pumping Termination
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Post Scrub Cooling Loop Water (H2O) Sample
JEM Airlock Vent
Orlan No.4 and ??? (Orlan Interface Unit) leak checks and Orlan valve test.
JEM Airlock Vent Confirmation
ESA ACTIVE DOSIMETER MOBILE UNIT SWAP
Fluid Shifts Saliva 5-Hour Collection – Subject
Fluid Shifts MELFI Retrieve Insertion Operations
Fluid Shifts Urine Collection End – Subject
Combustion Integrated Rack Session Review
Fluid Shifts MELFI Insertion Operations
COSMOCARD. Setup. Starting 24-hr ECG Recording
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
SkinSuit Height Measurement Operator [Aborted]
SkinSuit Height Measurement & Questionnaire
Comm Config
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Telemetry check of Orlan No.4, No.6 systems, ???, and comm system.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Reconfiguration
Perform comm reconfig for nominal ops
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Termination
Orlan No.4, No.6, and ??? storage mode operation.
Equipment stowage after Orlan No.4, No.6 checkout.
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
Download Pille Dosimeter Readings
BIMS. Experiment Ops
VEG-03 MWA Preparation
VEG-03 Harvest
BIMS. Photography of the Experiment Session
IMS Update
Fluid Shifts CCFP Baseline Setup
VEG-03 MELFI Insertion #3
Fluid Shifts Hardware Battery Installation
VEG-03 MELFI Insertion #4
VEG-03 Harvest
Evening Preparation Work
CIR Endoscope Handover
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Exercise Video Stow

Completed Task List Items
Space Station Research Explorer
Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Oxygen Teardown

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
SPCH 3A to 3B
Channel 3A Battery Drain
Sabatier to Standby
Mode OGA to 75% production rate
SPDM Dextrous Manipulator Control Software Checkout

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 12/29: Fluid Shifts, CIR bench ops, EVA DOUG review, P/TV safety video survey
Friday, 12/30: Fluid Shifts, Ultrasound/Ocular Health, EVA Equipment Lock prep/on-orbit fit check
Saturday, 12/31: Crew off duty, Housekeeping

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”) – 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 – Idle
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Process
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up

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