NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 4 August 2016

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams has accumulated 500 days of living in space over four missions as of today. Williams, who is scheduled to return to Earth Sept. 6, will break NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s record of 520 days on Aug. 24.
While Williams marked his milestone, he spent most of the day researching fluid shifts from the lower body to the upper body caused by microgravity. The fluid shifts increase pressure on the head and eyes potentially affecting an astronaut’s vision. Cosmonauts OIeg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin assisted Williams during experiment operations.

Flight Engineer Kate Rubins continued her preparations for an Aug. 19 spacewalk with Williams to install a new International Docking Adapter. She worked in the Quest airlock today gathering tools and equipment the duo will use during their 6.5-hour spacewalk. She also spent some time with Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi transferring cargo from the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft.

On-Orbit Status Report

Fluid Shifts Operations In the Service Module: With ground team assistance, crewmembers continued supporting Fluid Shifts Imaging exams that began yesterday by configuring the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and the Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) hardware before completing a DPOAE test, OCT exam, and a Tonometry exam. The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the space flight-induced fluid shift, including intra- and extravascular shifts, intra- and extracellular shifts, changes in total body water and lower vs. upper body shifts. Noninvasive techniques are used to assess arterial and venous dimensions and flow parameters, ocular pressure and structure, and changes in intracranial pressure. Lower body negative pressure is being investigated for its ability to mitigate some of the effects of the space flight-induced fluid shift. Results from this investigation are expected to help define the causes of the ocular structure and vision changes associated with long duration space flight, and assist in the development of countermeasures.

NanoRacks External Platform (NREP) and Gumstix Installation: The NREP was prepared for installation on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table. During the NREP assembly, the NanoRacks-Gumstix experiment was installed onto the NREP. Two crewmembers installed NREP on JEMAL Slide Table. One crewmember held NREP in place to keep the capture cones aligned with the NREP receptacles and the other operated the capture mechanism. The Slide Table was then retracted from the JEM Pressurized Module (JPM) side into the JEMAL and the inner hatch was closed. The NanoRacks External Platform represents the first external commercial research capability for the testing of scientific investigations, sensors, and electronic components in space. The NanoRacks External Platform will be installed on a payload required basis on the outside of the ISS on the JEM External Facility (JEM-EF). The NanoRacks-Evaluation of Gumstix Performance in Low-Earth Orbit (NanoRacks-Gumstix) investigation tests small computers called Gumstix modules, which are based on open-source software, as an alternative off-the-shelf option for use in space. The investigation studies whether the Gumstix microprocessors can withstand the radiation environment on board the ISS. The NREP will be deployed from the JEMAL and installed on the JEM-EF tomorrow.

Multi-Omics Operations: The crew supported the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Multi-Omics investigation by collecting saliva samples and inserting them into a Box Module in the Minus Eighty-degree Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts’ immune function by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system.

Space Headaches: The crew completed the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Headaches questionnaire to 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. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crew members which can influence performance during a space mission.

Habitability Human Factors Directed Observations: The crew recorded and submitted 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.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuration: In preparation for the EVA currently planned for August 19, the crew gathered and configured required tools.

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

Multi Omics (MO) Saliva Sample Collection
Multi Omics (MO) MELFI Sample Insertion
Multi Omics (MO) Equipment Stowage
Multi Omics (MO) Questionnaire Completion
Window Shutter Close
FLUID SHIFTS. Comm configuration for the experiment / r/g 9995
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 2888
Acoustic Dosimeter Setup Day 3
FLUID SHIFTS. Gathering and Connecting Equipment for TV coverage
OTKLIK. Equipment Check / r/g 1588
FLUID SHIFTS. Big Picture Words Review
Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position
BRI log download from RSS1
VIBROLAB. Monitoring hardware activation / r/g 2981
FLUID SHIFTS. Connecting OCT Laptop to RS BRI and HRF PC to ???-26 (instead of RSE-Med) r/g 2983
FLUID SHIFTS. OCT Power up in SM
FLUID SHIFTS. CCFP Activation and Settings Adjustments in RS
??? Maintenance
US EVA Tool Preparation
FLUID SHIFTS. DPOAE Setup in SM
NREP. NANORACKS External Platform Assembly
FLUID SHIFTS. TONO Hardware setup in SM
FLUID SHIFTS. Chibis Setup / r/g 2982
FLUID SHIFTS. Operator Assistance with Chibis and Gamma-1 r/g 2982
FLUID SHIFTS. Gathering Data in SM
EVA Tool Config
Vacuum cleaning of ??7 screens on ???4 behind FGB panel 108
FLUID SHIFTS. Copying Data from CCFP/DPOAE devices and their deactivation in RS
FLUID SHIFTS. Chibis Closeout Ops / r/g 2982
FLUID SHIFTS. Crew Onboard Support System (????) Hardware Deactivation and Closing Application
FLUID SHIFTS. TONO SM Stowage
FLUID SHIFTS. OCT Power off in SM
FLUID SHIFTS. Restore nominal comm config
FLUID SHIFTS. Disconnecting of Laptop OCT, HRF and connecting RSE-Med r/g 2984
FLUID SHIFTS. Disconnecting US converter from ???? / r/g 2984
Measuring SM interior panel elements / r/g 2991
JEMAL Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
NREP. Mounting Slide Table
NREP. Assistance in Mounting Slide Table
JEMAL JEM Airlock Slide Table Retraction from JPM
JEMAL Depress and Vent
PAO Hardware Setup
Crew Prep for PAO
PAO Event
Progress 433 (DC1) Transfers and IMS Ops / Progress 433 Transfers + r/g 2834, 2835, 2929, 2961
FLUID SHIFTS. OCT Hardware Stowage
EHS CFM In-flight Microbiology Water Analysis
FLUID SHIFTS. CCFP/PC Stowage
VIBROLAB Copy and Downlink Data / r/g 2981
DRAGON. Transfers
Re-Packing fasteners into fasteners and tool kit delivered on Progress 433 / r/g 2990
FLUID SHIFTS. Hardware Gathering before Transfer to USOS
FLUID SHIFTS Hardware setup to work with Dilution Measures Setup
FLUID SHIFTS. Hardware Transfer to USOS
FLUID SHIFTS. Cable removal
BLB Rotor Inspection
FLUID SHIFTS. OCT and Laptop Setup
Removal/Installation of Signal Converter Unit (???) devices in TORU work station r/g 2992
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
FLUID SHIFTS. Ultrasound 2 Setup and Activation
Demate telemetry connector for ??? replacement / r/g 2992
Removal/Installation of Signal Converter Unit (???) devices in TORU work station r/g 2992
JEMAL Verifying depressurization complete
FLUID SHIFTS Ultrasound 2 Data Export
FLUID SHIFTS. Hardware stowage
JEM Airlock Depressurization and Vent Confirmation
IMS Delta File Prep
Mate telemetry connector for ??? replacement / r/g 2992
Removal/Installation of Signal Converter Unit (???) devices in TORU work station r/g 2992
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 2888
FLUID SHIFTS. Chibis measurements in SM Reminder 1

Completed Task List Items
None

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Fluid Shifts ops
JEMAL ops
Nominal ground commanding.

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 08/05: EVA prep, Vascular Echo resting ultrasound, SPHERES-Zero Robotics Dry Run, SkinB, Heart Cells media change, Mouse Transportation Cage Unit prep
Saturday, 08/06: Crew off duty, housekeeping, Mouse Cage maintenance, Fluid Shifts
Sunday, 08/07: 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) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab -Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up