NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 April 2016

The SpaceX Dragon CRS-8 mission will deliver 6,900 pounds/3,130 kilograms of science, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station. Payloads aboard Dragon will include rodents for a medical study and an expandable module that will be installed after Dragon completes its two-day trip to the station.
Dragon is scheduled for launch Friday at 4:43 p.m. EDT/8:43 p.m. UTC. It is scheduled to be captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm Sunday at 7 a.m. and will be installed to the Harmony module about two-and-a-half hours later.

The Expedition 47 crew is getting the Rodent Research hardware ready in the orbital lab so scientists can learn how to offset bone and muscle diseases on Earth. Researchers will be exploring how living in space affects bones and muscles by observing mice soon after Dragon arrives.

The largest payload in Dragon is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). The BEAM will be attached to the Tranquility module a week after its arrival for a series of habitability tests over two years.

Astronaut Tim Peake continued more muscle research today using specialized exercise gear and attached electrodes to his right leg and ankle. Commander Tim Kopra is collected hardware for a combustion experiment that is studying more efficient ways to burn fuel on Earth and in space. Flight Engineer Jeff Williams is training for the new Meteor imaging experiment delivered aboard the Orbital ATK resupply ship.

On-Orbit Status Report

Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System (MARES): Peake completed partial checkout activities for the MARES investigation by placing Percutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulator (PEMS) electrodes on the designated area of the right leg and successfully executing ankle exercise sessions. Software issues were discovered which prevented the remaining activities from being completed. These will be rescheduled for a future date. MARES is a European Space Agency (ESA) system that will be used for research on musculoskeletal, biomechanical, and neuromuscular human physiology to better understand the effects of microgravity on the muscular system. MARES is a Joint USOS Experiment (JUE) performed with both USOS and Russian crew members.

Rodent Research-3 (RR-3) EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station EXPRESS Rack and Habitat Familiarization: Kopra and Skripochka reviewed training material for the EXPRESS Rack and Habitats in preparation for upcoming RR-3 operations. RR-3 is a Joint USOS Experiment (JUE) performed with both USOS and Russian crew members. RR-3 studies molecular and physical changes in the musculoskeletal system that happens in space. Results expand scientists’ understanding of muscle atrophy and bone loss in space while testing an antibody that has been known to prevent muscle wasting in mice on Earth.

Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) Hardware Gather, Session Review, and Maintenance Work Area (MWA) Preparation: Kopra gathered hardware and reviewed details for configuring the MDCA and CIA (Chamber Insert Assembly) for the Flame Extinguishment – 2 (FLEX-2) test points. The FLEX-2 experiment is the second experiment to fly on the ISS which uses small droplets of fuel to study the special spherical characteristics of burning fuel droplets in space. The experiment studies how quickly fuel burns, the conditions required for soot to form, and how mixtures of fuels evaporate before burning. Understanding these processes could lead to the production of a safer spacecraft as well as increased fuel efficiency for engines using liquid fuel on Earth.

Meteor Onboard Training and Review: Williams completed required onboard training for the Meteor installation. He verified that the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) settings are correct for payload application and created the Software Image load of the Meteor payload software onto the T61p hard drive. The laptop and hard drive will be dedicated for Meteor use in the Window Observation Research Facility (WORF). The Meteor investigation takes high-resolution video and images of the atmosphere and uses a software program to search for bright spots which can later be analyzed on the ground.

NanoRacks Platform-1 Remove and Replace (R&R): Williams successfully removed & replaced the NanoRacks Platform-1 locker that has had data connectivity issues since SpX-4 unberth. The ground teams reported successful initial communications and will continue communications testing for 48 hours. The NanoRack Platform is a multipurpose research facility that supports NanoRacks Modules in the CubeSat form factor by providing power and data transfer capabilities to operate investigations in microgravity. NanoRacks Platform-1 is one of three Platforms and is used for modules not needing power.

Dose Tracker: Williams, and Kopra completed entries for medication tracking. This investigation documents the medication usage of crew members before and during their missions by capturing data regarding medication use during spaceflight, including side effect qualities, frequencies and severities. The data is expected to either support or counter anecdotal evidence of medication ineffectiveness during flight and unusual side effects experienced during flight. It is also expected that specific, near-real-time questioning about symptom relief and side effects will provide the data required to establish whether spaceflight-associated alterations in pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics (PD) is occurring during missions.

Habitability Human Factors Directed Observations: Kopra completed a session of the Habitability experiment when he recorded and submitted a walk-through video documenting observations of an area or activity 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.

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Quarterly Maintenance: Williams completed this regularly scheduled maintenance today. He inspected X-Rotation Dashpots, cycled the Main Arm through full range of motion, and greased the ARED Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (VIS) rails and rollers and upper stop.

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

On MCC GO Regeneration of ??? ?2 Micropurification Cartridge (start)
MAR – Setup Ops
Soyuz 720 Samsung Tablet Recharge – initiate / Video & Audio
Video Footage of Greetings / r/g 1861
DOSETRK – Questionnaire
WRS Water Sample Analysis
MAR – Hardware Installation and Configuration
DAN. Experiment Operator Assistance / r/g 0119
DAN. Experiment Ops. r/g 0119
SM Ventilation Subsystem Preventive Maintenance. Group ?
Dragon Prepack
MARES. Battery discharge – initiate
SM Ventilation Subsystem Preventive Maintenance. Group ? / Ventilation and Air Conditioning System [???
On-orbit Hearing Assessment using EARQ
Filling EDV [KOB] for Elektron and EDV-SV r/g 1858
CALCIUM. Experiment Session 5 / r/g 1856
WRS Maintenance
Relocation of Intravehicular Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (IV-TEPC)
HABIT – Preparing for the experiment
Soyuz 720 Samsung tablet charge – end
DOSETRK – Questionnaire
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Downlink data from Control and Data Acquisition Module (????) HDD (start) r/g 1595
WRS Maintenance
Soyuz 719 Samsung Tablet Recharge – Initiate
METEOR Installation OBT
MAR – configuration deinstallation
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Termination
METEOR – Procedure Review
TOCA Data Recording
Separation of EDV-SV Separate EDV-SV cover No.1207
CMS – Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Quarterly Maintenance
Soyuz 719 Samsung Tablet Recharge – terminate
EXPRESS Rack and Habitat Module Overview
MARES. Battery Discharge – Status Monitoring
EPO [Deferred]
RS Gas-masks inventory / r/g 1859
??? Maintenance
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Download data from Control and Data Acquisition Module (????) HDD (end) and start backup r/g 1595
Installation of Habitat module for rodent research
MAR Copy Files
MAR – Laptop SW Update
MDCA – Procedure Review
IFM – WRS – Hardware Gathering
CIR – Hardware Setup
MARES. PEMS and EMG Stowage
MDCA – Preparation of MWA Surface Area
Cleaning Nikon still camera Digital Image Sensor / r/g 1857
MAR – Laptop Reconnection
MARES. Hardware Power Down and Stowage
NANO – Platform Remove and Replace
Dragon Prepack
MAR – Equipment Stowage
Dragon Prepack
MARES Work Area Reconfig For Nominal Ops
IMS Delta File Prep
MAR – EPM Rack Hard Drive Installation
Daily Planning Conference (S-band)
On MCC GO ??? ?2 Absorption Cartridge Regeneration (end)

Completed Task List Items
Dragon pre-pack [Active]

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

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 04/06: MDCA hardware replace, METEOR software image load, OBT ISS emergency sim
Thursday, 04/07: Rodent Research hardware setup, METEOR setup/install
Friday, 04/08: SpX-8 launch, 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 – Override
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Manual
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Norm
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up