NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 7 December 2015

Today: Orbital ATK (OA)-4 Launch: The Enhanced Cygnus spacecraft was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket on Sunday at 3:44pm CST. Sunday’s launch sets the stage for ISS rendezvous and capture on Wednesday, December 9th. Cygnus will be delivering approximately 3,500 kg of pressurized cargo to the ISS.
Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Troubleshooting: Kelly and Yui performed troubleshooting to restore the MSG slide mechanism to proper alignment today. The slide mechanism initially malfunctioned on November 17th, preventing the work volume from being extended for crew access.

Microbiome: For his Return Minus Zero day (R-0) Microbiome session, Yui collected saliva samples Saturday, Sunday and today. Microbiome investigates the impact of space travel on both the human immune system and an individual’s microbiome (the collection of microbes that live in and on the human body at any given time).

Fine Motor Skills: One year crewmembers Kelly and Kornienko each completed a session of the Fine Motor Skills experiment today. During the experiment they performed a series of interactive tasks on a touchscreen tablet. This investigation is the first fine motor skills study to measure long-term microgravity exposure, different phases of microgravity adaptation, and sensorimotor recovery after returning to Earth gravity. Fine Motor Skills sessions completed by Kelly and Kornienko will provide data for identification of trends or variations in fine motor performance in microgravity over the duration of their year-long space mission and upon their return to earth.

Twins Study: In support of the Twins Study, Kelly continued his week-long Flight Day 240 daily saliva collections. This investigation is an integrated compilation of ten different studies led by multiple investigators. The studies take advantage of a unique opportunity to look at the effects of space travel on identical twins, with one of them experiencing space travel for a year while the other remains earth-bound for that same year. The study looks at changes in the human body that are important in the fields of genetics, psychology, physiology, microbiology, and immunology.

Veg-01: On Saturday Kelly refilled the Veg-01 plant pillows with water. Lindgren also refilled them today. The Veg-01 investigation is used to assess on-orbit function and performance of the Veggie facility, focusing on the growth and development of seedlings in the spaceflight environment and the composition of microbial flora on the plants and the facility. For this run, Zinnias will be grown for 60 days and are expected to produce flowers.

Sleep Log: Both Kelly and Kornienko recorded Sleep Log entries Saturday and Sunday after waking. Kornienko also recorded an entry this morning. The Sleep ISS-12 experiment monitors ambient light exposure and crew member activity and collects subjective evaluations of sleep and alertness. The investigation examines the effects of space flight and ambient light exposure on sleep during a year-long mission on the ISS.

Crew Departure Preparation: Yui and Lindgren continued packing their personal items in preparation for crew return to Earth on Soyuz 43 (43S) on December 11th. The items will return by way of 43S, SpX-8, and SpX-9 vehicles.

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

TWIN – Sample Collection
SM ??? (Caution & Warning Panel) Test
Inspection of ??-?, ??2, ??4, ??5 connector on [???-??] separator pump
Acoustic Dosimeter Reminder
SLEEP – Questionnaire
HRF – Sample MELFI Insertion
Work Prep
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
Charging GoPro HERO3 Camcorder Battery
Acoustic Dosimeter Setup
Return item stowage in Soyuz #717
FINEMOTR- Experiment execution
Experiment Fine Motor Skills
Crew Departure Prep
Searching for cable PS-120
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
BODYM – Measurements for the experiment
??-1 sensors positioning check
MPEP Platform – Fasteners maintenance
LBNP Training (PRELIMINARY)
Auxiliary Laptop Anti-Virus Update
Sony HVR-Z7ECamcorder Setup in SM
Charging GoPro HERO3 Camcorder Battery – terminate
EXPRESS-1 – Install DVD with s/w for payload
ARED – Flywheel cylinder evacuation
VEG-01- Filling water to plant pillow
Video camera GoPro HERO3 Prep for ?? 717 Descent Recording. Camera Adjustment. Tagup with specialists
EML gas valve opening
Installation of “Relocation and TORU” simulator SW version 1.11 on RSK1 Laptop. Tagup with specialists as necessary (S-band)
Columbus cargo consolidation – Part 1 of 3
Soyuz 717 Samsung Tablet Charge – initiate
WRS – Water samples analysis
Columbus cargo consolidation – Part 2 of 3 [Deferred]
Filling (separation) EDV-SV lid 1002 p.37 (00053403R, ???1???_1_107)
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
Soyuz #717 Return Cargo Stowage Ops
ALGOMETRIA. Experiment Ops
IMAX – H/w final packing and stowage for return
EXPRESS 1 – Installation of DVD with s/w for payload – disk replacement
HMS – Psychological Questionnaire
??? Maintenance
Columbus cargo consolidation – Part 3 of 3 [Deferred]
PILOT-T. Experiment Ops
EXPRESS 1 – Installation of DVD with s/w for payload – disk replacement
Sony HVR-Z7E Camcorder Power Off in SM)
VSG box trouble shooting
Cleaning ??1, ??2 Dust Filters and ?1, ?2, Fan Screens in MRM2
Tightening of QD Screw Clamps between DC1 and Progress 428
PILOT-T. Closeout Ops
MPEG2 Video Test prior to ??? 719 (45S) Docking
VIZIR. Experiment Ops
VSG box trouble shooting
Soyuz #717 Samsung tablet charging – terminate
Evening Work Prep
EXPRESS 1 – Installation of DVD with s/w for payload – disk replacement
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
TOCA – Data Recording
EXPRESS 1- Installation of DVD with s/w for payload – disk replacement
EHS – BOSE head set quality evaluation ( S/N 1013, 1023 ? 1024.)
Replacement of FGB Dust Collector ??1, ??2 Filters (???1???_4_419_1, bag 429-16 (00068131R)). Discard the removed items. Reflect changes in IMS
Daily Planning Conference (S-band)
Reading Reminder about saliva samples installation in MELFI
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
Reading Reminder about saliva sampling
Preparing for Antivirus scan on Auxiliary Computer Laptops
Reading Reminder about saliva samples installation in MELFI
HABIT – Reading Reminder
Reading Reminder about saliva sampling
IMS Delta File Prep
Personal Data Prep for Return
Installation of inserts to ease opening of SM interior panel latches (Prepare “???????? ???????????” (Structural Elements) kit (004890R), ???1???_4_427_1, ??? No.1112 (004106J)
Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media / r/g 0293
ECON-M. Observation and Photography
URAGAN Observations and Photography
Video Recording for All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (?????)

Completed Task List Items
None

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
PROX GPS Activation

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 12/08: Cygnus Capture Review, Crew Departure Prep, Soyuz Descent Drill, Microbiome, Twin Studies
Wednesday, 12/09: Cygnus Rendezvous, Capture and Berth, Crew Departure Prep, Twin Studies
Thursday, 12/10: PILOT-T, SPRINT, Crew Departure Prep

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 – 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 – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off