NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 8 December 2015

The first of two Christmas space deliveries is set to arrive early Wednesday morning. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo craft is on its way to the International Space Station where it will be captured and berthed to the Unity module around 6:10 a.m. EST/11:10 a.m. UTC. The next holiday shipment will be delivered Dec. 23 aboard Russia’s Progress 62 resupply ship.
Meanwhile, three Expedition 45 crew members are packing their Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft and getting ready for the ride back to Earth Dec. 11. Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko will pilot astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui to the landing site in Kazakhstan after 141 days in space.

Four days later, three new Expedition 46 crew members will launch to the orbital laboratory to join One-Year crew members Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko with cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. First-time British astronaut Tim Peake will lift off Dec. 15 aboard the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft with Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra for a six-month mission in space.

On-Orbit Status Report

Microbiome: For Yui’s Return Minus Zero day (R-0) and Kelly’s Flight Day 240 Microbiome sessions, they each collected saliva samples today. Kelly also collected water from the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) in the galley and stowed it for ambient return on the 43 Soyuz (43S) vehicle, which is scheduled to undock from the ISS this Friday. 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).

Observation and Analysis of Smectic Islands in Space (OASIS) Sample Exchange: Kelly exchanged the OASIS samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) today. Kelly was able to restore full functionality to the slide drawer mechanism yesterday, which allowed this activity to be performed today. OASIS studies the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and the merging of crystal layers known as smectic islands. Liquid crystals are used for display screens in televisions and clocks, and they also occur in soaps and cell membranes. The experiment allows detailed studies of the behavior of these structures, and how microgravity affects their unique ability to act like both a liquid and a solid crystal.

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock Operations for Robotics Refueling Mission (RRM): Yui has depressurized and vented the JEM Airlock today in preparation the retrieval later this month of RRM Task Board 4 from the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4 (ELC-4), located on the ISS Starboard 3 (S3) Truss.

Twins Study: In support of the Twins Study, Kelly continued his week-long Flight Day 240 daily saliva collection and also made a urine collection. 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.

Habitability: Today Kelly documented his recent observations related to human factors and habitability for the Habitability investigation. Habitability assesses the relationship between crew members and their environment in order to better prepare for future long-duration spaceflights to destinations, such as near earth asteroids and Mars. Observations recorded during 6 month and 1 year missions can help spacecraft designers determine how much habitable volume is required, and whether a mission’s duration impacts how much space crew members need.

Sleep Log: Kornienko recorded a Sleep Log entry today after waking. 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.

Journals: Kelly completed a Journals entry today. The Journals investigation obtains information on behavioral and human issues that are relevant to the design of equipment and procedures used by astronauts during extended-duration missions. Study results provide information used in preparations for future missions to low-Earth orbit and beyond.

Cygnus Arrival Preparation: The USOS Crew reviewed the Cygnus rendezvous timeline and material associated with Cygnus retreat protocol, Cygnus lighting, navigation sensors, and camera settings. Once their review was complete, they participated in a conference with specialist on the ground to answer any questions.

43S Crew Departure Preparation: Yui and Lindgren prepared and transfered US cargo that will be returning to the ground via 43S. They also continued to pack their personal items. The personal items will return by way of 43S, SpaceX-8, and SpaceX-9 vehicles. Finally, Yui worked with Kononenko to perform a Motion Control Test on 43S. The 43S Crew is scheduled to return to earth on December 11th.

43S Nominal Descent Drill #2: Yui, Lindgren and Kononenko all participated in a nominal Soyuz Decent Drill. As part of this training they reviewed preliminary undocking and descent data, then worked through the descent timeline (from Soyuz activation through post-landing activities).

Portable Computer System (PCS) Hardware Audit: Kelly performed a periodic audit of PCS hardware today. During the activity he took note of serial numbers for all deployed PCS shells, batteries, 1553 cards and cables. The information was then downlinked for ground teams to track.

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

TWIN – Sample Collection
Morning Inspection. SM ??? [Caution & Warning Panel] Test
SLEEP – Questionnaire
HRF – Sample Collection and Prep for Stowage Insertion
HRF – Sample MELFI Insertion
Acoustic Dosimeter Reminder
JEMAL – Depress and Vent
??? Laptops Antivirus Scan Check and Status Report
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Cattell’s Test
Acoustic Dosimeter Setup
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Downlink data from Control and Data Acquisition Module (????) HDD (start)
HAM radio session from Columbus
USOS Window Shutter Closure
Collect SM and FGB Air Samples Using ??-1? Sampler
VIBROLAB. Monitoring hardware activation
Monthly Inspection of T2 Treadmill System
On-orbit hearing assessment using EARQ
Progress 428 (DC1) Stowage Ops with IMS Support
Review of Cygnus Capture Day Key Reminders
??? Air Sample Collection for Ammonia in SM
Cygnus Rendezvous Operations Conference
HMS Defibrillator Inspection
JEMAL- Closeout Verification
JEMAL – JEM Ailock Vent Confirmation
Post-Exercise Hygiene Procedure
Soyuz 717 ??? Test No.2 Before Undocking
Video Footage of Greetings / r/g 0816
HABIT – Experiment Ops
WRS – Recycle Tank Fill
Soyuz 717 ??? Activation
On MCC GO ISS Repress from ??? 428 (DC1) ???? Section 1 – initiate
Prepack US hardware to be loaded into Soyuz
Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Activation
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
On MCC GO ISS O2 Repress from ??? 428 (DC1) ???? Section 1 – terminate
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review
Prepack US hardware to be loaded into Soyuz 43S
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Download data from Control and Data Acquisition Module (????) HDD (end) and start backup
??? Maintenance
Soyuz 717 Descent OBT
OASIS Sample Container Exchange.
VIBROLAB. Copy and Downlink Data
MOTOCARD. Experiment Ops
JRNL – Journal Entry
WRS – Recycle Tank Fill [Aborted]
MORZE. NEIROIMMUNITET. CORRECTSIA. Experiment setup
BIOME – Gather Alternate Hardware
IMS Delta File Prep
BIOME – water sample collection from the Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) using alternate hardware
MORZE. Psycho-physiological Evaluation: Strelau Test
TWIN – Equipment Setup
Ghost Camera Setup
Robotic Work Station (RWS) Setup
USOS Window Shutter Close
CONTENT. Experiment Ops
CORRECTSIA. Logging Liquid and Food (Medication) Intake
NEIROIMMUNITET. Saliva Test
Installation of inserts to ease opening of SM interior panel latches
Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media
ECON-M. Observation and Photography
URAGAN Observations and Photography
Personal Data Prep for Return
Video Recording for All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (?????)

Completed Task List Items
SSC4 Shell Swap

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEMAL depressurization in preparation for RRM TB4 Ops
USOS 43S MCS Test

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 12/09: Cygnus Rendezvous, Capture and Berth, Crew Departure Prep, Twin Studies
Thursday, 12/10: Cygnus ingress, SPRINT, Crew Departure Prep
Friday, 12/11: 43S Undock and Landing, Twin Study, Cygnus Cargo Ops

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 – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Norm
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off