NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 9 November 2016
The three Expedition 50 crew members today are working on an oxygen generator and setting up gear to photograph the Earth and meteors. In Kazakhstan, the Soyuz spacecraft that will launch the next trio to the International Space Station is being processed at its launch facility.
Commander Shane Kimbrough was back at work this morning on the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) in the U.S. side of the International Space Station. The OGS is down for maintenance as he and ground specialists troubleshoot the device due to a low voltage signature. In the meantime, Russia’s Elektron system is providing oxygen for the crew aboard space station.
Cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Sergey Ryzhikov changed camera lenses and rings on the Sally Ride EarthKAM. The student-operated Earth observation experiment enables middle school kids using the internet to program targets for the camera and download the imagery they have taken. The EarthKAM gear is installed in a window located in the Harmony module.
A hard drive was swapped out in the Meteor payload that looks outside a unique window known as the Window Observational Research Facility on the Destiny laboratory module. The visual spectroscopy study uses imagery to explore the physical and chemical properties of meteoroid dust to learn more about comets and asteroids.
Three new station crew members are in Kazakhstan preparing for a Nov. 17 launch to the station. The Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft that will carry the new Expedition 50-51 trio to its new home in space was installed inside the third stage shroud of its rocket. Veteran station residents Peggy Whitson of NASA and Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, along with first-time space flyer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will take a two-day, 34-orbit trip to the station after their liftoff and stay in space till May.
On-Orbit Status Report
Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Maintenance: Overnight the decision was made not to perform the Recirc loop flush. Earlier this morning the crew installed the new Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Hydrogen Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) into the OGS rack. However, the crew was not able to fully mate the Hydrogen ORU Quick Disconnect (QD), same as the issue yesterday regarding the QD mate issue for the Recirc loop flush. The crew reported that the QD was at 90% connected or ¼ turn from fully mated in both cases. Ground teams recommended that Kapton tape be applied to the QD in order to prevent backout. In this configuration it is expected that the primary seal on the QD should be engaged and the QD poppet opened. Ground teams are working to vent the Hydrogen ORU dome and activate the OGA, which will take several hours.
Meteor Hard Drive Swap: The crew performed a regular changeout of the Meteor hard drive located in the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF). The Meteor payload is a visible spectroscopy instrument with the primary purpose of observing meteors in Earth orbit. Meteor uses image analysis to provide information on the physical and chemical properties of the meteoroid dust, such as size, density, and chemical composition. Since the parent comets or asteroids for most of the meteor showers are identified, the study of the meteoroid dust on orbit provides information about the parent comets and asteroids.
Sally Ride EarthKAM Lens Changeout: The crew changed out and configured the 180mm lens and 72mm Bumper Ring on the Sally Ride EarthKAM, removing and stowing the 50mm lens and 52mm Bumper ring. The EarthKAM team, in association with middle school students around the world, select image targets which are then downlinked and used in the study of physics, computers, geography, math, earth science, biology, art, history, and cultural studies. The objective of Sally Ride EarthKam is to integrate Earth images with inquiry-based learning to enhance curricula in support of national and state education standards; to provide students and educators the opportunity to participate in a space mission and to develop teamwork, communication, and problem solving skills; to engage teams of students, educators, and researchers in collaborative investigations using remotely-sensed data; and to incorporate the active use of Web-based tools and resources in support of the learning process.
Zbook Server Deployment: The crew set up two ZBook laptops as SSC Server-1 and SSC Server-2 in preparation for loading and transition. Thursday the new ZBook laptops will be loaded with the new SSC Server software. The transition to the new SSC Servers is currently planned for Friday.
International Docking Adapter (IDA) Survey: Over the next two days the robotics team will perform dynamic surveys that simulate the view of an incoming docking vehicle as it approaches the recently installed IDA at Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA-2). These surveys will use the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Camera Light Pan Tilt Assembly (CLPA) and pre-configured automatic trajectories to simulate vehicle motion. They will be performed in various lighting conditions.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Hydrogen ORU Remove and Replace
Removal of Potable Water Container (КПВ) hoses, audit of СРВ-К2М hoses
Progress 433 (DC1) Transfers and IMS Ops
Verification of ИП-1 Flow Sensor Position
Saving personal data on RSK1, 2 prior to installation of new SW version
DAN. Experiment Tagup with specialists
Meteor Hard Drive Swapout
Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Final Quick Disconnect (QD) Mates
Station Support Computer Server Hardware Setup
Installation of Picasa application on station RSK1 laptop (SW version 4.2).
Filling (separation) of ЕДВ (КОВ) for Elektron or ЕДВ-СВ
СОЖ maintenance
Installation of Picasa application on station RSK2 laptop
EarthKAM. Camera Lens Change
Preparation steps for finding the cause of current overload in FGB ПШО31 exchange bus via SM-FGB Docking Assembly -X
Video Recording of Greetings
Replacement of Filters in FGB Dust Collectors 1, 2
IMS Update
Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject
CONTENT. Experiment Ops
Completed Task List Items
None
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
IDA Survey Using SSRMS
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 11/10: FSL, OGA Tool Stow, Cygnus Cargo Ops
Friday, 11/11: GCM Troubleshooting, PFS PuFF Calibration Syringe Maintenance
Saturday, 11/12: Weekly Housekeeping
QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – On
[СКВ] 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 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Idle
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Venting H2 Dome
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Reprocess
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Off
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Full Up
