NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 May 2015
Expedition 43 is packing the SpaceX Dragon space freighter readying the vehicle for its return home and splashdown May 21. The docked ISS Progress 58 resupply ship will fire its thrusters Friday night placing the International Space Station at the correct orbit for next month’s Soyuz undocking.
The six-member crew also worked a variety of onboard maintenance ensuring crew safety and the upkeep of station hardware. One-Year crew member Scott Kelly worked on science gear in Japan’s Kibo lab module. Commander Terry Virts worked on replacing a Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly blower fan. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti routed cables and configured valves to prepare the Permanent Multipurpose Module for its relocation later this month.
On the Russian side of the orbital lab, Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov photographed the condition of the Zvezda service module windows. Flight Engineer Gennady Padalka partnered up with One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko to study acoustic techniques for immediately locating micrometeoroid impacts on the station’s exterior. The trio also continued the maintenance of the Russian station systems.
The return to Earth for NASA’s Terry Virts, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov now is scheduled for early June. NASA and its international partners set the schedule after hearing the Russian Federal Space Agency’s (Roscosmos) findings on the loss of the Progress 59 cargo craft. The exact date has not yet been established and will be announced in the coming weeks.
On-Orbit Status Report
ExHAM Installation: Kelly installed the Handhold Experiment Platform on the JEM Airlock (JEMAL) Slide Table and the Platform Adapter and Exposed Area Dosimeter and covered them with Multi-Layered Insulation (MLI). He then installed the Handhold Experiment Platform and attached the samples for the various external experiments including the Free Space Dosimeter and ExHAM. The JEMAL ST was then retracted and JEMAL was depressed, the experiments will off-gas in the JEMAL prior to being installed on the JEM Exposed Facility. Free Space Dosimeter will be exposed for approximately 2 weeks and ExHAM will be exposed for one year.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-Low Gravity Phase Kinetics Platform (BCAT-KP) Sample Initiation: Cristoforetti transferred images and reset the intervelometer on Sample #3 which is expected to run for two more weeks. Following this sample, two more samples are planned before all the BCAT-KP samples are initialized and stowed for approximately 6 months while the colloids are left undisturbed to allow for continued growth. The BCAT-KP experiment aims to help materials scientists develop new consumer products with unique properties and longer shelf lives. Colloids are mixtures of small particles distributed throughout a liquid, which include milk, detergents and liquid crystals. Gravity affects how the particles clump together and sink, making the International Space Station an ideal platform to study their fundamental behaviors.
Node 3 (N3) Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA): Last week the crew completed N3 CDRA bed and Air Selector Valve (ASV) Remove & Replace (R&R). When the ground attempted to activate CDRA, error messages were received during an Active Built-in-Test (ABIT). Engineering teams met, concluded that the issue was with the fan and recommended the fan be replaced. Today, Virts successfully replaced the Blower fan and ground commanding confirmed the operation of the newly installed fan. The N3 CDRA has been activated and fine leak checks will be performed overnight. Lab CDRA continues to operate, CO2 levels remain low.
Node 1 (N1) Sample Delivery System (SDS) Reconfiguration/Power Cable Routing: In preparation for utilizing the N1 nadir port for visiting vehicles, Cristoforetti installed a Sample Delivery System (SDS) 3-Way Valve, a union to bypass the installed Manual Valve, and a SDS Hose that connects the new SDS 3-Way Valve to the Manual Valve and to the Node 1 Nadir vestibule. The crew also routed the SDS Power Cable from the Node 3 UOP-4 to the Node 3 Starboard Forward bulkhead however, the cable routing will need to be readdressed to provide required slack for future connections. Future activities will complete the air hose, power, and data connections for the installed hardware.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
Preparing for Photography of RS Windows r/g 8817
XF305 Camcorder Settings Adjustment
JEM Airlock ST Extension to JPM Side
Photography of SM windows 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 26 / r/g 8817
CDRA Component Replacement
CARDIOVECTOR. PL Health Check. / r/g 8818
Platform Adapter Installation
Monthly Inspection of T2 Treadmill System
MPEP – Dosimeter Installation
DAN. Experiment Execution Support / r/g 8811
DAN. Experiment Ops. / r/g 8811
DAN. Photography of the Experiment Ops / r/g 8810
HXP – Handhold Exp Platform Installation
Photography of SM windows 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 26 / r/g 8817
PROBOY. Cable Installation and Connection. / r/g 8800
HXP – Sample Insertion
Installation of Valves in Node1
ISS RS Window Inspection Photo Downlink r/g 8817
Force Loader Test (HC-1M). / r/g 8815
JEM Airlock Slide Table Retraction
CIR – Post-Experiment Hardware Stowage
Audit of Kits for Experiments / r/g 8816
PROBOY. Cable Installation and Connection r/g 8800
JEMAL – Depressurization
ESA Weekly Crew Conference
WRS – Recycle Tank Fill from EDV
VIZIR. Experiment Ops / r/g 8812
DRAGON. Transfers Ops
High Definition Video Camera Assembly 1 Activation in High Definition Mode
BCAT – Battery Replacement and Photo Downlink
Desiccant Replacement in Glacier-1 and Glacier-2. Glacier-1 Deactivation
Installation of Valves in Node3
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
MICROBS1. Procedure review
IMS Delta File Prep
Verification of Airlock Depressurization Completion in JEM
WRS – Recycle Tank Fill from EDV
Verification of JEM Airlock Venting Completion.
High Definition Video Camera Assembly 1 Switch to SD Mode
RELAKSATSIYA. Initiate v/camera battery charge / r/g 6827
Completed Task List Items
NOD3FO2 Stbd LHA R&R
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEMAL Depress
N3 CDRA Activation
N3 CDRA Extended Checkout [On Schedule]
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 05/15: Restocking rodent habitat, Micro Observatory sampling
Saturday, 05/16: Crew off duty, housekeeping, Dragon transfer ops
Sunday, 05/17: 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 – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Shutdown
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 – Warmup
