NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 19 February 2014

Today: Cygnus Re-Entry: Cygnus completed its De-Orbit Delta-V (DDV)-1 burn at 7:24 am CST this morning. The Re-Entry Delta-V (RDV) burn was initiated at 11:45 am CST. The vehicle crossed the Entry Interface and destructively re-entered the atmosphere off the coast of New Zealand at approximately 12:20 pm CST. The final loss of telemetry occurred at 12:23 pm CST.
Cube Satellite (CubeSat) Operations: This morning, the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) with attached NRCSDs was returned by the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) to the JEM Airlock Slide Table and then brought back into the JEM Airlock.

Internal Audio Bus Troubleshooting: Today, Flight Controllers unsuccessfully attempted to clear Passive Built-In Test (PBIT) faults associated with Audio Fiber Optic Channel B. Channel B faults were first observed on February 12th. The Audio Subsystem is currently operating nominally under Fiber Optic Channel A. However, the system remains zero fault tolerant to fiber optic channel failures. The Internal Audio Subsystem is responsible for the distribution of voice and Caution & Warning Tones throughout the entire United States On-orbit Segment (USOS). Ground teams are continuing their investigation and will be proposing forward plans to recover.

Burning and Suppression of Solids – 2 (BASS-2) Experiment: FE-5 Mastracchio set up the BASS hardware and performed single burn tests with ground support from the experiment Principal Investigator. BASS-2 tests the hypothesis that materials in microgravity with adequate ventilation will burn as well or better than in normal gravity with other conditions being identical. The main variables to be tested are the effects of ambient oxygen concentration, ventilation flow velocity, and fuel type, thickness, and geometry. Flame growth rates are useful in determining how quickly a fire in space can grow and if the flames reach a finite size or continue to grow. This has implications for firefighting strategies in spacecraft.

Reversible Figures Experiment: FE-6 Wakata set up the hardware after which he and FE-3 Hopkins performed the experiment protocol in free floating conditions. This was the fourth of six planned sessions for Wakata and Hopkins’ sixth of six planned sessions. ESA’s Reversible Figures experiment investigates whether the perception of ambiguous perspective reversible figures that can normally be seen to change in perspective or orientation is affected by microgravity. A comparison will be made of the perceived reversals during visualization of the figures in crewmembers that occurs before, during and after long-term exposure to microgravity. It is expected that measurable, perceptual differences will provide insight into human cognitive-perception dynamics in the microgravity environment of the ISS and in normal gravity on Earth.

Space Midge 2 Experiment: Wakata watered a sample of midge dry larvae in two midge chambers and attached the sample to the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Work Volume door, then started a 3 hour realtime observation of the samples via a camcorder that was downlinked to the ground. Three hours later Wakata made an observation with a closeup view of midges with the camcorder. Dry larvae of the sleeping chironomid (midge) have a molecule responsible for desiccation tolerance. These larvae will be returned and examined to determine the impact of the space environment on their desiccation tolerance and their gene expression in response to the microgravity environment.

Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE): Hopkins set up the hardware and conducted a test run with an Interior Corner Flow (ICF) 3 sample vessel. The units used in the ICF-3 runs differ from other ICF series in the geometry of the test chambers. CFE ICF studies capillary flow in interior corners of vessels with various geometries. Structured inside tanks providing interior corners are used in the design of fuel tanks to promote fuel flow to the outlet of the tank in the absence of gravity. Experimental results will provide the necessary boundary conditions as a function of container cross section and fill fraction. The benchmarked theory can be used to improve propellant management aboard spacecraft.

eValuatIon And monitoring of microBiofiLms insidE the ISS (ViABLE) Experiment: Wakata touched the palm of his hand to experimental materials located on the top covers of ViABLE 4 bags. He also blew on experimental materials located on those covers. This activity is performed every 45 days and the bags are photographed at 6 month intervals. ViABLE involves the evaluation of microbial biofilm development on metallic and textile space materials located inside and on the cover of Nomex pouches. Microbial biofilms are known for causing damage and contamination on the Mir space station and the ISS. The potential application of novel methodologies and products to treat space materials may lead to improvements in the environmental quality of confined human habitats in space and on earth.

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Tank Remove and Replace (R&R): Hopkins performed routine maintenance on the WHC by preparing a new recycle tank for installation then performing a tank R&R.

Today’s Planned Tasks

CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 4787 [Complete]
Symbolic Activity / r/g 4894 [Complete]
Slide Table Extension to JEF Side. Part 2 [Complete]
Biolab Glovebox BLB – Exchange of Gloves in Biolab Glovebox [Complete]
MSG – Glovebox Activation [Complete]
RVF – Cable Installation and Hardware Connection to the Laptop [Complete]
MOTOCARD. Experiment Ops. r/g 4895 [Complete]
GREAT START. Video of the Experiment Ops / r/g 4882 [Complete]
JEMRMS – Closing SAM Capture Mechanism to Softdock position [Complete]
MOTOCARD. Experiment Assistance. r/g 4896 [Complete]
BASS – Hardware Installation and Test Start [Complete]
MIDGE – Setup and Sample Inspection [Complete]
RVF – Data Saving and Copying to the Laptop [Complete]
JEM Airlock Retraction from JEF side and Outer Hatch Closure. Part 2 [Complete]
JEMRMS RLT Laptop Deactivation [Complete]
BASS – Hardware Installation and Test Start [Complete]
CFE – Hardware Test Ops Review [Complete]
CEVIS USB connection to SSC [Complete]
??? Maintenance [Complete]
Restoring Makita battery capacity, r/g review, equipment search and gathering / r/g 4903 [Complete]
RELAKSATSIYA Hardware Setup. r/g 4893 [Complete]
SPHERES – MWA Setup [Complete]
Makita discharge configuration, discharge setup / r/g 4903 [Complete]
CFE – Preparation and Hardware Setup [Complete]
Monitor Makita drill battery discharge / r/g 4903 [Complete]
End Makita Battery discharge, Remove battery from the drill / r/g 4903 [Complete]
MIDGE – Sample Inspection, Data Downlink and Laptop Powerdown [Complete]
BASS – Hardware Installation and v/cassette changeout [Complete]
Video for Roscosmos TV Studio / r/g 4902 [Complete]
RELAKSATSIYA. Parameter Settings. r/g 4893 [Complete]
RELAKSATSIYA. Observation. r/g 4893 [Complete]
CFE-ICF3 – Test Ops [Complete]
HAM Radio Session [Complete]
??168-04 (parameter ?278) Temperature Sensor replacement in SM. r/g 4889 [Complete]
Configure Makita drill battery r/g 4903 [Complete]
Monitor Makita drill battery charge / r/g 4903 [Complete]
ECLSS.. Recycle Tank R&R [Complete]
Monitor Makita drill battery charge / r/g 4903 [Complete]
RELAKSATSIYA. Closeout Ops.r/g 4893 [Complete]
On-orbit Hearing Assessment using EARQ [Complete]
End Makita battery charge, r/g 4903 [Complete]
VIABLE – Kit Inspection [Complete]
Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE) – Hardware packing into Ziploc bags [Complete]
Restoring capacity of Makita batteryr/g 4903 [Complete]
IMS Update [Complete]
MSG – Glovebox Powerdown [Complete]
Journal Entry [Complete]
Crew Prep for PAO [Complete]
PAO Hardware Setup [Complete]
PAO Event [Complete]
VZAIMODEISTVIYE Experiment Ops / r/g 4115 [Complete]
CASKAD. Manual Mixing in Bioreactor / r/g 4787 [Complete]
HAM Radio Session [Complete]
Task List

ARED Cylinder Evac
KTO Replace
???-? R&R
Preparation of reports for Roskosmos site
EKON-M. Observations and photography
Lab 1D4 G2 audit [Complete]
Data prep return-CDR, FE-2, FE-3
Food warmer troubleshooting
Ground

Nominal Commanding [Complete]
Annual Battery Capacity Tests for sets 4A1 and 3B1 [In Work]
Three-Day Look Ahead:

Thursday, 02/20: SPINAL Scans, BASS, CubeSat Config on MPEP
Friday, 02/21: Crew Holiday
Saturday, 02/22: Weekly Cleaning, 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 – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Off
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 – Full up