NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 8 June 2015
Playing it conservatively, International Space Station flight controllers conducted a pre-determined avoidance maneuver (PDAM) today to steer the station well clear of a fragment of a spent Minotaur rocket body launched in 2013.
Having tracked the object throughout the weekend and today, U.S. and Russian flight controllers executed a 5 minute, 22 second firing of the ISS Progress 58 thrusters at 2:58 p.m. CDT to slightly raise the station’s orbit and distance it from the fragment that was projected to pass within three statute miles of the complex later in the day.
The maneuver raised the station’s altitude by just 106 feet at apogee and 7/10 of a mile at perigee, resulting in an ISS orbit of 254 x 244.8 statute miles.
The crew was never in any danger and the maneuver will have no impact on the scheduled landing later this week of Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA, Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency, who are completing preparations for their return to Earth and a parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan in their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft at 9:43 a.m. EDT Thursday.
Thursday’s undocking is planned for 6:20 a.m. EDT with a landing in Kazakhstan at 9:43 a.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage of the departure and homecoming activities.
On-Orbit Status Report
Predetermined Debris Avoidance Maneuver (PDAM): The ISS performed a PDAM, using 58 Progress (58P) thrusters, due to a repeating conjunction. The PDAM executed nominally and the close approach with the object is no longer a concern.
Rodent Research-2 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (RR-2 CASIS): Kelly performed a fixative flush and swap on the samples collected during yesterday’s final RR-2 operations. Following the swap, the samples were inserted into Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The primary objective of this research is to monitor the effects of the space environment on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems of mice as model organisms of human health and disease. Living in microgravity results in significant and rapid effects on the physiology of mice that mimic the process of aging and some diseases in humans on Earth, including muscle atrophy and the loss of bone mineral density. This project will help scientists to discover new molecular targets that can facilitate the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of muscle and bone-related diseases. Long-duration exposure to microgravity will also induce changes in gene expression, protein synthesis, metabolism, and eye structure/morphology that will be identifiable as a series of assessable biomarkers for tracking the onset and progression of disease.
Human Research Program (HRP) Collections: Kelly and Cristoforetti continued their week of saliva sample collections today in support of Microbiome and Twins Study. Samples were collected and placed in MELFI for storage.
Skin-B: Cristoforetti repeated the Skin-B activity performed earlier this week (Flight Day 150 session), having found a missing cable. She performed Corneometer (measuring the hydration level of the stratus coreum, or outer layer of the skin), Tewameter (skin barrier function measurement), and Visioscan (skin surface topography) measurements recording the data on a laptop running the Skin-B application. The Skin-B investigation aims to improve the understanding of skin aging which is slow on Earth but greatly accelerated in space. This will also provide insights into the aging process in other (similar) bodily tissues in general. This could help in determining impact on astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars where environmental conditions are more challenging.
FLame Extinguishment Experiment-2 JAXA (FLEX-2J) Fiber Failure: During ground commanded calibration procedures, the FLEX-2J fuel support fiber broke. Specialists are investigating the cause of the fiber failure. A spare fiber is onboard and teams are working on scheduling a Remove and Replace (R&R). While the crew changes out the fiber, it is expected that the bent igniter tip will be R&R’ed at the same time, due to the similar access requirements. FLEX-2J studies the interactions of flames on the ignition (or non-ignition) and motion of millimeter-sized droplets. The experiment operates in the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) and consists of a linear array of droplets, several of which are fixed, while the others are free to move along the support fiber. The fixed droplets are ignited and the resulting flame spread and motion of the droplets observed with the CIR diagnostic cameras.
41 Soyuz (41S) Departure Preparations: The 41S crew completed an On Board Training (OBT) nominal Soyuz descent drill. The 42S crew conducted an Emergency Roles and Responsibilities review for 3-crew operations. This included crew accountability, escape vehicle access, ISS Commander responsibilities and communication and coordination.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
TWIN- saliva sampling
Morning inspection, Laptop RS1(2) Reboot
HRF- sampling and prep insertion
HRF – sample insertion into MELFI
PAO prep
Lubricating ARED cables
Activating ??? in ?? 715
PAO – crew prep/ r/g 9018
TV – broadcast with winners of “Eastern Cosmodrome” conference; the future of Russian space program r/g 9018
SKNB – performing steps and data downlink
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Transferring data from ???? hard drive r/g 9013
Time for prep for return to Earth
??? laptops – AV database update / r/g 8247
LBNP OBT (FINAL) – assistance / r/g 9024
LBNP OBT (FINAL). Tagup / r/g 9024
Cleaning of ??1, ??2 dust filters and ?1, B2 fan grills in MRM2 using vacuum cleaner r/g 8393
USOS window shutter closing
RR- replacing locks
PROBOI – working with onboard laptop RS?1. Tagup / r/g 9023
PROBOI. Working with breakthrough simulator Tagup / r/g 9023
Time for prep for return to Earth
Return hw kit for ?? 715 / r/g 8970
HRF – hw install
??? of ?? 715 test prior to undock r/g 9017
RR- transfering samples to MELFI
ALGOMETRIA. Experiment run / r/g 9014
MSG – unpower
?? 715 – descent OBT.r/g 9019,9020
PROBOI. Copying data and downlink / r/g 9023
?? (liquid unit) in “????????-??” repress – prior to turn on
Emergency roles and responcibilities procedure review
RR- animal cage cleaning
Monitoring microecological environment / r/g 9016
SEISMOPROGNOZ. Copy ???? hard drive data (end) and start compression r/g 9013
Preparation for ??-21. Ecosfera power supply unit charging r/g 9016
Exercise data downlink / r/g 6797
Prep for AV scan on ??? laptops / r/g 8247
Completed Task List Items
CEVIS CP c/o parts 1, 2
Data prep return (CDR)
IMAX Soyuz scene
41S pre-pack [In work]
Capillary Beverage demo [In work]
Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
PDAM
41S Thruster Test
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 06/09: EMU 3010 Return To Service (part 1), EMU 3005 FPS pack for return, Crew Quarters deck cleaning, Fine Motor Skills, Cardio Ox Ultrasound
Wednesday, 06/10: Crew Quarters starboard cleaning, Twin Studies, Change of Command ceremony, crew departure prep
Thursday, 06/11: 41S undock/landing, Sprint Portable Pulmonary Function setup, Twin Studies
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”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
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 – Full Up
