NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 October 2019 – Spacewalk Set for Sunday
The International Space Station is gearing up for a record pace of spacewalks this year. The Expedition 61 spacewalkers will upgrade the orbiting lab’s power systems and repair a cosmic particles detector. NASA TV will preview the upcoming spacewalks during a live briefing on Friday at 2 p.m. EDT.
The first spacewalk is set for Sunday, Oct. 6, with NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan. The duo will begin installing new lithium-ion batteries delivered last week aboard Japan’s HTV-8 cargo craft. There will be four more spacewalks in October to continue the activation of the new batteries on the station’s Port-6 truss structure.
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano will assist the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits as well as guide them during their spacewalk. He and Flight Engineer Jessica Meir joined Koch and Morgan on Tuesday for a procedures review and conference with specialists on the ground.
Another set of spacewalks will see the restoration of a degraded thermal control system on the Alpha-Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) that has been in service since May 2011. The automobile-sized astrophysics device, attached to the Starboard-3 truss structure, is seeking evidence of antimatter and dark matter. The AMS uses a magnetic field to detect and identify the sign of electrically charged cosmic ray particles.
Koch has reached the 200-day milestone today in her extended mission aboard the space station. She will stay in space for more than 300 days and set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, eclipsing the record of 289 days set by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2016-17.
On-Orbit Status Report
ISS ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) #56 P6 Battery R&R preparations: Today, the crew completed several activities in preparation for the first of five EVAs that will upgrade the P6 power channels from their original nickel hydrogen batteries to the newer li-ion batteries. These activities included an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suit fit check, equipment lock preparations, and an EVA procedures conference. The first P6 battery EVA is planned for Sunday, October 6, 2019.
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Yesterday and overnight, Ground Controllers maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to grapple External Pallet #7 (EP7), which was being held by the Japan Experiment Module – Remote Manipulator System (JEM-RMS). EP7 was released and the SSRMS stowed it in the HTV8 Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC). The SSRMS was then walked-off to the MSS Base System (MBS) Power & Data Grappled Fixture #4 (PDGF 4) where it grappled and unstowed the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) from the US Lab PDGF. Finally, the Mobile Transporter (MT) translated from Work Site 5 (WS 5) to WS 7. Tonight, ground controllers will begin breaking torques on EP8 battery bolts.
Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC) operations: Today, the crew performed a partial fill of the WHC flush tank along with removing excess pressure by using a post-flight analysis bag to capture any fluid during the venting. This task was performed in an effort to troubleshoot and exonerate the Water Valve Block as the faulty component.
Functional Immune: The crew performed saliva collections associated with the Functional Immune investigation. The Functional Immune Alterations, Latent Herpesvirus Reactivation, Physiological Stress and Clinical Incidence Onboard the International Space Station (Functional Immune) investigation analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine the changes taking place in crew members’ immune systems during flight.
GRIP: The crew performed the seated science 2 sessions. In these sessions, also known as the reference seated sessions, the crew sits in an upright seated posture, and performs the tasks: friction, discrete (with eyes open/closed) and collisions. The GRIP experiment consists of 3 protocols: Dynamics Seated, References Seated and References Supine. They are performed in 3 separate sub-sessions. ESA’s Grip investigation tests how the nervous system takes into account the forces due to gravity and inertia when manipulating objects. Results from this investigation may provide insight into potential hazards for astronauts as they manipulate objects in different gravitational environments. They also support design and control of haptic interfaces to be used in challenging environments such as space, and provide information about motor control that will be useful for the evaluation and rehabilitation of impaired upper limb control in patients with neurological diseases.
GPS/Wheel Demo Unit Removal: The crew completed removing GPS/Wheel Demo Unit from the EFU Adapter on the JEM airlock Slide Table. This mission was conducted to evaluate on-orbit performances of a small GPS receiver and Reaction wheel. It is planned to conduct this experiment more than 1 year in space environment. After this demonstration, it will be shown that these units have enough capability for small satellites’ navigation and control.
ISS HAM pass: The crew supported an ISS HAM pass with Sonoma County Main Library, Santa Rosa, CA, USA. Some of the questions involved what timekeeping system the crew uses in space, the strangest thing the crew has seen in space, and if any major, visible Earth changes are visible from space. ISS Ham Radio provides opportunities to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math by providing a means to communicate between astronauts and the ground HAM radio units.
Probiotics: The crew performed the questionnaire and saliva collection activities associated with the probiotics investigation. The objective of the Probiotics investigation is to study the impact of continuous consumption of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) on immune function and intestinal microbiota in astronauts in a closed microgravity environment. The results of this investigation may be used to support improvements in crewmembers’ intestinal microbiota and their immune function on long-duration space missions.
Standard Measures: The crew performed a cognition session and presleep questionnaire in support of the Standard Measures investigation. The aim of the investigation is to ensure consistent capture of an optimized, minimal set of measures from crewmembers until the end of the ISS Program in order to characterize the adaptive responses to and risks of living in space. Among other things, the ground teams perform analyses for metabolic and chemistry panels, immune function, microbiome, etc. These measures populate a data repository to enable high-level monitoring of countermeasure effectiveness and meaningful interpretation of health and performance outcomes, and support future research on planetary missions.
Story Time from Space: The crew read a passage from the book Khalifa and Amal and Trip to Earth. Story Time From Space combines science literacy outreach with simple demonstrations recorded aboard the ISS. Crewmembers videotape themselves reading the books and completing demonstrations. Video and data collected during the demonstrations are downlinked to the ground and posted in a video library with accompanying educational materials.
Veg-04B: The crew initiated the 56 day Veg-04B plant growth experiment. The investigation will be growing Mizuna mustard greens, which will be grown under 2 different light quality treatments. The Mizuna wll be harvested multiple times during the growth cycle. The Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity, Nutritional Value, and Acceptability to Supplement the ISS Food System (Veg-04A, Veg-04B, and Veg-05) investigation is a phased research project to address the need for a continuous fresh-food production system in space. The research of Veg-04B focuses on the impact of light quality and fertilizer on leafy crop growth for a 56-day grow-out, microbial food safety, nutritional value, taste acceptability by the crew, and the overall behavioral health benefits of having plants and fresh food in space.
Completed Task List Activities:
EVA Socket Tape
PAO Symbolic Activity
PCS Relocation
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Payloads ground support
EVA procedure conference with the crew
Node 3 MCA calibration
Look Ahead:
Wednesday (early crew day), 10/2 (GMT 275)
Payloads:
ISS Experience in the US Lab
GRIP science
Systems:
MSS P6 Battery EVA preparations
Wednesday/Thursday (overnight support for 58S undocking), 10/2-10/3 (GMT 276/276)
Payloads:
Acoustic Diagnostics
Actiwatch ops
ELF cartridge cleaning
Food Acceptability
Food Physiology
Functional Immune
GRIP
HRP blood ops
ISS Experience
Lighting Effects
Nanoracks Module 9
Rodent Research acoustic test
SOLISS install
STP-H5 ICE photo
Time Perception
ISS Experience
Microgravity Crystals
Systems:
EVA cuff checklist print
JEM A/L vent
Friday, 10/4 (GMT 276)
Payloads:
Crew off duty day
Systems:
Crew off duty day
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Reminder for On-Orbit Fitcheck Verification (OFV)
KORREKTSIYA. ?????? Starting Accelerometry
Symbolic activity
ECON-M. Observations and photo
HRF Generic Saliva Collection 10 Minutes
OSTEOLOGY
HRF Generic MELFI Sample Retrieval And Insertion Operations
Probiotics Operations
Checkout of Virus Definition File Update on Auxiliary Computer System (???) Laptops
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
GRIP science
KORREKTSIYA. Recording fluids and food (medicine) intake
On MCC Go Regeneration of Micropurification Unit (???) ?2 Cartridge, initiate
Acoustic Monitor Setup for Static Measurements
XF305 Camcorder Setup
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
JEM Exposed Facility High Definition TV Camera Unit Angle Setting
Magnetic 3D-bioprinter. Closeout ops with Glovebox-S, ??? tool belt, Accuro pump and teardown of Glovebox-S
Magnetic 3D-bioprinter
CARDIOVECTOR. Experiment Session
Soyuz 742 Stowage Ops for Return
TV Conference via RGS (VHF1 conference). Test TV Session
JEM Exposed Facility High Definition TV Control Equipment R&R
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Equipment Lock Preparation Part 1
BIOPOLIMER. Hardware Removal from Exposure Location and Transfer to Soyuz 742
GPS/Wheel Demo Unit Removal from EFU Adapter
TV Conference via RGS. PAO event during Visiting mission (conference via UHF). Hardware setup and assistance
VEGGIE ops
ISS Crew departure preparation
Earth observation (UAE)
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference
TV Conference via RGS. PAO event during Visiting mission. Closeout operations
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
ISS Experience Solid State Drive Changeout
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
KORREKTSIYA. Recording fluid and food intake (medication)
Microbial Sample Collection
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Partial Fill
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
PROPHILAKTIKA-2. Test #2 assistance
Magnetic 3D-bioprinter. Remove ???-? Incubator
Photo and Video recording SFP payload activity
To collect water sample of the water in FSS-64-1 Jumper
Sanitary-Hygiene Status Monitoring
SM Air Sampling for CO using ??? Samplers
Recharging Soyuz 742 Samsung tablet, initiate recharge
Photo and Video recording SFP payload activity
VEG-04B MWA Preparation
Collecting SM and FGB Air Samples Using ??-1? Sampler
Soyuz 742 Stowage Ops for Return
PROPHILAKTIKA-2. Closeout operations
VEG-04B Experiment Install for first Crew using Veggie Facility (ER9B, Locker 3)
KORREKTSIYA. Experiment setup
Photo TV Battery Charge Initiation
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
VEG-04B Experiment Install for second Crew using Veggie1 Facility (ER9B, Locker 1)
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
HTV Transfer Operations
Story Time Historical Photo Documentation
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
