NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 1 October 2020 – Resupply Mission Set for Launch
A U.S. rocket stands at its launch pad ready to launch an advanced space toilet and new science experiments toward the International Space Station tonight. Back on orbit, the Expedition 63 trio worked on robotics, health checks and housecleaning today.
NASA and its commercial partner Northrop Grumman are counting down to tonight’s liftoff of the Cygnus space freighter atop an Antares rocket at 9:38 p.m. EDT from Virginia. Cygnus is packed with nearly 8,000 pounds of crew supplies and station gear due for a robotic capture on Sunday at 6:10 a.m.
Commander Chris Cassidy and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner will be at the robotics workstation Sunday morning monitoring the approach and rendezvous of Cygnus. Cassidy will then command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple Cygnus when it reaches a point about 10 meters from the station. Afterward, engineers on the ground will take over the Canadarm2 and remotely install Cygnus to the Unity module where it will stay until mid-December.
During Thursday morning, Cassidy installed a new robotic 4K camera that looks outside a Kibo laboratory module window at the Earth below. Called Avatar-X, the camera demonstrates how users on the ground can remotely control the camera to view Earth or practice telemedicine in remote locations.
Next, Cassidy strapped himself into an exercise bike with assistance from Vagner for a periodic health check. Vagner spent the rest of the day on photography inspections and plumbing tasks. Veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin took the morning off before spending the afternoon cleaning the ventilation system and researching how multi-cultural crews communicate.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads
Astrobee: The crew powered on the Astrobee system, and the ground team performed a series of file transfers and commands. The goal was to perform several tasks as a continuation of the checkout for the upcoming Robo Pro Challenge. The Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Robo-Pro Challenge), also known as Kibo-RPC, allows students to create programs to control Astrobee, a free-flying robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This opportunity provides hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering and mathematics in space and inspires the next generation of explorers. This activity is based on Japan-U.S. cooperation through the Japan-US Open platform Partnership Program (JP-US OP3).
Avatar-X Setup: The crew performed part 1 of the setup for the Avatar-X system. This involved installing the Avatar-X camera to the JEM airlock handrail. Setup will continue next week. JEM Commercial (Avatar-X, or Kibo Avatar-X) demonstrates remote robot technology, Avatar-X, a 4K Camera, a new encoding method developed by ANA HOLDINGS INC. (All Nippon Airways). A user on Earth remotely controls a camera, installed near the window of the Japanese Experiment Module, to see the view from space.
Nanoracks Platform-2 (PF-2) Troubleshooting: In response to communication issues first seen on 24-September, the crew performed a more in-depth troubleshooting of the connections from Platform-2 to the EXPRESS rack. Unfortunately, they encountered what Nanoracks believes is a failed computer in PF-2 and were not able to recover it. The Nanoracks ground team is discussing a forward plan. Nanoracks Platforms are multipurpose research facilities on board the ISS. Nanoracks Platforms support Nanoracks Modules in the CubeSat form factor by providing power and data transfer capabilities to operate investigations in microgravity.
Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL3) Controller Swap: The crew performed the steps necessary to replace the currently-installed CO2controller with another unit. The current CO2 controller is having difficulty reaching the 5% concentration set point needed for upcoming experiment activities. SABL supports a wide variety of experiments in the life, physical and material sciences with a focus on supporting research of biological systems and processes. It has over 23 liters of temperature controlled volume with LED lighting for scientific hardware and experiments. It can be fitted to provide 5% CO2 for cell cultures and has two USB 2.0 ports and two Ethernet LAN connections. It also has switchable 28 Vdc and 5 Vdc power supplies for experiment use.
Systems
Max Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS): The crew completed Max CEVIS today which is used by the medical community to evaluate astronauts’ aerobic fitness. The test is performed every 90 days and upon the crew’s arrival and departure from the ISS.
Periodic Health Exam (PHS): Today the crew completed a periodic health evaluation. During the evaluation, vital signs are obtained and an ear examination is conducted by taking images of the tympanic membranes and the external ear. The data and imagery is then downlinked for review by a medical specialist. This is the final PHS for the 62S crew prior to their return home.
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pump Separator Replacement: Today the crew replaced the pump separator (MHP-HC) in the Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC). Since September 12, the WHC check separator light has illuminated numerous times, an indication the pump separator was approaching its end of life and would likely fail in the near future. Ground specialists opted to preemptively remove and replace (R&R) the pump instead of running the hardware to failure in anticipation of upcoming vehicle traffic. Following the R&R, the pump separator and WHC System are performing nominally.
Completed Task List Activities:
Countermeasures System (CMS) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Quarterly Inspection
Portable PFS PuFF Volume Calibration Syringe Maintenance
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Electrical Power System (EPS) Solar Array Maximum Output Test
Thruster disable for 75P Hatch Closure
ATS PPL Update
Shell Htr commanding in support of Max Power Test
LS FDIR inhibit/enable during thruster disabled period
Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) Thermal Amine Vent
IAS RS to USOS Comm Config for MRM Ops
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, 10/2 (GMT 276)
Payloads:
Echo Hard Drive Install
Payload NAS Vent Clean
Robo-Pro Checkout
Systems:
Cygnus Capture Rvw
Cygnus Cargo Rvw/Conf
PCS Relocates
Cygnus ROBoT OBT – Session 2
Saturday, 10/3 (GMT 277)
Payloads:
Astrobee Off
Systems:
Crew Off Duty
Sunday, 10/4 (GMT 278)
Payloads:
No Utilization Activities
Systems:
Robotics Workstation (RWS) Configuration
Cygnus R-BAR Approach
SSRMS Cygnus Capture
Cygnus PCS Command and PROX Link Verification
Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) Removal
Photo TV High Definition (HD) Cygnus Video Setup
Vestibule Outfitting
Cygnus Ingress
Cygnus Cargo Photo
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
??? (Universal Bioengineering Thermostat). Checking ???-? No.07 thermostat temperature and unobstructed area near ???-? inlet/outlet vents
URAGAN. SOVA PL and photo equipment closeout ops and stowage
Avatar-X Setup
NanoRacks Platform-2 Troubleshooting
WHC Pump Separator R&R
[????] comm configuration for MRM1
SEPARATION. Urine distillation in auto mode using [???-?-??] urine water regeneration system.
Glacier 2 Desiccant Swap
INTER-MAI-75. Moding HAM Radio Hardware to SSTV with deactivation/cleanup
Conference with Search and Rescue Team (????)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Subject
Vacuum cleaning ventilation grilles on FGB interior panels (201, 301, 401)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Crew Medical Officer (CMO) [ABORTED]
Weekly c/o of RS video recording equipment
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Subject
IMPACT. Photography of IMPACT plate No.1 from DC1 EVA hatch 1 window.
Vacuum cleaning dust collectors ?C1, ??2 filter cartridges in FGB (panels 203, 403)
SEPARATION. Collecting condensate (water) sample from ???-?
Progress 444 (DC1) Rodnik H2O Tank 2 Shell Compression w/ Closeout Ops
VZAIMODEISTVIYE-2. Experiment Ops
Astrobee On
URAGAN. Installation and activation of Auto Orientation System For Video Spectral Equipment (SOVA) and of photo equipment
Space Automated Bioproduct Lab, CO2 Incubator Swap
