NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 April 2019 – Cargo Ship Capture Training

The Expedition 59 crew is now training to capture a U.S. cargo ship when it arrives at the International Space Station next week. The orbital lab residents are also busy researching how living in space affects the human mind and body.
Fresh off their spacewalk Monday, astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques are now practicing to capture Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. McClain will be at the robotics workstation in the cupola April 19 and command the Canadarm2 to capture Cygnus around 5:30 a.m. EDT. Saint-Jacques will back her up while Flight Engineer Nick Hague monitors Cygnus’ systems during its approach and rendezvous. The commercial cargo craft is due to launch April 17 at 4:46 p.m. from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Hague started his day with more brain research in the Japanese Kibo lab module. The NASA astronaut used a Doppler device to record his arterial blood flow waveforms. The data will help doctors understand how the brain regulates blood flow in microgravity.

The astronauts also researched how the station’s atmosphere affects breathing. The experiment studies how dust, particles and exhaled breath inflames a crewmember’s airways. Observations may reveal conditions that exacerbate or alleviate airway inflammation influencing future space missions.

SpaceX has announced April 26 as the launch date for its next Dragon cargo mission. The private space freighter will blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida arriving at the station April 28. This time Saint-Jacques will lead the robotics capture activities while Hague backs him up.

On-Orbit Status Report

Cerebral Autoregulation: Using the Cardiolab Portable Doppler and European Physiology Module Facility Continuous Blood Pressure Device, the crew performed data measurements for the JAXA Cerebral Autoregulation experiment. As the body’s most important organ, the brain needs a strong and reliable blood supply so the brain is capable of self-regulating blood flow even when the heart and blood vessels cannot maintain an ideal blood pressure. The investigation tests whether this self-regulation improves in the microgravity environment of space.

ISS HAM Pass: The crew participated in an ISS HAM event with Shaftesbury High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Shaftesbury High School is a public school in the Pembina Trails School Division serving approximately 700 students from grades 9 through 12. Questions involved solar power on ISS, entertainment in space, and the crew’s diet on ISS. 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.

Cygnus Rendezvous On-Board Training (OBT): In preparation for NG-11 launch currently planned on April 17 and berth on April 19, today the crew completed this proficiency training covering the mission profile, rendezvous crew procedures and crew interfaces for monitoring and commanding the Cygnus.

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and performed a base change from the LAB Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) to Mobile Base System (MBS) PDGF 1. They commanded the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to release MBS PDGF 1 and walked off to MBS PDGF 4. Ground Controllers released SSRMS from MBS PDGF1 and maneuvered the SSRMS to grapple Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) PDGF. After a base change, they commanded the SSRMS to unstow the SPDM and started a series of auto-sequence to position the MSS towards the Port side of the ISS in preparation for the last P4 NiH2 battery relocation to 4A3. Finally, they ran SPDM Brakes and Joint diagnostics on Body and Arms as part of the regular checkouts then powered down the MSS cameras.

Completed Task List Activities:
ECWS OBT

Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
C2V2 activation/checkout
EMU cooling loop scrub support
SSRMS/SPDM return NiH2 battery from EP to 4A IEA

Thursday, 4/11:

Payloads
Airway Monitoring airlock session
Cerebral Autoregulation
CIR manifold bottle exchange
EarthKAM lens change
ISS Experience
ISS HAM pass
LMM/Biophysiics-6 config
Medical Proteomics
Repository
SUBSA sample exchange
Team Task Switching

Systems
Recycle tank drain
HRF collections1

Friday, 4/10: Crew holiday for Cosmonautics Day
Payloads: Repository

Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Initiation
Photo TV Battery Charge Initiation
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Replacement of Komparus ??-??? Unit in FGB
Cerebral Autoregulation Data Measurement
Vozdukh system deactivation
DUCKWEED. Photography of cultivation cameras with plants
Replacement of Komparus ??-??? Unit in FGB
Airway Monitoring Big Picture Words Read
Countermeasures System (CMS) Treadmill 2 System (T2) Monthly Inspection
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Iodination
On-board Training (OBT) Cygnus Robotics Review
On-board Training (OBT) Cygnus Rendezvous Review
ISS Experience Message Review
Photo TV Battery Charge Swap
On-board Training (OBT) Cygnus Rendezvous Review
On-Board Training (OBT) CYGNUS OBT Conference
Airways Monitoring Crew Medical Officer (CMO) Briefing
PS-120 Junction Box Move to Airlock
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Deconfiguration
Replacement of Komparus ??-??? Unit in FGB
Robot Startup
Airways Monitoring Private Medical Conference (PMC)
Behavioral Core Measures Journals Entry
Water Recovery and Management (WRM) Waste Water Bus (WWB) Combine
Airways Monitoring Private Medical Conference (PMC)
Condensate transfer from Lab Condensate tank to WPA Waste Water Tank
Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 2 Power On
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
EVA Airlock Unstow
PAO Preparation
UPA Brine Filter Gather
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Condensate direct transfer from Lab condensate tank to WPA waste water tank.
Team Task Switching Experiment Survey
Water Recovery and Management (WRM) Waste Water Bus (WWB) Split
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
Photo TV Battery Charge Swap
URISYS Hardware Setup
Gathering a Manovacumeter [MB] in support of 10.2 Ops Airways activity on GMT 101.
Photo/TV (P/TV) Airway Monitoring Video Setup
AIRMON Setup
VEG-03H Hardware Deactivation
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan Prep
Crew Prep for PAO event
Actiwatch Plus Evaluation Display Check
Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Return
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan performed by a Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan
Setup and Activation of Crew Onboard Support Kit (????) Equipment for MPEG2 TV coverage from SM
PAO event with the participants of TCHAIKOVSKY AND SPACE concert
Cygnus Crew PCS Command Panel Checkout via C2V2 without RF Transmission to Ground Site
Deactivation of Camcorder, TV system control hardware, and Closing SSC Applications at Central Post
Food Acceptability Questionnaire
HRF Generic Urine Collection Setup
Cygnus Crew PCS Command Panel Checkout via C2V2 without RF Transmission to Ground Site
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan performed by a Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan
Behavioral Core Measures Journals Entry
Food Acceptability Questionnaire
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Post Exam
HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup
Vozdukh system deactivation
AIRMON Power Off
Photo TV Battery Charge Deactivation