NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 July 2017 – Expedition 52 Crew red Square Ceremony

The three Expedition 52 crew members practiced evacuating the International Space Station today in the unlikely event of an emergency. The trio also set up an advanced life science study and continued the upkeep of the orbital complex.
Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin joined Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer for an emergency evacuation drill Monday morning. The crew practiced quickly donning safety gear and entering the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft before simulating an emergency undocking and descent to Earth.

Afterward, Whitson spent the rest of the day exploring magnetic cell cultures and bio-printing for the Mag 3D experiment. The new research which just started in April is exploring how magnetic tools may enhance cell and tissue culture capabilities on orbit.

Fischer pressurized the Japanese Kibo lab’s airlock and checked for leaks ahead of an external experiment set to begin next week. Fischer later worked on light plumbing duties and checked on the condition of a science freezer.

Back on Earth, another three Expedition 52 crew members are getting ready for their July 28 launch to the space station. The experienced space trio of Randy Bresnik, Paolo Nespoli and Sergey Ryazanskiy, visited Red Square in Moscow for traditional ceremonies on Monday. They will head to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan July 16 for final pre-launch training.

On-Orbit Status Report

Magnetic 3 Dimensional (Mag 3D) Cell Culturing: The crew prepared hardware in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) for Mag 3D operations. BioCell Habitat, Mag 3D samples and Cultures Inoculation Kits were removed from the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) and used to inoculate Multiwell BioCells using Inoculum syringes. Cell cultures in space spontaneously grow in three dimensions, which results in characteristics more representative of how cells grow and function in living organisms. But in microgravity, routine manipulation of cell cultures is challenging. This investigation uses magnetized cells and tools to make it easier to handle cells and cultures and to improve the reproducibility of experiments. This approach also makes it possible to generate two-dimensional cultures as controls, and to determine whether biological events in these monolayer cultures result from gravity or substrate attachment.

Japanese Experiment Module Airlock (JEMAL) Operations: The crew pressurized the JEMAL this morning and performed a leak check. This is in preparation for installation of the Handhold Experiment Platform (HXP) adapter on the JEMAL Slide Table later this week that will support the Exposed Experiment Handhold Attachment Mechanism (ExHAM) investigation operations planned for next week.

Capillary Structures for Exploration Life Support (Capillary Structures): The crew set up hardware for the Capillary Structures investigation and completed two sorbent demonstrations. They first demonstrated flow through two microgravity air-liquid contactors in series, then demonstrated flow through two parallel microgravity air-liquid contactor wedges with a viscous fluid. Current life-support systems on the ISS require special equipment to separate liquids and gases including rotating or moving devices that could cause contamination if they break or fail. Capillary Structures studies a new method using structures of specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures. It also studies water recycling and carbon dioxide removal, benefitting future efforts to design lightweight, more reliable life support systems for future space missions.

On-Board Training (OBT) 50 Soyuz (50S) Emergency Egress Drill: All three crew members participated in this OBT to practice procedures for departing the Station in the event of an emergency. This drill is scheduled 12 to 14 weeks aboard the ISS and every 2.5 months thereafter.

Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Test Video Recording for Russia Today TV Channel
VIZIR. Modification of SM panels 114, 116 for ????-?? P/L
URAGAN. Observation and Photography
ECON-M. Observation and Photography
Combustion Integrated Rack Alignment Guide Removal
ISS Emergency descent drill.
JEM Airlock Pressurization
Magnetic 3D Cultures Thawing and Inoculation Preparation
WHC Full Fill
Magnetic 3D Cultures MELFI Sample Retrieve
JEM Airlock Leak Check
TOCA Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
Mating telemetry data connector ???-1?.
???-1? Power Switching Unit R&R in Regul-OS Onboard Radio Complex (???? – Closeout Ops.)
Rodent Research Water Box and Light Check
Auxiliary Laptop Computer System Virus Definition File Update
Tropical Cyclone Untended Operations
??? maintenance
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config Columbus Setup
HRF1 PC 1 Boot Drive Update
Magnetic 3D Cultures Biocells Inoculation
Magnetic 3D Cultures Session Cleanup
TOCA Sample Data Record
RGN Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
WORF Monthly Laptop Connect
Glacier Desiccant Swap
Tropical Cyclone Hardware Closeout
Extravehicular Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Initiation and Verification

Completed Task List Items
Capillary Structures Sorbent Contactor Demonstration

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEMAL pressurization/leak check

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 07/11: N3 CCAA water separator R&R, Magnetic 3D Cultures microscope ops, Max CEVIS portable PFS setup
Wednesday, 07/12: Max CEVIS session, TPF experiment setup, ELF sample holder exchange, RR Habitat restock
Thursday, 07/13: WORF PEHG/Shutter actuator system install, JEMRMS cable reconfig for BDS checkout, RR access unit cleaning

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”) – On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Standby
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Standby
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Process
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off