NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 May 2018 – VR Training for the Next Spacewalk

Two Expedition 55 Flight Engineers are using virtual reality and computer training today to prepare for next week’s spacewalk at the International Space Station.
Robotics controllers from Houston and Japan are also maneuvering a pair of robotic arms for the upcoming spacewalk and satellite deployments.

NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will conduct the 210th spacewalk at the space station beginning Wednesday, May 16 at 8:10 a.m. EDT. The veteran spacewalkers will work for about 6.5 hours swapping thermal control gear that controls the circulation of ammonia to keep external station systems cool. NASA TV begins its live coverage at 6:30 a.m.

The veteran spacewalkers checked the functionality a pair of jet packs that will be attached to their U.S. spacesuits next week. The jet packs, known as Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER), provide mobility for spacewalkers in the unlikely event they become untethered from the station. The duo also wore virtual reality goggles to practice maneuvering their SAFER jet packs and reviewed their spacewalk procedures.

Robotics controllers from opposite sides of the world maneuvered a pair of robotic arms independently of each other today. Canada’s 57.7-foot-long robotic arm, nicknamed Canadarm2, was remotely positioned today by engineers in Houston in advance of next week’s spacewalk activities. Controllers from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency remotely operated the Kibo laboratory module’s robotic arm to prepare for the deployment of small satellites Friday morning.

On-Orbit Status Report

Lab Mass Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Loss of Comm: The Lab MCA experienced a loss of communication overnight. A power cycle was performed to bring it back online; before that could happen, however, the Pump Vacuum Pressure rose above the limit allowed for activation. A manual pump-out is required before reactivation can be completed. Specialists are working to schedule this task and restore MCA.

AstroPi: Today the crew transferred the AstroPi with the infrared camera from Node 1 to the Columbus module. This follows completion of the 2017-2018 European AstroPi Challenge during which student-developed software was executed on the AstroPi computers onboard the ISS. AstroPis are augmented Raspberry Pi computers equipped with the mighty Sense Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) that measure the environment inside the ISS, detect how the station moves through space, and pick up the Earth’s magnetic field. One of the AstroPis has an infrared camera and the other has a standard visible spectrum camera.

At Home in Space: The crew completed a questionnaire for the At Home in Space investigation. This Canadian Space Agency investigation assesses culture, values, and psychosocial adaptation of astronauts to a space environment shared by multinational crews on long-duration missions. It is hypothesized that astronauts develop a shared space culture that is an adaptive strategy for handling cultural differences and they deal with the isolated confined environment of the spacecraft by creating a home in space. At Home in Space also uses questionnaires to investigate individual and culturally related differences, family functioning, values, coping with stress, and post-experience growth.

Recorded Public Affairs (PAO) Events: Today the crew recorded two deferred release downlink messages. One message is for the Memorial tree planting ceremony at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in celebration of John Young scheduled on May 14. The second message is for the retirement celebration of JSC Center Director Ellen Ochoa on May 17.

Educational Recording: Drew filmed several demonstration of the Water Recovery System onboard the ISS. STEMonstrations are education videos conducted by crewmembers aboard the space station. Crewmember use the camera to capture onboard demonstrations and talking points. The material is deferred release and will not be seen on live NASA TV. Once edited, the material will be used for educational products, NASA TV, and social media applications.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: In preparation for next week’s US EVA 50 Pump and Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) Relocate, the crew used computer-aided simulations to review EVA procedures via Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) and the Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT). They also used Virtual Reality to review procedures associated with the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER). In addition to this training, the crew completed a checkout of the SAFER units, continued with Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) charging operations, and configured various cameras used during EVA.

Eye Exams: Today the entire US crew performed routine eye exams using a Fundoscope. Eye exams are performed regularly onboard in order to monitor crewmembers eye health. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body that is affected by long-duration stays in a microgravity environment.

Robotic Operations: Last night, Robotics Ground Controllers maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) in position to extract the failed Pump Flow Control Assembly (PFCS) also known as ‘Leaky’. They extracted the PFCS and stowed it on the Enhanced ORU Temporary Platform (EOTP) side 3. After initial release, the SSRMS rebounded in the X and Y directions and contacted structure; survey of the P6 interface did not indicate any damage. The Mobile Transporter (MT) was translated from Worksite 8 to Worksite 6 to complete last night’s operations.

It is going to be a busy night tonight outside the ISS. Ground controllers in Houston will continue to configure the MSS for the PFCS EVA. The SPDM, will install PFCS ‘Leaky’ on the EOTP, after which the SSRMS will be moved to the EVA starting position. Later in the evening Ground controllers in Tsukuba, Japan will maneuver Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) from the Stowed Position to the Small Satellite Deploy Position in preparation for Japanese Small Satellite Orbital Demonstration (JSSOD)-8 satellite deploys tomorrow morning.

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

Photo TV Battery Charge Initiation
Metabolic Tracking Hardware Cleanup
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
JAXA Event Video Recording
JAXA Event Closeout
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Social Media Event
Air Heater Fan [???] Screen Cleaning in Soyuz 738
At Home In Space Questionnaire
Food Acceptability Questionnaire
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Educational Imagery Recording
FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment.
RS1 Laptop Inspection and Cleaning.
Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??
??? maintenance
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Terminate
AstroPi transfer from Node 1 to Columbus
DAN. Experiment Session.
DAN. Assistance with the Experiment and Photography
Photo TV Battery Charge Swap
Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) Checkout
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Termination
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Initiation
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill [Aborted]
Photo/TV Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Camera Configuration
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
Scheduled monthly maintenance of Central Post Laptop. Laptop Log-File Downlink.
FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops.
Replacement of CO2 Filter Unit ??0501
On-board Training (OBT) EVA Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Session
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB)/Metal Oxide (METOX) Installation
Surface Pro 3 Hardware Stow
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
PAO Preparation
Photo TV Battery Charge Swap
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Progress 438 Rodnik H2O Tank 1 Bladder Compression.
FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment.
CONTROL. Switching Indicator-ISS P/L measuring modes
Virtual Reality Training (VRT) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER)
VIZIR. Experiment Ops using ?????.
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Setup
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Photo TV GoPro Setup
PROFILAKTIKA-2. Training Session Using ???-01-? Set
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Prep
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
Virtual Reality Training (VRT) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER)
PHYSICAL EXERCISE – ??-2
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Eye Exam – Fundoscope
FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops.
Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
IMS Update
Progress 438 H2O Tank 1 Bladder Compression, Closeout Ops
Photo TV Battery Charge Deactivation
Fundoscope Tear Down and Stow

Completed Task List Activities
Kennedy Center Downlink Message [Completed GMT 129]

Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Load ICU R4 on KCU1 Kernel 0
SSRMS/SPCM Operations
JEMRMS MNVR to JSSOD 8 deploy position

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 05/11: EVA Prep (DOUG review, EVA Procedure Review and Conference, REBA install and C/O), OCT, Eye ultrasound, JSSOD 8 Deploy
Saturday, 05/12: Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty
Sunday, 05/13: PONDS water refill, Crew Off Duty

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
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 – Idle
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off