NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 10 September 2018 – Japan’s HTV Launch Rescheduled
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has rescheduled the launch of a cargo spacecraft from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan to 5:21 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 13 (6:21 a.m. Sept. 14 Japan standard time).
Live coverage of the launch will begin at 4:45 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
The unpiloted H-II Transfer Vehicle-7 (HTV-7) is loaded with more than five tons of supplies, water, spare parts and experiments for the crew aboard the International Space Station.
NASA also will provide live coverage of the arrival of HTV-7 at the space station Monday, Sept. 17 beginning at 5:15 a.m. ET. Capture is scheduled for around 6:50 a.m. After a break, NASA TV coverage will resume at 9:30 a.m. for spacecraft installation to the space station’s Harmony module.
On-Orbit Status Report
H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-7 Launch Status: On Sunday, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported that tonight’s launch of HTV-7 has been delayed due to weather concerns. Experts are meeting later tonight (Tuesday, 11-September in Japan) to discuss the upcoming weather forecast and begin work to select a new launch date; the next earliest launch opportunity is on GMT 256 (12-13 September CDT). Teams are working to assess the impacts of this launch delay to the planned dates for the upcoming HTV-7 Battery R&R EVAs.
Rodent Research-7 (RR-7): Today the crew restocked and cleaned the rodent habitats and performed mass measurements on 10 rodents. They also collected and stowed fecal pellets and food bar/Habitat swabs into a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The RR-7 investigation examines how the space environment affects the community of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract of mice (also known as the microbiota). It also looks at microgravity’s effects on multiple physiological systems known to be affected by the microbiota, including the gastrointestinal, immune, metabolic, circadian, and sleep systems. These studies should help explain mechanisms underlying interactions between these systems and the role of the microbiota in these interactions.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test – Cohesive Sediment (BCAT-CS): The crew checked camera alignment and focus by viewing the latest BCAT images on a laptop. The BCAT-CS investigation studies the forces between particles that cluster together by using sediments of quartz and clay particles. Conducting the research in the microgravity environment of the ISS makes it possible to separate the forces acting on the particles over a short range (adhesive forces) versus those acting over a long range (cohesive forces). The quartz/clay system is commonly found in a wide variety of environmental settings (such as rivers, lakes, and oceans) and plays an important role in technological efforts related to deep-sea hydrocarbon drilling and carbon dioxide sequestration.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Li-Ion Battery Data Logging: Today the crew terminated one EMU Long Life Batteries-2 (LLB-2s) Autocycle and initiated a second chargingAutocycle with data logging. Both of these Autocycles will capture battery health data and help ground experts understand the charge and discharge capacities of these new and improved LLB-2 batteries. The data will also be used to compare charging system performance between the on-orbit and ground based systems.
Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) and Surface Sample Kit (SSK) Analysis: Today the crew analyzed the MAS and SSK samples taken on 5 September, performing colony counts and photographing the microbial and fungal slides. This investigation refines locations and surfaces prone to microbial contamination throughout the ISS while simultaneously monitoring the ISS environment for gaseous contaminants from off-gassing, combustion products, and propellants as well as microbial contaminants from crewmembers and ISS activities.
Completed Task List Activities:
ESA EPO – Cold Atoms, Flumias, Myotones, and Seeds Photos [Completed GMT 252]
ESA PAO Messages: IAO, UNICEF, and WHO [Completed GMT 252]
WHC KTO Replace [Completed GMT 251]
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
HTV-7 Robotic Work Station (RWS) Camera Calibration
Two-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 09/11:
Payloads
Microbial Tracking-2 saliva and body collect
Atomization Syringe Install
METEOR laptop R&R
Food Acceptability
Systems
EVA Procedures Review and Conference
EMU Loop Scrubs and H20 Recharge
Wednesday, 09/12:
Payloads
Rodent Research-7 dissections
Radi-N detectors retrieve and handover to Russian crew
Food Acceptability
Systems
WHC Urine Receptacle R&R
N2 Centerline Berthing Camera System (CBCS) Installation and Checkout
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Makita drill battery charge monitoring
54S and 55S Samsung tablet PC charging
Environmental Health System (EHS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Collect
KAZBEK fit check (54S)
Airway Monitoring Stow
Rodent Research Node 2 Camcorder Video Setup
Rodent Research 7 Mass Measurement Device Restock
SKV2 [??] start-up current measurement.
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Waste Water Bag (WWB) Changeout
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Analysis
Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Portable Fan Assembly (PFA) Teardown
Environmental Health System (EHS) Coliform Water Processing
N1 pump, KOB2 [4???1] and [4???2] panel replacements.
Deactivate [????]
Waste Hygiene Compartment Urine Receptacle Cap Verification
??? maintenance
Airway Monitoring – US airlock reconfiguration
Rodent Research MELFI Insert
[???] inventory
Active Tissue Equivalent Dosimeter Card Downlink
Rodent Research 7 Mass Measurement Device Restock 2A
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Wanted Poster: EDV Tranfer Hose SN 1002
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Surface Sampler Kit (SSK) and Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) Analysis T + 5
[???] inventory
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
OTKLIK. Hardware status check
Rodent Research Review
BD-2 Position verification and photo downlink via OCA.
??-1 sensor settings c/o
Rodent Research MELFI Insert
IMS update
Microbial Tracking-2 Saliva Setup
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Terminate
Robotic Workstation (RWS) High Definition (HD) Monitor Downlink
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Initiate
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Initiation
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Initiation
GEMATOKRIT Equipment setup
Overlay Camera Calibration
