NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 September 2018 – Spacewalks Dates Changed
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has rescheduled the launch of its HTV-7 resupply ship to the International Space Station to Thursday, U.S. time.
As a result of the new launch and arrival dates for the HTV-7, the target dates for a pair of maintenance spacewalks have been adjusted as well.
More than five tons of food, fuel, crew supplies and new science gear is due to launch Thursday at 5:21 p.m. EDT from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The HTV-7 with the space cargo will take a 3-1/2 day ride to the orbital laboratory where it will be captured Monday with the Canadarm2 robotic arm around 6:50 a.m. It will then be installed on the station’s Harmony module around three hours later. NASA TV will broadcast all the activities live.
The HTV-7 is also delivering six new lithium-ion batteries to the station which will be the focus of the upcoming spacewalk activity. Robotics controllers will remove the new batteries from the HTV-7 and install them on the Port 4 truss structure. Then astronauts Alexander Gerst and Drew Feustel will begin the final battery hookup work on the first of two spacewalks on Sept. 23. Gerst will go outside a second time with spacewalker Ricky Arnold on Sept. 29 to complete the battery hookups.
Gerst, Feustel and Arnold spent a couple of hours today reviewing their upcoming spacewalk procedures and discussing their concerns with specialists on the ground. Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor cleaned the trio’s spacesuits’ cooling loops and refilled the suits’ water tanks.
The entire Expedition 56 crew did manage to conduct a variety of science experiments exploring biology and physics in microgravity. The astronauts researched how mice adapt to space and swabbed their own bodies to collect microbe samples for analysis. The crew also studied liquid atomization and the composition of meteorites entering Earth’s atmosphere.
On-Orbit Status Report
Microbial Tracking-2 (MT-2): Today a crewmember collected saliva and body surface samples for the Microbial Tracking-2 investigation and placed them inside a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). MT-2 monitors the different types of microbes that are present on ISS over a 1-year period. After the samples returned to Earth, a molecular analysis of the RNA and DNA will be conducted to identify the specific microbes that are present on ISS in order to understand the microbial flora diversity on the ISS and how it changes over time.
Atomization: The crew replaced sample syringes and water trap for the Atomization investigation today for Run #8. The Atomization experiment investigates the disintegration processes of a low-speed water jet for various jet issue conditions in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) to validate the new atomization concept by observing the process using a high-speed camera. The knowledge gained applies towards improving various engines utilizing spray combustion.
Material Science Research Rack (MSRR): As a verification of the recent master controller replacement, the crew disconnected the Vacuum Resource System (VRS) line from the rack in order to allow the ground team to perform an activation and leak check of the system for a 24hr period. MSRR-1 can accommodate and support diverse Experiment Modules (EMs). In this way, many material types, such as metals, alloys, polymers, semiconductors, ceramics, crystals, and glasses, are analyzed in order to discover new applications for existing materials and new or improved material.
Meteor: Today the crew replaced a failed T61P Laptop with a spare for use by the Meteor experiment. The Meteor payload is a visible spectroscopy instrument used to observe meteors in Earth orbit. Meteor uses image analysis to provide information on the physical and chemical properties of the meteoroid dust, such as size, density, and chemical composition. The study of the meteoroid dust on orbit provides information about the parent comets and asteroids.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Loop Scrub, Iodination, Flow Test, and H20 Recharge: In preparation for the upcoming H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-7 Battery R&R ExtraVehicular Activities (EVAs), the crew performed EMU water loop scrubs and tested water samples for conductivity. An EMU flow test was also performed on EMU 3003 and FE-5’s Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) was filled using EMU 3004. EMU Loop Scrubs are required preventive maintenance needed to remove any chemical and biological contaminants from the EMU Transport Loop.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Today the USOS Crew reviewed the EVA Briefing Package for the upcoming HTV-7 Battery R&R EVAs. This comprehensive review included a Tool Configuration Summary, detailed EVA Procedures and Timelines, Get Ahead Procedures, and Notes, Cautions and Warnings associated with the aforementioned tasks. Once complete with their self-study, the crew had a conference with EVA specialists to answer their questions and address any concerns.
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Live Event: Today Feustel participated in a live PAO event with ABC News Correspondent Bob Woodruff for release on the ABC News Web. During the event, they discussed how the ISS crewmembers fixed the leak in Soyuz 55S, talked about the upcoming HTV-7 Battery R&R EVAs, and learned what the crew miss most about Earth while on ISS.
iPad iOS Update: Today the crew configured two spare iPads, a Cargo Ops/Spare and a Food Intake Tracker (FIT) Spare, for update by ground specialists. By updating these spare iPads, the crew can verify there are no capability issues between the new operating system and applications needed for nominal ISS operations. iOS updates are completed periodically to ensure the latest security patches are on-board.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
N3 MCA Activation
Two-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 09/12:
Payloads
Rodent Research 7 dissections
RADIN-2 retrieve and handover
Food Acceptability
Systems
WHC Urine Receptacle R&R
EMU LLB Autocycle Termination
Thursday, 09/13:
Payloads
Microbial Tracking-2 Saliva Collection
Rodent Research 7 Dissections
Systems
HTV-7 OBT
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
IMS Update
Makita Battery Charge
DUBRAVA. Observation and photography using Photo Equipment
Microbial Tracking-2 Sample MELFI Insert
Hematocrit Test
Hematocrit Hardware Stowage
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Initiation
ALGOMETRIYA. Tenso- and thermos-algometry setup and measurement session
XF305 Camcorder Setup
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Full Fill
Test activation of СКВ2 Power Supply in idling mode with СКВ1 compressor
Atomization syringe installation
Microbial Tracking-2 Body Sample Questionnaire
Microbial Tracking-2 Body Sample Collection
EVA Support Panel (ПОВ-2) power removal in DC1 and isolation of failure to deactivate
Microbial Tracking-2 Sample MELFI Insert
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Termination
Rodent Research Gather 1
Rodent Research Dissection Review
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Training Review
Test activation of СКВ2 Power Supply in idling mode with СКВ1 Compressor
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Reconfiguration
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Flow Meter Measurement
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Iodination
Meteor System Disk Recovery
SEPARATSIYA. Preventive maintenance activation of ЦМВД distiller
Glacier Desiccant Swap
Rodent Research Review
Rodent Research LAB SD Camcorder Video Setup
Rodent Research Setup
ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure Algometry Measurement Ops
Food Acceptability Questionnaire – Subject
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
Toilet Funnel Stow
Filling (separation) of ЕДВ [КОВ] No.1298 for Elektron using ГЖС
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Repairs of SM Interior Panel by installing cover panels, Day 2
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Short Dryout
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Deconfiguration
СОЖ maintenance
Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Vent Cleaning
On MCC Go Assessment of Progress 439 (DC1) Rodink БВ1 tank leak
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Liquid Cooling Ventilation Garment (LVCG) Water Fill
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Initiation
iPad iOS Update
ALGOMETRIYA. Tenso- and thermoalgometry mode measurements
