NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 12 December 2017 – Dragon Launch Moved to Friday
The Expedition 53 crew is getting ready to split up Thursday morning before another crew begins its mission next week.
Soyuz Commander Sergey Ryazanskiy will pilot his crew mates Randy Bresnik of NASA and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency in the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft back to Earth after 139 days in space. The trio is scheduled to undock from the Rassvet module at 12:14 a.m. Thursday and parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan at 3:38 a.m.
New Expedition 54 Commander Alexander Misurkin will stay onboard the orbital laboratory with Flight Engineers Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA until March. The trio have been onboard the station since Sept. 12 and will welcome a new set of crewmates next week when the Soyuz MS-07 crew ship arrives.
The next space travelers to board the station will be veteran cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and new astronauts Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. They are the Expedition 54-55 crew and are in Kazakhstan in final training ahead of their launch Sunday at 2:21 a.m. Shkaplerov, flanked by Tingle and Kanai, will take a two-day trip inside the Soyuz to the station before docking Tuesday at 3:43 a.m. for a four-month stay at the station
NASA and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than 10:35 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 15th, for the company’s 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX is taking additional time for the team to conduct full inspections and cleanings due to detection of particles in 2nd stage fuel system. Next launch opportunity would be no earlier than late December.
A Dragon spacecraft will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon is now scheduled to arrive at the space station on Sunday, Dec. 17th.
On Sunday, Scott Tingle of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are also scheduled to launch at 2:21 a.m. (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.
NASA Television coverage for launch and arrival activities are as follows:
Friday, Dec. 15
10 a.m. – Launch commentary coverage begins
12 p.m. – Post-launch news conference with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program and SpaceX
Sunday, Dec. 17
1:15 a.m. – Soyuz MS-07 launch coverage begins
4:30 a.m. – Dragon rendezvous at the space station and capture coverage begins
7:30 a.m. – Installation coverage begins
On-Orbit Status Report
NanoRacks Vuze (One Strange Rock) Camera Operations in the Service Module: The crew used the NanoRacks Vuze camera to record 3-Dementional 360-degree videos inside of the ISS. The handheld camera was used in the USOS and Russian Segment to capture long corridor footage to give the viewer a 3D perspective of floating through the ISS. The mounted camera captured “a day in the life” style footage of the crew as they conduct their nominal tasks. The National Geographic Channel-Virtual Reality Educational Video for Television Series-“One Strange Rock” (One Strange Rock Virtual Reality) is a 10-part series that transports a virtual reality camera to the ISS for recording of a National Geographic special on the Earth as a natural life-support system. The crew aboard the ISS records a series of virtual reality pieces for incorporation into a larger documentary about natural history and the solar system. Each episode features a different crewmember and addresses different topics using next generation virtual reality technology to raise awareness about the Earth system and the space program.
Dose Distribution Inside the International Space Station – 3D (DOSIS-3D): Today the crew de-installed DOSIS 3D passive detectors and handed them over to a Russian crewmember for packing in the returning 51S Soyuz vehicle. DOSIS-3D uses several active and passive detectors to determine the radiation doses inside the ISS. The goal is a three-dimensional radiation map covering all sections of the ISS.
Multi-Omics Sample Collections: A 52S crewmember conducted fecal sample collections for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Multi-Omics experiment. The samples were placed into the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The Multi-Omics analysis of human microbial-metabolic cross-talk in the space ecosystem (Multi-Omics) investigation evaluates the impacts of space environment and prebiotics on astronauts’ immune function, by combining the data obtained from the measurements of changes in the gut microbiological composition, metabolites profiles, and the immune system.
Human Research Program (HRP) Collections – Functional Immune: The crew completed the fourth day of the five day Functional Immune session, which collects saliva samples the each day and blood samples on the fifth day. Today the crew also conducted an audit of the HRP supplies. The samples collected will support the mid-mission HRP compliment for the 52S crewmembers and the return minus zero Day (R-0) compliment for the 51S crewmember. The Functional Immune investigation analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine the changes taking place in crewmembers’ immune systems during flight. The changes in the immune system are also compared with crewmembers’ self-reported health information. Results are expected to provide new insight into the possible health risks of long-duration space travel, including future missions to Mars, asteroids, or other distant destinations.
Two Phase Flow (TPF) Operations: Following the completion of a TPF experiment run, the crew deactivated the TPF experiment equipment in the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) and then adjusted the valve setting before re-activating the experiment equipment for the next experiment run. The Two-Phase Flow experiment investigates the heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling in the microgravity environment. It provides a fundamental understanding of the behaviors of bubble formation, liquid-vapor flow in a tube, and how heat transfers in cooling systems. Two-phase flow employs a sample cooling loop using perfluorohexane, often used in coolant for electronics, to establish flow rate, heating power, and other effects on different conditions.
Earth Imagery from ISS Target Operations: Using the RED camera, the crew captured images and video footage of the Iberian Peninsula, This investigation creates a series of videos, showcasing Earth from space. These videos will be taken with cameras on the ISS in 6K hi-resolution, then integrated into videos for screensavers for public enjoyment, exploration, and engagement.
Water Delivery System (WDS) Disassembly: The crew completed an activity to disassemble the WDS in preparation for returning the unit on SpaceX-13. The WDS was used in the past to provide an interface for the crew to dispense potable water from water containers, but is no longer needed. The WDS Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) is being returned to the ground so that its components can be refurbished and used for Water Processor Assembly (WPA) sparing.
Dragon Capture OBT: Today the crew performed on board training to maintain proficiency for the upcoming capture and berthing of the SpaceX-13 Dragon vehicle.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) preparation: Today the crew prepared the EMU soft goods components for return on SpaceX-13.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
HRF Generic Saliva Collection 10 Minutes – Subject
PARODONT-2. Activities with Microbial Control and Mouthwash sets
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations
Functional Immune Saliva Collection Dry Book – Subject
Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry – Subject
Auxiliary Computer System [???] Laptops Antivirus Software Checkout and Report
51S Gas Sample Container Pack
Multi Omics Fecal Sample Operations
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
Sanitary & Hygiene Status Monitoring
iPad Air 2 Charge
Multi Omics Fecal Sample MELFI Insertion
Multi Omics Fecal Stow
International Procedures Viewer Tablet Server Configuration
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Deactivation
Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Valves Setting
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Activation
In-Flight Maintenance Water Delivery System (WDS) Disassembly and Packing
Dragon Cargo Operations Review
Soyuz 736 Stowage Ops for Return.
DOSIS 3D Passive Detectors De-Installation from Columbus (10 PDPs and 1 TDP).
DOSIS 3D Passive Detector Pouch handover to Russian crew for download of dosimeters with Soyuz.
To prepare Extravehicular Mobility Unit soft good components for return on SpX-13 and unpack components that arrived on OA-8.
LBNP Exercise (CLOSEOUT).
Multiple User System for Earth Sensing Server Vent Cleaning
Handover Procedure Review
Data Prep for Return
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
Microbial Sample Collection
Dragon Capture Review
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
HRF1 Drawer Audit
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Session 2
FGB Gas Analyzer Vacuum Cleaning
NanoRacks Vuze Camera – SM Operations
Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??
??? maintenance
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Preventive Maintenance of Hatch Sealing Mechanism on MRM1 Passive Docking Assembly (???) and Soyuz 736 Active Docking Mechanism [ACA] hatch
NanoRacks Vuze Camera – SD Removal
Completed Task List Activities
None
Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
67P propellant purge
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 12/13: Change of Command, Emer Roles & Resp Review, 51S Undock, ECHO, Dragon OBT, PCG Handover, Veggie Facility Clean, HRF Sample, RAM Deploy, Acoustic Monitor Setup, Lighting Effects
Thursday, 12/14: 51S Landing, Crew off duty
Friday, 12/15: Lighting Effects, MetOx Regen, Earth Imagery from ISS
QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – 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) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Process
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off
