Space Stations

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 February 2019 – Human Physiology Research

By Marc Boucher
Status Report
February 18, 2019
Filed under , ,
NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 13 February 2019 – Human Physiology Research
Astronaut David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency becomes a barber aboard the International Space Station and trims Expedition 58 Commander Oleg Kononenko's hair with clippers attached to a vacuum hose. Credit: NASA. (Jan. 5, 2019)
NASA

Wednesday saw the Expedition 58 crew explore the inner workings of the human body in space and maintain cooling systems aboard the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut Anne McClain spent all day setting up cooling gear inside the U.S. Destiny lab module and Japan’s Kibo lab module. She drained and refilled water pumps inside the Fluid System Servicer and the Internal Thermal Control System. The life support systems help cool the station’s atmosphere and dispel heat generated by electrical systems.

Microgravity’s impact on the human physiology was the focus of Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques’ day. The Canadian Space Agency astronaut collected and stowed his breath, blood and urine samples for a variety of human research experiments. The research is supporting the long term-collection of human biological samples and observing bone marrow and blood changes.

Saint-Jacques also conducted ultrasound scans in the Zvezda service module for the Fluid Shifts study with assistance from Commander Oleg Kononenko and doctors on the ground. That research is seeking to reverse increased head and eye pressure that occurs in space.

Kononenko started Wednesday servicing Russian life support systems. The four-time station resident then spent the afternoon on more space research studying motion coordination, radiation exposure and crew psychology.

On-Orbit Status

ISS HAM Pass: The crew participated in the contact with College Park School, Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada. The students ranged from grade 1 to 8 and the questions involved astronaut experiences during launch, interactions with families, working on the ISS, etc. ISS Ham Radio provides opportunities to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math by providing a means to communicate between astronauts and the ground HAM radio units.

Team Task Switching (TTS) Experiment Survey: The crew completed a Team Task Switching Survey using the Data Collection Tool on a Station Support Computer. The objective of the TTS investigation is to gain knowledge about whether or not crewmembers have difficulty in switching tasks, and apply the results to both the reduction of any negative consequences and improvement of individual and team motivation and effectiveness.

Two-Phase Flow 2 Laptop Setup: The crew relocated the Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) laptop to a suitable area around the MSPR. Following this, the appropriate power cable and Local Area Network (LAN) cable connections were made. This is being performed as part of the preparation for the future Two-Phase Flow 2 investigation. The Two-Phase Flow experiment investigates the heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling in the microgravity environment. This experiment provides a fundamental understanding of the behaviors of bubble formation, liquid-vapor flow in a tube, and how heat is transferred in cooling systems.

Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Lab and JEM Refill: The crew used the FSS to add ITCS coolant to the Lab Low Temperature Loop (LTL) Pump Package Assembly (PPA) accumulator and Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) ITCS Low and Moderate Temperature Loops. Once the refills were completed, they drained and stowed the FSS and associated jumpers.

Nitrogen (N2) / Oxygen (O2) Recharge System (NORS) Tank Installation: Today the crew installed a NORS O2 tank, mated the O2 Fill Hose to the NORS Manifold, and initiated a gas transfer to the High Pressure O2 System.

Completed Task List Activities:
NORS O2 Tank Install

Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
MRM1 Survey utilizing SSRMS

Two-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 02/14

Payloads:
Astrobee OBT
Marrow
ER10B MTL flow adjust
Fluid Shifts repeat Chibis session
ISS HAM pass
Repository
Refabricator installation completion
JAXA/TPF setup
JAXA/SAIBO video survey

Systems:
None

Friday, 02/15

Payloads:
Astrobee docking port installation
Cubesat deployer removal from the JEMAL
HERA setup
HRF PC2 deploy
Refabricator h/w checkout
Team Task Switching
Time Perception
USND Data Transfer

Systems:
None

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

Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos web site and social media
Recharging Soyuz 741 Samsung PC (if charge level below 80%)
Reminder 1 Fluid Shifts Imaging Measures With Chibis Service Module
Reminder 1G HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection
HRF Generic Urine Collection Male
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion Operations
Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Lab Stowage Clear
[???2] Power Unit R&R
Microgravity Measurement Apparatus (MMA) Laptop Terminal 2 Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Exchange
Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Setup and Refill in LAB
Laptop Setting 1 and 2 for Two-Phase Flow (TPF) experiment
HRF Generic Urine Collection Male
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations
On MCC Go Mate Telemetry Connectors of [CKB2] Power Unit
Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Setup
[???2] Power Unit R&R – Closeout Ops
HRF Generic Urine Collection Male
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations
JPM Thermal Control Assembly for Low Temperature Loop (TCA L) Gas Trap Manual Valves Reconfiguration
??? maintenance
Fluid Shifts Hardware Disconnect
MATRESHKA-R. Tritel Hardware Monitoring
Fluid Shifts Hardware USOS Gather
Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Teardown and Stow
VZAIMODEISTVIYE-2. Experiment Operations
Fluid Shifts Hardware RSOS Transfer
Fluid Shifts Ultrasound Service Module Setup
Actiwatch Plus Evaluation Display Check
FLUID SHIFTS. Ultrasound Connection to ??? Power Outlet
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Formaldehyde Monitoring Kit (FMK) Stow Operation
MOTOCARD. Experiment Operations. Tagup with specialists
Fluid System Servicer (FSS) Lab Stowage Replace
EXPRESS-3 Laptop Computer Shell Swap
EXPRESS-3 Laptop Computer BIOS check
Team Task Switching Experiment Survey
MOTOCARD. Experiment Operations
CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup
HRF Generic Urine Collection Male
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations
IMS Delta File Prep
Evening Preparation Work
JPM Thermal Control Assembly for low temperature loop (TCA L) Gas Trap Manual Valves reconfiguration
Marrow Breath And Ambient Air Sample Setup – Subject
Marrow Breath And Ambient Air Sample Setup Historical Photo [DEFERRED]

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