NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 15 October 2020 – Crew to Expand to Seven

Six International Space Station residents will spend a week working together in low-Earth orbit before splitting up on Oct. 21.
As the new Expedition 64 trio gets used to life in space, four more astronauts are planning to join them in November.

Three new station crew members are adapting to living and working in space after a short trip to the orbiting lab in their Soyuz MS-17 crew ship on Wednesday. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov are each beginning their second mission in microgravity. The experienced pair, including fellow crewmate and new space-flyer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov from Roscosmos, will conduct their space research mission until April of next year.

Meanwhile, Rubins got right to work today and assisted station Commander Chris Cassidy servicing hardware inside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov unpacked gear from their Soyuz spacecraft. The Russian duo also joined Expedition 63 Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner for handover activities to get up to speed with lab systems.

Cassidy and Vagner are also getting ready to return to Earth on Oct. 21 with Soyuz Commander Anatoly Ivanishin. The trio has begun packing station gear and personal items inside their Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft. They are also in the process of handing over station responsibilities to the new Expedition 64 trio.

Back on Earth, four astronauts are getting ready to launch to the station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle for the company’s first operational crew mission targeted to launch no sooner than early-to-mid November. Commander Mike Hopkins of NASA will lead Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialists Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi and stay in space until the Spring.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG): The crew performed a post Packed Bed Reactor Experiment-2 (PBRE-2) residual cleanup and wiped down the MSG. The MSG is a rack-level payload facility located in the U.S. Laboratory module on the ISS. MSG provides resources such as power, data, video, heat rejection, vacuum, nitrogen and containment for investigations. The facility is well suited for handling hazardous materials when crew are present. MSG is capable of accommodating both physical science and biological research payloads.

STaARS BioScience-12: The crew retrieved STaARS Cryotube Kits from cold stowage, agitated the three Experiment Containers and then placed all the contents into the STaARS facility. Novel Protein Aggregation/degradation Studies in the Unique ISS Environment Provide Mechanistic Insights Relevant to Biopharmaceutical Development and Degenerative Diseases (STaARS BioScience-12) examines protein folding and aggregation under the unique stresses of space, including microgravity- and cosmic radiation-dependent folding and degradation and the combination of these factors. Biopharmaceuticals play a significant role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases, but a challenge in making them is the instability and degradation of their proteins. This investigation may help develop new strategies to prevent protein degradation and support design of therapeutic biopharmaceuticals.

Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP): The crew installed the MPEP on to the JEM slide table and then installed the Handhold Exp Platform Adapter on to the MPEP. Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform provides the structural backbone for deployers when being transferred to the outside via the Kibo airlock and grasped by the JRMS robotic arm.

Rhodium Space Rhizosphere: The crew removed the Rhodium Space Rhizosphere science Chambers (5) from the ambient stow location and placed the samples into cold stowage. Soil Health in Space: Determination of Gravitational Effects on Soil Stability for Controlled Environment Agriculture (Rhodium Space Rhizosphere) examines the effects of spaceflight on the soil aggregates formed by fungi and bacteria. Recent studies have shown a connection between biological activity, aggregation formation, and the overall capacity of soils to sustainably produce nutritious food crops. A better understanding of fungal and bacterial structures and functions in soil could improve food production on Earth and in space.

Systems

Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pre-Treat Tank Remove and Replace (R&R): Today, the crew replaced the Pre-Treat Tank as part of nominal WHC preventative maintenance. Each tank contains five liters of pre-treat solution, a mix of acid, chromium oxide, and water, used for toilet flushing and required for nominal WHC operation.

ZBook Client Swap: Today, the crew replaced the T61P laptop serving as the ARED SSC with a Zbook. Following ground configurations the crew performed an ARED VIS range of motion (ROM) test. This ensured any minor adjustments in the location of the new ZBook and cabling did not place anything in the path of the ARED VIS.

Completed Task List Activities:

S&M Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) ZSR Swap
S&M Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) Deck 2 Assist
62S Pre-Pack (ongoing)
Cygnus Cargo Ops (ongoing)
63S Unpack (ongoing)
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

ARED Zbook client configuration
PMA 3 shell heater characterization test for Beta -60
Thermal Amine weekly vent
Look Ahead Plan

Friday, 10/16 (GMT 290)
Payloads:

VECTION Session (CSA)
DOSIS 3D PDP Swap (ESA)
MVP Module Photo/Install (NASA)
HRF Saliva Setup (NASA)
STaARS-12 Sample MELFI Insert (NASA)
Food Acceptability (NASA)
Systems:

CQ Port Clean
EMER Roles/Resp Review
HMS IMAK Unpack
Saturday, 10/17 (GMT 291)
Payloads:

Food Physiology-Saliva Collect (NASA)
Systems:

OBT Soyuz Nominal Drill
Sunday, 10/18 (GMT 292)
Payloads:

Food Physiology-Saliva Collect (NASA)
Urine Setup (JAXA)
Systems:

ARED Handover Video Review
ARED Crew Handover
PAO Symbolic
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

??? (Universal Bioengineering Thermostat). Checking ???-? No.07 thermostat temperature and unobstructed area near ???-? inlet/outlet vents
ISS Crew Adaptation
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
Soyuz 747 Transfers and IMS Ops
TV conference with participants in the project Space Lesson 2.0. Reboot
Setup and activation of Crew Onboard Support Kit (????) equipment for MPEG2 TV Training (OBT) coverage from SM
PBRE/MSG WV Floor Cleaning
Soyuz 745 Descent OBT, return equipment & packing consultation
ZBook Client Swap (SSC23 to MedOps01 – NOD3)
MICROVIR. Photography of Cassettes-M upper cells Nos.3-1, 3-2.Squeezing to Glovebox, photography of lower cells. Activation of auto photography
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension/Retraction
MPEP Installation to JEM Airlock Slide Table
IDENTIFIKATSIYA. Copy ???-? micro-accelerometer data to laptop & HDD for return
Trashed equipment packing in Soyuz 745 for disposal
Recharging Soyuz 745 Samsung tablet
Photo of traces left by the active docking assembly probe on the MRM1 Passive Docking Assembly (???) receiving cone. Downlink photos.
Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation
Crew Departure Prep
Handhold Exp Platform Adapter installation
STaARS MELFI Cryotube Kit and Experiment Container Retrieve
Place STaARS BioScience-12 Cryotube Kits and Experiment Containers into Kynar Bag
ARED VIS Range of Motion Test
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check
Rhodium Inflight Biomanufacturing Science Chamber Ambient Stowage Removal. MELFI Sample Insertion
Vacuum cleaning filter cartridges in FGB dust collectors ?C1, ??2 (panels 203, 403)
ISS Crew Handover
Cold Stowage Double Coldbag Icebrick Stow
Treadmill 2 (T2) Handover Video Review
T2 Crew Handover
Soyuz 745 transfers complete status report
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pre-Treat Tank Remove & Replace
STaARS BioScience-12 Cryotube Kit and Experiment Container Placement
Polar Desiccant Swap
Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE [ABORTED]
Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference