NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 17 April 2018 – Raising the Station Orbit

The International Space Station is set to raise its orbit Wednesday ahead of upcoming cargo and crew missions. Meanwhile, the six Expedition 55 crew members are staying busy today with medical tests, cargo work and lab maintenance.
The space station will increase its altitude slightly when a docked Russian cargo craft automatically fires its engines for two minutes and six seconds early Wednesday. The maneuver will establish the correct orbit for the landing of three crew members in June and a two-orbit rendezvous capability for the next Russian Progress resupply craft in July.

Flight Engineer Scott Tingle collected and stowed his own urine sample today for a pair of biomedical studies examining the effects of spaceflight on the human body. The U.S. Navy pilot also continued operations for the Metabolic Tracking (MT) experiment that observes how human tissue samples are impacted by a specific drug compound.

Expedition 55-56 crewmates Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold checked each other’s eyes today using optical coherence tomography gear inside the Harmony module. Feustel also installed and checked the station’s first updated printer since 2000 before wrapping up his day unloading cargo from the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft. Arnold finally collected water samples and changed out a cartridge as part of preventative maintenance on a U.S. oxygen generator.

Astronaut Norishige Kanai from Japan continued more upkeep work for the Mouse Stress Defense experiment that is exploring the causes of muscle and bone loss in space. The busy flight engineer later assisted his fellow crew members unloading SpaceX cargo before injecting human tissue samples with a drug compound for the MT study.

On-Orbit Status Report

Metabolic Tracking (MT): The crew set up the hardware and materials to support two separate sessions of thawing and inoculation today for the MT investigation. They injected the thawed inoculum into multiwell BioCells, and inserted them into a NanoRacks Plate Reader. Samples were placed into a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The Metabolic Tracking investigation evaluates a rapid, low-cost method for assessing the effects of therapeutic compounds in microgravity. The method contributes to development of custom plans for emergency medical treatment for crew members, using primary tissue samples. This investigation also determines the feasibility of developing improved pharmaceuticals in microgravity using a new method to test the metabolic impacts of drug compounds. This could lead to more effective, less expensive drugs.

Human Research Program (HRP) Collections (Biochemical Profile and Repository): A 53S crewmember collected urine samples for his FD120 sessions of the Biochem Profile and Repository investigations.

The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results; which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body.
Repository is a storage bank used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. The repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions.
Space Station Computer (SSC) Printer Deploy: Earlier today, the crew installed the new HP Printer, brought to ISS by SpaceX-14, in the US Lab. Crew reported excellent print quality from the new printer. The legacy Epson printer will be kept onboard as a backup unit.

Integrated Communications Unit (ICU) R4 Software Transition: Yesterday, ground teams redirected Joint Station LAN (JSL) network traffic to KU Communication Unit (KCU) 2 in order to update KCU 2 Kernal 0 with the new R4 Software. Today the crew installed a Gigabit Ethernet cable from KCU 2 to the JSL router and loaded R4 to KCU 2 Kernal 1 while ground teams loaded the new firmware/coefficient files. After the loads were complete, ground teams activated KCU 2. This completes the first part of the ICU R4 software transition. The second part of the transition, the load of R4 to KCU 1 Kernal 0 and Kernal 1, will be scheduled in about 1 week to allow for testing of the new Ku-Band return link data rates of 450 and 600 mbps during defined test windows on GMT 110, 111, and 112. The intent of ICU R4 is to increase the return link bandwidth from 300 Mbps to 600 Mbps.

Eye Exams: This morning the 54S crew completed routine Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Fundoscope eye exams. Eye exams are routinely performed onboard to monitor crewmembers eye health. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body that is affected by long-duration stays in a microgravity environment.

Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Activated Carbon/Ion Exchange (ACTEX) Replacement: Earlier today the crew collected samples from the OGS recirculation loop for return and replaced the ACTEX cartridge. This loop sample is performed every 180 days and the ACTEX cartridge is changed out every 730 days as part of scheduled ISS preventative maintenance.

Dragon Cargo Operations: The crew has completed more than 42 hours of unloading and loading of the Dragon vehicle. At this time cargo specialist on the ground estimate the crew will need approximately 31 hours to complete the Dragon vehicle packing in preparation for Dragon unberth, planned on 02-May.

Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Operations: Later today, controllers will use the SSRMS and Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) to transfer the MISSE Sample Container (MSC) from the MTT to the MISSE Flight Facility (FF).

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

HRF Generic Urine Collection
HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion Operations
??? maintenance
Mouse Blood drawing Familiarization
Check the Results of Antivirus Scanning on [???] Auxiliary Computer System Laptops; Report the Status
APEX-06 MELFI Insertion #2
Mouse Stress Defense Item Gathering
PHASE TRANSITION. Experiment Setup and Start of Operations.
Hardware Setup for the PAO Event. Check Video and Audio Signals.
ZBOOK Hard Drive Installation
SSC HP Printer Deployment to Replace Lab SSC Epson Printer
Crew Preparation for the PAO Event
TV Session with Artek Children and Youth Center
Station Support Computer (SSC) 17 Laptop Relocate
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Glove Box Bench Setup
BIOCARD. Assistance during the Experiment
BIOCARD. Experiment Operations.
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Setup
Mouse Stress Defense Cage Maintenance for Water 3
KU Comm Unit Cable Route
Metabolic Tracking Inoculation Preparation
Crew Preparation for the PAO Event
TV Session with Moscow Economic School Students
Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Termination
PHASE TRANSITION. Closeout Operations.
Metabolic Tracking MELFI Metabolic Tracking Group Retrieve
Metabolic Tracking Biocells Inoculation
Comm Config for Communication from MRM1
SEPARATION. Fitting of Delivered Panel #205.
ZBOOK Hard Drive Installation
SEPARATION. Installation of the Mounting Hardware of the ?? Distillation Unit and ?? Reservoir Unit
Health Maintenance System (HMS) – OCT Exam
SEPARATION. Hoses Mating and Routing behind the Panels (including ?? Installation behind Panel 205).
Metabolic Tracking Plate Reader Insertion/Removal
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Stow
Metabolic Tracking Session Cleanup
SSC HP Printer Checkout
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Gather
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
Galley food warmer door troubleshoot
SEPARATION. ?? Vacuuming Unit Installation.
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Internal ACTEX Pre-Flush
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Social Media Event
Restoration of the Nominal Comm Config
24-Hour ECG Recording (start)
Metabolic Tracking Inoculation Preparation
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Internal ACTEX Remove and Replace
Metabolic Tracking MELFI Metabolic Tracking Group Retrieve
Metabolic Tracking MELFI Inoculation Bag Retrieve
Metabolic Tracking Biocells Inoculation
Private Medical Conference (PMC)
APEX-06 Adjust Light
Cargo Transfer to Dragon
VZAIMODEISTVIYE-2. Experiment Operations
Metabolic Tracking Session Cleanup
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Stow
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
HRF Columbus HD Video Setup

Completed Task List Activities
None

Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
MISSE MSC Transfer
ICU R4 Software Transition
LAB MCA Full Calibration

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Wednesday, 04/18: JSL Firewall Deploy, PCG9 Sampling, CIR Bottle R&R, NORS O2 Transfer, Mouse Stress Defense Ops, Metabolic Sampling, ISS Reboost
Thursday, 04/19: LAB IMV Valve R&R, Mouse Stress Defense Ops, Miniature Exercise Device Ops, N3 MCA VGA R&R
Friday, 04/20: MSL Furnace Swap, APEX6 Harvest, Mouse Stress Defense, EIISS, PEPS Inspection, MSG VUE Removal

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Standby
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Standby
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