NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 17 July, 2020 – 45 Years Ago Today NASA and USSR Met in Space

It was 45 years ago today when American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts shook hands for the first time in Earth orbit.
The Apollo crew ship commanded by NASA astronaut Tom Stafford docked to the Soyuz crew ship led by Alexei Leonov on July 17, 1975, signifying the beginning of international cooperation in space.

Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy and Flight Engineers Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner commemorated the event today with a call from U.S. and Russian dignitaries. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project would lay the groundwork for the Shuttle-Mir project and the International Space Station program.

Cassidy later joined his NASA crewmates Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to prepare for Tuesday’s spacewalk to wrap up battery swaps on the orbiting lab. Behnken and Cassidy will install the last lithium-ion battery on the station’s truss structure completing the 3.5 year-long power upgrade job. This follows Thursday’s six-hour spacewalk when the duo installed three lithium-ion batteries.

Before they go back inside the Quest airlock next week, the veteran spacewalkers will have one more job. The duo will get the Tranquility module ready for a new airlock built by NASA commercial partner NanoRacks. The airlock will enable public and private research on the outside of the station after its delivery on an upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission.

Meanwhile, critical space science to benefit humans on and off the Earth continues aboard the station. Ivanishin explored how microgravity impacts blood circulation and pain sensitivity. Vagner collected radiation measurements then studied how crews may pilot spaceships and robots on future space missions.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads

Food Physiology: The crew performed the Food Physiology briefing. The Integrated Impact of Diet on Human Immune Response, the Gut Microbiota, and Nutritional Status During Adaptation to Spaceflight (Food Physiology) experiment is designed to characterize the key effects of an enhanced spaceflight diet on immune function, the gut microbiome, and nutritional status indicators. These factors are interlinked, but diet is the only one that can be easily and meaningfully altered on Earth or during flight. This investigation aims to document the effect of dietary improvements on human physiology and the ability of those improvements to enhance adaptation to spaceflight.

Systems

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today, the crew performed EVA activities as a continuation of yesterday’s EVA and the upcoming EVA on Tuesday, July 21st. They configured the BSA batteries for charging, performed a water recharge on the Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) and initiated EMU Metal Oxide cartridge regeneration. The crew also took additional photos of the EVA gloves per Engineering request. Finally, the crew completed their EVA procedure reviews and participated in an EVA procedure review conference.

Post- EVA Periodic Health Exam (PHS): Today the crew completed a health evaluation. During the evaluation, vital signs are obtained and an ear examination is conducted by taking images of the tympanic membranes and the external ear. The data and imagery is then downlinked for review by a medical specialist. PHS exams are conducted within 24 hours of the conclusion of EVA.

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Brine Filter: As part of regular maintenance, the ISS crew opened up the UPA Fill Drain Valve Enclosure and removed the installed/old Brine Filter and replaced it with a new Brine Filter. Brine Filters are replaced every 60 days.

Completed Task List Activities:

None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

UPA recycle tank fills via UTS
Channel 3B Activation
Node 3 CDRA activation for supplemental METOX scrubbing
KCU 1 Troubleshooting
Look Ahead Plan

Saturday, 7/18 (GMT 200)
Payloads:

Off Duty Day
Systems:

USOS Shutter Close
EVA Camera Port 3 Bag Prep
EVA METOX Ops
Sunday, 7/19 (GMT 201)
Payloads:

No Payload Activities
Systems:

EVA Procedure Review/Conference
RELL RITS Install
EVA Tool Config
EVA Cuff C/L Print
(EVA) Kapton Tape Scraper (KaTS) Build
Monday, 7/20 (GMT 202)
Payloads:

No Payload activities
Systems:

Pre-EVA PHS Exams
EVA Tool Config & Audit
EVA Procedure Review/Conference
EVA Equip Lock Prep Pt 2
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

ISS HAM Radio Power Up
ISS crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Management Team) weekly conference (S-band)
Regeneration of Micropurification unit (???) ?2 cartridge, end
Progress 448 (SM Aft) Transfers and IMS Ops
CARDIOVECTOR. Experiment Session
Verifying electrical connection of ???-4 No.2 smoke detector with DC1 Fire Detection System (???)
Food Physiology Crew Diet Briefing
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Post EVA Examination
ALGOMETRIYA. Experiment Session
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain, Fill and Process
Changeout of ??1 & ??2 Dust Filters and Cleaning ?1, ?2 Fan Screens in DC1
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Portable Computer System (PCS) Serial Transfer – OFF
Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Removal
Post EVA 67 Additional EMU Glove Photos
Changeout of ??1 & ??2 Dust Filters and Cleaning ?1, B2 Fan Screens in MRM2
Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Installation
Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Initiation
VIP Conference – JEM
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Brine Filter Gather and Changeout
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
IDENTIFIKATSIYA. Copy ???-? micro-accelerometer data to laptop
Vacuum cleaning of air ducts ??1 and ??2 in MRM2
Reading Pille dosimeter data post USOS EVA
MATRYOSHKA-R. Tritel Hardware Monitoring
PILOT-T. Experiment Ops
EMU Data Recorder Power On
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Debrief for US EVA
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Recharge
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
ABOUT GAGARIN FROM SPACE. HAM radio session with Ufa International Aerospace School students
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Initiation