NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 19 April, 2021 – KERMIT Microscope Upgrade

The next crew to launch to the International Space Station is counting down to liftoff this Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
They will be greeted less than 24 hours later by the seven Expedition 65 crew members residing aboard the orbiting lab.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour sits atop the Falcon 9 rocket at the launch pad ready to carry four Commercial Crew astronauts to the space station. The SpaceX Crew-2 quartet is comprised of Commander Shane Kimbrough and Pilot Megan McArthur, both NASA astronauts, and Mission Specialists Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency.

They are set to launch on Thursday at 6:11 a.m. EDT and dock to the Harmony module’s forward-facing international docking adapter at 5:30 a.m. on Friday. NASA TV will broadcast the Crew-2 mission continuously from launch to docking beginning Thursday at 2 a.m.

Waiting for the Crew-2 astronauts is station Commander Shannon Walker of NASA along with her Crew-1 crewmates Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of JAXA. The orbiting lab’s newest trio, with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov, will also be onboard the station to greet the SpaceX Crew-2 foursome.

There is still plenty of research and maintenance occurring on the station as NASA and SpaceX gear up for this Thursday’s launch. Walker serviced the Human Research Facility rack and updated software on the KERMIT microscope that can be operated by station astronauts or scientists on the ground. Hopkins swapped fuel canisters inside the Combustion Integrated Rack.

Vande Hei and Glover worked throughout Monday cleaning ventilation systems and crew quarters. Noguchi transferred oxygen to tanks inside the U.S. Quest airlock. Novitskiy and Dubrov, the two cosmonauts, worked on Soyuz crew ship cargo transfers and lab familiarization activities.

On-Orbit Status Report

63 Soyuz (63S) Undock/Landing: The 63S vehicle carrying Kate Rubins, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Ryzhikov undocked Friday at 8:33 PM CT and landed at 11:56 PM CT. The departure of 63S reduced the crew complement on board from 10 to 7.

Payloads

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) – Fluids and Combustion Facility: The crew replaced the Manifold 2 and 4 gas bottles for upcoming CIR operations. The CIR includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control, and five different cameras for performing combustion investigations in microgravity.

Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking (ISAAC): The crew prepared the JEM module for the Astrobee/ISAAC operations conducted by the ground and then the ISAAC targets were removed from the JEM and RFID Recon hardware was removed from the Astrobee units. The ISAAC project demonstrates using autonomous robots in human exploration vehicles to track vehicle health, transfer and unpack cargo, and respond to critical faults such as leaks and fires. ISAAC uses the space station’s Astrobee and Robonaut robots for the demonstration. This technology could be used on vehicles and habitats on future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars to maintain vehicles while astronauts are away for extended periods.

Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG): The crew performed the routine replacement of used Life Science Filter(s) from the rear wall of the LSG Work Volume. The Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) is a sealed work area that accommodates life science and technology investigations in a “workbench” type environment. Due to its larger size design, two crew members can work in the LSG simultaneously.

Myotones: The crew collected and processed blood samples using the HRF Centrifuge in support of the Myotones study. The investigation observes the biochemical properties of muscles (e.g. muscle tone, stiffness, elasticity) during long-term exposure spaceflight environment. Results from this investigation can provide a better understanding of the principles of human resting muscle tone. This could lead to the development of new strategies for alternative treatments for rehabilitation on Earth, as well as for future space missions.

Real-Time Protein Crystal Growth-2 RTPCG-2): Crew removed the Real-time Protein Crystal Growth sample plate S/N 1B1 from SABL-3, and performed Day 3 observations and photography of the sample wells using the microscope. The samples were then returned to SABL-3. RTPCG-2 demonstrates new methods for producing high-quality protein crystals in microgravity. Previous work has shown that microgravity produces high-quality protein crystals that can be analyzed to identify possible targets for drugs to treat disease. RTPCG-2 produces high-quality protein crystals for up to eight proteins for detailed analysis back on Earth.

Systems

External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Maintenance: The crew swapped the primary bulb with the secondary bulb in the ETVCG light and tested the secondary bulb. The ETVCG light will eventually be installed onto an ETVCG assembly in preparation for a future Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

Node 1 (N1) Starboard Aft Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Fan Cleaning: The crew removed foreign object and debris (FOD) from IMV fan inlet flow straighter and silencers located at the N1 Starboard Aft location.

Common Cabin Visiting Vehicle (C2V2) Updates and Checkout: Today ground teams updated the C2V2 software to prepare for the upcoming Crew-2 vehicle. The updates were completed and checked out nominally. Ground teams also completed the Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) checkout of C2V2 and the system is now ready and in a good config for Crew-2 arrival at the end of the week.

Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBA) Relocation: In preparation for the arrival of Crew-2 later this week, PBAs were relocated to white 1.0 Cargo Transfer Bags (CTBs). Eight air PBA bottles without Quick Don Mask Assemblies were stowed in two reinforced white 1.0 CTBs.

Completed Task List Activities:

Toolbox Label install
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Payloads ops support
MT translate from WS4 to WS7
Look Ahead Plan

Tuesday, April 20 (GMT 110)
Payloads:

Myotones (ESA)
HSUI-MDRR HD swap (JAXA)
Standard Measures Blood collect (NASA)
Micro-16 Final load ops (NASA)
RTPCG-2 Plate Load 2B1 (NASA)
Food Physiology fecal and saliva Collect and Diet brief and Urine setup (NASA)
Celestial Immunity SABL tray swap (NASA)
SABL CO2 CNTLR swap (NASA)
Astrobee Off (NASA)
HRF2 RIC Reseat t/s (NASA)
Systems

Adlink Ethernet cable swap
Dragon OBT
CQ Deck cleaning
Wednesday, April 21 (GMT 111)
Payloads:

AC touch (NASA)
Myotones (ESA)
FLARE(SCEM) Cable reconfig (JAXA)
Micro-16 final load ops (NASA)
Standard Measures Blood collect (NASA)
Food Physiology Fecal and Urine collect (NASA)
HRF2 T/s de-cable and stow(NASA)
Systems

JPM THC water separator R&R
Dragon undock conference
Thursday, April 22 (GMT 112)
Payloads:

Food Physiology Urine saliva collect (NASA)
Standard Measures Blood collect (NASA)
Systems

Dragon tablet sync
Weekly housekeeping
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

HRF Generic Saliva Collection 10 Minutes
HRF Generic MELFI Sample Insertion Operations
Myotones Blood Draw and Centrifugation
Myotones Blood Draw and Centrifugation Operator
Myotones Blood Tube Centrifugation
Myotones Centrifuge Spin Conclude
Myotones Sample MELFI Insertion
HRF Rack 2 Reseat Swap
Astrobee Stowage Clear
Astrobee Prep
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Node 1 Starboard Aft Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Fan Cleaning
Emergency Operations (EMER) Chip Measurement System (CMS) Battery Changeout
Myotones Blood Collection Conclude And Stow
KEyence Research Microscope Testbed (KERMIT) USB Installation
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Crew Quaters (CQ) Overhead Cleaning
LSG Work Volume Deploy
HRF Rack 2 Umbilical Reconnect [Aborted]
PMA2 Egress
LSG Rear-Wall Filter Exchange
Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation
Combustion Integrated Rack Bottle Gather
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Open
PAO Preparation
Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #2 Bottle Replacement
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
iPad WiFi switch to CrewNet network to install Everywear App
Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #4 Bottle Replacement
EXTERNAL TELEVISION CAMERA GROUP (ETVCG) METAL HALIDE LAMP 150W REMOVE AND REPLACE – CREW QUARTERS PREP
Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation
EveryWear App Configuration [Deferred]
ISAAC Setup
Antimicrobial Coatings Touch
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Close
EXTERNAL TELEVISION CAMERA GROUP (ETVCG) METAL HALIDE LAMP 150W REMOVE AND REPLACE – CREW QUARTERS PREP
MRM1 comm config to support tag-up
Comm reconfig for nominal ops
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
EXTERNAL TELEVISION CAMERA GROUP (ETVCG) METAL HALIDE LAMP 150W REMOVE AND REPLACE – CREW QUARTERS PREP
KEyence Research Microscope Testbed (KERMIT) USB Installation
Microscope Reposition Preparation
Atmospheric Control System (ACS) Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) O2 Recharge Tank Transfer init
Photo T/V (P/TV) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Exercise Video Setup
Power off SSC (Station Support Computer) 23
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation
Build Emergency Cargo Transfer Bags for Air Portable Breathing Apparatus
EXTERNAL TELEVISION CAMERA GROUP (ETVCG) METAL HALIDE LAMP 150W REMOVE AND REPLACE – CREW QUARTERS PREP
Real-time Protein Crystal Growth Microscopy Plate S/N 1B1 Day3
In-flight Maintenance (IFM) External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Light Bulb R&R Gather
Microscope Reposition Post Ops
LSG Work Volume Stow
Node 2 Camcorder External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Setup
In-flight Maintenance (IFM) External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Bulb Remove and Replace
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
C&T Procedure Print and Replace
Emergency O2 PBA move
Atmospheric Control System (ACS) Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS) Oxygen Transfer Initiation
HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Hardware Setup
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
SpX-CREW DRAGON Rendezvous review CBT
BMRRM Stow
ISAAC Target Trash
Astrobee Stowage Replace
Node 2 Camcorder External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Return
Radio Frequency Identification Logistics Hardware Removal
In-flight Maintenance (IFM) External Television Camera Group (ETVCG) Restow
TERMINATOR. Terminator-Limb Science Hardware Teardown
WANTED MSRR TECS Cap Kit1
Internal Audio Subsystem (IAS) Crew Quarter (CQ) Audio Cable Configuration
Power ON SSC (Station Support Computer) 23