NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 April 2018
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft stands atop its launch pad counting down to a 4:30 p.m. EDT liftoff today to the International Space Station.
The Expedition 55 crew is preparing for its arrival on Wednesday while continuing a variety of advanced space research aboard the orbital lab today.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is hosting the 14th launch of a SpaceX commercial cargo mission to the space station. Astronauts Norishige Kanai and Scott Tingle are practicing the maneuvers and procedures necessary to capture Dragon with the Canadarm2 when it arrives at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. Their fellow flight engineers Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold joined them later in the afternoon to review the cargo they’ll transfer back and forth after they open the hatches to Dragon.
Feustel spent the better part of his day testing algorithms on a pair of tiny internal satellites that could be used to detect spacecraft positions and velocities. Arnold strapped himself into an exercise cycle for an exertion in space study then collected his blood samples for stowage and later analysis.
Expedition 55 Commander Anton Shkaplerov worked on a multitude of Russian maintenance tasks checking communications and life support gear. Shkaplerov also joined cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev for another exercise study, this time on the Russian side of the lab, exploring its effectiveness during long term space missions.
On-Orbit Status Report
SpaceX-14 Launch: SpX-14 launched nominally today at 3:30:38 pm CDT. In preparation for vehicle arrival, the crew performed an Onboard Training (OBT) session to practice offset grapples. After the crew’s training session, ground specialists relocated the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to the Dragon Park Position. In addition, all USOS crew participated in a conference with ground cargo transfer specialists to discuss the SpX-14 cargo unloading and loading plan. Capture and berthing is scheduled for this Wednesday at 9:47 CDT.
Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) SmoothNav: A crewmember set up and performed a SPHERES SmoothNav test run today. SmoothNav uses an estimation algorithm aggregating relative state measurements between multiple, small, and potentially differently instrumented spacecraft. The algorithm obtains the most probable estimate of the relative positions and velocities between all spacecraft using all available sensor information, including past measurements. The algorithm remains portable between different satellite platforms with different onboard sensors, adaptable in the case that one or more satellites become inoperable, and tolerant to delayed measurements or measurements received at different frequencies.
Veg-03: Yesterday the crew watered the plants and continued with the photo-documentation of plant growth for the Veg-03 investigation. Veg-03 supports the proof-of concept for the Veggie plant growth chamber and the planting pillows. Future long duration space missions will require a fresh food supply grown in space to supplement crew diets.
Microbial Tracking-2 (MT-2): To support the MT-2 investigation, a 53S crewmember collected his Flight Day 105 saliva and body samples and inserted them into the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). He also completed a body sample questionnaire. The MT-2 series continues the monitoring of the types of microbes that are present on the ISS. It seeks to catalog and characterize potential disease-causing microorganisms onboard the ISS. Crew pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight samples and environmental samples are collected to identify any associations between the microbial content of the samples, as well as potential health effects.
Human Research Facility (HRF)-2: Today the crew verified that blood collection processing in the HRF-2 Refrigerated Centrifuge has not been affected by troubleshooting of the Rack Interface Controller (RIC) on HRF-2. Communication to the rack was lost on March 25th. Ground teams are currently developing additional troubleshooting steps.
Post Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Activities: Following last Thursday’s successful EVA, the crew completed an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) #3006 and #3010 loop scrub, iodination of the ion filters, and water conductivity tests. The crew also conducted a checkout of the Metal Oxide (MetOx) canister (SN 0013) that was removed prior to EVA 49 when EMU #3006 failed the pre EVA leak check. Today’s loop scrub was completed successfully, exonerating the MetOx canister as the cause of the failed leak check.
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Robotics Operations: Today, the Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS in support of crew Dragon Offset Grapple practice. During this On-Board-Training (OBT) session, the crew maneuvered the Canadarm2 for training/familiarization in preparation for SpaceX CRS-14 capture. Later, flight controllers performed MSS diagnostics and checkouts on the arm’s “Redundant” string which passed nominally. The arm was left at the Dragon Rendezvous Park position in preparation for Wednesday and the flight controllers then performed data gathering to further investigate a previous Video Distribution Unit (VDU) #3 anomaly.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Microbial Tracking-2 Sample MELFI Insert
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Attached Phase Operations Review
Crew Prep for Audio Conference
SPHERES Battery Swap
Max Cycle Ergometer w/ Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Partial Set Up
Pre-Mouse Stress Defense Item Gathering
PAO Audio Conference
Microbial Tracking-2 Body Questionnaire
Inspection and photo RS windows
Microbial Tracking-2 Body Sample Collection
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub Initiation
Microbial Tracking-2 Sample MELFI Insert
ISS Crew Orientation
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Power Up
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
ACME MWA Prep
SPHERES Battery Swap
COUNTERMEASURES (PROFILAKTIKA). Preparation for the Experiment.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Post Scrub Cooling Loop Water (H2O) Sample
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS [Aborted]
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Iodination
PAO Preparation
COUNTERMEASURES (PROFILAKTIKA). Aisstance with ??-3 Test.
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Conductivity Test
COUNTERMEASURES (PROFILAKTIKA). PROFILAKTIKA. Experiment Ops on ??-2 Treadmill (MO-3 Test in Passive Mode).
JEM System Laptop Terminal Reboot
COUNTERMEASURES (PROFILAKTIKA). Closeout Ops.
SPHERES Crew Conference
Auxiliary Laptop Computer System Virus Definition File Update
Delta file prep
SPHERES Test Session Setup
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Partial Stow
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Scrub Deconfiguration
Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Gather
CONSTANTA-2. CONSTANTA-2. Cassette Retrieval from ???-? and Setup on a panel for a 1-hour warmup
Test of ???-95 devices in MRM2 and FGB.
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Offset Grapple
CONSTANTA-2. Preparation and Execution 3.
INTER-MAI-75. Setup, config set-up and HAM Radio activation.
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Offset Grapple
Checking ??-2 treadmill carriage position. Photograph position of ??-2 carriage relative to pullout roller by lifting ??-2 curtain. Downlink photo via OCA. Downlink photo via OCA.
Prep for ???-95 Checkout in DC1.
Preparation for ???-1?2 (?-1, ?-2) Cartridge Replacement in ????.
Countermeasures System (CMS) Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Conclude
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Attached Phase Operations Review
Max Cycle Ergometer w/ Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Partial Set Up
??? Maintenance
Checkout of ???? ???-1?2 cartridges, Preparation.
Demate ???-1?2 telemetry connectors (?-1, ?-2).
Checkout of ???? ???-1?2 cartridges (?-1, ?-2).
Dragon Cargo Operations Review
SPHERES USB Download
Mating ???-1?2 telemetry connectors (?-1, ?-2).
Stow Syringes used in H2O Conductivity Test
Checkout of ???? ???-1?2 cartridges, Closeout ops.
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
INTER-MAI-75. Hardware deactivation
Completed Task List Activities
EKAM Lens Transfer [Completed GMT 90]
Hefty Bag Consolidate [Completed GMT 90]
JEM Wireless Instrumentation System Environmental Monitor Remote Sensor Unit Battery R&R [Completed GMT 90]
J-RSU BATT-R&R
Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
EVA Loop Scrub support
MSS Configuration
SSRMS Maneuver to Dragon Park Position
MCA Zero Calibration
N3 CDRA Activation
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 04/03: ACME Chamber Insert Config, Mouse Habitat Prep, Dragon ROBoT OBT, MAX CEVIS, SPHERES Conference, POLAR OBT.
Wednesday, 04/04: SpaceX-14 Capture and Berthing, SPHERES Run, Veggie03, Mouse Habitat Setup
Thursday, 04/05: Dragon Cargo Ops, Mouse Stress Defense, TangoLab 2 Install, TangoLab 1 Card R&R, POLAR Sample Xfr, MVP Install, NanoRacks Plate Reader2 Ops
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
