NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 2 May 2018 – SpaceX Dragon Stays a Couple Extra Days
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship’s stay at the International Space Station has been extended until Saturday after unfavorable conditions were reported at the splashdown zone in the Pacific Ocean.
In the meantime, time-sensitive payloads are still being readied for return to Earth as the crew wraps up final cargo packing.
Robotics controllers will operate the Canadarm2 to detach Dragon from the International Space Station’s Harmony module on Friday. It will be remotely released into Earth orbit Saturday at 9:24 a.m. EDT before finally splashing down in the Pacific Ocean around 3 p.m. Flight Engineer Scott Tingle will be in the Cupola monitoring Dragon as it slowly backs away from the space station.
NASA TV’s live coverage of Dragon’s departure begins Saturday at 9 a.m. The space freighter’s parachuted splashdown 403 miles off the coast of Long Beach, Calif. will not be televised.
Two NASA astronauts are looking ahead to their next spacewalk scheduled for May 16. Veteran spacewalkers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel took their body measurements today to ensure a proper fit inside their U.S. spacesuits. The duo will work outside the orbital lab for about 6.5 hours to swap out thermal control gear that circulates ammonia to keep station systems cool.
Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, who will assist the spacewalkers in two weeks, began configuring the Quest airlock where the 210th spacewalk at the station will be staged. He also trained to detect and clean ammonia from the spacesuits should they become contaminated during the maintenance spacewalk.
On-Orbit Status Report
SpaceX (SpX)-14 Dragon Operations: Yesterday, SpaceX reported unfavorable conditions at the landing site and the decision was made to slip to the alternate release date of May 5th. Today the crew relocated payloads and cold stowage from Dragon to ISS as required. Based on the modified timeline, the crew will resume loading activities, and complete preparing Dragon for unberth on Friday. Dragon release is scheduled at approximately 08:24 AM CDT on Saturday.
Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-7 (ACE-T-7): The crew removed the ACE-T-9 module from the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) today and replaced it with an ACE-T-7 module. The ACE-T-7 experiment involves the design and assembly of complex three-dimensional structures from small particles suspended within a fluid medium. These “self-assembled colloidal structures” are vital to the design of advanced optical materials and active devices. In the microgravity environment, insight is provided into the relation between particle shape and interparticle interactions on assembly structure and dynamics.
Veggie Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS): Today the crew thinned and photographed the plants growing for the Veggie PONDS experiment. Organisms grow differently in space, from single-celled bacteria to plants and humans. Future long-duration space missions will require crew members to grow their own food. Understanding how plants respond to microgravity and demonstrating reliable vegetable production on orbit are important steps toward that goal. Veggie PONDS uses a newly developed passive nutrient delivery system and the Veggie plant growth facility aboard the ISS to cultivate lettuce and mizuna greens which are to be harvested on-orbit, and consumed, with samples returned to Earth for analysis.
Lighting Effects: The crew obtained light meter readings in the Airlock and Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) today. The Lighting Effects investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today the crew continued preparations for the upcoming US EVA Pump Flow Control System (PFCS) Relocate currently planned on May 16th. In addition to terminating a Metox canister regeneration cycle, the crew completed their On-Orbit Fit Verification (OFV). During the OFV, crew will take body measurements of the two crewmembers scheduled to perform the EVA. These measurements are used to ensure the EMU suit is sized properly for that crewmember.
Environmental Health System (EHS) Microbial Air and Surface Sampling: Today the crew took surface and air samples for microbial analysis using the Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) and Surface Sample Kit (SSK). These samples will be incubated in Petri dishes, giving medical personnel a gauge of microbial growth in the air and on surfaces of the ISS. The EHS monitors the atmosphere for gaseous contaminants from nonmetallic materials off-gassing, combustion products, and propellants, microbial contaminants from crewmembers and Station activities, water quality, acoustics, and radiation levels.
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event: Today the crew participated in two live-to-air PAO events. Tingle and Feustel participated in the first event, answering questions from students in the Champlain Valley School District in Hinesburg, Vermont. Kanai participate in an event with Makuhari New City in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
ALGOMETRIYA. Preparing and Conducting tensor- and thermo-algometry measurements.
Lighting Effects Light Meter Setup
Installation of additional fans to improve thermal conditions of SM Electric Power Supply 800? storage batteries.
Photography of ??228 mockup temperature sensors on the external surface of MRM2
Lighting Effects Light Meter Readings
Cold Stowage Double Coldbag Unpack
Window glass photography on EV hatch 2 in MRM2 and EV hatch 1, hatch 2 in DC1
Lighting Effects Light Meter Stow
ASIM to Columbus serial line connection test
Dragon CTB Retrieve
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
Monitoring shutter closure on windows 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14.
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position
FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment.
Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron-VM or ???-??
Fruit Fly Lab-03 Hardware Transfer
Team Task Switching Experiment Survey – Subject
Multi-use Variable-g Platform Installation Operations
??? maintenance
Food Acceptability Questionnaire – Subject
Miniature Exercise Device Hardware Gather
Microbial Air Sampler (MAS) Kit Sample Collection
Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Open
Miniature Exercise Device Surface Pro 3 Charge
ALGOMETRIYA. Strain Measurements Mode
ACE Module Changout
ISS RS SM Lights Audit
FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops.
FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment.
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Social Media Event
PROBOY. Document review and equipment gathering.
Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Vent Cleaning
Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation
Fluids Integrated Rack Doors Close
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Airlock Unstow
Metal Oxide (METOX) Regeneration Termination
Cargo Water Container – Iodinated Degas
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Decontamination Training
PAO Preparation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Surface Sample Kit (SSK) Collection/Incubation
Veggie Ponds Plant Thin
Big Picture Words for ZSR Photo Activities
HRF Centrifuge Payload Drawer Checkout
FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) On-orbit Fitcheck Verification Measurements
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
ALGOMETRIYA. Conducting measurements in tenso- and thermo-algometry mode. Closeout Ops
Completed Task List Activities
None
Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Battery 3B1 Capacity Test
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 05/03: JEM ZSR Photo Survey, Mini Exercise Device Ops, ETVCG Assembly, EMU Loop Scrub
Friday, 05/04: Dragon Double Cold Bag Repack, Dragon Center Stack Transfer, Dragon Egress and Closeout
Saturday, 05/06: Housekeeping, Dragon Release Operations
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”) – On
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 – Idle
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off
