NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 20 February 2020 – New Bone Research

New bone research kicked off on the International Space Station today to improve human health on and off the Earth. The Expedition 62 crew also practiced an emergency simulation with ground controllers.
Living in space causes bone loss and scientists are studying ways to offset the negative effects to ensure long-term mission success. Results from the new OsteoOmics-02 study aboard the orbiting lab also have implications bone diseases on Earth.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan spent Thursday morning setting up the bone experiment hardware for operations in the Life Sciences Glovebox. Doctors will be observing the mechanisms of rapid bone loss in microgravity and extend that knowledge to learn more about osteoporosis on Earth.

The duo then joined Commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos in the afternoon and practiced their emergency response training. The three crewmates coordinated their communication, roles and responsibilities with mission controllers in Houston and Moscow. In the unlikely event of a fire, chemical leak or pressure leak, the crew would need to locate safety gear, close module hatches and possibly evacuate the station aboard a Soyuz crew ship.

Before the training session, Skripochka spent the morning on an experiment exploring how long-term spaceflight impacts the professionalism of a crewmember. Results will help Russian scientists understand how a cosmonaut will react to different phases of a mission such as docking to another spacecraft or landing on another planet.

On-Orbit Status Report

Food Acceptability: The crew completed a Food Acceptability Survey using the Data Collection Tool on an SSC (Station Support Computer). This investigation seeks to determine the impact of repetitive consumption of food currently available from the spaceflight food system. Results will be used in developing strategies to improve food system composition to support crew health and performance on long duration missions.

ISS HAM pass: The crew participated in an ISS HAM pass with Maple Dale Elementary School, Cincinnati, OH. Some of the questions asked the crew what things are easy on Earth but difficult in space, how things like planets are dodged in space, and what happens if a crewmember is allergic to something arriving on a supply ship. ISS Ham Radio provides opportunities to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math by providing a means to communicate between astronauts and the ground HAM radio units.

OsteoOmics: The crew performed a media exchange for day 1 of the first session of the OsteoOmics investigation. The activities went smoothly and were completed ahead of schedule. A previous version of OsteoOmics was performed several years ago and was very successful – the current experiment expands on those successes. Millions of Americans experience bone loss, which results from disease or the reduced effects of gravity that can occur in bed-ridden patients. OsteoOmics tests whether magnetic levitation accurately simulates the free-fall conditions of microgravity by comparing genetic expression osteoblastic cells, a type of bone cell, levitated in a high-field superconducting magnet with cells flown in low-Earth orbit. This information helps scientists determine the molecular and metabolic changes that take place in magnetic levitation and real microgravity.

Systems:

Emergency Simulation OBT: Today, the crew participated in a training exercise for ISS fire and rapid depressurization emergency scenarios. The emergency training consisted of:

Crew and ground controllers utilizing simulator data to identify each of the emergency scenarios and executing the appropriate response procedure(s).
The crew physically translating through ISS to the appropriate response locations to visualize the use of equipment and interfaces.
Practicing communication and coordination with the mission control centers in Houston and Moscow for the each of the scenarios.
A post-simulation crew conference to discuss/evaluate the crew/ground control responses during the training event.

Completed Task List Activities:
PCS Laptop Relocate
WHC KTO Replace
Cygnus Cargo Operations

Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Training for Emergency Response On-board ISS
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Walk-off to Lab PDGF
Primary Power System (PPS) Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) FDIR Configuration
JEMRMS ICS-EF Reposition (EFU-7 to EFU-13)

Friday, 2/21 (GMT 052)
Payloads:
ELF
Food Acceptability
Food Physiology
MSL-HERMES vacuum valve close
OsteoOmics
Plasma Krystal-4
POLAR desiccant swap

Systems:
Payload Laptop Terminal 3 (PLT3) BIOS Settings
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Robotics and Rendezvous Review
On-Board Training (OBT) Dragon OBT Conference

Saturday, 2/22 (GMT 053)
Payloads:
MSL-HERMES valve open

Systems:
Crew Off-Duty

Sunday, 2/23 (GMT 054)
Payloads:
Fluid Shifts dilution measures setup

Systems:
Crew Off-Duty

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

Reminder Portable O2 Monitor (POM) Reading
LSG Crew Restraint Installation Subsequent (Primary)
OsteoOmics-2 Maintenance Work Area Preparation
SEPARATION. Activation of [???-?-??] system. Starting distillation cycles.
OsteoOmics LSG Operations
Close Soyuz 744 Liquid Flow Regulator (???)
OsteoOmics Thaw Kit Retrieval
PILOT-T. Experiment setup
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
PILOT-T. Experiment Ops.
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
PILOT-T. Closeout Ops
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
OsteoOmics Thaw Bag Retrieval
OsteoOmics-2 MELFI Sample Retrieve
OsteoOmics BioCell Thaw Operations
??? Maintenance – Maintenance test activation of Vozdukh Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves [??? ???]
OsteoOmics BioCell Habitat Cleanup
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – COL
LSG Primary Crew Restraint Fold
SEPARATION. Deactivation of [???-?-??] system. Log-file downlink.
Training for Emergency Response On-board ISS
Training for Emergency Response Onboard ISS Crew internal discussion. Comm reconfig for nominal ops
Payload Laptop Terminal 3 (PLT3) shell changeout
Visual inspection and photography of ??28-120 voltage converter (Behind SM Panel 231?)
Training for Emergency Response Onboard ISS – Crew and Ground teams discuss the results of the OBT event
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Recharging Soyuz 744 Samsung PC after OBT, start recharge
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
OsteoOmics BioCell Split
UROLUX Prep
Evening Preparation Work
OsteoOmics-2 Glacier Sample Removal
Food Acceptability Survey