NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 April, 2020 – Earth Day from Space
A Russian space freighter has rolled out to its launch pad ready to resupply the International Space Station this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Expedition 63 crew is ramping up its preparations for the first Commercial Crew mission and more cargo activities planned for May.
Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA is looking forward to welcoming a pair of fellow NASA astronauts aboard the station at the end of May. Commercial Crew astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley are preparing for their launch aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship scheduled for May 27 at 4:23 p.m. The first crew to launch from U.S. soil since 2011 will dock one day later to the station and join Expedition 63 for a months-long mission.
The crew aboard the orbiting lab is also due to receive its first space delivery on Saturday at 1:12 a.m. EDT. Russia’s Progress 75 (75P) cargo craft will carry several tons of crew supplies and station hardware and automatically dock to the aft port of the Zvezda service module. The 75P will lift off on Friday at 9:51 p.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for the short three-and-a-half hour flight to the station.
Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner are training for Saturday morning’s automated arrival of the 75P. The duo practiced remotely-controlled emergency rendezvous and docking techniques in the unlikely event the 75P wouldn’t be able to approach and dock to the station on its own.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft is being readied to end its stay attached to the station’s Unity module on May 11. Cassidy and Ivanishin packed trash and discarded gear inside Cygnus today for a fiery disposal in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean.
Finally, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is targeting May 20 for the launch of its ninth cargo mission to the station. JAXA’s HTV (H-II Transfer Vehicle) cargo craft, nicknamed Kounotori, would take a five-day trip before being captured and installed to the station with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
On-Orbit Staus Report
Japanese Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD#13): The crew completed the final installation steps for the J-SSOD#13 deployable satellites onto the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform and then retracted the JEM slide table back into the Airlock in preparation for the deployment. The JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) provides a novel, safe, and small satellite launching capability to the International Space Station (ISS). The J-SSOD is a unique satellite launcher, handled by the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), which provides containment and deployment mechanisms for several individual small satellites. Once J-SSOD, including satellite install cases with small satellites, is installed on the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) by crew members, it is passed through the JEM airlock for retrieval, positioning, and deployment by the JEMRMS.
Veggie Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS): The crew terminated the grow out and removed the module and prepped them for return. 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. Therefore, understanding how plants respond to microgravity and demonstrating the 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.
Systems
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis & Data Record: Crew performed an analysis of the water processing assembly (WPA) using the TOCA. The TOCA unit oxidizes organic carbon species present in the water to carbon dioxide gas and measures the concentration using nondispersive infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the potable water using the TOCA occurs on a weekly basis.
Completed Task List Activities:
ARED Seat Cushion and Cover Clean
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Photovoltaic Thermal Control System (PVTCS) Pump Switchover
Look Ahead Plan
Thursday, 4/23 (GMT 114)
Payloads:
Food Physiology Brief (NASA)
CIR-FOMA-Calibration unit replace (NASA)
ACTIWATCH-swap and data downlink (NASA)
MSL GEDS SCA sample Cartridge swap (NASA)
ELC4 laptop shell swap (NASA)
Systems:
Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Brine Filter Gather
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Friday, 4/24 (GMT 115)
Payloads:
CIR-FOMA-Calibration unit prep (NASA)
GEDI Photo (NASA)
JEM Airlock depress (NASA)
Systems:
MAX CEVIS Session
Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Brine Filter Changeout
Recycle Tank Drain & Fill
HAM Radio Powerdown
USOS Shutter Close
Saturday, 4/25 (GMT 116)
Payloads:
No payload activities
Systems:
Hatch Seal Inspection
HAM Radio Powerup
USOS Shutter Close
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
KORREKTSIYA. Blood Collection, Accelerometry and Data Transfer from Actimeter to data storage device. Processing venous blood sample in Plasma-03 centrifuge.
Insertion of Russian experiments blood samples into MELFI
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side & Retraction from JPM Side
KORREKTSIYA. Log Entry of Liquids and Food (Medicine) Intake
JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) onto Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform Installation Parts 2 & 3
EXPRESS Laptop Computer 4 SSD Removal
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis & Data Record
Gathering and Activation of Crew Onboard Support Kit (????) camcorder in SM for TV Mpeg2 coverage of TORU OBT via Ku-band
Photo T/V (P/TV) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Exercise Video Setup Verification & Stow
Small Satellite Orbital Deployer Checkout Cleanup & Prep
TORU OBT
SSOD 13 Flag Set and Photo
Veggie Ponds Growout 1&2 Termination
SM Video Transfer Test via Software Encoder to SSC2 Laptop
MATRYOSHKA-R. Tritel Hardware Monitoring
ISS Crew Orientation
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – JEM
Pack and Stow Trash for Transfer to Cygnus (NG-13) for Disposal
NEUROIMMUNITET. KORREKTSIYA. Experiment.
NEUROIMMUNITET. Pulse oximetry recording and saliva sample collection
