NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 22 July 2019 – Full Crew Gets to Work
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday at 6:24 p.m. EDT for the launch of its 18th contracted Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station. This will be the third flight of this particular reusable Dragon space freighter atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
The Expedition 60 crew is now fully staffed with three new flight engineers, who arrived Saturday aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft, expanding the station inhabitants to six. Drew Morgan of NASA, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos are getting used to their new home in space and working to get the orbiting lab up to full speed.
Morgan will be on Dragon duty Friday morning, monitoring its approach to the station. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch will capture the commercial cargo craft around 7 a.m. with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Dragon is delivering a variety of research gear supporting human health and the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3) for commercial vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX.
Station managers are planning a spacewalk to complete the installation of the IDA-3 on the space-facing side of the Harmony module. Parmitano, Hague and Koch teamed up Monday to service U.S. spacesuits ahead of the upcoming spacewalk.
Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Skvortsov focused on science and maintenance in the Russian segment of the space station. Ovchinin photographed the condition of the Zvezda service module docking port and checked radiation readings. Skvortsov, now on his third station mission, inventoried gear delivered aboard the new Soyuz crew ship.
On-orbit Status Report
59 Soyuz Launch/Dock: 59S launched on Saturday, July 20, from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 11:28 AM CT carrying Aleksandr Skvortsov, Luca Parmitano and Andrew Morgan to the ISS. Docking to the SM aft port occurred at 5:50 PM CT with hatch opening at 8:04 PM CT. Following hatch opening, all 6 crewmembers performed the ISS Crew Safety Briefing during which the 58S crew familiarized the 59S crew with potential hazards and available safety measures. Plans were reviewed for emergency actions, roles and responsibilities in response to depressurization, fire and toxic release hazards.
The ISS Experience: Over the weekend, the crew used the ISS Experience Z-Camera and recorded an hour of the 59S crew ingress. The ISS Experience creates a virtual reality film documenting daily life aboard the ISS. The 8 to 10 minute videos created from footage taken during the six-month investigation cover different aspects of crew life, execution of science aboard the station, and the international partnerships involved. The ISS Experience uses a Z-CAM V1 Pro Cinematic Virtual Reality (VR) 360-degree camera with nine 190° fisheye lenses.
Actiwatch Spectrum: Following arrival on the Station, the 59S crewmembers donned Actiwatches. The Actiwatch Spectrum is a waterproof, nonintrusive, sleep-wake monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember. The device contains an accelerometer for measuring motion and color sensitive photodiodes (a photodetector capable of converting light into voltage) for monitoring ambient lighting. Together, these capabilities enable the Actiwatch Spectrum to be used to analyze circadian rhythms, sleep-wake patterns, and activity.
Dose Distribution Inside the ISS – 3D (DOSIS 3D): The crew deployed the eleven DOSIS-3D dosimeters in the Columbus module. This experiment uses active and passive detectors to determine the radiation doses inside the ISS and provides documentation of the actual nature and distribution of the radiation fields. A concise three dimensional dose distribution map of all the segments of the ISS will be developed based on this data and data from JAXA and NASA monitoring devices.
Combustion Integration Rack (CIR)/Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME)/Flame Design: The crew replaced N2 and O2 bottles in the ACME facility. The Flame Design investigation studies the production and control of soot in order to optimize oxygen-enriched combustion and the design of robust, soot-free flames. Soot can adversely affect efficiency, emissions, and equipment lifetime, so this may lead to more efficient and cleaner burner designs. The experiment is conducted with spherical flames of gaseous fuels in the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) as part of the Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project.
Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF): The crew installed and set up the humidifiers on both the Micro-G and 1-G CBEF facilities. The CBEF is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) sub rack facility; it is an incubator with an artificial gravity generator. CBEF is housed in the Saibo Experiment Rack with the Clean Bench (CB).
Genes in Space-6: The crew acquired swab samples from the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and the JAXA JEM module. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage caused by increased exposure to radiation can affect the long-term health of astronauts. Genes in Space-6 determines the optimal DNA repair mechanisms that cells use in the spaceflight environment. The investigation evaluates the entire process in space for the first time by inducing DNA damage in cells and assessing mutation and repair at the molecular level using the miniPCR and the Biomolecule Sequencer tools aboard the space station.
Thermal Amine Scrubber (TAS) Operations: TAS was activated on Saturday following 59 Soyuz arrival but experienced a shutdown Sunday due to blower overcurrent. Node 3 Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) was activated initially, but to improve power balance ground teams proceeded with activating US LAB CDRA which remains operational. Ground teams are assessing the TAS shutdown.
International Docking Adapter (IDA)3 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: In preparation for the upcoming IDA3 EVA, the crew performed the following:
Retractable Equipment Tether (RET) inspection to check for damaged cords.
Photo TV Camera accessories bag audit to verify contents of the bag and take photos of the items for ground review.
NASA Zero-Gravity Lever (NZGL) Familiarization: This is a standard electrical and data EVA connector on the USOS. The crew reviewed operations and work arounds in the event they have difficulties during the EVA.
Dragon On-Board Training (OBT): In preparation for SpX-18 arrival the crew reviewed Dragon training materials and completed an overview of Dragon attached phase configuration and operations review. SpX-18 is scheduled to launch on July 24 with capture and berthing on July 26.
Completed Task List Activities:
Photo TV bag audit
SSC hard drive setup
CEVIS pedal fix
HTV-8 trash gather
Lab Condensate TEE labeling
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
O365 deploy
Water transfer to WPA
Payloads ops support
Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 7/23 (GMT 204) – Off Duty day
Payloads:
PK-4 chamber valve to Argon Gas (Joint)
Systems:
Crew off duty
Wednesday, 7/24 (GMT 203)
Payloads:
NUTRISS Setup part 1 (ESA)
ELF Gas Bottle Unit Valve close in prep for new arriving controller (JAXA)
Food Acceptability (NASA)
PK-4 Experiment Run 1 (Joint)
Systems:
Crew adaptation
Recycle tank R&R
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
EXPRESS Rack 5 ZBook Setup
Plasma Kristal (РК-4). Hard drive exchange
Space Moss Item Gathering
XF305 Camcorder Setup
PAO hardware setup. Video/Audio Check (Ku + S-band)
Space Moss Laptop Setup
Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Humidifier Setup for CBEF Incubator Unit 1G
Genes In Space 6 Swab Operations
Crew Prep for PAO
Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Humidifier Setup for CBEF Incubator Unit Micro-G
TV conference with participants of Space Lesson
Plant Exp Unit Filter Cover Installation
Deactivation of Gas Analyzer in Soyuz 742
ISS Experience Hardware Stow
Bringing ODF up to date using Soyuz 746 delivered files
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) NASA Zero-Gravity Lever (NZGL) Familarization
Genes in Space MELFI Insert
Environmental Health System (EHS) – Rad Detector Relocate
Photo of a scuffmark left by the Active Docking Assembly Probe on the Passive Docking Assembly (АСП-SM) Receiving Cone
TOCA Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
Downlink Docking Cone Internal Surface Photos and Data via OCA
PILLE Dosimeter Reading
Actiwatch Plus Evaluation Display Check
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Retractable Equipment Tether (RET) Inspection
Photo/TV EVA Camera Accessories Bag Audit
Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Rack Doors Opening
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Open
Virtual Reality Training (VRT) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue
Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Manifold 2 Bottle Swap
Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #2 Bottle Replacement
Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR). Rack Doors Closure
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Close
Enhanced Caution and Warning System (ECWS) On-Board Training
Plasma Kristal (PK-4). Installation of Video Monitor
EXPRESS Rack 5 ZBook Setup Start
TOCA Sample Data Record
СОЖ maintenance
TOCA Waste Water Bag (WWB) Changeout
EXPRESS Rack 5 ZBook Setup Finish
Auxiliary Laptop Computer System Virus Definition File Update
ISS HAM Radio and Video Power Up
PK-4 Video Monitor Checkout
PK-4. Cleaning gas bottles
Recycle Tank Drain
Recycle Tank Drain Part 2
Preparing for SW Antivirus Scan on Auxiliary Computer System Laptops
