NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 23 August 2018 – Studying An Ancient Navigation Technique

A Russian cargo ship departed the International Space Station Wednesday night as another resupply mission from Japan is planned in September.
The Expedition 56 crew members also observed protein crystals, studied an ancient navigation technique and researched time perception in space.

Two Soyuz crew ships and a Progress resupply ship remain docked at the orbital lab after the Progress 69 (69P) cargo craft undocked from the Zvezda service module Wednesday at 10:16 p.m. EDT. It will orbit Earth until Aug. 29 for engineering tests monitored by Roscosmos mission controllers before deorbiting over the Pacific Ocean.

The next resupply mission is coming from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s “Kounotori” H-II Transfer Vehicle. It is targeted for launch Sept. 10 to deliver science, supplies and batteries for installation during a pair of spacewalks next month. Russia’s next resupply mission, the Progress 71, is targeted for a two-day trip to the station at the end of October.

Commander Drew Feustel continued working on a pair of similar protein crystal experiments today. The BioServe Protein Crystalography-1 and Protein Crystal Growth-13 studies allow astronauts to observe crystal growth in space and analyze the results. This saves researchers time without having to wait for samples to be returned to Earth for analysis.

Alexander Gerst of ESA assisted Serena Auñón-Chancellor from NASA and tested using a sextant in space for celestial navigation during an emergency. The duo worked inside the Cupola today and tested stability, positioning and sighting with the device using a star map.

Gerst then switched his attention to a European Space Agency study exploring how astronauts perceive time in space. Researchers seek to quantify subjective changes in time perception to understand how astronauts navigate, move and hear in space.

On-Orbit Status Report

69 Progress (69P) Undock: Last night, 69P undocked from the Service Module (SM) Aft port at 9:16 PM CDT. This Progress vehicle will remain on-orbit conduct non-ISS free-flight experiments until 29-August. The deorbit burn is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29 at 8:24 PM CDT followed by atmospheric entry and destruction.

Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) 13: The crew set up the PCG 13 investigation hardware and filled a subset of the new PCG card wells. The CASIS PCG 13 investigation seeks to enhance the way crystals are grown in a microgravity environment. It allows crewmembers to observe imperfections within a crystal and make real-time adjustments for follow-up experiments with samples already on the ISS. The changes have the potential to dramatically reduce the time it takes to conduct an experiment onboard the ISS.

BioServe Protein Crystallography (BPC)-1: The crew performed microscope operations today for the BPC-1 investigation. They removed the BPC-1 samples from the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL), made observations, photographed the sample wells with the microscope, and returned the samples to the SABL. BPC-1 seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting protein crystal growth in real time onboard the ISS. Crewmembers add solutions to the hardware, observe the crystals that form and adjust for follow-on experiments. This approach gives scientists the ability to optimize crystal growth in microgravity instead of waiting for samples to return and then launching them again.

Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack (ER)5 Valve Removal and Replacement (R&R) and Plant Habitat Disassembly: Today the crew de-installed the Plant Habitat facility from ER5 and R&Red the leaking ER Subsystem Valve. This valve was identified as the source of a Moderate Temperature Loop leak in the Japanese Experiment Module on August 10th. The Rack has been re-powered and ground specialists are performing a checkout post R&R in preparation for tomorrow’s re-installation of Plant Habitat.

Sextant Navigation: Today the crew performed a session for the Sextant Navigation investigation. The crew collected the data and recorded the results for ground evaluation. This session focused on stable sighting position identification and evaluation. Astronauts onboard the ISS test a hand-held sextant that is intended for use on future Orion exploration missions. The results from this investigation can aid in the development of emergency navigation methods for future manned spacecraft. Historically, Gemini missions in 1965-66 were the first to exercise sextant sightings from a spacecraft. A sextant was built into Apollo vehicles as a navigation backup in case of lost communications.

Time Perception in Microgravity: The crew performed a session for ESA’s Time Perception in Microgravity investigation today. The accurate perception of objects in the environment is a prerequisite for spatial orientation and reliable performance of motor tasks. Time is fundamental to motion perception, sound localization, speech, and fine motor coordination. The Time Perception experiment quantifies the subjective changes in time perception in humans during and after long-duration exposure to microgravity.

MATISS: The crew installed four MATISS sample holders in the Columbus module today. The MATISS experiment investigates the antibacterial properties of materials in space for possible application in future spacecraft. MATISS is expected to provide additional insight into the mechanisms of attachment of biofilms in microgravity conditions.

Node 3 Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Mass Spectrometer Assembly (ORU 02) Install: This morning the crew installed the new ORU 02 (S/N F0007) in the Node 3 MCA. While the previous Node 3 MCA ORU 02 was removed last Increment and returned to the ground for failure analysis, the failure investigation was unable to find any problems with the returned ORU. By installing the new ORU into the MCA, ground specialist can determine if the problem still exists on-orbit or if the ground should begin more invasive testing of the returned unit.

Completed Task List Activities:
None

Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Standard Commanding

Two-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 08/24:

Payloads
Plant Habitat reinstallation in ER5
SPHERES SmoothNav session
CASIS PCG 13 fill subset of wells in new card
SpaceTex-2 and Metabolic Space exercise session

Systems
Columbus module IMV Supply Fan Assembly (ISFA) R&R

Saturday, 08/25:

Payloads
HAM Radio Pass
BCAT Camera Activation
SPHERES USB Stick Stow

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

Multipurpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Component Deactivation for Atomization
SPHERES Rechargeable Battery Install
Switch ПрК-ТК PEV to CLOSED position
PCG-13 MWA Preparation
SPHERES Battery Setup
Installation of MATISS Sample Holders
СКПФ1, СКПФ2 Dust Filter Replacement and MRM1 Gas-Liquid Heat Exchanger (ГЖТ) Cleaning
Retrieval of PCG13 Hardware into MELFI
ISS HAM Service Module Pass
PCG-13 Card Fill Operations
СОЖ maintenance
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Video Compression And Recording Unit (MSPR VRU) Cable fit check1
EVA Biomed Pigtail Electrical Connector Inspections
Multi-purpose Small Payload2 Rack (MSPR2) Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) cooling water QD Connection
Maintenance closures of Vozdukh emergency valves
Node 3 Camcorder Setup
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Mass Spectrometer Assembly Install
JEM Regenerative Heat Exchanger (RHX) Water Wipe
BIOCARD. Experiment Session.
Cleanup of Columbus Bay 4
SPHERES Rechargeable Battery Charge and Stow
Columbus Video Camera Assembly 1 Adjustment
IMV Supply Fan Assembly (ISFA) R&R – Day 1
ESA Monthly Management Conference
SPHERES Battery Setup
MOTOCARD. Experiment Session.
PHAB-DEINSTL-GATHER
SPHERES Rechargeable Battery Charge and Stow
ESA Weekly crew conference
MOTOCARD. Experiment Session.
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-Cohesive Sedimentation SB-800 Flash Battery Changeout
Return Node 3 XF305 camcorder to its nominal location.
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill [Aborted]
Insertion of PCG13 Hardware into MELFI
Plant Hab Facility De-install
SPHERES Battery Setup
Sextant Navigation Session 4 Operations
BioServe Protein Crystallography Microscope Phase 2 Operations
Changeout of Dust Filter ПФ1-4 Cartridges in SM
СТТС Configuration for MRM1 comm
SEPARATSIYA. Flushing Centrifugal Multi-Purpose Vacuum Distiller (ЦМВД) and Urine Circulation Loop. Auto distillation of water with pre-treat solution.
Formaldehyde Monitoring Kit (FMK) Stow Operation
ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Microscope Reposition Post Ops [Deferred]
Node3 Air Revitalization System (ARS) Rack – Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) – Hand Valve 01 (HV01) Open
Preventive Maintenance of SM Ventilation Subsystem. Group В1
Lighting Effects Visual Performance Tests Light Setting – Subject
SAMS Cable Replace
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) – Hand Valve 01 (HV01) Close
SPHERES Battery Setup
Crew Choice Event (CCE) High Definition (HD) Config LAB Setup
CCE Preparation
Time experiment science
Crew Choice Event
ER5 Sub Valve R&R
Replacement of ПФ1, ПФ2 Dust Filters and Cleaning В1, B2 Fan Screens in MRM2 Comm reconfig for nominal ops
IMS Update
Columbus Bay 4 Restore
Columbus Equipment power off
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
SPHERES Rechargeable Battery Charge and Stow
SPHERES Battery Setup
Battery Charge Deactivation for MetabolicSpace