NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 25 June, 2020 – Spacewalk Friday
The Expedition 63 crew is in final preparations today ahead of Friday’s spacewalk to replace batteries on the outside of the International Space Station.
Commander Chris Cassidy and Flight Engineer Bob Behnken will exit the station Friday around 7:35 a.m. EDT for a planned seven-hour spacewalk.
They will disconnect aging nickel-hydrogen batteries from the Starboard-6 truss structure and stow them on an external pallet. The duo will then install new lithium-ion batteries in their place upgrading the orbital lab’s power systems. The batteries store power collected from the main solar arrays and for use throughout the station.
Cassidy and Behnken organized their spacewalk tools and readied their U.S. spacesuits inside the Quest airlock during the morning. They were joined in the afternoon by Flight Engineers Doug Hurley of NASA and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos for a quick review of tomorrow’s spacewalk procedures.
Hurley and Vagner have been reviewing their roles all week to assist tomorrow’s spacewalk. The pair will help the spacewalkers in and out of the Quest airlock as well as their spacesuits. Both crewmembers will also monitor and help choreograph the spacewalk, in conjunction with specialists on the ground, from inside the station.
NASA TV begins its live coverage of the spacewalk activities at 6 a.m. This will be the seventh spacewalk for both Cassidy and Behnken who each have conducted six spacewalks on previous missions at the space station.
Veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin spent his morning on lab maintenance on the station’s Russian segment. Afterward, Ivanishin set up sensors to monitor the radiation environment in the orbital lab.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads
Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons (RADI-N2): The crew retrieved all the RADIN-N2 dosimeters from the Russian crew and installed them in the Cupola. The objective of this Canadian Space Agency investigation is to better characterize the ISS neutron environment, define the risk posed to the crew members’ health, and provide the data necessary to develop advanced protective measures for future spaceflight. It’s been recognized that neutrons make up a significant fraction (10-30%) of the biologically effective radiation exposure in low-Earth orbit. The bubble detectors used in the investigation are designed to detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation.
Systems
S6 Battery Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today, the crew continued preparing for the S6 channel 1B battery upgrade EVA #1 by performing their equipment lock preps for Extravehicular Activity Mobility Units (EMU) 3004 and 3006. This is a continuation of the equipment lock prep started Monday. The crew also completed their EVA tool audit, and Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) / Robotic Workstation (RWS) setups. Finally, the crew completed their EVA procedure reviews and participated in a pre-EVA procedure review conference. The first of the two planned S6 channel 1B battery EVAs is set for tomorrow, Friday, June 26, 2020. The crew is scheduled to egress the Quest Joint Airlock shortly after 6:40 am CT.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Channel 1B battery discharge and safing (ongoing)
Remote PCS Reboots (Cupola and Lab RWS)
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) File Uplink
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, 6/26 (GMT 178)
Payloads:
ISS HAM powerup and powerdowns
Systems:
S6 1B Battery EVA#1 (Prep and EVA)
Saturday, 6/27 (GMT 179)
Payloads:
No Payload activities
Systems:
Post EVA PHS
EMU Water Recharge
EVA Procedure Review
EVA Debrief
Sunday, 6/28 (GMT 180)
Payloads:
Off-Duty
Systems:
Crew Off Duty
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
JEM Airlock Press & Leak Check
ISS Crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Team) weekly conference
UF-ATMOSFERA. PL Deactivation & Closeout Ops
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Pre EVA Examination
ISS O2 repress from Progress 443 (DC1) ???? Section 1
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Station Support Computer 16 and Portable Computer System Data Acquisition System Setup
Changeout of Replaceable Condensate Removal Lines [????].
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB)/Metal Oxide (METOX) Installation
Life on the Station Photo/Video
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Audit
PILLE Dosimeter Reading
Equipment Lock (E-LK) Preparation
PILLE sensors gathering and setup prior to USOS EVA
USOS EVA. EVA Procedure Review
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference
Visual inspection of ??28-120 voltage converter (behind SM panel 231?).
Portable Onboard Computers (POC) Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG) Setup
Progress 448 (SM Aft) Transfers and IMS Ops
Robotic Workstation (RWS) Setup
Relocate PBAs for upcoming EVA
Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons Hardware Handover
MATRYOSHKA-R. Handover of BUBBLE-dosimeters to USOS
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) iPad Contingency Procedures preparation
RADI-N Detector Deploy to Cupola
MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter initialization and deployment for exposure
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Program Management/ISS Crew Conference
ISS N2 repress from Progress 443 (DC1) ???? Section 2
