NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 25 October 2017 – Freon Leak Poses no Risk

Mid-week, the crew of Expedition 53 completed tasks to investigate the various ways microgravity affects the human body and shared the benefits of the International Space Station with students in Kiev, Ukraine, during a Public Affairs in-flight event.
At 11 a.m. EDT, Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA spoke with U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch live on NASA TV, and she moderated questions from Ukrainian and U.S. Embassy students eager to hear more on what it takes to be an astronaut aboard the orbiting laboratory. Bresnik spoke of his extensive training regimen before embarking on his mission, but reiterated that working together cohesively with a team and getting along with others ranked at the top of needed skills for an explorer. Bresnik also touted fellow crewmate Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA’s upcoming project on Friday: harvesting lettuce (five kinds, no less) that has been growing in space. He reminded the students that seeds may be a key component to deep space missions due to their small space requirements, making them perfect for packing into a compact spacecraft. Growing food is also the most sustainable option for crews hoping to live on the Red Planet for an extended period of time. Before closing out the event, Bresnik told the students to always nurture their thirst for knowledge, as it’s a trait that can be found among all astronauts and cosmonauts.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli took part in Day 2 of the 11-day study for Astronaut’s Energy Requirements for Long-Term Space Flight (Energy), an investigation zeroing in on the side effects of space travel. Today, he collected water samples from the station, continued with urine collection and stowed the deployed Pulmonary Function System equipment. The crew, as a whole, logged their food and drink consumption, furthering beefing up critical data for investigators. Physicians will examine metabolic rates, urine content and bone density to determine energy requirements for even longer missions in deep space. Since astronauts often lose body mass during extended stays for reasons that remain unclear, specifics about the crew’s metabolism and activities, as well as other conditions, help ensure they are properly nourished for their demanding schedules in zero-g.

A small amount of Freon (about 100 milliliters) leaked out from a small nanosatellite poised to be launched from Kibo on Friday. There is no risk to crew health and safety and no risk to station hardware. Teams remain on track to deploy this nanosatellite Friday.

On-Orbit Status Report

Node 3 Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Photos: This morning, the crew removed the WHC Kabin, took photographs of surrounding areas, and then replaced the WHC Kabin. These high-resolution, high-quality photos of seat track locations in the vicinity of the WHC and Node 3 Mid-Bay will be analyzed by teams on the ground. These analyses are needed for the design of the Double Stall enclosure attach points for the new Toilet System launching in 2019.

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Maintenance: The crew performed a half water dump and refill on EMU 3006 feedwater tanks and a full water dump and refill of EMUs 3003 and 3010 feeedwater tanks. These activities satisfy maintenance requirements for on-orbit stowage.

Astronaut’s Energy Requirements for Long-Term Space Flight (Energy): Today the subject performed day 2 of the 11-day Energy investigation, by collecting ISS water samples from the Potable Water Dispenser, continuing with urine collection, and stowing the deployed Pulmonary Function System (PFS) equipment. Throughout the day, the crew logged their food and drink consumptions as well. The Energy investigation measures an Astronaut’s Energy Requirements for Long-Term Space Flight, a crucial factor needed for sending the correct amount of the right types of food with space crews. Nine astronauts will be examined during exercise and rest cycles three months before launch, three months after arriving at space station and adapting to the space environment, and after return to Earth. Physicians will measure metabolic rates, urine content, and bone density to determine energy needs.

Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Valve Open & Close: The crew opened GN2 valves to allow the Fluid Reservoir to push fluid to the Test Section to change the fill level. Additional testing will be performed at the new fill level. Rocket fuel, spacecraft heating and cooling systems, and sensitive scientific instruments rely on very cold cryogenic fluids. Heat from the environment around cryogenic tanks can cause their pressures to rise, which requires dumping or “boiling off” fluid to release the excess pressure, or actively cooling the tanks in some way. ZBOT uses an experimental fluid to test active heat removal and forced jet mixing as alternative means for controlling tank pressure for volatile fluids.

Satlet Initial Mission Proofs and Lessons (SIMPL) Operations: SIMPL is a satellite transferred through the JEM airlock, maneuvered via the SPDM/SSRMS, and released via the “Kaber” Micro Satellite Deployer. The crew reconfigured Kaber on the JEM airlock in preparation for SIMPL by removing the remaining components related to the previous KE2M satellite and the Slide Table Extension Plate. Then Kaber/Adapter Plate (JCAP) were reinstalled to the slide table. During the SIMPL assembly, a small quantity of the Freon was released from one of the SIMPL “Satlets” and the crew stood down so that teams could determine a forward plan. Ground teams determined that the Freon is toxicity level zero and poses no threat to the crew, so assembly of SIMPL resumed. Following the installation of the SIMPL to Kaber on the JEM airlock slide table, the slide table was retracted into the airlock and the inner hatch closed in preparation for depressurization of the airlock and deployment of the satellite.

Manufacturing Device (MD) Operations: The crew replaced the MD feedstock canister. The Manufacturing Device – Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) enables the production of components on the ISS for both NASA and commercial objectives. Parts, entire experiments, and tools can be created on demand utilizing the AMF that is installed into an Express Rack locker location. The AMF is capable of producing parts out of a wide variety of thermopolymers including engineered plastics.

Today’s Planned Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Hematocrit Test
ENERGY Diet Log of Breakfast
Combined Satellite-1 Assembly
ENERGY Water Sample
Space Automated Bioproduct Lab, Door Close
COSMOCARD. Setup. Starting 24-hr ECG Recording
Zero Boil-Off Tank GN2 Valve Open/Close
COSMOCARD. Photography of the Experiment Session
Node 3 WHC Area Photos
Replacement of ??-12 Plugs with ??-12? on Common Power Switching Unit (????5-12) in SM.
Replacement of ???1 sound proofing equipment.
Energy PFS Conclude
US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tools Stow
JEM Airlock Press
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Subject
RELAKSATSIYA. Parameter Settings Adjustment.
JEM Airlock Leak Check
RELAKSATSIYA. Observation.
Energy Urine Sample Collection
Max Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Portable PFS Partial Stow
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
Greetings Video Footage
NanoRacks Separation System/Interface Adapter Plate Removal
JEM Airlock Adapter Plate and NanoRacks Kaber Plate Removal
Manufacturing Device Feedstock Canister Exchange
JEM Airlock Adapter Plate Reinstallation
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Swap
Filling (separation) of ??? [???] for Elektron or ???-??
Progress 437 (DC1) Cargo Transfers and IMS Ops
ENERGY Diet Log of Lunch
Countermeasures System (CMS) Treadmill 2 System (T2) Monthly Inspection
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Full Water Tank Dump and Fill
??? maintenance
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
Transfer of USOS brine from ??? to Progress 436 [AO] Rodnik H2O Tank 1
CONTENT. Experiment Ops
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Exam
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
URISYS Hardware Setup
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Two-Phase Flow Experiment Equipment Activation
Earth Imagery from ISS Crew Conference
ENERGY Diet Log of Dinner

Completed Task List Activities
68P transfer/unpack
VEG-03 Plant Pillow Water
Trash Bag Discard

Ground Activities
All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.
JEMAL Press/Depress Ops
Standard commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Thursday, 10/26: OBT Emergency Simulation, BioLab Container Removal, Fluidics Install and Science Run, Personal CO2 Monitor Deploy
Friday, 10/27: 51S Emergency Drill, Plant Habitat Assembly and Install, Fundoscope, Veg 03 Consume
Saturday, 10/28: Housekeeping, Crew Off Duty

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component – Status
Elektron – On
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Standby
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off