NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 26 July 2019 – Waiting on a Dragon
The SpaceX Dragon space freighter is on its way to the International Space Station following a Thursday launch from Florida.
The six-member Expedition 60 crew will be waiting for the commercial cargo craft’s arrival Saturday morning.
Dragon will rendezvous with the station Saturday morning reaching a point about 10 meters from the station. Flight Engineer Nick Hague will then command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the resupply ship about 10 a.m. EDT. Fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch will back him up inside the cupola as NASA Flight Engineer Drew Morgan monitors Dragon’s approach and rendezvous. NASA TV begins its live capture and installation coverage Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
The three NASA astronauts continued robotics training today and practiced techniques to capture the commercial space freighter. The trio conducted simulation capture runs on a computer today preparing for a variety of Dragon approach and rendezvous scenarios.
Dragon is delivering over 5,000 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies and vehicle hardware. This includes the International Docking Adapter-3 for installation during an upcoming spacewalk on the Harmony module’s space-facing Pressurized Mating Adapter.
The Dragon-capturing trio later joined new crewmates Luca Parmitano and Alexander Skvortsov in the afternoon reviewing the spacecraft’s payload configuration. They will be unpacking time-critical research samples for stowage in station science freezers and incubators to analyze microgravity’s effect on biology.
Station Commander Alexey Ovchinin started Friday briefing his three newest crewmembers, who have been in space six days, on emergency hardware locations and procedures. The veteran cosmonaut then packed obsolete gear and trash inside a Russian resupply ship that is departing on Monday.
On-Orbit Status Report
Rodent Research-17 (RR-17): The crew installed Rodent Habitats in the Lab rack in preparation for upcoming RR-17 operations following SpX-18 arrival. RR-17 uses younger and older mice as model organisms to evaluate the physiological, cellular and molecular effects of the spaceflight environment. Some responses to spaceflight in humans and model organisms such as mice resemble accelerated aging. This investigation provides a better understanding of aging-related immune, bone, and muscle disease processes, which may lead to new therapies for use in space and on Earth.
ISS Emergency Hardware Familiarization: All six crew members reviewed locations of equipment and positions of valves in the USOS and RS used in emergencies. Throughout the training, the crew consulted with specialists at Mission Control Center (MCC)-Houston, MCC-Moscow, Columbus CC and Space Station Integration and Promotion Center (SSIPC).
SpX-18 Arrival Preparations: In preparation for SpX-18 arrival tomorrow, the crew completed three Capture Point Hold runs that allows practice in free drift timing, malfunction response and nominal rate approaches. They also had a conference with ground teams to discuss cargo transfer operations.
Treadmill 2 (T2): This morning the crew was informed of an “over temp caution” on T2. The crew found no signs of smoke or and no smoke detector alarms were annunciated. T2 is currently No-Go and crew will use Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabalization (CEVIS) as the standard alternate exercise method.
Completed Task List Activities:
DZUS fastener repair
RET label
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
RoBOT OBT support
Payloads ops support
Look Ahead:
Saturday, 7/27 (GMT 208)
Payloads:
NanoRacks Module-9 OBT
Biorock OBT
Systems:
Dragon capture/berthing
Sunday, 7/28 (GMT 209)
Payloads:
Rodent Research transfer
Biorock
Biofabrication
Systems:
Dragon LiOH filter bag removal
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF) Gas Bottle Unit (GBU) valve closing
OBT ISS Emergency Hardware Familiarization
On-board Training (OBT) ISS Emergency Hardware Familiarization
PK-4 data hard drives exchange
Payload Matching Unit (????) log-file downlink from RSS1
ISS crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Management Team) weekly conference
Packing Equipment for disposal in Progress 441 (DC1) and IMS Ops
PK-4 Experiment Run 3
Setup and Activation of Crew Onboard Support Kit (????) Equipment for coverage via RGS
Rendezvous and Prox Ops Program (RPOP) Setup
ISS-MCC-M TV TV coverage via RGS
On-board Training (OBT) Dragon Robotics Onboard Trainer (ROBoT) Session 2
TV System Closeout after after RS TV coverage via RGS
PK-4 Experiment Run 3
LMM MELFI Sample Retrieve
Rodent Research Habitat Install
Packing Equipment for disposal in Progress 441 (DC1) and IMS Ops
Progress 441(DC1) Stowage Completion Report
Evening Preparation Work
PK-4 Experiment Run 3
Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) Biomolecule Sequencer Stow
Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
Dragon Cargo Operations Review
MERLIN 4 Icebrick Insert
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3
