NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 April 2018
Robotics controllers and Expedition 55 crew members are getting ready for the departure of the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship next week.
The commercial space freighter will leave the International Space Station and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday loaded with cargo for retrieval and analysis.
Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold powered up command and communications gear today that will aid the crew when Dragon departs the station on Wednesday at 10:22 a.m. EDT. NASA TV will begin its live coverage of the departure activities at 10 a.m. Dragon will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about six hours later to be recovered by SpaceX and NASA personnel. The splashdown off the southern coast of California will not be seen on NASA TV.
The Canadarm2 will be remotely maneuvered today to grapple Dragon today while it is still attached to the Harmony module. In the meantime the 57.7-foot-long robotic arm and its fine-tuned robotic hand, also known as Dextre, are completing the installation of an external materials exposure experiment outside of Japan’s Kibo laboratory module.
Astronauts Drew Feustel and Scott Tingle are still packing Dragon today with a variety of cargo including space station hardware and research samples. The STaARS-1 experiment facility has completed a year of operations at the station and is being readied for its return aboard Dragon next week. The research device supported observations of living systems exposed to simulated gravity such as Earth, the Moon and Mars. Feustel also stowed faulty life support gear in Dragon for refurbishment back on Earth.
On-Orbit Status Report
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock (JEMAL) Materials ISS Experiment – Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) Operations: The crew extended the JEMAL Slide Table into the JEM and removed the MISSE Transfer Tray (MTT) from the table. They also removed the JEM ORU Transfer Interface (JOTI), which was configured to support the MTT, from the table.
Space Technology and Advanced Research Systems (STaARS): The crew removed the STaARS-1 experiment facility this morning for return on the SpaceX-14 vehicle. The STaARS-1 facility supported biotechnology and life science investigations to characterize the effects of microgravity on living systems, targeting the molecular responses that alter cell physiology and lead to unique cellular processes and the production of novel compounds that can impact pharmaceutical, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biofuel, and discovery sciences.
Space Headaches: Two 53S crewmembers completed the weekly questionnaire for the ESA Space Headaches investigation today. This investigation collects information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improve the well-being and performance of crewmembers in space. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crewmembers that can influence performance during a space mission.
Node 3 (N3) External Wireless Communication (EWC) Systems Installation: The crew installed the N3 internal hardware required to interface with the EWC antennas that were installed during US EVA 49. Once installed, the BelAir Wireless Access Point (WAP) and associated coaxial, Ethernet, and power cabling will allow Joint Station Local Area Network (LAN) (JSL) data transmission to external payloads from these new external locations. The first payload scheduled to use this capability is ECOSTRESS arriving on SpaceX-15.
Dragon Cargo Operations: The crew continued loading Dragon with cargo scheduled for return. Today the crew completed the fourth Dragon Cargo Message less 1 hour. The fifth cargo message, which includes Dragon Center Stack packing instructions, will be uploaded to the crew this weekend. SpaceX-14 is currently scheduled to unberth on May 2. SpaceX-14 is currently scheduled to unberth on 2 May at 9:32 AM CDT.
Node 3 (N3) Mass Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Troubleshooting: The reinstallation of the original ORU 08 (S/N F0001) last Thursday did not resolve the diverging constituent data issue in the N3 MCA. Data review continues to point towards the ORU 02 as the likely cause of the anomalous readings. Today, the crew removed both ORU 02 and ORU 08 for return and refurbishment on SpaceX-14. ORU 08 (S/N F0002) is currently being re-installed in the N3 MCA and the rear utilities will be left de-mated so that the crew will not need to rotate the rack to install the next available ORU 02 spare scheduled for arrival on SpaceX-15.
Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) operations: Overnight, the ground Robotics Controllers will stow the Robot Micro Conical Tool (RMCT) and Tool Holder Assembly (THA) used during Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) robotics operations. Once complete, they will stow the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) and complete a SSRMS walk-off to the Node 2 Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF). Tonight’s operations will conclude with the grapple of Dragon in preparation for unberth next Wednesday, 2 May at 9:32 AM CDT.
Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Decontamination Training
Making a documentary about life onboard the ISS
Cooling Equipment Installation for SM 800? Power System
??? Maintenance
VIZIR. ???? Battery Charge
Node 3 External Wireless Communication (EWC) Hardware Gather
Node 3 MCA Verification Gas Assembly Removal
Space Technology and Advanced Research Systems Facility Removal
Regeneration of Micropurification Unit (???) ?2 Cartridge (start)
Copy ???-? micro-accelerometer data to laptop
Node 3 Endcone Stowage Cleanout in prep for the Node External Wireless Communication (EWC) System Installation
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring
Node 3 External Wireless Communication System Installation
Mouse Stress Defense Item Gathering
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Mouse Stress Defense Mouse Habitat Cage Unit Change
Remove Node 3 MCA Mass Spectrometer
VIZIR. End battery charge
Node 3 MCA Verification Gas Assembly Replace
VIZIR. Prep and Calibration of ???? PL
COSMOCARD. Closeout Ops
Made In Space Fiber Optics Removal & Stow
MCA ORU Prep for Return
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Swap
Photo/TV CUCU Video Setup
COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Swap Out
COTS UHF Communication Unit (CUCU) Crew Command Panel (CCP) Checkout
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD) – Lab
JEM Airlock Press
RS1 Laptop Activation
Node 3 Endcone Stowage Replace
???1 and RS1 Laptop Upgrade to SM SW Version 08.10
JEM Airlock Leak Check
Mouse Stress Defense Transportation Cage Unit Spare Cage Replace
VIZIR. Closeout Ops
Preventive Maintenance of SM Ventilation Subsystem. Group ?1
Cargo Transfer to Dragon
XF305 Camcorder Setup
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
Test of Laptop RS1-???1-???-??? Command & Data Path
Materials ISS Experiment (MISSE) MTT Removal and Stowage
RS3 Laptop Upgrade to SM SW Version 08.10
JEM ORU Transfer Interface (JOTI) Removal
Dragon Cargo Operations Conference
Photo TV CUCU Video Deactivation
JEMAL Slide Table Screw Holes Inspection
JEM Active Mechanism Tether Loop Installation
RS3 Laptop-???2-???-??? Command & Data Transmission Test
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
RS3 Laptop Deactivation
RS REMOTE Laptop Upgrade to the new version. Laptop RS2 installation at nominal location
Space Headaches – Weekly Questionnaire
Completed Task List Activities
EV Decontamination Training
IPV Tablet Review
Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
CUCU Checkout
JEM Airlock Ground Support
SCP02 Software Patching
SPDM RMCT Stow
Three-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 04/28: Housekeeping, DUST Sample Collection, Crew Off-Duty
Sunday, 04/29: Crew Off-Duty
Monday, 04/30: MVP Ops, Dragon Cargo Ops, HRF Rack Reconfig, JSSOD8 Install, PCG9 Processing, Invitrobone Transfers
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”) – On
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Operate
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Standby
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Idle
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Reprocess
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off
