NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 27 July, 2020 – Biomedicine Research
The Expedition 63 crew focused on robotic assistants and biomedicine today while preparing for two crew members to depart this weekend.
The International Space Station residents are also cleaning U.S. spacesuits and unloading a Russian cargo craft.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are packing up for their return to Earth this weekend after two months aboard the orbiting lab. The duo is scheduled to enter their SpaceX Crew Dragon on Aug. 1 and undock from the Harmony module’s international docking adapter for a nominal splashdown the next day, they will be retrieved by SpaceX and NASA personnel. NASA TV is covering all the events live including briefings this week highlighting the agency’s first crewed mission aboard a commercial spacecraft.
Hurley still managed to work a pair of different experiments today as he trained to operate the AstroBee free-flying robots and explored light-manipulating materials. Behnken continued his post-spacewalk activities throughout Monday as he cleaned and serviced the spacesuits he and Commander Chris Cassidy wore during last week’s spacewalk.
Cassidy began his workday retrieving and stowing a small satellite deployer inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module. The station commander next checked out hardware that analyzes how DNA from a variety of organisms adapts to microgravity.
In the Russian segment of the station, veteran cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin continued unpacking the Progress 76 resupply ship that docked last week to the Pirs docking compartment. First-time space flyer Ivan Vagner juggled two different studies as he observed the enzymes of microorganisms and photographed the Earth to help forecast natural and man-made catastrophes.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads
Astrobee: In preparation for the upcoming Kibo Robot Programming challenge checkout, the crew reviewed the Astrobee On-Board Training. The Astrobee team has been working for the past several weeks to map the Japanese Experiment Module to allow Astrobee navigation. Astrobee is made up of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots which are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test technologies for use in microgravity to assist astronauts with routine chores, and give ground controllers additional eyes and ears on the space station. The autonomous robots, powered by fans and vision-based navigation, perform crew monitoring, sampling, logistics management, and can accommodate up to three investigations.
BioMole Facility: In preparation for the activities later this week, the crew performed a successful activation and checkout of the miniPCR and MinION systems. The BioMole Facility non-culture-based samples are capable of providing microbial identification on-orbit within days of sampling. The goal of this Tech Demo is to conduct comparative analysis for possible replacement of current microbial monitoring systems.
Colloidal Clusters: The crew removed the 3 Colloidal Clusters sample containers from the FROST refrigerator/freezer and mixed the components in the sample bags, which initiated the investigation. The experiment will run for 48-72 hours, be exposed to ultraviolet illumination, and then stowed for return. JAXA’s Colloidal Clusters investigates the mechanism for formation of tetrahedral clusters of negatively and positively charged particles suspended in liquid. These clusters are examined and characterized after return to Earth. The clusters may be useful as building blocks of future photonic, or light-manipulating, materials.
ExHAM (Exposed Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism): In order to prepare for the ExHAM use of the JEM airlock, the crew removed and stowed the hardware used to previously deploy the NRCSD-18 (NanoRacks Cubesat Deployer – mission 18) satellites. The crew then installed the HXP (Handhold Exp Platform) onto the MPEP (Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform Assembly). The ExHAM facility enables space experiments to be performed in the exposed space environment, by attachment to the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo’s Exposed Facility (EF).
Systems
Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Mobility Unit (EMU) Maintenance: The crew performed an EMU swap to bring EMUs 3008 and 3009 into the airlock to perform loop scrub maintenance. The loop scrubs were completed nominally.
Quick Disconnect (QD) Maintenance: On June 4, the crew attempted to replace one of two Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) Environmental Control System (ECS) modules. During the activity the APH ITCS return QD leaked. Today, at the request of the APH team, the crew cleaned and re-lubricated the sleeve and internal components of the QD to return the system to nominal config.
Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Cleaning: The crew cleaned inlet/outlet vents of the NAS to prevent the NAS from automatically powering off due to inadequate processor or Hard Drive cooling that can be caused by blocked vents.
Robotic Survey of SpaceX Demo-2 (DM-2) Thermal Protection System (TPS): On Friday and Saturday a robotic survey of the SpaceX DM-2 Dragon heat shield was performed. SpaceX reported that the survey was successful and no notable damage was indicated.
Completed Task List Activities:
76P USOS unpack (in work)
HTV cargo transfer ops (in work)
EVA tool stow (in work)
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
EVA EMU maintenance support
Payloads ops support
Look Ahead Plan
Tuesday, 7/28 (GMT 210)
Payloads:
Astrobee
BioMole ops
Drop Formation Study
MELFI icebrick insertions
Plant Hab -02 prep
Astrobee-On
PLT4 checks
Robo-Pro checkout 2
Systems:
WHC UR R&R
EVA A/L restow
Robot Programming challenge c/o 2
Wednesday, 7/29 (GMT 211)
Payloads:
BioMole Placement [systems]
Drop Formation Study
FIR/LMM/ACE-T4 module config
MELFI icebrick insertions
Plant Hab -02 ECS work
Systems:
DM2 cargo ops
DM2 crew suit checkout
Thursday, 7/30 (GMT 212)
Payloads:
Colloidal Clusters experiment stop
Drop Formation Study
Food Physiology Brief
GLACIER/MELFI transfers
ISS HAM pass
POLAR sample transfers
Systems:
LIDAL uninstall
IFM CQ Deck cleaning
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
??? (Universal Bioengineering Thermostat)
CONSTANTA-2. Cassette retrieval from ???-? No.7 and setup on the panel for 1-hour warmup
NREP XF305 Video Setup
Searching for the kit to replace Orlan-MKS patches
JEM Airlock Leak Check
Preventive Maintenance of FS1 Laptop
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
BRI Monthly Maintenance.
NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer Removal from the MPEP
KONTROL. Indicator P/L measuring mode switchover
CONSTANTA-2. Preparation and execution 1
CONSTANTA-2. Photography of the Experiment Ops
MATRYOSHKA-R. Tritel Hardware Monitoring
Handhold Exp Platform Adapter installation
Weekly c/o of RS video recording equipment
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
SCENARIY. Observation and photography of catastrophic events and their aftermath
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Quick Disconnect (QD) Corrective Maintenance
Nikon camera sync with station time
Checking ??-2 treadmill carriage position and photography
Environmental Health System (EHS) Biomole Activation and Checkout (ACO) for MiniPCR
[????] Reconfiguration for MRM1
SEPARATION. Restoring urine distillation in urine water regeneration system [???-?-??]
Microgravity Science Glovebox Activation
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
Comm reconfig for nominal ops
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
Vacuum Cleaning of Dust collectors ?C1, ??2 filter cartridges in FGB (panels 203, 403)
Progress 444 (DC1) priority and US cargo transfers and IMS Ops
Gather Items for CFA1 R&R and COL1D1 reconfiguration
MO-21. Cryogem-03 refrigerator setup
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain Part 2
Environmental Health System (EHS) Biomole Activation and Checkout (ACO) for MiniPCR
UF-ATMOSFERA. Hardware and electrical connections setup
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3
UF-ATMOSFERA. PL activation
