NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 August 2018 – Pressure Leak Noticed
About 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, International Space Station flight controllers in Houston and Moscow began seeing signs of a minute pressure leak in the complex.
As flight controllers monitored their data, the decision was made to allow the Expedition 56 crew to sleep since they were in no danger. When the crew was awakened at its normal hour this morning, flight controllers at Mission Control in Houston and at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow began working procedures to try to determine the location of the leak.
The six crew members, station Commander Drew Feustel, Flight Engineers Ricky Arnold and Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) and Oleg Artemyev and Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, gathered in the Russian segment of the station and, after extensive checks, reported that the leak appears to be on the Russian side of the orbital outpost.
Program officials and flight controllers are continuing to monitor the situation as the crew works through its troubleshooting procedures.
On-Orbit Status Report
Out-of-Spec ISS Cabin Pressure Decrease: Last night, the ISS cabin pressure started dropping at the rate of one mmHg/hr. This morning the crew performed leak isolation steps via a series of hatch closures and determined the leak was in the Soyuz 55S habitation module [БО]; a pressure check of the 55S descent module was nominal. Further investigation with the Ultrasonic Leak Detector (ULD) revealed a 2 mm hole behind a panel in the Soyuz Toilet [ACY]. After completing a 10mm repress using 70P Progress, the Russian crew installed of a patch over the hole and ISS stack pressure appears to have stabilized. Ground teams continue to monitor and have started another repress, using Progress resources, to bring ISS atmosphere back to nominal levels.
H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-7 Proximity Communication System (PROX) Review and Checkout:
Today the crew checked PROX Baseband functionality and performance by sending commands to a HTV Simulator at a ground site in Tanegashima, Japan. HTV missions use the PROX system for communication with ISS via a Portable Computer System (PCS) version of the Hardware Command Panel (HCP). This week’s checkout is required to meet the Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) required prior to HTV-7 launch planned on 10 September.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
HTV-7 PROX Checkouts
NORS O2 Repress [Aborted]
Two-Day Look Ahead:
Friday, 08/31:
Payloads
EXPRESS Rack 5 Rotate and Payload Valve Inspection
PCG 13 microscope ops
GRASP reconfiguration to free floating and troubleshooting
Sextant Navigation Session 5
Systems
EMU 3006 and 3008 Loop Scrub and Iodination
EVA Systems Operations Data File (SODF) Update
Eye Exams
Saturday, 08/31: Crew Off-Duty, Weekly Housekeeping
Today’s Planned Activities:
The following activities were aborted due to today’s off-nominal event on ISS.
Makita Battery Charge
URAGAN Observations and Photography
GRASP experiment constraints reminder
Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On
On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound
Atomization syringe replacement 2
Preparation for АСП (Network Adapter) installation in MRM2 for future PL.
PROFILAKTIKA-2. Preparation for the experiment.
Acoustic Monitor Setup for Static Measurements
GRIP partial stowage
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound Post Exams
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Setup
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
PROFILAKTIKA-2. БД-2 Treadmill Experiment Ops
Health Maintenance System (HMS) – OCT Exams
GRASP science performance in seated position
N2 Nadir Hatch to Unlatch Hardstop
Repairs of SM Interior Panel to Install cover panels (Panel 429).
СТТС Configuration for MRM2 comm
Installation of Network Connection Adapter (АСП), routing and connecting СУБА cables in MRM2
Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System O2 Repress Part 1
Health Maintenance System (HMS) OCT Stow
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
СОЖ maintenance
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in High Definition (HD)
MSRR Quick Disconnect Inspection
Repairs of SM interior panel to Install overlay sheets (Panel 430)
Stand-alone functional test of АСП-MRM2.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring
PCG-13 Microscope Ops
Health Maintenance System (HMS) – ESA Nutritional Assessment
Comm reconfig for nominal ops
NeuroMapping Experiment Neurocognitive Test
Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System O2 Repress Part 2
ИК0501 Gas Analyzer H2O and Air flow channel adjustment using ИГ-3.
Sextant Navigation Session 5 Operations
Photo/TV Airlock Minicam Swap
HTV PCS HCP Checkout (Side B)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Prep
On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Eye Exam – Fundoscope
Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Tear Down and Stow
ECON-L. Observations and photo
