NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 31 August 2018 – Station Leaked Repaired
The Expedition 56 crew resumed a regular schedule of work Friday on the International Space Station after spending the day Thursday locating and repairing a leak in the upper section of one of the two Russian Soyuz vehicles attached to the complex.
With the station’s cabin pressure holding steady, most of the crew pressed ahead with a variety of scientific experiments. Station Commander Drew Feustel of NASA prepared tools to be used in a pair of spacewalks late next month to complete the change out of batteries on the port truss of the outpost. Six new lithium-ion batteries will be transported to the station in September on the Japanese HTV Transfer Vehicle, or HTV-7 cargo craft, that will replace a dozen older nickel-hydrogen batteries in a duplication of work conducted last year on the station’s starboard truss.
Flight controllers at the Mission Control Centers in Houston and Moscow, meanwhile, continued to monitor pressure levels on the station following the patching of a small hole Thursday in the orbital module, or upper portion of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. The Soyuz is docked to the Rassvet module on the Earth-facing side of the Russian segment. The tiny hole created a slight loss in pressure late Wednesday and early Thursday before it was repaired by Soyuz commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos.
The crew plans a quiet weekend before embarking on a busy schedule of research and routine maintenance work next week.
On-Orbit Status Report
Out-of-Spec ISS Cabin Pressure Decrease: Following the initial leak repair yesterday, the ISS was repressurized to nominal pressure using Progress assets. Today, the Russian crew performed additional activities for the leak repair. There was still a small leak path which the crew sealed as they continued with the repair. An additional level of repair will be added just prior to crew sleep today, allowing time for the previous repairs to cure.
Sextant Navigation: Today the crew performed the fifth session for the Sextant Navigation investigation. The crew collected the data and recorded the results for ground evaluation. This session focused on sighting position evaluation. Astronauts onboard the ISS test a hand-held sextant that is intended for use on future Orion exploration missions. The results from this investigation can aid in the development of emergency navigation methods for future manned spacecraft. Historically, Gemini missions in 1965-66 were the first to exercise sextant sightings from a spacecraft. A sextant was built into Apollo vehicles as a navigation backup in case of lost communications.
Gravitational References for Sensitomotor Performance (GRASP): The crew performed troubleshooting in both the seated and free-floating configuration for camera tracking issues the crew experienced in the previous GRASP session. The troubleshooting was successful. GRASP is intended to provide insight into how the central nervous system integrates information from different sensory modalities, encoded in different reference frames, in order to coordinate movements of the hand with objects in the environment. Performed on the ISS, in conjunction with a series of experiments performed on the ground, GRASP explores the interaction between all of the various sensory cues.
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) 13: The crew performed microscope photo operations for PCG-13 with assistance from the Payload Developer. The CASIS PCG 13 investigation seeks to enhance the way crystals are grown in a microgravity environment by allowing crewmembers to observe imperfections within a crystal and make real-time adjustments to follow-up experiments, rather than returning a sample to Earth and relaunching for additional attempts. The changes have the potential to dramatically reduce the time it takes to conduct an experiment onboard the ISS and result in a more cost-effective solution for prospective researchers.
ExPRESS Rack (ER) 5 Slow Leak Status: On Tuesday the crew isolated the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) and Plant Habitat from the Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) to assist in the investigation into the source of the leak in the Japanese Experiment Module. One of the two sensors detected a loss of volume in the MTL line. Today the crew checked the payload leg valves and found residue on the lower leg valve. The crew wiped up the residue and ground teams will determine a forward plan to troubleshoot the potential leak.
Eye Exams: Today the crew completed the third day of routine Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Fundoscope, and Ultrasound eye exams. OCT is an imaging technique analogous to ultrasound imaging that uses light instead of sound to capture micrometer-resolution, two- and three-dimensional images of tissue; the Fundoscope is a tool used to see inside the fundus, or interior surface, of the eye. Eye exams are performed regularly onboard in order to monitor crewmembers eye health. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body that is affected by long-duration stays in a microgravity environment.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: Today the crew continued gathering and configuring various tools and tethers needed for the upcoming H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-7 Battery R&R EVAs in September. In addition to configuring three 85-foot Safety Tether Packs for EVA use, they also began building the Crewlock bags that will be used during the first EVA scheduled for 20 September.
Joint Station LAN (JSL) 11.1 Software Update: Last night, the JSL was successfully migrated to version 11.1, which implements new configurations to wireless access points. This is the second phase in the implementation of new onboard IT security controls including upgrades to the existing Network Monitoring System (NMS) as well as implementing Syslog on all JSL network infrastructure devices. The Payload Ethernet Hub Gateways (PEHGs) and EXPRESS Racks (ERs) were updated to accommodate the new JSL version.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
HTV PROX Ops Checkout
N3 ITCS Dual Transition
SPDM Stow
Two-Day Look Ahead:
Saturday, 09/01: Crew Off-Duty, Weekly Housekeeping
Sunday, 09/02: Crew Off-Duty, BCAT Camera ops
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Cold Atom Lab Helium Monitor Setup [Attempted – Not Successful]
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
Functional Check of PLETHYSMOGRAPH.
GRIP partial stowage
Inventory Management System (IMS) conference
Cold Atom Lab Helium Monitor Setup
XF305 Camcorder Setup
Filling four ??? from Progress 439 (DC1) H2O Tank 1
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
GRASP additional set-up in seated configuration
Acoustic Monitor Setup for Static Measurements
JEMAL Slide Table Capture Mechanism Cable Routing Correction
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
GRASP seated Troubleshooting
JEM Network Storage (NeST) Mesh Cleaning
PROFILAKTIKA-2. Preparation for the Experiment.
Station Support Computer Hypervisor 4 Preparation
EXPRESS Rack-5 Rotate
ExpressRack5 Payload Valve Check
PROFILAKTIKA-2. MO-3 Test Assistance.
Metabolic Space data transfer and equipment stowage
PROFILAKTIKA-2. ??-2 Treadmill Experiment Ops (MO-3 Test in Passive Mode).
Thermolab data downlink for Spacetex-2
PROFILAKTIKA-2. Closeout Ops.
EXPRESS Rack-5 Rotate Up
N2 Nadir Hatch to Unlatch Hardstop
Rodent Research Water Box and Light Check
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-Cohesive Sedimentation SB-800 Flash Battery Changeout
PROFILAKTIKA-2. Hygiene Procedures
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Full Fill
ESA Nutritional Assessment
GRASP configuration change from seated to quasi free floating
GRASP Freefloating troubleshooting
???? Configuration for MRM1 comm
SEPARATSIYA. Recovery of RS Urine Circulation Loop [???-?].
Replacement of media player in audio/video complex Agat-2 and operational test.
Cold Atom Lab Helium Monitor Teardown
GRASP stow
Systems Operations Data File (SODF) Update
PCG-13 Microscope Ops
Comm reconfig for nominal ops
Repairs of SM interior panel to Install overlay sheets, Day 2 (panel 430).
VIZIR. Experiment Ops using ????-? PL.
Restow of Columbus Bays 1, 2 and 3
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configure
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill
Sextant Navigation Session 5 Operations
INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops
ER5 Plant Habitat Photo
Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On
Ultrasound 2 Scan Prep
??? Maintenance
Ultrasound 2 Scan
On Board Training (OBT) ROBoT T&C Self Study
Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) Biomolecule Sequencer Stow
ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
HTV PCS HCP Selfcheck (Side A)
Ultrasound 2 Post Exam
ECON-L. Observation and Photography
