NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 4 October, 2021 – Change of Command
Expedition 65 Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will hand over command of the International Space Station today to ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet.
Pesquet will command the station until he departs with Hoshide and NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough in mid-to-late November.
The four crewmates have been living on the orbital lab since April when they arrived aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour. The quartet will return to Earth next month inside Endeavour and parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida completing a six-month stay in space.
About 12 hours after Pesquet takes command of the orbiting lab, three Russian crewmates will launch toward the space station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov will ride inside the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship in between spaceflight participants Klim Shipenko and Yulia Peresild.
The trio will lift off inside the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship at 4:55 a.m. EDT on Tuesday and orbit the Earth twice before docking to the Rassvet module less than three-and-a-half hours later. Shkaplerov will stay in space until April while Shipenko and Yulia Peresild will return to Earth about 12 days later. The two spaceflight participants will ride back to Earth and parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan inside the Soyuz MS-18 crew ship with Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy.
NASA TV starts its live coverage of the change of command ceremony today at 3:20 p.m. EDT on the NASA app and the agency’s website. NASA TV will be back on the air on Tuesday at 4:15 a.m. broadcasting the launch, docking and crew greeting at the space station of the new Russian trio.
The seven residents aboard the station today started the work week servicing a variety of research hardware. Kimbrough cleaned the Life Science Glovebox today following two weeks of rodent research activities. NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei swapped fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack and also helped McArthur organize food to open up more space on the station.
Hoshide installed the Tele-Luminescence Analysis System that observes tissues and genes in small animals in the Kibo laboratory module. Pesquet set up the Fluidics experiment for a couple of runs today to better understand how fuels behave in spacecraft fuel tanks.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Cool Flames Investigation with Gases: A crewmember replaced the bottle in CIR Manifold #4 with 100 percent C4H10 (Butane). Cool diffusion flames were discovered during droplet combustion experiments aboard the ISS in 2012, and this initiated a rapidly growing field of combustion research. A cool flame is one that burns at about 600 degrees Celsius. A typical candle is about two times hotter, burning at around 1,400 degrees Celsius. Most internal combustion engines are designed using computer models that neglect cool flame chemistry, but ignition and flame propagation in engines depend on cool flame chemistry. Cool flame chemistry also has a significant impact on fuel octane and cetane numbers, whose understanding has large economic consequences.
FLUIDICS: A crewmember installed the Fluidics Payload in the Columbus module and performed Science Run #1. The measurement of liquid displacement within a sphere in microgravity relates to a given kinematic representation of a spacecraft’s fuel tank. The FLUIDICS investigation evaluates the Center of Mass (CoM) position regarding a temperature gradient on a representation of a fuel tank. The observation of capillary wave turbulence on the surface of a fluid layer in a low-gravity environment can provide insights into measuring the existing volume in a sphere.
Rodent Research-Demonstration 1 (RR-D1): A crewmember performed cleanup procedures for the Life Science Glovebox that was used for Rodent Research operations. Rodent Research-Demonstration 1 (RR-D1) validates equipment and procedures for surgical techniques related to the wound healing process. Normal skin function and wound healing are important for maintaining good health, but spaceflight may impair healing of wounds in astronauts. Results from this investigation are intended to support design of a subsequent study on the effects of spaceflight on wound healing.
TELe-Luminescence Analysis System (TELLAS): A crewmember installed hardware equipment in preparation of TELLA operations. TELLA is an experimental facility that uses luminescence and an imager to make observations of tissues/genes in small living animals. Such in-vivo observations facilitate the study of mechanisms related to aging in the microgravity environment. Installed in the Kibo module, the TELLAS facility can provide information that contributes to aging research and improves the health and longevity of people on Earth.
Systems:
EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Maintenance: Today, the crew swapped the EMUs that are installed in the equipment lock in preparation for next week’s loop scrub. The crew also performed a Water Line Vent Tube Assembly (WLVTA) R&R on EMU 3004.
Photo/TV SAW Mast Starboard Survey: The crew completed a photo survey of the starboard solar array masts by capturing a series of images from the MRM2 starboard window of all four starboard mast structures and blankets. These images will provide the ground with an opportunity to review new and old damage to the mast structures. The ground is working on a plan to quantify and mitigate the risk of solar array mast structural failure due to Micro Meteoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD).
LAB1D2 JSL Router Deploy: The crew installed the Joint Station LAN (JSL) Router and associated hardware into the Avionics #3 (AV-3) rack in the US Lab. The procedure included installation of the router and mounting hardware as well as a new interface panel and rack closeout panel. The crew connected the minimum amount of cabling needed to power the router and provide Ethernet connection for the purpose of performing a router checkout.
Completed Task List Activities:
ESA-PAO FRANCE24 E5
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
DDCU S02B 50Hz Data Dump
Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Robotics Micro Conical Tool (RMCT) Stow
Node 1 fan speed test day 1
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Maneuver
RELL Stow into RiTS
Look Ahead Plan
Tuesday, October 5 (GMT 278)
Payloads:
FLUIDICS RUN 2&3 (ESA)
FSL Connector tightening (ESA)
ISS HAM Pass (NASA)
JAXA PCG-18-Crystal Start (JAXA)
Lumina Data Transfer (ESA)
TELLAS (Tele-Luminescence) closeout (JAXA)
Systems:
Cargo Operations
65S Docking
ISS Safety Briefing
PAO Events
CMS T2 Rack Centering
Wednesday, October 6 (GMT 279)
Payloads:
Express Rack bulb changes (NASA)
Food Acceptability (NASA)
J-SSOD-19 Deploy (JAXA)
Immersive Exercise PILOT VR charging (ESA)
Probiotics Saliva ops and questionnaire (JAXA)
Systems:
Lab Ethernet Cable Configuration
PAO Education Filming
Cargo Operations
Respiratory Support Pack Checkout
EVA Glove Photos
EVA Wanted Poster
Thursday, October 7 (GMT 280)
Payloads:
Astrobee prep (NASA)
AWP setup for download (NASA)
CBEF Board R&R (JAXA) – do not post in daily
DECLIC Harddrive and Alice Install (ESA)
ESA-EPO TOUCHS (ESA)
Immersive Exercise Session (ESA)
Technology Box T/S (ESA)
Systems:
Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review
Portable PFS T/S
Cargo Operations
HMS Operations
PAO Events
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Countermeasures System (CMS) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation
Environmental Health System (EHS) Personal CO2 Monitor Charging
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation Setup
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Subject
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Stow Hardware
Photo/TV SAW MAST Setup
ESA Monthly Management Conference
TELE-LUMINESCENCE ANALYSIS SYSTEM (TELLAS) Item Gathering
TELE-LUMINESCENCE ANALYSIS SYSTEM (TELLAS) Equipment Setup
Fluidics hardware installation
Transfer Cygnus Cargo Operations
HMS Vision Test Setup
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
IPU2 Installation to WS Rack Part2
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Fluidics Run 1 execution
Photo/TV SAW Mast Starboard Survey
Internal Audio Subsystem (IAS) Crew Quarter (CQ) Audio Cable Configuration
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Social Media Event
Stowage CTB Consolidate
Fluidics Power OFF
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Vision Test
HMS Vision Test Stow
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Vision Questionnaire
Combustion Integrated Rack Bottle Gather
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Open
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Line Vent Tube Assembly (WLVTA) Remove and Replace
Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #4 Bottle Replacement
Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Close
LAB1D2 JSL Router Installation.
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
LSG Work Volume Deploy
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Initiation
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Water Line Vent Tube Assembly (WLVTA) Inspection
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Swap
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill Termination
Countermeasures System (CMS) Treadmill 2 System (T2) Rack Centering
Stowage CTB Relocate
Portable CO2 Monitor Power On and Deploy
Treadmill 2 Centering Check
Crew takes photos of T2 Top Arm Attachment Fasteners
Public Affairs Office (PAO) High Definition (HD) Config JEM Setup
Photo/TV SAW and Mast photography equipment teardown
Change of Command
LSG Work Volume Stow
