NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 5 March 2018

The next three International Space Station crew members arrived at their launch site Sunday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel are in final launch preparations ahead of their March 21 launch to their new home in space.
They suited up in their Russian Sokol launch and entry suits today and climbed into their Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft for their first vehicle fit check activities.

Waiting for them onboard the orbital laboratory are Expedition 55 Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineers Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanai. Their new crewmates will dock on March 23 to the Poisk module inside the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft.

Meanwhile, the current orbital residents are ensuring the station remains in tip-top shape and conducting ongoing microgravity science.

Shkaplerov worked on Russian life support equipment throughout the day and handed over radiation detection equipment to the U.S. astronauts. Tingle inspected the Destiny laboratory module’s large window and cleaned vents in the Tranquility module.

Kanai worked on a variety of scientific gear all day Monday. He disassembled and replaced the METEOR camera before some maintenance work on a physics furnace and science freezer. The rest of the afternoon Kanai worked on the Combustion Integrated Rack connecting cables and checking for leaks.

On-Orbit Status Report

Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) Electric-Field Effects on Laminar Diffusion (E-Field) Flames: The crew replaced the compensator module in the CIR Hi Bit-depth Multi-Spectral (HiBMS) Imaging package today. This is in preparation for the upcoming ACME E-Field Flames investigation. The ACME investigation is a set of five independent studies of gaseous flames to be conducted in the CIR. ACME’s primary goal is to improve fuel efficiency and reduced pollutant production in practical combustion on Earth. For E-Field Flames an electric field with voltages as high as 10,000 volts is established between the burner and a mesh electrode. The motion of the charged ions, which are naturally produced within the flame, are strongly affected by a high-voltage electric field. The resulting ion-driven wind can dramatically influence the stability and sooting behavior of the flame. Conducting the tests in microgravity allows for great simplifications in the analysis, enabling new understanding and the development of less polluting and more efficient combustion technology for use on Earth.

Meteor: This morning the crew installed the Meteor Small Camera Bracket and Meteor camera in the US Laboratory Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) and then activated the camera. They then photographed the camera, lens settings and the position of the camera relative to the Lab window. The Meteor payload uses a visible spectroscopy instrument to observe meteors in Earth orbit and then analyze the images to provide information on the physical and chemical properties of meteoroid dust. The study of the meteoroid dust on-orbit provides information about the parent comets and asteroids.

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace (ELF): Today the crew took photographs of Sample Cartridge 2 to allow the ground to determine if it has any damage. This is in preparation for the upcoming ELF sample exchange planned for March 10th. The ELF is an experimental facility designed to levitate, melt and solidify materials by containerless processing techniques using the electrostatic levitation method. With this facility, thermophysical properties of high temperature melts can be measured and solidification from deeply undercooled melts can be achieved.

Veg-03: Over the weekend the crew took photographs to document plant growth for the VEG-03 investigation. Photos of the plants are taken about every 3 days. The crew also watered the plants over the weekend and today. Veg-03 supports the proof-of concept for the Veggie plant growth chamber and the planting pillows. Future long duration space missions will require a fresh food supply grown in space to supplement crew diets.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N): After retrieving the RaDI-N hardware from a Russian crewmember, a USOS crewmember deployed eight Space Bubble Detectors on a Node 3 rack front today. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) investigation measures neutron radiation levels while onboard the ISS. Bubble detectors used as neutron monitors are designed to only detect neutrons and ignore all other radiation.

Earth Imagery from ISS Target (EIISS): Today the crew captured images of Southern California to the tip of Baja. EIISS captures a series of videos showcasing targets around the world as seen from the ISS. These videos will be integrated into a product for later release.

Lab Window Inspection: The crew performed an inspection of the Lab window to include still imagery and video, both with the external window shutter open and closed, to note any contamination or damage. This inspection is routine maintenance performed once a year.

Node 3 (N3) Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Cleaning: Today the crew cleaned the N3 deck IMV starboard fan inlet flow straighteners, inlet silencer and outlet silencer. During the cleaning, the crew attempted to correct the configuration of the bellows-style flex ducts, which were collapsed and may have been contributing to the reduced airflow measured through the fan. The crewmember noted that the duct was deformed, attempted to correct it, and took photos for later engineering review.

Today’s Planned Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Tropical Cyclone Operations Review
Auxiliary Laptop Anti-Virus Refresh
Meteor On Board Training Review
Ethernet Cables Audit.
Airway Monitoring Big Picture review
Airway Monitoring Hardware Location
EHS Acoustic Monitor SSC Installation
SM RODNIK ??1 drain valve replacement, opening ??1 air pressure
MATRYOSHKA-R. Handover of BUBBLE-dosimeter detectors to USOS
Meteor Camera and Small Camera Bracket Partial Removal
Tropical Cyclone Untended Operations
Wastewater Storage Tank Assembly (WSTA) Fill [Aborted]
Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons Hardware Handover
MATRYOSHKA-R. Handover of BUBBLE-dosimeter detectors to USOS
Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons
MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter initialization and deployment for exposure
LAB Window Inspection Setup
LAB Window Inspection Review
SM Rodnik ??1 Drain Valve Replacement.
LAB Window Inspection
Electrostatic Levitation Furnace(ELF) Sample Cartridge Photo Taking
LAB Window Inspection Cleanup
Mating Telemetry Connectors to ??1 drain valve.
EHS Acoustic Monitor SSC Uninstallation
SM Rodnik ??1 drain valve replacement.
MELFI 3 Ice Brick Insert 6
Meteor Small Camera Bracket and Camera Partial Installation
Node 3 Deck Starboard Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Cleaning Prep
Installation of Replaceable Condensate Removal Lines [????], preparation.
Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Open
Combustion Integrated Rack Optics Bench Translation Out
Node 3 Deck Starboard Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Cleaning
??? maintenance
Verification of ??-1 Flow Sensor Position
CIR Imaging Reconfiguration
Delta file prep
Combustion Integrated Rack Optics Bench Translation In
Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Close
VEG-03 Dual Facility Watering for each Plant Pillow
Two-Phase Flow Experiment Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Video Compression And Recording Unit (MSPR VRU) Power Cycle
Tropical Cyclone Hardware Closeout
RED Camera Setup.
Exercise Data Downlink via OCA
EIISS Crew Preference RED Camera Target Operations
RED Camera Deactivation.
Station Support Computer (SSC) Server Re-Label and Cable Move
Preparing for Antivirus scan on Auxiliary Computer Laptops

Completed Task List Activities
AstroPi USB swap [Completed GMT 62]
BEAM Station Support Computer Connection Check [Completed GMT 62]
Galley Food Warmer Door Pictures [Completed GMT 62]
JSL Firewall Location Assessment [Completed GMT 62]
ACY Inserts and Wipes Kits Audit [Completed GMT 63]
54S Crew Arrival Prep [Completed GMT 63]
SpaceX-14 Stowage Prep [Completed GMT 63]
WHC KTO R&R [Completed GMT 63]

Ground Activities
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
CIR Support
EPS Max Loading test
Standard Commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:
Tuesday, 03/06: Airway Monitoring Session, Plant Habitat Facility Cleaning, PEPS Inspection, CB Relief Valve Check, LLB Battery Charge/Data Logging
Wednesday, 03/07: Airway Monitoring, T2 6-Month maintenance and associated acoustic measurements, EIISS Ops, Airlock Filter R&R
Thursday, 03/08: COL Smoke Detector Cleaning, ACME Hardware R&R, HV5 Server Deploy, VEG-03 Harvest, EIISS Ops

QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:
Component Status – Elektron Off
Vozdukh – Manual
[???] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) – Off
[???] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) – Off
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab – Standby
Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 – Operate
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab – Idle
Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 – Operate
Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) – Process
Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) – Process
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab – Full Up
Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 – Off