NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 9 September, 2021 – Cosmonauts Wrap up Spacewalk
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos concluded their spacewalk at 6:16 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 25 minutes.
It was the second of up to 11 spacewalks to prepare the new Nauka multipurpose laboratory module for operations in space.
Novitskiy and Dubrov finished connecting television, rendezvous system and ethernet cables to the recently arrived Nauka module. They also installed handrails, jettisoned a cable reel, and installed a biology experiment on the Poisk module.
This was the 11th spacewalk this year and the 243rd overall in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Spacewalkers have now spent a total of 63 days and 23 hours working outside the station.
It is the third spacewalk for both cosmonauts, both of whom have now spent a total of 22 hours and 38 minutes spacewalking.
In November 2020, the International Space Station surpassed its 20-year milestone of continuous human presence, providing opportunities for unique research and technological demonstrations that help prepare for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars and also improve life on Earth. In that time, 244 people from 19 countries have visited the orbiting laboratory that has hosted nearly 3,000 research investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.
On-Orbit Status Report
Russian Segment (RS) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #50: Today, FE-4 Oleg Novitskiy (EV1) and FE-5 Petr Dubrov (EV2) egressed the Mini-Research Module (MRM)-2 airlock and completed the following tasks during today’s 7 hour and 25-minute EVA:
Mating of Ethernet cable from ISS USOS to MLM
Installation of gap spanner at ???-2 along MLM Pl. III
Mating MLM-SM interfaces:
Ethernet patch cable
two (2) HF cables between SM and MLM TV systems
cable between SM “KURS-P” antenna-feeder unit and MLM “KURS-P” antenna-feeder unit
Redirection of ???? (Plume Impingement and Deposit Monitoring) unit
Installation of platform with adapters on MRM2 ???-2 Passive Base Point
Deployment of installation platform with three BIORISK-MSK containers on MRM2
Installation of MLM ???-2 – ???-1 gap spanner (3ea.) (time permitting)
Taking photos of ISS RS exterior (time permitting)
United States On-orbit Segment (USOS) Astronaut FE-6 Mark Vande Hei aided the Russian crew in pre and post EVA operations. This is the second EVA that has focused on integrating MLM to the ISS.
Payloads
Four Bed Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Scrubber: The crew configured the Basic Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack-11 at LAB1P4 for Four Bed CO2 Scrubber installation. Four Bed CO2 Scrubber demonstrates a technology for removing CO2 from the atmosphere on a spacecraft. The technology is based on the current system in use on the ISS with mechanical upgrades in absorption beds, heater elements and valves, and the use of an improved zeolite absorbent to reduce erosion and dust formation. A goal for next-generation systems is continuous operation for 20,000 hours without a failure. This technology demo is a step toward that goal.
BioMole: A crewmember performed surface swab sampling of the ISS surfaces in order to identify bacteria by extraction of DNA using miniPCR16. The Environmental Health System (EHS) Biomole Facility non-culture based samples are capable of providing microbial identification on-orbit within days of sampling. The goal of this technology demo is to conduct comparative analysis for possible replacement of current microbial monitoring systems.
GRASP: A crewmember performed GRASP science protocols in the seated configuration. The purpose of the Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping (GRASP) investigation is to better understand how the Central Nervous System (CNS) integrates information from different sensations (e.g. sight or hearing), encoded in different reference frames, in order to coordinate the hand with the visual environment. More specifically, the science team seeks to better understand if, and how, gravity acts as a reference frame for the control of reach-to-grasp.
The ISS Experience: A crewmember assembled and installed The ISS Experience EVA Z-Cam onto the JEM Airlock Slide Table. The ISS Experience is a cinematic Virtual Reality (VR) series documenting life and research aboard the space station. Filmed over multiple months, the immersive VR series documents different crew activities – from science conducted aboard the station to preparation for a spacewalk.
Systems
In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Video Tape Recorder (VTR) Removal: The crew removed VTR-1 and VTR-2 from US Lab Bay 5 and prepared them for return on Cargo Dragon SpaceX-23 (SpX-23). VTRs have not been used since the Integrated Communications Unit (ICU) activation and were “abandoned in place” until crew time was available for their removal.
HMS Fundoscope Battery Maintenance: The crew charged the primary and backup battery pack for the on-board fundoscope. The fundoscope is used to perform regularly scheduled eye exams on-board station to monitor crewmembers eye health. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body affected by long-duration stays in a microgravity environment.
SpX-23 Cargo Transfer: Today, the crew performed SpX-23 cargo transfer operations and will continue to work cargo operations throughout the week.
Completed Task List Activities:
Extravehicular (EVA) Hardware (HDWR) Gather
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
RS EVA #50 Ground support
Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) Lab Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Zero Calibration
Video Distribution Subsystem (VDS) EVA configuration
Attitude Control System (ACS) Handover Attitude Control from USOS to RS for MRM2 Depress
Command and Data Handling (CDH) System Configuration prior to the External (EVA) Ops Mode Transition
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, September 10 (GMT 253)
Payloads:
APEX-08 Harvest (NASA)
CBEF Humidifier Closeout (JAXA)
Cell Science-04 LSG OBT (NASA)
CIR IPSU-G Drive Replace
Food Acceptability (NASA)
Food Physiology Diet Brief (NASA)
GRASP Free ops and HW stow(ESA)
LIDAL return 2 (NASA)
Plant Hab-04 Debris ops and H2O refill (NASA)
Redwire Regolith Print removal and stow (NASA)
Space Embryo Sample Fixation (JAXA)
Turbine Ceramic Module Install 1 (NASA)
Systems:
Dragon cargo ops
EVA Tool Transfer
EVA Tool Reconfiguration
EVA Helmet Light Install
Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) powered hardware checkout
Saturday, September 11 (GMT 254)
Payloads:
APEX-08 insert into ICEBERG (NASA)
LSG Work Volume Deploy (NASA)
Systems:
EVA Battery Operations Terminal (EBOT) procedure review
Equipment Lock (E-LK) Preparations
EVA Tool Configurations
EVA Tool Audit
EVA procedure review
EVA Procedure conference
Sunday, September 12 (GMT 255)
Payloads:
CS-04 Bioreactor Removal (NASA)
LSG Decontamination HW removal (NASA)
Systems:
USOS 4A ISS Roll-out Solar Arrays (IROSA) Prep EVA
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
BioMole Part 1: Surface Sampling and DNA Extraction
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Fundoscope Battery Maintenance Charge
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
ISS Experience EVA Z-Cam Installation to the JEM Airlock Slide Table
In-Flight Maintenance Video Tape Recorder (VTR-2) Removal
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
In-Flight Maintenance Video Tape Recorder (VTR-1) Removal
BioMole Part 2: DNA Cleanup and Amplification
GRASP science performance in seated position
EXPRESS Rack 11B Locker Removal
Stowage Gather for LAB1P4 Basic Express Rack (BER) Outfitting for Four Bed CO2 Scrubber Installation
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
PRE-EVA airlock operations
Cargo Transfer to Dragon
Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Vent Cleaning
LAB1P4 Basic Express Rack (BER) Prep for Four Bed CO2 Scrubber Installation
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3
EVA-50 Tasks
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB) Installation
EVA Battery Operations Terminal Terminate
Bag Culture rewater
BioMole MELFI Insert
Post EVA Repress
RS ISS Reconfiguration for Nominal Ops
