NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status Report 7 February, 2022 – Sound in Space Research
The Expedition 66 crew kicked off the week today exploring how living in space affects psychology and ways to manipulate objects with sound.
The residents aboard the International Space Station also serviced U.S. spacesuits and worked on an artificial gravity-generating incubator.
NASA Flight Engineers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari took turns participating in a robotics test for the Behavioral Core Measures experiment on Monday. The monthly sessions investigate how living in a confined space in microgravity affects crew stress, performance, and behavior.
Barron then joined ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer and practiced measuring fluid pressure in the eye. She also photographed cotton cell samples growing for the Plant Habitat-05 space agriculture study. Maurer and Chari partnered together on Monday afternoon resizing a pair of U.S. spacesuits.
Maurer started his day on the Ultrasonic Tweezers study using acoustics to manipulate objects remotely and without physical contact. Vande Hei assisted the German astronaut during the experiment that explores using ultrasonics to trap and isolate objects to study samples and avoid contamination on planetary surfaces.
NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn worked throughout Monday on science hardware ensuring critical research operations run smoothly in weightlessness. The three-time station visitor installed and serviced components inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, an incubator with an artificial gravity generator. He finally swapped drying agents, or desiccants, inside science freezers that preserve research samples.
Vande Hei joined Roscosmos Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov in the station’s Russian segment for more wireless gear maintenance. Commander Anton Shkaplerov set up hardware that will monitor how natural and man-made events on Earth affect the upper atmosphere.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Airborne Particulate Monitor (APM): A data transfer was initiated from the experiment memory card to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for the APM system. Air quality in crewed spacecraft is important for keeping astronauts healthy and comfortable. Although requirements exist for maximum allowable concentrations of particulate matter, currently no measurement capability verifies whether these requirements are met. The APM demonstrates an instrument for measuring and quantifying the concentration of both small and large particles in spacecraft air. The data can be used to create a map of air quality in terms of particles and shed light on the sources of such particles.
Behavioral Core Measures (BCM): A crewmember completed a ROBoT-r Research session consisting of a set of 12 runs/tests. The Standardized Behavioral Measures for Detecting Behavioral Health Risks during Exploration Missions (Behavioral Core Measures) experiment initially examined a suite of measurements to reliably assess the risk of adverse cognitive or behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders during long-duration spaceflight and evaluated the feasibility of those tests within the operational and time constraints of spaceflight for two crewmembers. Subsequent subjects perform a subset of the original activities to measure the performance capabilities of deconditioned crew members to complete either individual or crew telerobotic operations within the first 24 hours after landing. This information could help characterize what tasks a crewmember who has spent months in weightlessness can reasonably be expected to perform after landing on the surface of Mars.
Plant Habitat-05: In preparation for the third experiment harvest planned later this week, the experiment plates were removed from the Plant Habitat facility and photographed. The crew also added water to the Plant Habitat facility. Unlocking the Cotton Genome to Precision Genetics (Plant Habitat-05) cultivates several cotton genotypes that differ in their ability to regenerate into whole plants from undifferentiated masses of cells known as a calli. Cotton is highly resistant to the process of plant regeneration, making it difficult to engineer stable, reproducing plants that have specific or enhanced traits such as drought resistance. The investigation could provide a better understanding of this behavior and a pathway to avert this problem.
SQuARE (Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment): The crew took photos of the SQuARE experiment sites located in the Node 1 Galley, JEM, Columbus, Node 2, Node 3, and the US Lab. SQuARE is an investigation that aims to document items within six defined locations around the ISS over time. The idea is to look at the ISS as an archaeological site, and each of the Squares as a “test pit”.
Ultrasonic Tweezers: Several experiment scenarios were performed for the Ultrasonic Tweezer experiment. The different scenarios evaluate the possibility of trapping various objects, either single objects or multiple objects, in the acoustic field. The objective of the Ultrasonic Tweezers project is to develop acoustic tweezers that use sound to allow for remote and contactless manipulation of materials in a microgravity context. An ultrasound beam is shaped so that it produces a trap from which an object cannot easily exit. By moving the beam, the object can be moved to a new position with a very good precision.
LAB Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Manual Flow Control Valve (MFCV) Adjustment: Today, the crew used a Coriolis Flowmeter to adjust the MFCV of the LAB1O6 rack to decrease ITCS flow through the rack. This activity is performed to reallocate cooling resources for the LAB’s Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL). The ITCS provides equipment cooling and heat rejection through a combination of water loops and interface heat exchangers.
Systems:
Environmental Health System (EHS) Operations: Today, the crew performed regular maintenance and monitoring using the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA). First, the crew changed out the TOCA Buffer Container, which gets replaced every 47 samples or two years. The crew then used the TOCA Water Sample Hose to perform water analysis on the Water Processing Assembly (WPA). The WPA recycles the water from humidity condensate and reclaimed urine distillate, providing potable water for the crew.
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: An EVA takes over 125 hours of crew time to prepare the crew, Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) and tools. Today, the crew resized two EMUs for an On-Orbit Fit Verification (OFV) and charged EVA Li-Ion Batteries using the EVA Battery Operations Terminal (EBOT). The crew also reconfigured the EMUs on the EMU Don/Doff Assemblies (EDDAs) for upcoming activities. The two EVAs scheduled for March will involve installing an ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) and a Radiator Beam Valve Module (RBVM) Jumper.
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Tonometry Test: Today the crew practiced using a tonometer on an eye simulator while Ground Support personnel observed and then conducted a tonometry eye exam with Medical Ground Support. These activities are a part of the nominal medical testing on ISS crewmembers to gather information on intraocular pressure and eye anatomy.
Completed Task List Activities:
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Solid Waste Container (KTO) Replace
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) Walkoff Maneuver
Mobile Transporter (MT) Translation from WS2 to WS4
Look Ahead Plan
Tuesday, February 8 (GMT 39)
Payloads:
BCM Robot
CBEF-L LTL Box
CIR Bottle Config
ELF Sample Holder Exchange
EML Lens Switch
ISAAC Node 2 Mapping
LIDAL Move
PK-4
SQuARE
Veggie PONDS
Systems:
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Water Recovery System (WRS) Contingency Water Container (CWC) – Iodine Degas
EVA Procedure Review
Wednesday, February 9 (GMT 40)
Payloads:
Astrobee Stowage Replace
CIR/ACME to SOFIE Reconfiguration H/W Gather and review
Food Acceptability
GRIP-Seated
MSL Sample Exchange
MVP-Plant-01 Remove
NutrISS
SQuARE
Wireless Compose-2 T/S
Systems:
In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Urine Hydraulic Components Remove & Replace
Payload Data Handling Unit 3 (PDH3) Remove & Replace
US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Airlock Audit
Thursday, February 10 (GMT 41)
Payloads:
Astrobee Off
CBEF-L Configuration
CIR/ACME to SOFIE Reconfiguration
Food Physiology Diet Brief
GRIP-Seated
ISS HAM
Plant Habitat-05 Harvest 3
Rodent Research-18 Ops, Hab Restock and Access Unit Clean
SQuARE
Standard Measures Pre-Sleep Questionnaire
Temperature Logger Data Transfer
Touching Surfaces
Systems:
HMS Lumbar Spine Ultrasounds
SSC (Station Support Computer) 10 and 20 Swap
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
CMAU ZBook Replug
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Buffer Container (BC) Changeout
XF705 Camcorder Setup
Cell Biology Experiment Facility – Left (CBEF-L) Humidifier 2 Setup
EHS Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
Temp Logger (Twelve) Measurement Start
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Swap
Ultrasonic Tweezers Setup
Cell Biology Experiment Facility Left (CBEF-L) Meas Exp Unit A Attachment
Ultrasonic Tweezers Experiment 1, 2, 3
Ultrasonic Tweezers De-Installation
Robot Startup
IMS Crew Provision Audit
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Airborne Particulate Monitor Data Transfer
SQuARE Fixed Daily Imagery
CBEF-L LTL Distribution Box Setup
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
HMS Tonometry Test
Behavioral Core Measures ROBoT-r Research Testing
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize
Glacier Desiccant Swap
Plant Habitat-05 Experiment Plate Photos
Iceberg Desiccant Swap
CMS Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Cylinder Flywheel Evacuation with Slider Track Vacuum
Plant Habitat Water Refill
LAB1O6 Rotate and Manual Flow Control Valve (MFCV) Adjustment
EVA Battery Operations
Toilet Pre-Treat Tank Removal
Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Manual Flow Control Valve (MFCV) Adjustment
AC Dry Vacuum and Replacement Bag Labeling
Multi-Use Variable-G Platform Desiccant Replace
Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Drink Bag Gather and Fill
