NASA Space Station Status Report 16 August, 2022 – Healing Techniques, Spacewalk Prep

The Expedition 67 crew split up today with the astronauts studying wound healing techniques and the cosmonauts preparing for a spacewalk to prepare a new robotic arm for operations. A U.S. space freighter has also been given the “go” to return to Earth at the end of the week.

Researchers are exploring tissue regeneration in the International Space Station’s microgravity environment to develop new ways to heal wounds benefitting humans living in space and on Earth. The astronauts took turns throughout Tuesday investigating how spaceflight conditions, such as weightlessness and radiation, affect genetic expressions that occur during the healing process.

NASA Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins began the day’s first set of experiment operations taking place in the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox. Astronauts Bob Hines of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) took over in the afternoon continuing the biology study that utilizes basic surgical techniques.

The skin healing experiment will wrap up on Wednesday when the astronauts load the research samples and other cargo inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship for analysis by scientists and engineers on Earth. Mission managers have approved Dragon’s departure for 11:05 a.m. EDT on Thursday when it will undock from the Harmony module’s forward port. The commercial cargo craft will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida on Friday with over 4,000 pounds of cargo and research for retrieval.

Meanwhile, two cosmonauts are ready for their spacewalk to continue outfitting the European robotic arm (ERA) for payload operations on the orbiting lab’s Russian segment. Roscosmos spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev are finalizing their task list reviews and Orlan spacesuit checks today with assistance from Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov.

Artemyev and Matveev are scheduled to exit the Poisk module’s airlock at 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday and spend about six-and-a-half hours servicing the ERA. The duo will install cameras on the ERA, move its external control panel, remove the robotic arm’s launch restraints, and test the arm’s grasping mechanism. Korsakov will monitor his cosmonaut crewmates during their excursion and help them in and out of their spacesuits. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin its live spacewalk coverage at 9 a.m.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

Today, the crew performed payload activities to achieve mission objectives. At any given time on board the ISS, a large array of different experiments are underway within a wide range of disciplines.

Systems:

Emergency Russian ISS Very High Frequency (VHF-1) Communication Checkout from USOS: The Russian ISS VHF-1 Emergency Communication was checked out from the USOS. The communication tested the ability for the Houston, Huntsville, Munich, Tskuba, and Moscow control centers to communicate with the crew while over a US VHF site. The ISS can communicate via the Russian Segment’s VHF radios when the ISS is over a VHF ground site and both the ISS and the ground site are configured to transmit and receive VHF signals. The ability to use VHF communications from a US groundsite is periodically verified in the event it is needed during an emergency where the nominal communication path is unusable.

Russian Water Transfers: Per documented agreements between the US and IP Russia, the Russian crew began transferring water from the USOS to the RS. Surplus water in the USOS was transferred from the Contingency Water Container – Iodine (CWC-I) to an ЕДВ (Russian water container). An ЕДВ is intended for short-term storage and manual water transportation between facilities

Completed Task List Activities:

• None

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

• DDCU 50Hz Data Gathering
• LSR Outgoing Check-Out Operations & RPC Check
• Cargo Dragon Checkouts for Departure
• Node 3 Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Zero Calibration

Look Ahead Plan

Wednesday, August 17 (GMT 229)
Payloads:

• Acoustic Diagnostics Ops (ESA)
• BioSentinel Uninstall and Pack for Return (NASA)
• JEM Microscope Checkout Prep (JAXA)
• MAND Print Removal and Stow (NASA)
• Spaceborne Computer T/S (NASA)
• Standard Measures Saliva Collection and Blood Setup (NASA)
• XROOTS Fluid Recovery and Inspection (NASA)

Systems:

• Environmental Health System (EHS) Coliform Water Sample Analysis
• Transfer Dragon Cargo Operations
• Water Recovery System CWC-Iodine Fill Operations
• Cargo Dragon Station Support Computer Relocate
• Cargo Dragon LiOH Swap

Thursday, August 18 (GMT 230)
Payloads:

• ISS HAM Pass (NASA)
• JEM Microscope Sample Removal (JAXA)
• PLT4 Transfer 2 (JAXA)
• Standard Measures Saliva and Blood Collect (NASA)
• Standard Measures Pre-sleep (NASA)

Systems:

• SpX-25 Undock Prep
• SpX-25 Egress & Undock
• WINSCAT Test
• TOCA Analysis

Friday, August 19 (GMT 231)
Payloads:

• Standard Measures Post-sleep (NASA)
• Standard Measures Saliva Collect and Stow

Systems:

• Crew Off-Duty

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

• Emergency RS ISS VHF-1 Comm Checkout from USOS
• HRF Generic Saliva Collection
• ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Down in Columbus
• ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Service Module
• LSG Secondary Crew Restraint Unfold
• Polar Sample Transfer 2 From Cold Stowage
• Water transfer from CWC-I to ЕДВ