NASA Space Station Status Report 10 March, 2022 – Preparing for the Next Two Spacewalks

The Expedition 66 crew continued preparing today for the first of two spacewalks set to begin next week to continue upgrading the International Space Station’s power system.
Vein scans were also on Thursday’s schedule helping scientists understand how living in space affects the human body.

NASA Flight Engineers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari are set to switch their U.S. spacesuits to battery power at 8:05 a.m. EST on Tuesday and spend six-and-a-half hours installing a modification kit on the space station’s Starboard-3 truss structure. The new hardware will enable the upcoming installation of a third roll-out solar array increasing the station’s power output and augmenting the existing solar arrays.

The duo was joined by fellow station astronauts Tom Marshburn of NASA and Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) for a spacewalk procedures review and conference with specialists on the ground. Marshburn and Maurer will assist the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits, operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and monitor their external activities. Mission managers will talk about the spacewalk, as well as a second one planned for March 23, live on the NASA TV app and the website on Monday at 2 p.m. NASA TV begins its live spacewalk broadcast on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m.

The four astronauts also took turns scanning each other’s neck, shoulder and leg veins using the Ultrasound 2 device. Chari and Maurer took turns as the crew medical officer on Thursday afternoon imaging Marshburn’s and Barron’s veins. Doctors on the ground monitored the biomedical activities and will examine downlinked imagery as part of periodic crew health assessments.

NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei worked throughout the day on maintenance activities servicing research gear and communications hardware. He started the day in the Kibo laboratory module placing combustion science components inside a payload rack then installed a wireless system in the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

In the station’s Russian segment, Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov evaluated an artificial gravity suit that counteracts the pooling of fluids in a crew member’s upper body. The lower body negative pressure suit expands veins and tissues in the lower body possibly preventing vision changes and head pressure in microgravity.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

Behavioral Core Measures (BCM): ROBoT-r Research sessions consisting of a set of 12 runs/tests were performed. 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.

Collapsible Contingency Urinal (CCU): The crew participated in a debrief to discuss use of the CCU, followed by a clean-up and stow of the hardware. The CCU is exploration hardware flown to the ISS as a tech demo. The approach includes a fractal wetting design that incorporates smart capillary fluidics. This work could have a broad impact on capillary-based fluid management on spacecraft and on Earth.

Materials Science Research Rack/Materials Science Laboratory (MSRR/MSL): The crew gained access to the furnace area, removed the processed sample, and inserted the next Microstructure Formation in Casting of Technical Alloys under Diffusive and Magnetically Controlled Convective Conditions (MICAST) Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) to be processed. The MICAST experiment aims to deepen the understanding of the physical principles that govern solidification processes in metal alloys.

Solid Combustion Experiment Module (SCEM): The SCEM facility hardware was installed into the Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) work volume. SCEM will be used to host the FLARE investigation. Fundamental Research on International Standard of Fire Safety in Space – Base for Safety of Future Manned Missions (FLARE), which is a JAXA investigation, explores the flammability of materials in microgravity. Various solid fuels are burned under different conditions and observed inside a flow tunnel. Microgravity significantly affects combustion phenomena and results are expected to contribute to the improvement of fire safety in space.

Touching Surfaces: The crew performed a periodic touching of the Touch Arrays which are deployed in five different locations in the US segment of ISS. Previous space research conducted during short-term flight experiments and long-term environmental monitoring on board orbiting space stations (such as MIR or the ISS) suggests that the relationship between humans and microbes is altered in the crewed habitat in space. This interdisciplinary project Touching Surfaces aims to investigate novel, laser-structured antimicrobial surfaces onboard the ISS. The realistic testing of the tailor-made nanostructured antimicrobial surface in space allows for the determination of the most suitable design for antimicrobial surfaces for terrestrial applications such as public transportation and clinical settings, as well as future human space mission and habitation design.

Systems:

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation Activities: Several activities were completed in preparation for the upcoming 3A ISS Roll Out Solar Array (IROSA) Prep EVA. The EVA GoPro Batteries were charged and the card was verified to be installed, which prevents inconsistent charging issues. EVA procedures were reviewed, including several briefing packages, a detailed timeline, a tool config summary, get-aheads, and cautions and warnings. The crew terminated Autocycle Li-Ion Rechargeable EVA Batteries using the EMU Li-Ion Battery Charger and the 28V Power Supply Assembly (PSA) Utility Power Outlet (UPO). Two D5 cameras were also configured for EVA activities. The crew swapped EMUs 3015 and 3004 on the EMU Don/Doff Assemblies (EDDAs) and resized EMU 3015. Hardware not being utilized for the EVA was unstowed from the Airlock and the Airlock was prepped to support EVA operations. Lastly, the crew participated in an EVA Procedure Conference with EVA and Increment team leads and other program personnel.

Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurement Survey: To support monitoring of the health of the ISS IMV system, a Velocicalc device was used to take measurements of air flow exiting outlets and entering inlets of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). In addition to flow rate measurements, inspections of the outlets and inlets were performed.

Completed Task List Activities:

None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

LSR Check-Out Actvities in MCM Mode following Operative System Update
Exposed Facility Unit 4 Preparation for Mate
EFU 4 Activation and Safing Verify
JEMRMS Maneuver for NREP Stow
JEM Airlock Capture Mechanism Release NREP
NREP berthing to EFU 4
Look Ahead Plan

Friday, March 11 (GMT 70)
Payloads:

APM Node 3 install
BCM-ROBoT
CAL MTL Leak Check
CIMON T/S
CIR/SOFIE Insert Config 2
EasyMotion/T2
Food Physiology
HRF PC1 Software Update
J-FROST-2 CCU2 Install
LSG Cleanup/Config
Payload Hardware Trash
Retinal Diagnostics
SAMS CU Laptop Replace
SCEM Insert
Space Biofilms-2 Plate Fixation
SQuARE
Systems:

SAFER Checkout
REBA Powered Hardware Checkout
JEM Stowage Consolidation
EVA Cuff Checklist Print
IFM Brick Orientation
SSC 10 and 20 Swap
EVA Tool Configuring
IFM WHC Pre-Treat Tank R&R/Fill
Photo TV GoPro Setup
Saturday, March 12 (GMT 71)
Payloads:

SQuARE
Systems:

IDA Docking Ring MLI Floating Bracket Fit-check
Sunday, March 13 (GMT 72)
Payloads:

Easy Motion
SQuARE
Systems:

Crew Off-Duty Day
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Subject
SQuARES Flexible Daily Imagery
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation – Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Intelligent Glass Optics Probe Exchange
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Stow Hardware
Collapsible Contingency Urinal (CCU) Drain And Trash
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Photo TV EVA Go Pro Battery Charging
Behavioral Core Measures ROBoT-r Test
Touching Event for the Touching Surfaces experiment
[aborted] Insert USB thumb drive into ELC5
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #1 Procedure Review for Extravehicular Crew
LSG Work Volume Deploy/Stow
[aborted] Remove USB thumb drive from ELC5 and Label
Glovebox Freezer Deploy
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Lithium Rechargeable (EVA) Battery Assembly (LREBA) Operations (OPS) Terminate (TERM)
ESA Weekly crew conference
Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Cold Plate Check
Solid Combustion (SCEM) install to Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) Work Volume
Photo/TV Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Camera Configuration
Material Science Laboratory SCA Exchange
Material Science Laboratory Laptop Check
Cryo Chiller Sample Cartridge Removal and Decontamination
Payloads Network Attached Storage (NAS) Vent Cleaning
LSG Primary Crew Restraint Unfold/Fold
Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification
Rodent Research LSG Clean Up
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Swap
Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 2 Power On
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prep.
IWIS RSU (Internal Wireless Instrumentation System Remote Sensor Unit) Pre-gather
Re-install IWIS RSU (Internal Wireless Instrumentation System Remote Sensor Unit) in the PRK
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize
Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Return
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Airlock Unstow
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in Columbus
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Subject Prep.
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Venous Thromboembolism Scan
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Venous Thromboembolism Scan performed by a Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Collapsible Contingency Urinal (CCU) Crew conference
Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurement Survey
Glovebox Freezer – Life Science Glovebox – Teardown
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Post Exam
Accept handover of SSC 26 from USOS
Transfer Hardware to Russian Segment
Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE