NASA Space Station Status Report 12 August, 2022 – Skin Healing and Preparing for a Spacewalk

Skin healing processes and spacewalk preparations filled the work schedule aboard the International Space Station on Friday. The Expedition 67 crew members are also readying a U.S. space freighter for its return to Earth next week.

Four astronauts aboard the orbiting lab practiced surgical techniques to heal wounds in microgravity on Friday in the Kibo laboratory module. The quartet split up in groups of two with NASA astronaut Bob Hines joining ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti for the first practice session during the morning. In the afternoon, NASA Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins began their session studying how to take biopsies and suture wounds inside the Life Science Glovebox.

During the middle of the day, the foursome had time set aside time for gathering frozen research samples inside science freezers and preparing them for departure back to Earth inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. Dragon is due to leave the station on Aug. 18 loaded with over 4,000 pounds of station supplies and science experiments after 33 days docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. The commercial cargo craft will parachute to a splashdown off the coast of Florida the next day for retrieval by NASA and SpaceX personnel.

Watkins and Cristoforetti started the day collecting blood samples for spinning in a centrifuge then stowing them in a science freezer. Lindgren  evaluated the effectiveness of the Butterfly IQ Ultrasound device that uses mobile-computing technology to promote crew autonomy. Hines wrapped up his day with light orbital plumbing tasks and spacewalk tether inspections.

Two cosmonauts are gearing up for a spacewalk on Aug. 17 to continue configuring the European robotic arm (ERA) for operations on the station’s Russian segment. Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev tried on their Orlan spacesuits, tested communications gear, checked for leaks, and practiced maneuvers planned for next week’s six-and-half-hour excursion. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov assisted the duo during the spacewalking dry run and will be on duty monitoring his two crewmates when they exit the Poisk module’s airlock next week for the ongoing ERA work.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

Butterfly IQ USND: The crew set up the appropriate hardware and performed the fifth medical technology demonstration of the Butterfly Ultrasound Device. Butterfly IQ Ultrasound demonstrates the effectiveness of a portable ultrasound device used in conjunction with a mobile computing device in the space environment. Such commercial off-the-shelf technology could provide important medical capabilities for future exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The investigation also examines the effectiveness of just-in-time instructions for autonomous use of the device by the crew.

Iceberg Drawer Troubleshooting: In an attempt to prevent noise from a location where it has previously been reported, the EXPRESS rack 4 lower utility drawer was pushed all the way into the rack. Iceberg is a Double Locker equivalent designed for EXPRESS Rack operation and provides additional cold stowage resources aboard the ISS. The units provide an operating range of +4°C to -95°C.

JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-22 (J-SSOD-22): The crew observed the ground-commanded deployment of three satellites (TUMnanoSAT, FUTABA, and HSU-SAT1) that are part of the J-SSOD-22 mission. J-SSOD provides a novel and safe small satellite launching capability to the ISS. The J-SSOD is a unique satellite launcher, handled by the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), which provides containment and deployment mechanisms for several individual small satellites. Once J-SSOD is installed, including satellite cases with small satellites onto the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) by crew members, it is passed through the JEM Airlock for retrieval, positioning, and deployment by the JEMRMS.

Lumina: The Lumina hardware was power-cycled and data was transferred to an iPad for downlink.  Fiber-optic Active Dosimeter (Lumina) is an active fiber dosimeter that monitors, in real-time, the received radiation dose by exploiting the capacity of optical fibers to darken when exposed to radiation. The dosimeter provides reliable dose measurements in complex environments such as the ones associated with electrons, protons, gamma-ray or X-ray photons or neutrons.

Thermal Amine Scrubber: Two carbon dioxide (CO₂) samples and one relative humidity sample was obtained for the Thermal Amine CO₂ effluent. The Thermal Amine Scrubber tests a method to remove CO₂ from the air aboard ISS, using actively heated and cooled amine beds. Controlling CO₂ levels on the station reduces the likelihood of crew members experiencing symptoms of CO₂ buildup, which include fatigue, headache, breathing difficulties, strained eyes, and itchy skin. The system includes elements that reduce loss of water vapor, and recover CO₂ for use in electrolysis to produce oxygen.

Systems:

JEM Remote Sensor Unit (RSU) Battery Remove and Replace: The crew replaced AA Batteries in several of the JEM Wireless Instrumentation System (WIS) Environmental Monitor RSUs. The RSUs store data collected from tri-axial accelerometers and strain gauges in non-volatile memory, which is then downloaded to the External WIS (EWIS) Network Communication Unit (NCU) and the LS1 server for downlink.

Treadmill 2 (T2) SSC Adapter Connection: The crew installed a USB to GigE Adapter on the T2 SSC to provide a wired connection to both the T2 Command Logic Unit (CLU) and the JSL network. T2 interfaces with the ISS Operation Local Area Network (Ops LAN) via an SSC to download exercise data and the upload of prescription information and software updates.

RS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 54 Preparations: The crew continued preparation activities for the upcoming RS EVA 54, by inspecting the Retractable Equipment Tether (RET) inspection. Each RET must be inspected for damaged cords and then placed in a protective bag to isolate the RETs from potential damage until ready for EVA use. The RETs were transferred from the USOS to the RS for use during the Russian EVA on Wednesday, August 17.

Completed Task List Activities:

• None

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

• JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) status Monitoring
• Command and Control Software (CCS) Service Module Central Computer (SMCC) Data Dump
• Lab Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) 2 Half Cycles
• Thermal Amine Scrubber (TAS) Mode Change & Sample Support

Look Ahead Plan

Saturday, August 13 (GMT 225)
Payloads:

• No utilization activities

Systems:

• Transfer Crew Dragon Cargo Operations

Sunday, August 14 (GMT 226)
Payloads:

• Immunosenescence Gather
• LSG Ops
• PAUL Ops
• MERLIN Remove/Transfer
• PAUL Ops
• POLAR Ops
• XROOTS

Systems:

• Cargo Dragon Mid/Center Closeout

Monday, August 15 (GMT 227)
Payloads:

• DynaMoS
• Immunosenescence
• JEM Confocal Space Microscopy
• LSG Ops
• MSG Facility Power Down

Systems:

• Environmental Health System (EHS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Operations
• Photo TV EVA Go Pro Operations
• Recycle Tank Drain Operations

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

• Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) Thermal Amine Scrubber (TAS) Sample Part 1 & Part 2
• Butterfly Ultrasound Device Operations
• COL PAYLOAD LAPTOP3 RESTOW
• Cold Stowage Double Coldbag Gather
• Experiment Laptop Terminal 2(ELT2) Cable Connection
• Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS EveryWear (EVW) Nutrition Tracking
• HRF Generic HRF Operations
• Iceberg-1 Drawer Troubleshooting
• Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
• JEM Wireless Instrumentation System Environmental Monitor Remote Sensor Unit Battery R&R
• JEMRMS Small Satellite Deployment Observation
• LSG Operations
• [not statused] LSG Secondary Crew Restrained Unfold
• LUMINA Data Transfer with EveryWear
• LUMINA Device Power Reboot
• PCS Swap
• Photo T/V (P/TV) Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Operations
• Polar Sample Transfer 1 From Cold Stowage
• Swap SSC (Station Support Computer) 20 and 12 Swap
• T2 SSC Adapter Connection
• Transfer Crew Dragon Cargo Operations
• [not statused] Transferring US EVA tools from the USOS to the RS in preparation for EVA 54
• Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
• US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tether Inspection
• XROOTS Plant Photography