NASA Space Station Status Report 12 May, 2022 – Ongoing Human Research, Space Botany, and Robotics Today
Human research, space botany, and robotics were the main research themes for the Expedition 67 crew aboard the International Space Station on Thursday.
Meanwhile, mission managers conducted a Flight Readiness Review ahead of the launch of Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission scheduled for next week.
The orbiting lab’s four astronauts, including Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Samantha Cristoforetti, kicked off the day with a quick health check. The quartet used the EveryWear app on an iPad that collects and downloads medical data for review by doctors on Earth. A variety of hardware such as a smart shirt that records cardiac activity, a wireless sensor that monitors heart rate, and a tonometer that measures pressure in eyes and blood vessels, contributes to the data that EveryWear collects.
Lindgren, Hines, and Watkins also took turns collecting and stowing their blood and urine samples for later analysis. Cristoforetti spent most of her morning on the Acoustic Diagnostics experiment that explores how the station’s noise levels affect a crew member’s hearing.
Lindgren also worked on the XROOTS botany study that investigates using hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants in microgravity. Afterward, he joined Hines and reviewed procedures for operating the Astrobee robotic free-flying assistants. Watkins and Cristoforetti worked on orbital plumbing tasks and cupola window maintenance respectively.
The station’s three cosmonauts, Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineers Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov, continued their complement of science and maintenance tasks in the station’s Russian segment.
NASA and Boeing mission managers completed a Flight Readiness Review on Wednesday and are proceeding toward the launch of the OFT-2 mission at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. Boeing’s unpiloted Starliner will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and automatically dock to the Harmony module’s forward port about 24 hours later. It will stay at the station for cargo and test operations for five to 10 days before parachuting back to Earth.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Acoustic Diagnostics: The Acoustic Diagnostic hardware was setup, calibrated and measurements were recorded. Following this, a questionnaire was filled out on the EveryWear device. Due to time constraints, the final part of the session will be deferred to tomorrow. The Acoustic Upgraded Diagnostics In-Orbit (Acoustic Diagnostics) investigation tests the hearing of ISS crew members before, during, and after flight. This study assesses the possible adverse effects of noise and the microgravity environment aboard the ISS on human hearing. The investigation compares the relationship between the detection of otoacoustic emissions, sounds naturally generated from within the inner ear, and hearing loss levels when exposed to noisy environments.
Airborne Particulate Monitor (APM): Science Data from the APM memory card was transferred to a Station Support Computer (SSC) for subsequent downlink, and the display status was reported to the ground. 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 Airborne Particulate Monitor (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.
eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS): The crew performed a water fill and cleaning activity for the XROOTS plant growth hardware. The plant growth phase of the experiment is currently scheduled to begin next week. The XROOTS investigation uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Video and still images enable evaluation of multiple independent growth chambers for the entire plant life cycle from seed germination through maturity. Results could identify suitable methods to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions.
ISS Ham: The crew participated in an ISS HAM pass with Scuola Secondaria di I Grado G. Leopardi, Macherio, Lombardia, Italy. the students asked questions about how the astronauts deal with difficulties they encounter, how flames behave in space, and what the temperature is inside and outside the ISS. ISS Ham Radio provides opportunities to engage and educate students, teachers, parents and other members of the community in science, technology, engineering and math by providing a means to communicate between astronauts and the ground Ham radio units.
rHEALTH: The crew reviewed the procedures and big picture words in preparation for the demo session later this week. The rHEALTH ONE Microgravity Demonstration (rHEALTH) is intended to establish whether the technology used by this modified, commercial off-the-shelf device can identify and analyze biomarkers, cells, microorganisms, and proteins in the spaceflight environment. The device uses flow cytometry technology to sort and identify cells. This technology could be used to provide quick and accurate measurements of biological indicators related to disease, infection, or environmental exposure on future long-duration exploration missions.
Wireless Compose-2: The crew participated in a Ballistocardiography session while wearing the SmartTex-2 shirt. Ballistocardiography looks at body motion related to the pumping of blood by the heart. The main scientific goal of the Wireless Communication Network (Wireless Compose-2) investigation is to provide a flexible and adaptable wireless network infrastructure to conduct and execute low-power, low-weight, and wireless experiments on the ISS. For this demonstration, Wireless Compose-2 operates several experiments, including an experiment to examine the impact of the space environment on the cardiovascular system. Additionally, Wireless Compose-2 demonstrates newly developed impulse radio ultra-wide- band (IR-UWB) hardware to enable precise localization applications and to analyze the energy harvesting potential on the ISS.
Systems:
Cupola Window 7 Scratch Pane Replace: Today the crew attempted to replace the Cupola window 7 scratch pane however, during the steps to remove the old scratch pane the crew ran into some interference issues and were not able to complete this task. The engineering and operations teams will review the video and photos provided by the crew; this task will be replanned for another day.
Water Process Assembly (WPA) Multifiltration (MF) Bed Inspect: Following a WPA MF Bed replacement a couple weeks ago the WPA has experienced a variety of faults at various points during the process cycle. As part of the investigation into the faults the crew performed an inspection of the MF Bed Quick Disconnects (QDs), the crew did not observe any QD leaks during their inspection.
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Dose Pump and Pretreat Tank Remove and Replace: The crew performed WHC preventative maintenance today, which included replacing the Dose Pump and Pre-Treat Tank. After the maintenance was completed the crew performed a WHC checkout, however the new Dose Pump was not operating as expected. The crew and ground teams are working to recover WHC functionality.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
None
Look Ahead Plan
Friday, May 13 (GMT 133)
Payloads:
Astrobee/ISAAC-SoundSee
BioMonitor config file upload
CAL MTL jumper check
Repository
rHEALTH demo
Systems:
T2 6-month, yearly maintenance
OFT-2 procedure review
OFT-2 Rendezvous CBT
SSRMS IDA2 Survey
Saturday, May 14 (GMT 134)
Payloads:
AWP watch doff
Systems:
Crew Off Duty
Reboost
Sunday, May 15 (GMT 135)
Payloads:
Astrobee Prep
Systems:
Crew Off Duty
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Standard Measures Post-Sleep Questionnaire
Urine Collection
HRF Centrifuge Setup and Frozen Blood Collection
MELFI Sample Insertion Operations
HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Configure and Run
rHEALTH Hardware Demo Big Picture Words and Procedures Review
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Evaluation
ISS HAM Columbus Pass
ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Down in Columbus
Acoustic Monitor Setup for Crew Worn Measurements
Acoustic Diagnostics Instruments Set-Up
Cerebral Autoregulation Closeout
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
ISS Crew Orientation
Acoustic Diagnostics Operations – Calibration and Measurement
Acoustic Diagnostics EveryWear Questionnaire
Acoustic Diagnostics Instrument Deinstallation and Stowage [Deferred]
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS EveryWear (EVW) Nutrition Tracking
Acoustic Monitor Data Transfer and Stow
Treadmill MTL Hose Inspection
ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Up
Gather for Cupola Scratch Pane Installation
ISS Crew Orientation
Wireless Compose-2 SmartTex-2 Shirt Donning & Experiment Execution
ESA Weekly crew conference
Wireless Compose-2 SmartTex-2 Shirt Doffing
Wireless Compose-2 Questionnaire
Actiwatch Plus HRF Rack 2 Setup
Wireless Compose-2 SD Card Data Transfer
Cupola Acrylic Scratch Pane 7 Reconfiguration
XROOTS Hardware Clean
XROOTS WATER REFILL
Cupola Window #7 Scratch Pane Installation [Deferred]
On-orbit Hearing Assessment (OOHA) with Kuduwave Software Setup and Test
Airborne Particulate Monitor Data Transfer
Waste and Hygiene Compartment Dose Pump and Pretreat Tank Remove and Replace
Actiwatch Plus HRF Rack 2 Swap
Health Maintenance System (HMS) – ESA Nutritional Assessment
In Flight Maintenance Multifiltration Bed Inspection
Astrobee OBT Review
Emer Mask Conference
Photocatalyst Hardware Remove
