NASA Space Station Status Report 14 April, 2022 – Two Cosmonauts Prepare for Spacewalk

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for a Commercial Crew swap taking place this month at the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) astronauts are staying busy as two cosmonauts gear up for a pair of spacewalks outside the orbiting lab’s Russian segment.
Two Commercial Crew missions are getting ready to trade places on the orbiting lab by the end of April. The four SpaceX-Crew-4 astronauts are in quarantine counting down to liftoff aboard the Dragon Freedom crew ship from Florida at 5:26 a.m. EDT on April 23. Commander Kjell Lindgren will lead Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti on a ride to the station’s Harmony module where they will dock just over 24 hours later.

The new quartet will replace the SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts who are due to leave the station at the end of April inside the Dragon Endeavor crew ship. Commander Raja Chari, Pilot Tom Marshburn and Mission Specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer will splashdown off the coast of Florida after living and working nearly six months in space.

The four Ax-1 crew members continue to focus on their busy slate of space research ahead of their undocking planned for next week. Former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria partnered with Pilot Larry Connors and analyzed human cells for the Aging and Heart Health study. The duo also joined Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe from Israel taking turns wearing a headset that monitors cognitive performance and brain activity in weightlessness. Mission Specialist Mark Pathy from Canada spent some time in the cupola photographing landmarks on Earth.

Two cosmonauts are ramping up their preparations for a pair of spacewalks set for April 18 and April 28. Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev are reviewing procedures they will use to activate the European Robotic Arm outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during both excursions. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov spent the day helping the cosmonauts get ready for their spacewalks.

On-Orbit Status Report

Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Axiom-1:

Public Affairs Office (PAO), Payload, and Commercial Activities: Multiple NASA-sponsored and ESA-sponsored PAO events have been performed, including eight Ice Cube Media Set events, three Ham radio events, and three PAO events, including a duet in space between Mike LA and the neoclassical pianist BLKBOK. The Ax-1 crew completed activities associated with several ISS National Lab sponsored payloads including Aging and Heart Health, Neurowellness, Earth Observation, Modeling Tumor Organoids, and Nano ISS Antenna. Mike LA will take still and video imagery of approved commercial activities including his participation in the ASTM International Committee F47 on Commercial Spaceflight Executive Committee meeting.

Payloads:

H2 Sensor Tech Demo (H2ST) Install: The crew routed the H2ST Power Supply Cable from the Ku-Band Power Supply to the front of LAB1P1. The crew then installed the H2STon the front of the Life Support Rack (LSR). The H2ST power up and sensor drift check will be performed in a future activity.

Aging and Heart Health: The ISS and Ax-1 crew retrieved and swapped Aging and Heart Health habitats into the Life Science Glovebox (LSG) and performed media change and sampling operations. Aging and Heart Health analyzes human cells for genetic markers of cellular aging and explores how cardiac-like cells adapt to microgravity. A better understanding of the mechanisms of cellular aging and cardiac adaptation could support crew health and success on future missions.

Earth Observation (Ax-1): The Ax-1 crew donned Day/Night Glasses inside Cupola and photographed assigned ground targets. The Earth Observation (Ax-1) investigation uses images taken from the ISS to study changes in weather and other planetary features; natural events, including fires and volcanic eruptions; and human features such as agriculture and urbanization. The project also plans to take images of the Great Lakes Basin to enhance the ongoing Great Lakes Project sponsored by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). An important source of water in Canada and the US, the Basin faces stress from climate change, urbanization, and other factors.

Nano ISS Antenna (Ax-1): Ax-1 crew conducted a calibration and antenna imaging for Nano ISS Antenna. Nano ISS Antenna tests deployment of a folded antenna used to provide high bandwidth communications. Miniaturized satellite electronics and sensors can provide valuable scientific and navigation capabilities, but small, simple antennas cannot transmit large quantities of data, limiting the usability of small satellites.

Neurowellness in Space (Ax-1): Neurowellness hardware was donned by Ax-1 crew to monitor cognitive performance and brain activity in microgravity. Neurowellness in Space is a Technology Demonstration investigating the viability of long-term monitoring of brain dynamics and cognitive function in space ecosystems using a portable electroencephalography (EEG) headset to measure differences in brain activity in microgravity. The device measures both ongoing and task-related brain activity. Data on microgravity-induced differences in cognitive performance could help predict neural changes on future long-term space missions.

Systems:

Robotic Operations: Yesterday (GMT 103), the Robotics Ground Operators translated the Mobile Transporter (MT) from Worksite 2 (WS2) to WS4. During this translation the MT Relay Assembly (MTRA) checkout was performed. The MTRA was checked out successfully on the redundant string after de-mating the Umbilical Mating Assemblies (UMAs) at WS2 and on the prime string before re-mating the UMAs at WS4. Following the MT translate Ground Operators started a survey of the Ax-1 vehicle Thermal Protection System (TPS) which was completed today. Following the TPS survey, the MT was translated from WS4 to WS6.

Crew Quarters (CQ) Cleaning: In preparation for Crew-3 departure, the crew cleaned the intake and exhaust ducts, fans, and airflow sensors in the Overhead Crew Quarters. Due to the large amounts of dust seen during previous CQ cleanings, the crew removed all relevant panels, temporarily stowed them, and then cleaned all areas at once.

Battery Pack Testing: Today, the crew finished the evaluation on the battery packs used on the Universal Battery Charger (UBC). The crew identified that the battery packs will take a charge on Bay 2 but are not charging on Bay 1. Additionally, the crew found four battery packs were operating properly and had enough charge to spin the drill.

Completed Task List Activities:

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

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Survey of Dragon
MT Translation
SSRMS Walkoff to Node2 [IN WORK]
SPDM Unstow [IN WORK]
Look Ahead Plan

Friday, April 15 (GMT 105)
Payloads:

Aging and Heart Health Habitat swap (Ax-1)
AstroRad Setup and Don (Ax-1)
At Home in Space Journals (Ax-1)
Bio-Monitor Setup, Don, and Calibration (Ax-1/ISS)
Cardio Protection Urine Collect (Ax-1)
CBEF L Fastener Measurement (JAXA)
Cold Atom Lab MTL Check (NASA)
CRISPR Plate 2 Load (Ax-1)
Earth Obs (Ax-1)
Metabolic Space Experiment (ESA)
Microbiome in Space Urine Collect (Ax-1)
Monitoring Stress Data Transfer and Photo (Ax-1)
Nano ISS Antenna Calibration (Ax-1)
Photocatalyst Filter Check (Ax-1)
Sleep in Space Surface Sample (Ax-1)
Tesserae HW Gather and Setup (Ax-1/ISS)
Systems:

Dragon Transfer Ops
Crew Dragon Departure Prep
Crew Dragon Zenith Docking System Cleaning
Port Crew Quarters Cleaning
WHC Pretreat Tank R&R and Dose Pump Inspection
HRF Electroretinograph Functional Checkout
Saturday, April 16 (GMT 106)
Payloads:

AstroRad Doff (Ax-1)
At Home in Space Journals (Ax-1)
Bio-Monitor HW Changeout and Calibration (Ax-1/ISS)
Cardio Protection Urine Collect (Ax-1)
CRISPR Plate Removal (Ax-1)
Earth Obs (Ax-1)
Monitoring Stress data Transfer and Photo (Ax-1)
Nano ISS Antenna Calibration and Stow (Ax-1)
NanoRacks Module 9 Ops 3 (Ax-1)
NanoRacks Module 102 Photo (Ax-1)
Neurowellness Hardware Ops (Ax-1/ISS)
Photocatalyst Filter Check (Ax-1)
Sleep in Space Data and Questionnaire (Ax-1)
Tesserae Ops (Ax-1/ISS)
Systems:

Crew Off-Duty
Sunday, April 17 (GMT 107)
Payloads:

Actiwatch Setup (Ax-1)
Bio-Monitor HW Calibration, Doff and HW Stow (Ax-1/ISS)
Photocatalyst Filter Check (Ax-1/ISS)
Monitoring Stress Data Transfer and Photo (Ax-1)
Reflective Eye Test Data Prep (Ax-1)
Snowcone Powerdown and HW Remove (Ax-1)
Standard Measures Urine Setup (NASA)
Systems:

EVA GoPro Setup and RET Inspection
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Aging and Heart Health LSG Clean Up, Hardware Insert, and Habitat Insert
Battery Charge Initiation and Deactivation for Metabolic Space
Cimon Battery Charging
Collapsible Contingency Urinal (CCU) Crew Conference
Columbus Payload Power Switching Box (PPSB) reconfiguration
Countermeasures System (CMS) Cycle Ergometer w/Vibration Isolation & Stabilization (CEVIS) Isolator Inspection
Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth
DeWalt Battery Pack Testing Part 4
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
ESA Weekly Crew Conference
Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)
Hydrogen Sensor Technology Demo (H2ST) Drift Check [DEFERRED]
IFM H2 Sensor Tech Demo (H2ST) Cable Install
IFM Hydrogen Sensor Tech Demo (H2ST) Install
In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Crew Quarters (CQ) Overhead Cleaning
LSG Front Glove-Swap, Primary Crew Restraint Fold & Unfold, and Work Volume Deploy & Stow
MELFI 1 Ice Brick Insert 5 and 6
NutrISS – ESA Nutritional Assessment
Reorientation Cobalt Brick and Reroute Mass Storage Cables for H2ST Install
Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Manual Fill
Zbook CTB Configuration