NASA Space Station Status Report 14 March, 2022 – Spacewalk Briefings With Animation

Two Expedition 66 astronauts are in final preparations today for Tuesday’s spacewalk after mission managers gave the final go early Monday.
NASA TV will broadcast a live briefing today at 2 p.m. EDT (available below) with International Space Station managers discussing the upcoming spacewalk activities.

The U.S. Quest airlock has been configured to host NASA Flight Engineers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari when they set their U.S. spacesuits to battery power on Tuesday at 8:05 a.m. signifying the start of a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. The duo will exit Quest then translate over to the Starboard-4 truss structure and install modification kits that will ready the space station for its third roll-out solar array. NASA TV, on the app and the website, will begins its live spacewalk broadcast on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m.

Barron and Chari started Monday readying their spacesuits and staging their spacewalk tools inside Quest. They were joined afterward by Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn of NASA and Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) for a final procedures review and a conference with specialists on the ground. Marshburn and Maurer will help the spacewalkers in and out of their suits and monitor and guide them during the exterior maintenance job.

NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei focused on another upcoming external job as he set up a small satellite deployer inside the Kibo laboratory module on Monday. He placed the deployer inside Kibo’s airlock where it will be grappled by the Japanese robotic arm, placed in the vacuum of outer space, and pointed away from the station. Soon a set of CubeSats will be released into Earth orbit for a variety of educational and scientific research activities.

The two cosmonauts in the station’s Russian segment, Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov, continued studying the effectiveness of an antigravity suit that may offset the effects of living in space. Known as the lower body negative pressure suit, it has the ability to draw fluids that pool toward a crew member’s head down to the legs and feet expanding veins and tissues. This may prevent space-caused head pressure and vision issues as well as easing a human’s return to Earth’s gravity.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

EasyMotion: The crew donned the EasyMotion suit and then performed an Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) exercise session. The EasyMotion investigation uses whole body Electro-Myo-Stimulation (EMS) with a wearable body skin suit for an ISS crew member to perform pre- and postflight EMS-assisted exercises. EMS technology initiates spontaneous (involuntary) activation of global musculature (muscle, tendon, fascia) to be monitored (muscle tone/tension and stiffness) inflight using the non-invasive Myoton technology that is currently aboard the space station for the Myotones investigation.

JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-21 (J-SSOD-21): The crew performed the first series of steps to install the J-SSOD-21 hardware to the JEM airlock slide table. The J-SSOD provides a novel, safe, and small satellite launching capability to the ISS. The J-SSOD is a unique satellite launcher, handled by the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), which provides containment and deployment mechanisms for several individual small satellites.

Manufacturing Device (ManD): A recently printed VelociCalc probe adaptor was removed from the print volume of the ManD and stowed. ManD enables the production of components on the ISS for both NASA and commercial objectives. Parts, entire experiments, and tools can be created on demand utilizing the ManD printer that is installed into an EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) locker location. ManD is capable of producing parts out of a wide variety of thermopolymers including engineered plastics.

Nutrition Monitoring for the International Space Station (NutrISS): In support of the NutrISS investigation, an ESA Nutritional Assessment (ENA) was performed. In the NutrISS investigation, a periodic assessment of body composition (body weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass) during spaceflight aboard the ISS is carried out using a dedicated bio-impedance analysis device to allow for the measurement of long-term energy balance modification over time. It is hypothesized that an adjusted diet maintaining a near-neutral energy balance, and/or increasing protein intake, can limit microgravity-induced bone and muscle loss.

Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment (SQuARE): The crew took photos of the SQuARE experiment sites located in the Node 1 Galley, JEM, Columbus, Node 2, and the US Lab. SQuARE is an investigation that aims to document items within six defined locations around the ISS over time. The idea is to look at the ISS as an archaeological site, and each of the Squares as a “test pit”.

Systems:

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparation: Today, the USOS crew continued preparations for the upcoming 3A IROSA Prep EVA, which will install the assembled Mod Kit, which is a platform that allows attachment of the IROSA, at the S4/3A location. Final preparations included installation of the EVA Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) Battery, an EVA Tool Configuration and Audit, and Equipment Lock (E-LK) Prep to prepare the EVA Mobility Unit (EMU) and Airlock for tomorrow’s EVA and suit donning. The crew also reviewed procedures before conducting a conference with ground specialists. US EVA #79 is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15th with Joint Airlock Egress occurring at ~7:10am CST.

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis & Data Record: The crew performed an analysis of the water processing assembly (WPA) using the TOCA. The TOCA unit oxidizes organic carbon species present in the water to carbon dioxide gas and measures the concentration using nondispersive infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of the potable water using the TOCA occurs on a weekly basis.

Regenerative ECLSS Recycle Tank Drain/Fill: Today, the crew set up the recycle tank to drain via the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) Fill Drain Valve into a Brine EDV using the Urine Transfer System (UTS). Following the setup, the ground performed the tank drain using the UTS. Once the ground specialists completed the transfer, the crew verified the recycle tank was empty, terminated the drain, repositioned the fill/drain valve to force fill the recycle tank using UTS, and configured for nominal processing operations. The crew also swapped the EDV in the offload EDV spot of the UTS.

Completed Task List Activities:

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

ACS Caution & Warning Configuration
Airlock MTL Flow Adjust
Close Thruster Manifold Isolation Valves for EVA
TCS P1 TRRJ Lock
A/L CVIU Activation
C2V2 Deactivation
Joint Airlock (JAL) 10.2 PSIA Operations Initiation
UHF 1 Activation
IAS EVA Communication Configuration
VDS EVA Configuration
Look Ahead Plan

Tuesday, March 15 (GMT 74)
Payloads:

APM Status Check
AWP
NutrISS
SQuARE
Standard Measures
TangoLab Satellite Ops
UNIGLO Probe Exchange
Systems:

3A IROSA Prep EVA,
Network Monitoring Laptop Replace & Setup
WHC Urine Filter Hose Configure
IFM WHC Pre-Treat Tank R&R
Wednesday, March 16 (GMT 75)
Payloads:

Confocal Space Microscopy
EasyMotion/CEVIS
ELT2 Setup
Food Acceptability
LSG Ops
Myotones
PLCB1 Cable Config
Space Biofilms-2
Standard Measures
SQuARE
UNIGLO
Vascular Aging
Systems:

Columbus Bay Clean-up/Restow
EMU Water Recharge
Return SSC 12
WHC ??? R&R
POC DOUG Software Review
EVA QD Training Review
HD EMU Camera Assembly Terminate
EVA Battery Ops
EVA Debrief
Thursday, March 17 (GMT 76)
Payloads:

HRF PC Software Update
ISS HAM Pass
J-SSOD-21 Install
Lumina
NutrISS
PG Tide
SQuARE
Standard Measures
Touching Surfaces
UNIGLO
Vascular Aging
Wireless Compose-2
Systems:

EVA Tool Config
OGA Pump ORU Flush
Robotics Procedure Print
EVA Procedure Review
OBT ROBoT Setup
IMS Conference
WHC Manual Fill
OBT ROBoT Session
OGA Post Maintenance Flush/Stow
SSC 10 and 20 Swap
EMU Swap
EMU Resize
METOX Regeneration Termination
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Extravehicular Activity Pistol Grip Tool Battery Installation
Cell Biology Experiment Facility Left (CBEF-L) Backup Power Box installation
Equipment Lock (E-LK) Preparation
MPEP Retrieval from JLP1 Bay 2 Corridor
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension to JPM Side
MPEP Installation to JEM Airlock Slide Table
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring/Audit
MPEP Installation to JEM Airlock Slide Table Support
Cold Atom Lab MTL Jumper Leak Check
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) Wide (1 Deployer) and Single (1 Deployer) onto Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) Installation Part 1
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #1 Procedure Review for Extravehicular Crew
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review
JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Retraction from JPM Side
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Pre EVA Examination – Subject
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Pre EVA Examination – Crew Medical Officer (CMO)
Manufacturing Device Print Removal, Clean and Stow
MLC Laptop Shell Changeout
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain/Fill
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Pre-EVA Periodic Health Status Examination – Stow
SQuARES Flexible Daily Imagery
ESA Monthly Management Conference
ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Down in Columbus
ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Service Module
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in JEM
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) iPad Contingency Procedures preparation
Robotic Workstation (RWS) Setup
Move SSC (Station Support Computer) 12 to RWS area to support EVA viewing for crew awareness
Utility Outlet Panel (UOP) Activation
NutrISS – ESA Nutritional Assessment
JEM Water Recovery System (JWRS) Bag Check
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap