NASA Space Station Status Report 18 March, 2022 – Trio of Russian Cosmonauts Launch to the ISS

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov are safely in orbit on the Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft after launching at 11:55 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (8:55 p.m. Baikonur time).
The Soyuz will dock to the station’s Prichal module at 3:05 p.m. About two hours after docking, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open.

NASA TV coverage of docking will begin at 2:15 p.m. on NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website.

On-Orbit Status Report

67S Launch and Dock: 67S successfully launched at 10:55 AM CT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov onboard. The vehicle docked at the Node Module at 02:12 PM CT. The ISS complement has increased to 10 crewmembers and will remain so until 65S undock on March 30th.

Payloads:

EasyMotion: The crew donned the EasyMotion suit and then performed a Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) exercise session. The EasyMotion investigation uses whole body Electro-Myo-Stimulation (EMS) with a wearable body skin suit for an ISS crewmember 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 Microbe: Microbial samples were collected from the JPM and JLP areas using a wet sample swab, and photos were taken of the sample locations. Space habitation is a simple ecosystem that mainly consists of humans and microbes, and in the near future, plants. Microbes play important roles for the material cycles and human health but sometimes cause hazardous infectious diseases. The Evaluation of Indoor Microbial Environment in JEM, Kibo Japanese Experiment Module (JEM Microbe) investigation’s continuous microbiological monitoring provides greater insight on changes in microbial community structure during prolonged space habitation to reduce potential hazards for the crew and the infrastructure.

Repository: Blood samples were collected in support of the Repository investigation. Repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions.

Vascular Aging (VA): In support of the multi-day VA experiment session, a 13-hr blood pressure session was completed, and the data was transferred. The Bio-Monitor wearable hardware was also removed and stowed. Emerging data points towards linkages among cardiovascular health risk, carotid artery aging, bone metabolism and blood biomarkers, insulin resistance, and radiation. Data indicates that aging-like changes are accelerated in many ISS crew members, particularly with respect to their arteries.

Systems:

USOS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Ammonia Onboard Training (OBT): Today, the crew reviewed EVA emergency procedures for ammonia contamination to understand what contamination looks like on an EVA Mobility Unit (EMU) as well as to learn the process for removing contamination before Airlock ingress is allowed. Ammonia is the cooling fluid used in the US External Thermal Control System (ETCS), and its exposure to the crew can cause eye and throat irritation, inflammation of the respiratory tract, or death. Ammonia leaks require decontamination actions during the EVA to ensure that ingress does not introduce the toxic chemical into the atmosphere of the ISS.

USOS EVA #80 Preparations: The crew reviewed procedures related to the Radiator Beam Valve Module (RBVM) Jumper Install EVA scheduled for Wednesday, March 23rd. The review covered the timelines, tool configurations, and cribsheet the crew will use. After the review, the crew participated in a conference with ground teams to ask questions and discuss the EVA. In addition, the crew terminated the charging of the Lithium-Ion EVA batteries and installed the Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) batteries, EMU Long Life Batteries (LLBs), and Metal Oxide (METOX) canisters into EMU 3015 and EMU 3004.

ISS Safety Briefing: The 65S and Endurance crews will familiarize the newly arrived 67S crew with the potential hazards and available safety measures onboard ISS as well as the equipment needed for initial emergency response.

Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Tablet Deploy and Checkout: Today, the crew deployed a tablet for the crew of the upcoming Axiom-1 mission. This deployment consisted of charging the tablet and connecting it to the desired ISS Wi-Fi network, PAMNet. The PAMNet network is used for Private Astronauts to connect to ground resources and access the internet. After successfully connecting the tablet to PAMNet, the crew performed a checkout of PAMNet and its expected capabilities.

Completed Task List Activities:

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit Intravehicular (IV) Review
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Soyuz Docking Support Commanding
Shell Heater Health Assessment Test
Thermal Amine Scrubber Mode Change
Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) Lock and Unlock
Thermal Radiator Rotary Joint (TRRJ) Lock and Unlock
Look Ahead Plan

Saturday, March 19 (GMT 78)
Payloads:

Repository
SQuARE
Vascular Aging Hardware Stow
Systems:

Crew Off-Duty Day
Sunday, March 20 (GMT 79)
Payloads:

EasyMotion
Standard Measures
SQuARE
Systems:

EVA Procedure Review
EVA Procedure Conference
Monday, March 21 (GMT 80)
Payloads:

Acoustic Diagnostics
CAL MTL Leak Check
EasyMotion/ARED
Hicari-2
ISS Ham Pass
NICER/MAXI OHMAN Setup
Space Biofilm-2
SQuARE
Standard Measures
TangoLab Cubelab Satellite Checkout
Touching Surfaces
Wireless Compose-2
Systems:

Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Config
In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) Filter Remove and Replace (R&R)
EVA NASA Zero-Gravity Lever (NZGL) Familiarization
Portable Water Dispenser (PWD) Filter R&R
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

USOS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #80 Procedure Review for Extravehicular Crew
EasyMotion Suit Stow
Human Research Facility (HRF) Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Configure and Run
FROST2 CONTROLLER2 TC Unit Checkout
Human Research Facility (HRF) Generic MELFI Sample Insertion
Vascular Aging 13-Hour Blood Pressure Monitoring Conclude
Human Research Facility (HRF) Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Conclude and Stow
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Microbe Sampling Collection and MELFI Insertion
ISS HAM Kenwood Radio Power Down in Columbus
Treadmill-2 (T2) Weekly Inspection
US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Ammonia Onboard Training (OBT)
Countermeasures System (CMS) Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) Exercise Session with EasyMotion Electro-Myo-Stimulation (EMS)
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Battery Operations Terminal Charge Terminate
Rechargeable EVA Battery Assembly (REBA) Installation
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Long Life Battery (LLB)/Metal Oxide (METOX) Installation
EasyMotion Power Box Charge and Retrieval
Cold Atom Lab (CAL) Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) Jumper Leak Check
Brine Processor Bladder Changeout
USOS EVA #80 Procedure Conference
Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) Hardware Audit
Bio-Monitor Wearables Data Transfer and Removal
Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Tablet Deploy and Checkout
SQuARES Flexible Daily Imagery
Human Research Facility (HRF) Rack 1 PC 1 USB Software Load Installation Conclude
Human Research Facility (HRF) Generic Urine Collection Setup
67S Welcome [In Work]
Bio-Monitor Wearables Stow
ISS Safety Briefing [In Work]