NASA Space Station Status Report 4 May, 2022 – Change of Command Today
NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn handed over command of the International Space Station to Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev in a traditional Change of Command ceremony which began at 2:35 p.m. EDT today.
Artemyev, a veteran of three spaceflights to the space station, will lead the Expedition 67 crew until the end of summer.
Marshburn and his Crew-3 crewmates Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer have been living aboard the orbital lab since November 11, 2021, and are set to depart tonight. Hatch closure is set for 11:20 p.m. EDT, with undocking following at 1:05 a.m. EDT. The commercial crew quartet is due to splashdown off the coast of Florida at 12:43 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 6. Watch live on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and the app.
The Crew-3 astronauts worked on final Dragon cargo operations and configuring Dragon for departure, final egress, and hatch closure, as well as transferring emergency hardware from Dragon to the space station prior to departure. The Endurance crew closed out research operations which included transferring and packing frozen samples and ice bricks from the Minus Eighty (Degrees Celsius) Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) into coldbags in preparation for the return to Earth. MELFI provides the space station storage and fast-freezing of life science and biological samples. The Crew-3 astronauts also removed and stowed their Actiwatches, small, lightweight, wrist-worn devices that simultaneously detect body movement and light intensity. They are used to evaluate sleep-wake adaptation and circadian cycle and determine if space travel has an impact on the sleep-wake patterns of crewmembers.
The station’s four newest astronauts, Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Samantha Cristoforetti, had a light duty day performing some life science, lab maintenance, and inventory tasks. The foursome and their three Russian crewmates are due to have an off-duty day following the departure of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission.
In the station’s Russian segment, Artemyev and Flight Engineers Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveev performed monthly maintenance checks on laptops and video equipment, as well as physical training, and a robotic piloting experiment.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
Myotones: The crew performed skin marking on the designated experiment target areas and took measurements using the Myotones device. The Muscle Tone in Space (Myotones) investigation observes the biochemical properties of muscles (e.g. muscle tone, stiffness, elasticity) during long-term exposure spaceflight environment. Results from this investigation can provide a better understanding of the principles of human resting muscle tone. This could lead to the development of new strategies for alternative treatments for rehabilitation on Earth as well as for future space missions.
Photocatalyst: The crew checked that no items are blocking the intake fans of the Photocatalyst experiment hardware, which is set up in Node 3. Photocatalyst demonstrates the use of a photocatalyst device to clean the cabin air and remove odor caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The device converts VOCs into carbon dioxide and water. The device and a non-photocatalyst control device will operate for at least four weeks before returning to Earth for analysis of the photocatalyst device’s effectiveness.
Standard Measures (SM): Sample collection and questionnaire activities continued in support of the SM investigation. The aim of the investigation is to ensure consistent capture of an optimized, minimal set of measures from crewmembers until the end of the ISS Program in order to characterize the adaptive responses to and risks of living in space. Among other things, the ground teams perform analyses for metabolic and chemistry panels, immune function, microbiome, etc. These measures populate a data repository to enable high-level monitoring of countermeasure effectiveness and meaningful interpretation of health and performance outcomes and support future research on planetary missions.
Rhodium Crystal Preservation: Images were taken of the four Rhodium Crystal science chambers and they were prepared for return to the ground for analysis. A Novel Crystal Preservation Method for Biological Material (Rhodium Crystal Preservation) studies a technique using crystal formation to preserve biological material for research. Such preservations can present a challenge for research outside of standard laboratory settings. Crystals do not require special conditions such as cold stowage to maintain the material’s structure for future analysis and could provide a solution.
Systems:
Crew-3 Endurance Return Preparation: Activities were performed to prepare for the departure of Crew-3 Endurance crew including cargo packing, emergency equipment transfer and farewell ceremony. A change of ISS command ceremony from Crew-3 Commander Tom Marshburn to 67S Commander Oleg Artemyev was also performed. Crew-3 Endurance is scheduled to depart ISS on May 5.
1B Solar Array Wing (SAW) Photography: Today, crew took still imagery of the 1B SAW blanket from the MRM2 forward and starboard windows. Using the Nikon D5 cameras, imagery was taken of the 1B SAW left blanket and inboard Flat Collector Circuit (FCC) in order to assess potential damage of that area. Ground teams will be analyzing the imagery in the coming weeks.
Completed Task List Activities:
None
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Systems configurations for Crew-3 undock
Crew-3 Dragon Checkouts for undock
Look Ahead Plan
Thursday, May 5 (GMT 125)
Payloads:
Food Physiology transfers
Systems:
Crew-3 Endurance Undock
Friday, May 6 (GMT 126)
Payloads:
CAL MTL leak check
Food Physiology
GLACIER1 hardware inspection
GRASP seated
Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)
XROOTS plant install 1
Systems:
Cupola Acrylic Scratch Pane Installation on Window 7
Urine Transfer System (UTS) Offload EDV Swap
ISS USOS Food Audit
Saturday, May 7 (GMT 127)
Payloads:
LIDAL return 2
Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)
Systems:
Housekeeping
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Crew Dragon Tablet Stow
Crew Dragon Tablet Sync
Descent Private Medical Conference (PMC)
Health Maintenance System (HMS) Personal Medication Stow
HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Setup and Frozen Blood Collection Subject
HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Configure and Run
HRF Generic HRF Centrifuge Frozen Blood Collection Spin Conclude
HRF Generic MELFI Sample Retrieval and Insertion Operations
HRF Generic Saliva Collection 10 Minutes
HRF Generic Saliva Collection Stow
HRF Generic Urine Collection Male
HRF Generic Urine Collection Stow
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Change of Command and Crew-3 Farewell Ceremony
Program Management/ISS Crew Conference
Photo/TV SAW Photography MRM2 Window Verification
Dragon Cargo Transfer
