NASA Space Station Status Report 5 August, 2022 – Scrubbing Spacesuits

The Expedition 67 crew wrapped up its week aboard the  International Space Station by scrubbing spacesuits, adjusting hardware, and transferring cargo.

NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines spent portions of the day performing cooling loop scrubs for spacesuits, called Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), which enable astronauts to work outside the station. He then reconfigured the EMU loop scrub hardware for iodination. Loop scrubs and iodinates are required to remove contaminants from the EMU transport loop.

NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren and ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti worked together to remove and store sample carriers for a suite of experiments that test how space affects various materials and components. If these materials can withstand the harsh environment outside the station, they could help improve equipment for future space exploration.

Lindgren and NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Watkins also continued working on cargo operations. The duo took turns packing cargo into Cargo Dragon to prepare for the SpaceX CRS-25 undock on August 18.

The Russian segment of the station largely concentrated on carrying out maintenance tasks. Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos joined Cosmonaut Denis Matveev to route cables and prepare spacesuits. Meanwhile, cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov conducted a health check on video equipment and closed the day performing maintenance work on a ventilation subsystem.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

Cold Atom Lab (CAL): Following last week’s repair of the compression fittings in the Moderate Temperature (MTL) coolant line for CAL, a series of visual leak checks have followed and all been good (no leaks reported). The CAL produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero — much colder than the average temperature of deep space. At these low temperatures, atoms have almost no motion, allowing scientists to study fundamental behaviors and quantum characteristics that are difficult or impossible to probe at higher temperatures. In microgravity, researchers may be able to achieve even colder temperatures than what is possible on the ground, and observe these cold atom clouds for longer periods of time.

Manufacturing Device (ManD): The crew replaced the Platform, Extruder, and Feedstock Canister in the ManD facility to prepare for upcoming 3D prints. 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.

Materials International Space Station Experiment-15 (MISSE-15): The crew removed MISSE-15 Science Carriers (MCSs) 10, 14, 15, and 16 from the JEM airlock slide table and packed them for return to the ground. The MISSE facility provides a unique platform that is available for the private sector, as well as other government entities, to utilize applied materials testing or technical demonstrations. The primary Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) platform provides the ability to test materials, coatings, and components or other larger experiments in the harsh environment of space, which is virtually impossible to do collectively on Earth. Testing in low-Earth orbit (LEO) allows the integrated testing of how materials react to exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV), atomic oxygen (AO), ionizing radiation, ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), charged particles, thermal cycles, electromagnetic radiation, and micro-meteoroids in the LEO environment.

Systems:

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) 3009/3013 Loop Scrub and Iodination: The crew performed EMU water loops scrubs, then acquired and tested water samples for conductivity on units 3009 and 3013. EMU Loop Scrubs are required preventive maintenance needed to remove any chemical or biological contaminants from the EMU transport loop.

Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Piping Remove and Replace (R&R):  The crew replaced the piping between the pump separator and the dose pump. The piping is replaced every six months as part of preventive maintenance to ensure continued performance and preclude a functional failure. 

Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Portable Emergency Provisions (PEPS) Inspection: The crew completed a PEP inspection to determine if PEPs are in a good operational condition. The crew inspected various emergency provisions such as the Portable Fire Extinguishers (PFEs), Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBAs), and Extension Hose Tee Kits (EHTKs) at multiple locations throughout the space station. The crew spent several minutes on each item and noted any visible damage.   

Hypervisor Cable Deroute and Photo Documentation: Following the Hypervisor 4 & 5 relocate earlier this week, the crew disconnected, derouted and stowed the cables associated with the old Hypervisor locations at the Lab Forward Bulkhead. The crew then photographed the final cable configuration for ground teams to review.

Health Maintenance System (HMS) – Optical Coherence Tomography 2 (OCT2) Exam: Today, the crew completed OCT eye exams as one of three regularly performed on-board routine tests to monitor crewmembers eye health. OCT is an imaging technique analogous to ultrasound imaging that uses light instead of sound to capture micrometer-resolution, two- and three- dimensional images of tissue. In this case, the objects of interest are the crewmember’s eyes. Eyesight is one of the many aspects of the human body that is affected by long-duration stays in microgravity environment.

Completed Task List Activities:

• ESA PAO Message Record

Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

• Battery Charge/Discharge Unit (BCDU) Firmware Load
• Cupola and Lab PCS Reboot and Log File Save

Look Ahead Plan

Saturday, August 6 (GMT 218)
Payloads:

• Tangolab-3

Systems:

• Crew Off-Duty

Sunday, August 7 (GMT 219)
Payloads:

• Iceberg Sample Transfer

Systems:

• Crew Off-Duty

Monday, August 8 (GMT 220)
Payloads:

• CIR/SoFIE FOMA Ops
• J-SSOD-22 Installation
• Nanoracks Mainframe Alpha/Modules 72A/95/97/100
• Rodent Research-22 Ops
• XROOTS Plant Install 3

Systems:

• ESA PAO Message Recording
• Airlock Vent and Relief Isolation Valve (VRIV) Rivet
• Transfer Crew Dragon Cargo Operations
• EVA Battery Operations Terminal Charge Initiation

Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

• [not statused] Astrobee Off
• Clean Node 3 NADIR Hatch Seals
• Cold Atom Lab Jumper Leak Check
• CWC-Iodine Fill Teardown
• EVA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cooling Loop Maintenance Scrub and Iodination
• Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE
• Health Maintenance System (HMS) – OCT2 Eye Exam Operations
• Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS EveryWear (EVW) Nutrition Tracking
• Hypervisor Cable Deroute and Photo Documentation
• In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Piping R&R
• Inspection of EVA HD EMU camera (HECA)
• Inventory Management System (IMS) Conference
• JEM Airlock Slide Table (ST) Extension/Retraction from JPM Side
• Manufacturing Device
• Materials ISS Experiment – Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) Operations
• Mouse Transfer Box Stow
• Polar Desiccant Swap
• Portable Emergency Provisions (PEPS) Inspection
• SERFE Hardware Consolidate
• Structures and Mechanisms (S&M) JEM ORU Xfer I/F (JOTI) Gather and Removal
• Swap SSC (Station Support Computer) 12 and 20 Swap
• Transfer Crew Dragon Cargo Operations
• Wanted Poster – EDV Buckets
• Water Recovery System (WRS) Waste Tank Sample
• Water Recovery System CWC-Iodine Fill Initialization
• Water Resources and Management (WRM) Condensate Sample