NASA Space Station Status Report 6 May, 2022 – SpaceX Dragon Endurance Splashdown
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 12:43 a.m. EDT after 177 days in space.
Teams on the Shannon recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck of Shannon with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter ride to board a plane for Houston.
The Expedition 67 crew was back to normal on Friday following the departure of four commercial crew astronauts early Thursday morning. The seven International Space Station astronauts and cosmonauts will live and work in space together until late summer.
The SpaceX Crew-3 mission ended at 12:43 a.m. EDT on Friday when the Dragon Endurance crew ship splashed down off the coast of Tampa, Florida. Nearly 24 hours earlier, Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari with Pilot Tom Marshburn and Mission Specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer undocked from the Harmony module’s forward port inside Dragon.
After saying farewell to the Crew-3 astronauts early Thursday, the orbiting lab’s four newest astronauts, who arrived the week before aboard the Dragon Freedom spaceship, closed the station’s hatches, went to bed about two hours later, and took the rest of the day off.
On Friday, NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren, who is one week into his second spaceflight, stowed emergency gear and checked out hydroponic hardware for the XROOTS space botany study. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, who is also on her second mission, spent her day maintaining orbital plumbing systems.
First time space-flyers Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins partnered once again in the Columbus laboratory module studying how the central nervous system adapts to weightlessness. Hines and Watkins were both selected as members of the 2017 class of astronaut candidates in August of the same year.
The station’s new commander, Oleg Artemyev, started his day installing video gear before continuing his weeklong research on ways to maximize the effectiveness of a space workout. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov also participated on the space exercise study before working on networking equipment. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Denis Matveev checked out systems inside the Rassvet and Zarya modules before performing Russian orbital maintenance tasks.
On-Orbit Status Report
Payloads:
eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS): The crew continued the inspections and water-management troubleshooting of the XROOTS experiment hardware with a goal of determining if the system is able to support its plant growth modules. The XROOTS investigation uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Video and still images enable evaluation of multiple independent growth chambers for the entire plant life cycle from seed germination through maturity. Results could identify suitable methods to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions.
General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator-1 (GLACIER1): The crew assessed possible damage to one of the GLACIER sample trays and replaced the desiccants in the GLACIER1 unit. Depending on the types of samples placed in the GLACIER, it can be used as a refrigerator or freezer with temperature capabilities of as warm as +4°C (39°F) and as cold as -160°C (-301°F). The crew can perform maintenance and monitor the hardware. The GLACIER can also be commanded and monitored from the ground.
Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping (GRASP): Several sessions of the GRASP seated science protocols were performed using the virtual reality headset. The purpose of the GRASP investigation is to better understand how the central nervous system (CNS) integrates information from different sensations (e.g. sight or hearing), encoded in different reference frames, in order to coordinate the hand with the visual environment. More specifically, the science team seeks to better understand if, and how, gravity acts as a reference frame for the control of reach-to-grasp.
Systems:
Onboard Training (OBT) ISS Emergency Simulation: The full crew participated in a simulation to practice emergency responses based on information provided by simulated displays. They translated through ISS to appropriate response locations and practiced procedure execution and decision making based on cues from the simulator. Following the training, they conducted a review session with Houston and Moscow Control Centers.
Robotic Operations: Today, ground operators translated the Mobile Transporter (MT) from Worksite 2 to Worksite 6 and performed a Mobile Servicing System (MSS) maneuver to walkoff the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to the Node2 Payload Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) in preparation for the OFT-2 mission.
Regenerative ECLSS Recycle Tank Operations: Today, the crew setup the recycle tank to drain to the brine processor using the brine processor transfer hose. As part of the setup, the crew removed and installed a new brine bladder into the brine processor. The ground then performed the tank drain using the Urine Transfer System (UTS) and the crew changed out the offload EDV. Lastly, the crew configured the Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) fill drain valve and connected the UTS transfer compressor hose for nominal processing operations.
Emergency Equipment Return to Nominal: The crew returned the emergency equipment that was once stowed in Crew-3 Endurance back to a long-term stowage configuration until it’s needed for Crew-5 arrival. As part of this activity, the crew audited the emergency items in order to give the ground team time to work any needed actions prior to Crew-5 arrival.
Completed Task List Activities:
ESA-PAO INTERCULTURA
Today’s Ground Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
MT Translation from WS2 to WS6
SSRMS Walkoff to Node 2 PDGF
Look Ahead Plan
Saturday, May 7 (GMT 127)
Payloads:
Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)
Systems:
Housekeeping
Sunday, May 8 (GMT 128)
Payloads:
Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)
Systems:
Crew Off-duty
Monday, May 9 (GMT 129)
Payloads:
Acoustic Diagnostics BPW, CAL MTL jumper check, HRF blood and urine setup, Photocatalyst filter check
Systems:
Crew Holiday
Today’s Planned Activities:
All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.
Cold Atom Lab MTL Jumper Leak Check
GRASP science performance in seated position
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain
Environmental Health System (EHS) Air Quality Monitor Vent Vacuum
GRASP science performance in seated position
GRASP science performance in seated position
Emergency Equipment Return
iWatch Charge for SpX CREW DRAGON
Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis
Photocatalyst Filter Check
GRASP science performance in seated position
RS items gathering for disposal in NG-17
Handover RS items to US crew for disposal on NG-17
Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap
ESA Weekly crew conference
Dragon Station Support Computer 22 Swap
XROOTS Troubleshooting
Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in JEM
Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3
Review Emergency OBT Simulator Functionality
Emergency OBT Simulator Drill
Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE
ISS Emergency Drill OBT Conference
