Space Stations

NASA Space Station Update 6 October, 2022 – SpaceX Crew-5 Arrives

By SpaceRef Editor

Status Report

SpaceRef

October 6, 2022

Filed under Expedition 68, International Space Station, ISS, ISS On-orbit status, NASA

NASA Space Station Update 6 October, 2022 – SpaceX Crew-5 Arrives — NASA astronaut Nicole Mann enters the space station less than two hours after docking the Dragon Endurance crew ship to the Harmony module’s forward port.

NASa

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina arrived at the International Space Station Thursday Oct. 6, as the SpaceX Dragon Endurance docked to the complex at 5:01 p.m. EDT while the spacecraft were flying 258 miles above the west coast of Africa.

Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the crew aboard Dragon Endurance and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for 6:42 p.m.

Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina will join the Expedition 68 crew of NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Frank Rubio, and Jessica Watkins, Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. For a short time, the number of crew on the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-4 departs.

On-Orbit Status Report

Crew-5 Dock: SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance successfully docked to the ISS at 4:14 PM CT on Thursday, October 6^th. The Freedom crew welcomed aboard NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The ISS crew complement has officially increased from 7 to 11.

Payloads:

Actiwatch: Crew-5 astronauts donned Actiwatch devices. The Actiwatch is a waterproof, non-intrusive, sleep-wake activity monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember and contains a miniature uniaxial accelerometer that produces a signal as the subject moves. The data is stored in non-volatile memory within the Actiwatch until they are downloaded for analysis.

Universal Intelligent Glass Optics (UNIGLO): The UNIGLO hardware was removed from the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) and stowed. UNIGLO tests the effects of microgravity on a glass optics module capable of processing various types of complex glasses. The module uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help adapt materials processing techniques to the microgravity environment and a sensor based on laser-Doppler interferometry to measure the effects of microgravity on processing complex glasses for a variety of applications in space and on Earth.

Vascular Aging: Finger blood samples were collected, and glucose measurements were taken using the Glucometer. Emerging data points towards linkages among cardiovascular health risk, carotid artery aging, bone metabolism and blood biomarkers, insulin resistance, and radiation. Data indicate that aging-like changes are accelerated in many ISS crew members, particularly with respect to their arteries. As part of the Space Environment Causes Acceleration of Vascular Aging: Roles of Hypogravity, Nutrition, and Radiation (Vascular Aging) investigation, ultrasounds of the arteries, blood samples, oral glucose tolerance, and wearable sensors from ISS crewmembers are analyzed.

Systems:

On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA): Today the crew performed an auditory test using the O-OHA headset and KUDUwave software. The assessment measures hearing function while crewmembers are exposed to noise and microgravity during long-duration spaceflight.

Crew-5 Arrival Preparations: Multiple activities were completed in preparation for Crew-5’s arrival. The Cargo Dragon Station Support Computers (SSCs) were relocated in support of monitoring tools setup for Crew-5 Docking. This activity was followed by the setup and checkout of crew monitoring tools required for Dragon Visiting Vehicles, including Dragon Docking Monitor and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Program (RPOP) software. A review and initial setup of the ISS Campout Locations was performed as well as a review of Crew-5 Ingress Operations Delta.

Crew-5 Arrival Activities: After Crew-5 Docking and hatch opening, the Dragon monitoring tools were torn down and the SSCs returned to the US Lab. A Public Affairs Office (PAO) Welcome Event was performed for the arriving crew, and the crew completed an ISS Safety Briefing. USOS crew reviewed handover information to assist the newly arrived crew members. Dragon Cargo was transferred from the Crew-5 vehicle into the ISS, and Emergency Equipment Lite hardware was configured into the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA).

Completed Task List Activities: