NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 January 2012
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – Crew half duty day.
After wakeup, FE-1 Shkaplerov performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.
Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin, Oleg Kononenko, Andre Kuipers & Don Pettit joined in conducting the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module). [“Uborka”, usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM (Service Module) dining table, other frequently touched surfaces and surfaces where trash is collected, as well as the sleep stations with a standard cleaning solution; also, fan screens and grilles are cleaned to avoid temperature rises. Special cleaning is also done every 90 days on the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) bacteria filters in the Lab.]
As part of Uborka house cleaning, Anton, Anatoly & Oleg completed regular weekly maintenance inspection & cleaning of fan screens in the FGB (TsV2) plus Group E fan grilles in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP).
Ivanishin conducted the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM. This included the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings for calldown to TsUP-Moscow, as well as the weekly checkup on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM’s & FGB’s SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & “On” durations for calldown. [SOZh servicing includes checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers].
In COL, FE-5 performed the periodic reboot on the active PWS (Portable Workstation) laptops, noting state of battery charge for reporting to COL-CC (Control Center) at Oberpfaffenhofen/Germany.
Burbank took Andre Kuipers & Don Pettit through another hour of Increment 30-to-31 crew handover activities.
Afterwards, Andre used the CSA-O2 (Compound Specific Analyzer-O2) units (#1043, #1048) to take oxygen partial pressure readings in the SM and COL to see if an O2 refresh was called for.
On TsUP Go, Kononenko was to refresh ISS cabin atmosphere with another O2 represses from Progress 45P SRPK tankage. [Not required today.]
Later, Oleg did another (T+2d) microbial air sampling runs for the MedOps SZM-MO-21 experiment with the standard ECOSFERA equipment, taking Media 1 samples from cabin surfaces along with samples from crewmembers for sanitation and disease studies. The Petri dishes with the samples were then stowed in the KRIOGEM-03 thermostatic container and subsequently packed for return in Soyuz 28S. [The equipment, consisting of an air sampler set, a charger and power supply unit, provides samples to help determine microbial contamination of the ISS atmosphere, specifically the total bacterial and fungal microflora counts and microflora composition according to morphologic criteria of microorganism colonies.]
FE-5 Kuipers performed the regular (~weekly) inspection & maintenance, as required, of the CGBA-4 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4) and CGBA-5 payloads in their ERs (EXPRESS Racks) at Lab O2 & O1, focusing on cleaning the muffler air intakes.
Andre & Dan worked together on today’s choice of the VolSci (Voluntary Weekend Science) program, with the ERB2 (European Recording Binocular 2) payload, first disconnecting ERB2 from the ESA EDR (European Drawer Rack), equipping it with new batteries, checking White Balance and Focus setting and then shooting video of onboard activities in all ISS locations, without script (but crew was invited to apply creativity for filming). ERB2 was then turned off, reconnected to EDR and the camera mounted on its EDR multi-use bracket. [ERB uses a three-dimensional (3-D) video camera, the Sony DSR PD150P camcorder and a Nikon SSM-3DC-101 D photo camera for taking imagery of the environment onboard the ISS for an accurate map of the station’s interior and crew activities. The images are transferred by a computer application into a 3D model to be viewed in the Virtual Reality Theater of ESA’s Erasmus Center.]
As second VolSci activity, Dan Burbank checked out the Panasonic 3DA1 video camcorder, first recording with lens cap on to ascertain the status of the camera’s sensors, then shooting video “fly through” from one module of ISS to another with varied convergence settings. [This will allow better understanding of optimum convergence settings for moving camera interior shooting. Dan also recorded any ad hoc interior or external views which highlight the 3D capability.]
Burbank & Pettit and later also Shkaplerov, Ivanishin & Kononenko had ~15 min set aside to review impacts to procedures from the upcoming X2R11 software upgrade throughout ISS.
FE-6 Pettit filled out his 3rd weekly FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire) on the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer). [On the FFQs, USOS astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MEC software. Recorded are the amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. The FFQ is performed once a week to estimate nutrient intake from the previous week and to give recommendations to ground specialists that help maintain optimal crew health. Weekly estimation has been verified to be reliable enough that nutrients do not need to be tracked daily.]
At ~7:40am EST, the six crewmembers held the regular WPC (Weekly Planning Conference) with the ground, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP-Moscow timeline planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.
FE-4 & FE-6 conducted their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Oleg at ~9:20am, Don at ~10:55am EST.
The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1, FE-2, FE-4), T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-1, FE-2, FE-4).
Tasks listed for Shkaplerov, Kononenko & Ivanishin on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were –
* A ~30-min. run of the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X digital camera with Sigma AF 300-800mm telelens, aiming for the glaciers of the Pamirs, Kerch Strait, Taman, Laganakskoe plateau, Krasnaya Polyana, Kolka glacier, Glacier Allalin,
* A 10-min. photography session for the DZZ-13 “Seiner” ocean observation program, obtaining HDV (Z1) camcorder footage of color bloom patterns in the waters of the Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Atlantic, then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop,
* A ~30-min. session for Russia’s EKON Environmental Safety Agency, making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth using the NIKON D3X camera with the RSK-1 laptop, and
* More preparation & downlinking of reportages (written text, photos, videos) for the Roskosmos website to promote Russia’s manned space program (max. file size 500 Mb).
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Thirty/Thirty-One — Week 17).
2D NANO Template (JAXA): The experiment is continuing in MELFI1, Dewar 4. The samples are supposed to proceed, slowly arranging peptides on base plates. The samples will be returned on 28S.
3D SPACE: Complete.
AgCam (Agricultural Camera): No report.
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.
ALTEA SHIELD (NASA/ASI): The Survey part of the ALTEA-SHIELD experiment is considered complete. However the teams are working to have ALTEA continue to record data.
Amine Swingbed (NASA): “Dan, we would like to thank you for your efforts troubleshooting our payload. Our ground teams are working together to determine why the internal valve could not be moved. We will keep you posted on our progress.”
AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer): AMS Payload and Laptop operations are nominal. AMS has now collected data on over 10 billion particles. The AMS thermal concerns were successively mitigated during this recent high negative beta angle pass with Starboard TRRJ rotation, but without SSRMS / LEE positioning at AMS zenith. AMS thanks the ISS FCTs for the outstanding support.
APEX (Advanced Plant Experiments on Orbit) -Cambium: No report.
APEX-TAGES (Transgenic Arabidopsis Gene Expression System): No report.
Asian Seed 2010 (JAXA): Returned on ULF6.
BCAT-6 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 6): No report. [Colloids are particles as small as a few tens of nanometers (a thousandth of a thousandth of a millimeter) that are suspended in a medium, usually a liquid or a gas. The name “colloid” comes from the Greek word for “glue”, and expresses very important properties of colloids: when small and light enough, particles can be influenced in their behavior by forces of electromagnetic origin, and make them stick together, or repel each other depending on the configuration. Colloids are widely studied in science because the forces between particles can be controlled and tuned and because particles, while being small enough to be influenced by such forces, are big and slow enough to be seen with a relatively simple and inexpensive laboratory instrument like a microscope. This is why colloids are often studied as model for molecular systems (like standard gases or liquids) where molecules, the individual constituents, are much smaller than colloids and cannot be seen with light. As mentioned, forces between colloids can be tuned giving rise to a rich variety of phenomena. One of them is aggregation, which is when particles stick together and tend to form structures. Among the many ways to induce particle aggregation, one allows to do so by controlling the temperature of the solution in which the particles are immersed, thanks to very weak forces called “critical Casimir forces” that have been predicted more than 30 years ago but just partially verified in experiments. The objective of SODI COLLOID is to measure such forces and produce a controlled aggregation of tiny plastic particles. This would allow to shed light on critical Casimir forces and to make a step towards the fabrication of new nanostructured materials with remarkable optical properties for industrial applications.]
BIOLAB (ESA): No report.
BIORHYTHMS (JAXA, Biological Rhythms): No report.
BISE (CSA, Bodies in the Space Environment): No report.
BISPHOSPHONATES: No report.
BXF-Facility (Boiling eXperiment Facility, NASA): No report.
BXF-MABE (Microheater Array Boiling Experiment, NASA): No report.
BXF-NPBX (Pool Boiling Experiment, NASA): No report.
CARD (Long Term Microgravity: Model for Investigating Mechanisms of Heart Disease, ESA): No report.
CARDIOCOG-2: Complete.
CB (JAXA Clean Bench): No report.
CBEF-2 (JAXA Cell Biology Experiment Facility)/SPACE SEED: No report.
CCISS (Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Control on Return from ISS): No report.
CERISE (JAXA): No report.
CCF (Capillary Channel Flow, NASA): No report.
CFE-2 (Capillary Flow Experiment 2, NASA): No report.
CFS-A (Colored Fungi in Space-A, ESA): No report.
CSI-5/CGBA-5 (CGBA Science Insert #5/Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 5): No report.
CGBA-2 (Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 2): Complete.
CIR (Combustion Integrated Rack), MDCA/Flex: No report.
Commercial (Inc 23&24, JAXA): No report.
Commercial (Inc 25 & 26, JAXA): No report.
CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): No report.
CsPins (JAXA): No report.
CubeLab: No report.
CW/CR (Cell Wall/Resist Wall) in EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): Complete.
DECLIC-ALI (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids & Crystallization-ALICE-like, CNES/NASA): No report.
DomeGene (JAXA): Complete.
DOSIS (Dose Distribution Inside ISS, ESA): No report.
EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): No report.
EDR (European Drawer Rack, ESA): No report.
EKE (Endurance Capacity by Gas Exchange and Heart Rate Kinetics During Physical Training, ESA): “Andre, as part of your VO2max protocol 1st in-flight session, you have also completed your 1st EKE session, thanks to a data sharing between the two experiments. Don, as part of your VO2max protocol 1st in-flight session, you have also completed your 1st EKE session, thanks to a data sharing between the two experiments.”
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): No report.
ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.
EPM (European Physiology Module): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Eye in the Sky; Sleep 2): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Sesame Street): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Kids in Micro-G): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Earth/Moon/Mars Demo): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (Space Sports): No report.
EPO LES-2 (ESA): No report.
EPO GREENHOUSE (ESA): No report.
EPO 3-min Video (JAXA): No report.
EPO J-Astro Report (JAXA): No report.
EPO Dewey’s Forest (JAXA): Closed out on 3/15.
EPO Space Clothes (JAXA): Complete.
EPO Hiten (Dance, JAXA): No report.
EPO Lego Bricks (NASA, JAXA): No report.
EPO-5 SpaceBottle (Message in a Bottle, JAXA): No report.
EPO Moon Score (JAXA): No report.
EPO-7 Try Zero-G (JAXA): No report.
EPO Kibo Kids Tour (JAXA): Complete.
EPO Paper Craft (Origami, JAXA): No report.
EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.
EPO-6 Spiral Top 2 (JAXA): No report.
EPO-7 Doctor Demo (JAXA): No report.
EPO-7 Green Tea Preparation (JAXA): No report.
EPO-7 Ink Ball (JAXA): No report.
EPO-7 Video (JAXA):
ERB-2 (Erasmus Recording Binocular, ESA): [ERB-2 aims are to develop narrated video material for various PR & educational products & events, including a 3D interior station view.] No report.
ETD (Eye Tracking Device): Completed.
FACET-2 (JAXA): No report.
FERULATE (JAXA): No report.
FIR/LMM/CVB (Fluids Integrated Rack / Light Microscopy Module / Constrained Vapor Bubble): No report.
Fish Scales (JAXA): Completed on FD7/ULF-4 and returned on STS-132.
FOAM STABILITY EPO (ESA): “Andre, super efforts on FOAM-S! Of course the team is looking forward to the downlink of the foam recordings of the cell arrays, but surely just as much to the educational video you made! Huge thanks! Everyone looks forward to very enthusiastic kids in all the participating classrooms!”
FOCUS: No report.
FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): No report.
FWED (Flywheel Exercise Device, ESA): No report.
GENARA-A (Gravity Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis A/ESA): No report.
GEOFLOW-2 (ESA): FSL was re-activated for resuming of GEOFLOW-2 runs on GMT009. However, when the GEOFLOW-2 EC was activated, telemetry (TM) from the EC was not received. The initial assessment is that this is a re-occurrence of a previous anomaly. The initial recovery plan to power cycle the GEOFLOW-2 EC did not resolve the issue. However power-cycling of the FSL rack allowed to recover the EC TM. GEOFLOW-2 run could then be started with ~8h delay. A No-Rotation run was started consisting of different set-points which were skipped during previous runs. No temperature gradient deviations were observed. In the morning of GMT010 however, an FSL TEC 2 Board Trip caused the delta-temperature inside GEOFLOW-2 being not correct. Therefore the GEOFLOW-2 EC was switched off. The FSL rack was again power cycled and the science run could be resumed. Due to the FSL TEC board trip, the on-going run had to be aborted and a new run was started. In the afternoon of GMT011, the on-going GEOFLOW-2 run was aborted to allow the USOC in charge to focus on FOAM-S activities. [Background: Everybody is familiar with liquids. In an average day we get to use, handle or drink water or other liquids. And everybody knows how fluids (that is liquids and gases) behave: when subjected to a net force, may be pressure, a temperature difference or gravity, they can move freely. Scientists have been studying how fluids move for centuries, and managed to write mathematical formulas that can describe and predict such movements. Unfortunately, these equations are extremely complex and only approximate solutions are known. As a result, our quantitative understanding of fluid movement is just partial. This is especially true for natural phenomena where the forces can be enormous and unpredictable, like in oceans or in the atmosphere. Or the interior of the earth, where rocks are exposed to pressures and temperatures so incredibly high that they slowly move and adapt their shape. That is, over hundreds of years rocks flow just like a very viscous liquid. Scientists try to study such flows but cannot observe them directly due to the fact that they take place deep beneath the surface of our planet. The only way is to have computers simulating those movements starting from the equations, but how to check whether computers are correct? This is what Geoflow II is trying to answer on board the International Space Station. Geoflow II is a miniature planet that has some of its essential ingredients: a fluid can freely move inside a spherical container that rotates, has temperature differences and has a simulated gravity directed towards the centre just like in a real planet. By taking pictures of the fluid movements, scientists are able to understand the essential characteristics of the flows and determine whether computer simulations are correct or whether they need to be refined and improved towards a better understanding of the elusive movements that take place inside our planet.]
HAIR (JAXA): No report.
HDTV System (JAXA): No report.
Hicari (JAXA): On 1/7, there was a GHF automatic shutoff due to a data communication error between the GHF Control Equipment (GHF-CE) and the Payload Data Handling Unit (PDH). On 1/11, Don checked the status of the GHF S/W Error Status shown on GHF-CE Panel. After a quick look, it seems a similar error occurred on 12/15 last year. We are proceeding with an error analysis and considering what the timeframe of the 1st run of the Hicari experiment will be.
Holter ECG (JAXA): No report.
HQPC (JAXA): Was delivered by 34P.
HREP (HICO/Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean & RAIDS/Remote Atmospheric & Ionospheric Detection System/JAXA): HICO has taken 4824 images to-date. The most recent HICO images taken include the coast of California, the Danube River delta, the Gulf Coast of Florida and Mt Everest. RAIDS is collecting secondary Science data including nighttime atmospheric disk photometry, spectra and temperatures. Extreme Ultra Violet airglow spectroscopy and optical contamination studies will also be performed.
HydroTropi (Hydrotropism & Auxin-Inducible Gene Expression in Roots Grown under Microgravity Conditions/JAXA): No report.
ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.
ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “Thanks for all of your excellent work last week! Don and Andre’s FD30 sessions are coming up quickly. Those ambulatory monitoring sessions will not include the Cardiopres; however, we are hopeful that the data sent to CADMOS will enable development of an on-orbit troubleshooting plan to diagnose the problem. Meanwhile, collection of Holter/Actiwatch data will continue so that science objectives that rely on those devices will be met.”
IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): Complete.
INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.
InSPACE-2 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 2): No report.
IRIS (Image Reversal in Space, CSA): No report.
ISS Amateur/Ham Radio: No report.
ISSAC (ISS Agricultural Camera, NASA): No report.
IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.
JOURNALS (Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement, NASA): No report. [Studies conducted on Earth have shown that analyzing the content of journals and diaries is an effective method for identifying the issues that are most important to a person. The method is based on the reasonable assumption that the frequency that an issue or category of issues is mentioned in a journal reflects the importance of that issue or category to the writer. The tone of each entry (positive, negative, or neutral) and phase of the expedition also are variables of interest. Study results will lead to recommendations for the design of equipment, facilities, procedures, and training to help sustain behavioral adjustment and performance during long-duration space expeditions to the ISS, asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Results from this study could help to improve the behavioral performance of people living and working under a variety of conditions here on Earth.]
KID/KUBIK6: No report.
KUBIK 3 (ESA): No report.
LMM/PACE-2 (Light Microscopy Module / Preliminary Advanced Colloids Experiment): No report.
LOCAD-PTS (Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System): No report.
Marangoni Exp. (JAXA): From 1/14, the ground team will resume the experiment runs #24-28. No crew activity required.
Marangoni DSD – Dynamic Surf (JAXA): Payload name was change from Marangoni DSD to Dynamic Surf.
Marangoni UVP (JAXA): No report.
MARES (Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System, ESA/NASA): No report.
Matryoshka-2 (RSA): No report.
MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image, JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.
MDCA/Flex-2: No report.
MEIS (Marangoni Experiment for ISS) in JAXA FPEF (Fluid Physics Experiment Facility): No report.
Microbe-2 (JAXA): Sample returned by ULF6.
Micro-G Clay (JAXA EPO): Complete.
MISSE-8 (Materials ISS Experiment 8): MISSE-8 is operating nominally. PASCAL has been analyzing the solar cell performance data and sun angle simulations to determine how to proceed with the experiment. The SpaceCube experiment is running code for new radiation hardening by software.
MMA (JAXA/Microgravity Measurement Apparatus): No report.
MPAC/SEED (JAXA): No report.
MSG-SAME (Microgravity Science Glovebox-Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment): No report.
MSPR (Multi Purpose Small Payload Rack, JAXA): No report.
MSL (Materials Science Laboratory, ESA): No report.
MTR-2 (Russian radiation measurements): Passive dosimeters measurements in DC-1 “Pirs”.
MULTIGEN-1: Completed.
MYCO 3 (JAXA): On 9/22, Mike and Satoshi completed sample collection.
MyoLab (JAXA): Completed on 4/20.
NANOSKELETON (Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity, JAXA): No report.
NEURORAD (JAXA): No report.
NEUROSPAT (ESA/Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing and Sensorimotor Integration): No report. [During microgravity stay, human body goes through multitude of physiological changes in order to accommodate to the new environment. As the brain is a master organ where major crucial processes take place, it is fundamental to understand how it manages adaptation for living in Space. One of the main purposes of Neurospat (NES) experiment is to focus on how microgravity environment influences cerebral activity of astronauts aboard ISS. For this, the global electrical activity of the brain of the astronaut is measured thanks to electroencephalogram (EEG) technique, while he or she is executing specific tasks through a computer as if it was a kind of videogame. In practice, the astronaut is wearing a specially equipped cap with passive, gel filled electrodes that are in contact with his/her scalp while he or she is performing the specific tasks that we have designed. These are visual-orientation perception and visuo-motor tracking tasks that may be encountered on a daily basis. The tasks allow the study of 5 cognitive processes: Perception, Attention, Memorization, Decision and Action. Besides there are also task-irrelevant images that are showed to the astronaut in order to assess how well he or she processes novel visual stimuli. The electrodes all over the scalp are linked to sensitive amplifiers that allow us to measure small variations of electrical potential between different regions of the scalp. These signals are in turn used to estimate activity in the cerebral cortex related to the task being performed. Also, they serve to identify the mental processes associated with these tasks and to localize in the brain the sources of the underlying neural activity. After analysis of the data we can better understand whether the novel environment of microgravity accompanied by a multitude of stressors may place an increased load on the cognitive capacity of the human brain and whether the sensory signals and motor responses of astronauts are processed and interpreted differently because a new reference frame.]
NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.
NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: No report.
ODK (Onboard Diagnostic Kit, JAXA): No report.
PACE-2 (Preliminary Advanced Colloids Experiment 2, NASA): (please see under FIR and LMM/PACE-2.
PADIAC (Pathway Different Activators, ESA): No report.
PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 6/7; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): No report.
PASSAGES (JAXA): “Dan, the science team assessed the data of your first in-flight PASSAGES session and confirmed the session can be considered valid. There was a minor issue with the first half of the first block of the door adjustment task (instead of adjusting the door opening, the yes / no answers were continued). No big deal, the team confirmed to have 3/4 of the data for this task, and 100% for all other tasks, so the session is definitely acceptable.”
PCDF-PU (Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility – Process Unit): No report.
PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): Returned on 26S on 9/16.
PCRF (Protein Crystallization Research Facility) Reconfiguration (JAXA): See PCG.
PLSG (Plant Signaling, NASA/ESA): No report.
PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space): Complete.
POLCA/GRAVIGEN (ESA): Complete.
Portable PFS: No report.
Pro K: No report.
RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.
RadSilk (JAXA): No report.
Reaction Self Test (RST/Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): “Dan, Don and Andre, thank you for your participation in Reaction Self Test.”
ROALD-2 (Role of Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression 2, ESA): No report. [Background: The ROALD-2 experiment studies how the function of T-cells from the immune system are affected by microgravity and spaceflight. T-cells play an important role in controlling the immune systems response to infection. It has previously been shown that the immune response of astronauts can be reduced following spaceflight and it has also been shown that the activation of T-cells in culture is reduced in microgravity. A series of experiments on T-cells and other immune system cells have been previously performed by different scientific teams on Space Shuttle and the ISS over the last 30 years. The data from these individual experiments provides information which together can be used to understand the mechanisms by which gravity or the absence of gravity can affect T-cell function.]
Robonaut (NASA): No report.
RYUTAI Rack (JAXA): No report.
SAIBO Rack (JAXA): No report.
SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): “Dan, Don: thanks for your support this week with ER-1 recovery efforts and the SODI Flash Disk exchange within MSG. As you know, the SAMS team has been working with the SODI science team to analyze the 121f02 sensor measurements since late Oct. 2011. This week, we attach an interesting summary plot for you. The comparison plot illustrates the effect of MSG operations and general crew activity on local acceleration levels as measured by the f02 SAMS II sensor attached to the outside of the MSG. The minimum overall acceleration levels are recorded during crew sleep with the MSG off while the maximum levels are recorded during a crew wake period with the MSG on. These two time periods are shown in the plot as a magenta dot dashed curve and a blue solid curve, respectively. Between 1.5 to 9Hz however, the acceleration levels are shown to be highest during crew wake and MSG off (red dashed curve); the reason for this is still being investigated. The MSG on, crew sleep time period is shown by a solid orange curve and illustrates both the negligible effect of MSG activation on acceleration levels in the lower frequencies (0.01 to 20Hz), and its significant impact on the higher frequencies (20Hz and above). Crew activity is shown to increase acceleration levels in the lower frequency bands (0.01 to 10Hz), but has negligible effect on the higher ones (10Hz and above). This can be seen by comparing the crew wake, MSG off period (red dashed curve) with the crew sleep, MSG off one (magenta dot dashed curve). Note that in certain frequency bands the acceleration levels exceed the ISS requirements curve. The SODI mission ends Monday and we’ll be following your work as we take down and stow the SODI apparatus. Have a wonderful weekend and we’ll report back one more time next week.”
SAMPLE: Complete.
SCOF (Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, JAXA): No report.
SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload, JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.
SHERE II (Shear History Extensional Rheology Experiment II): No report.
SLAMMD (Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device): No report.
SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight): No report.
SMILES (JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.
SODI/IVIDIL (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Influence of Vibration on Diffusion in Liquids, ESA): No report.
SODI/COLLOID (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Colloid): No report.
SODI-DSC (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Diffusion & Soret Coefficient, ESA): SODI-DSC operations resumed after stand-down on 1/6-1/7. The Run#44, which is a standard run on cell #4 with mean temperature of +40degC and temperature difference of 10degC, was completed. Then Run#7 was completed which is a repetition of a previously performed run which could not be considered valid due to dark images. It is a standard run on cell #2 with mean temperature of +25degC and temperature difference of 10degC. Run#12 and #13 (which are both repetitions of previously performed runs) were performed but could not be considered valid since an effect of laser mode hopping was suspected. They are both similar standard runs on cell #2 / #3, respectively. Then on 1/10 a SODI engineering test was planned with the MSG Fan off to assess the issue of lower quality images. The script was performed nominally. However then an issue with the MSG Laptop (MLC) was reported. Therefore it was not possible to downlink any files from MLC to Ground. The impact is that the science data of Run#13 and the engineering test data will not be received before flash disk download to ground. After the flash disk exchange, the SODI initialization was initially unsuccessful. In order to recover the payload, a reboot of the system was performed and the payload was reinitialized (this time in a successful way). Impact is a further delay with respect to the forward calendar. Since then Runs#45, #47 and #48 have been completed. These are standard runs on respectively cell #5 / cell #2 / cell #3 with mean temperature of +40degC and temperature difference of 10degC. “Thanks Don and Dan for your help to switch off the MSG fan and to exchange the SODI-DSC flashdisk.” [Background: Fluids and gases are never at rest. This statement is in apparent contradiction with our experience: when we pour water in a glass and wait until all flows have disappeared and the temperature of the liquid is in equilibrium with that of the room, we see that water appears to be completely at rest. However, if we were able to see the individual molecules of water with a very powerful microscope, we would discover that they are incessantly moving and collide with each other following frantic, random paths even if the liquid appears to be quiescent at naked eye. Scientists are interested in observing and measuring such movements because they reveal important, practical information: how fast does heat propagates in a fluid? How fast do liquid mixtures mix? Such phenomena occur in absence of a macroscopic flow, that is when the fluid appear to be at rest, and are called heat and mass diffusion respectively. While the theoretical prediction of heat and mass diffusion is still quite challenging, its measurement is a standard laboratory practice, but may become extremely difficult or impossible when dealing with mixtures of many liquids, due to the fact that such measurement needs to be carried out when the fluid is quiescent, a condition sometimes impossible to achieve on ground. This is precisely the objective of the SODI DSC experiment carried out on board the International Space Station: the measurement of diffusion in mixtures of liquids. By using very sensitive optical techniques, it will be possible to measure mass diffusion, compare with current theories, and improve our present understanding of how molecules move in liquid mixtures. The results will be used by the large team of scientists involved in the project to try to understand which of the many existing theories for mass diffusion is correctly predicting the experimental behavior.]
SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory, ESA): Currently out of Sun Visibility Window. SOLACES kept heated at the start of the shadowing period. Then SOLACES was cooled down on 1/7 and is back to nominal temperatures and will remain so until 1/16. SOLSPEC calibration performed nominally on 1/3.
SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): No report.
Space-DRUMS (Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix System): No report.
Space Food (JAXA): No report.
SHD (Space Headaches, ESA): “Thanks, Andre, for your next Space Headaches questionnaire! All the ones received on-ground have already been passed on to the science team in Leiden.” [Background: The neurologists from Leiden University want to study the question whether the astronauts, while in space, suffer from the headaches. With the help of simple questionnaires the astronauts will register the headache episodes and the eventual accompanying symptoms. The results will hopefully help to characterize the frequency and characteristics of space headache and to develop countermeasure to prevent/minimize headache occurrence during the space flight.]
SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite): No report.
SPHINX (SPaceflight of Huvec: an Integrated eXperiment, ESA): No report.
SPICE (Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment): No report.
SPINAL (Spinal Elongation): No report.
SPRINT: “Don, congrats on collecting the first on-orbit muscle ultrasound images using the Sprint Guide templates! The PI team is very excited to have this new data and is currently reviewing the images. Your next session will be around FD 30.”
SS-HDTV (Super Sensitivity High Definition Camera, JAXA): No report.
STP-H3 (Space Test Program – Houston 3): The STP-H3 thermal and voltage telemetry from the Serial Interface Unit (SIU) are currently off nominal and a SIU reset will be attempted to resolve this on Day 13. MHTEX is repriming in preparation for further testing. Canary has not commanded this week. VADER is continuing lifetime testing of the VEDs at a reduced cycle rate. DISC is processing images that were taken in previous weeks.
SWAB (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): No report.
TASTE IN SPACE (ESA): No report.
THERMOLAB (ESA): “Andre, thanks for collecting also THERMOLAB data as part of your VO2max 1st session. The THERMOLAB data have already been passed on to the science team. They mentioned they thought the sensor on the head was maybe not entirely stuck, but they could analyze the data. Don, thanks for collecting also THERMOLAB data as part of your VO2max 1st session. The science team have already looked at the data and confirmed they looked good.”
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
TREADMILL KINEMATICS: No report.
TRIPLELUX-B (ESA): No report.
ULTRASOUND: Planned.
UMS (Urine Monitoring System (NASA): No report.
VASCULAR (CSA): “No report.
VCAM (Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Module, NASA): No report.
VESSEL ID System (ESA): Nominal data acquisition on-going with the Norwegian NORAIS receiver.
VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): “Don, the VESSEL IMAGING team appreciated much your efforts in getting as much of the scans performed in the little time remaining under KU-coverage on 1/6. They think they obtained ~60% of the scan objectives. However the femoral transverse and longitudinal section and the calf scans could not be completed. It is being assessed whether it would be possible to replan for a short VESSEL IMAGING scan session to complete for these scans. ” [Background: It is known that the ability of blood vessels to vasoconstrict – the ability of the muscular vessel wall to narrow the diameter of the blood vessel – is impaired during and after a human has been in space. “Vessel Imaging” is using the Ultrasound scanner on board the ISS to take images of the five different blood vessels in the lower abdomen and in the legs to study what changes occur to cause the blood vessels to be less able to vasoconstrict. For each vessel, a 5 second scan is performed to observe the blood vessel during several heart beats, followed by a scan where the ultrasound scan-head is tilted to allow a “cut through the blood vessel wall”. The same scans are also performed before flight, and these pre-flight images are used as the baseline to which the in-flight data is compared with. The images are analyzed to detect any changes in the blood vessel wall properties, such as wall thickness, elasticity or structure, changes in the size of the blood vessel or blood flow (volume) while the crewmember is in orbit.]
VIABLE (eValuatIon And monitoring of microBiofiLms insidE the ISS Payload Touch, NASA): No report.
VO2max (NASA): “Andre, great job on your first VO2max session! We know how complicated the hardware setup is and applaud you on a job well done. Thank you for working with us so quickly after we started getting close to losing Ku coverage. The data is on the ground and the PI has begun analysis. Your next session will be around FD 45. Don, you did a great job as well completing your first VO2max session! Your data was received on the ground and the PI will begin analysis soon. Your next session will be around FD 45.”
VLE (Video Lessons ESA): No report.
WAICO #1/#2 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels; ESA): No report.
YEAST B (ESA): No report.
CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 1/9 the ground has received 22,960 of ISS CEO frames for review and cataloguing. “We are pleased to report your acquisition of imagery with times corresponding to those of our CEO Daily Target Lists for the following targets: Panama City, Panama – 23 frames – target not acquired; Woollya Cove, Chile – 8 frames – target not acquired; St. Helena Island, Atlantic Ocean – 2 frames – target not acquired; Shebelle River Fan, Somalia – 33 frames – numerous useful frames acquired – additional information on the value and application of these frame will be transmitted to you next week; Tehran, Iran – 78 frames – target not acquired; Etosha Dry Lake, N. Namibia – 30 frames – automated, high-oblique session – target not acquired; and Mississippi Delta Region – 4 frames – imagery is of the central Appalachians – this suggests the camera time is about 2 minutes slow for system: NIKON D2Xs S/N: 6027244. There have been exceptionally few target opportunities for the past several weeks as a combination of orbit tracks, illumination, and adverse atmospheric conditions have reduced the likelihood of acquiring useful imagery. Conditions are now improving and we look forward to offering more targets for your photography talents! Your request to begin acquiring IR imagery of some of our target sites has been noted and implemented. Your CEO team has identified a subset of our science sites for which IR imagery would be highly desirable. We will continue to request these from now on in our Daily Target Lists as conditions permit. Over the coming weeks we will attempt to bring you up to date on the publication and application of your increment’s imagery. Your striking panoramic view with sun glint of a major dust plume over Bahia Blanca, Argentina was posted on NASA/GSFC’s Earth Observatory website on December 11, 2011. Although dust storm plumes are common in this part of the world your view is one of the best we have seen in such context. Another of your photos, a remarkably colorful view of flooding in Lake Eyre, South Australia, was published Earth Observatory on December 18th. Your shot documents the dramatic transformation of this large, landmark ephemeral lake after years of being almost completely dry. Kudos and thanks to the crew for heads-up photography of these wondrous phenomena of our Earth!”
CEO targets uplinked for today were Ganges River Delta (IR-PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION SITE: ISS had a mid-afternoon pass in cloud-free weather with some haze likely over this target. As it approached the coast of the Bay of Bengal from the NW, the crew was to look nadir. Of particular interest with IR is the distinct, dark forest region of mangroves known as the Sunderbans. Trying for overlapping mapping views of this feature using the #99 filter), Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (IR-PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION SITE: ISS had a mid-afternoon pass directly over Africa’s highest mountain located in northern Tanzania near the border with Kenya. Its approach was from the NW, and while the surrounding area may have been partly cloudy, the summit area should have been cloud-free. Mapping the vegetation color changes with elevation and land use practice on the surrounding slopes using the #99 filter), Niamey, Niger (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION SITE: The capital city of Niger with a population of about 800,000 lies on a broad bend of the Niger River as it bisects a plateau in the extreme southwestern part of the country. Today ISS had a mid-afternoon pass in clear weather. At this time as the crew approached from the NW, they were to look towards nadir and try for contextual views of this city within a single frame), and Port au Prince, Haiti (CAPITAL CITIES COLLECTION SITE: This capital city of less than 1 million is found on the extreme eastern end of the Gulf of Gonave on the western side of the island of Hispaniola. On this mid-afternoon pass in fair weather as ISS tracked southeastward over the Windward Passage between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, the crew was to begin looking towards nadir for this target area).
ISS Reboost Update: A one-burn reboost of the ISS was performed yesterday as planned at 11:10am EST using the two KD engines of the SM’s ODU (Integrated Propulsion System) for a burn duration of 54 sec, achieving a Delta-V of 0.85 m/s (planned: 0.85 m/s), increasing mean altitude by 1.47 km (planned: 1.5 km). After the burn, ISS was at 391.3 km mean altitude, with 400.4 km apogee height and 382.1 perigee height. The purpose of the reboost was a DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver), to avoid a conjunction with Object 34984, and to set up phasing for the Progress 46P launch on 1/25. This DAM replaces the reboost that had been planned for 1/18.
JAXA Marangoni Experiment: This weekend, JAXA will perform the Marangoni Experiment each night on 1/14 & 1/15, and a “LONG” liquid bridge will be developed on 1/15. At 6:00pm-12:00am, the crew should pay scrupulous attention to not to generate disturbances since taller liquid bridges are much more sensitive to g-jitter. This is the 24th and 25th of 28 planned runs in Increment 29/30.
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:39am EST [= epoch])
. Mean altitude – 391.5 km
. Apogee height – 406.2 km
. Perigee height – 376.7 km
. Period — 92.39 min.
. Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
. Eccentricity — 0.0021741
. Solar Beta Angle — -61.9 deg (magnitude decreasing)
. Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.59
. Mean altitude gain in the last 24 hours – 1.4 km
. Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 75,390
. Time in orbit (station) — 4803 days
. Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4089 days
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————-
01/24/12 — Progress M-13M/45P undock
01/25/12 — Progress M-14M/46P launch
01/27/12 — Progress M-14M/46P docking (DC-1)
02/07/12 — SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon launch — (target date)
02/10/12 — SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon berthing — (target date)
02/14/12 — Russian EVA
02/23/12 — SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon unberth — (target date)
03/09/12 — ATV3 launch — (target date)
03/16/12– Soyuz TMA-22/28S undock/landing (End of Increment 30)
————–Three-crew operations————-
03/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/K.Volkov — (Target Date)
04/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S docking (MRM2) — (Target Date)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
TBD — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – launch on Proton (under review)
04/24/12 — Progress M-14M/46P undock
04/25/12 — Progress M-15M/47P launch
04/27/12 — Progress M-15M/47P docking
TBD — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) – docking (under review)
05/16/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/30/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
06/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
06/26/12 — HTV-3 launch (target date)
09/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/26/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin
09/28/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/26/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
11/28/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/19/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34)
————–Three-crew operations————-
04/02/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin
04/04/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
05/16/13 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35)
————–Three-crew operations————-
05/29/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano
05/31/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36)
————–Three-crew operations————-
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD
09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37)
————–Three-crew operations————-
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD
11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
03/xx/14 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38)
————–Three-crew operations————-
