NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 24 December 2011
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – Crew off duty. First day of full crew complement of 6 for Expedition 30/31. Christmas Eve.
>>>> 43 years ago today at ~5:00am ET in the morning, the crew of Apollo 8, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, fired the Service Module Propulsion System for 4 min 6.5 sec behind the Moon (i.e., out of our sight), beginning the first orbit (a 312 x 112 km ellipse) of their historical 10-orbit circumlunar exploration, humanity’s greatest adventure of modern times. At 9:31pm in the evening (85h 40min Mission Elapsed Time), the crew took turns in reading opening passages from Genesis: “In the beginning God created heavens and the earth…..and God saw that it was good.”<<<<
. Sleep Cycle Shift: Wakeup this morning: 4:30am, sleep: 4:30pm EST, returning to normal tomorrow.
After wakeup, FE-2 Ivanishin performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.
Also at wakeup, FE-5 Kuipers set up the VCA1 (Video Camera Assembly 1) in COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) for covering subsequent activities, and then he and CDR Burbank performed the ESA ROALD-2 (Role of Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression 2) experiment. [Activities included installation of eight ROALD-2 ECs (Experiment Containers) and a dummy EC in the KUBIK-3 thermostatic container at +37 degC. About 5h30m – 6h30m after the installation, Dan & Andre removed four ECs from KUBIK-4, restarted the KUBIK centrifuge and inserted the removed samples into MELFI-1 (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) Dewar 2 at -80 degC for thermal preservation while on ISS. Background: ROALD-2, a cell-biology study of the human immune system, was preceded by ROALD-1 in 2008 which showed that the programmed cell death (Apoptosis) rate of human immune cells is enhanced in microgravity. This could be responsible for the immune system impairment observed in micro-G. Objective of ROALD-2 is to investigate the role of the endocannabinoid Anandamide (polyunsaturated fatty acid) in the regulation of immune processes in human lymphocytes in micro-G. Anandamide is a signal for the cells to make a choice between life and death. Therefore, it potentially contributes to the immune deficiency observed in Space. Benefit will be better understanding of the role of Anandamide in the immune system. Outcome could help to find countermeasures against the influence of micro-G, especially for long term missions.]
FE-1 Shkaplerov had a 40-min slot set aside on his timeline as a backup for the test of the MBRL, AFU Antenna Feeder Unit, ATV Hand Controller and PU Control Panel of the ATV PCE (Automated Transfer Vehicle / Proximity Communications Equipment; Russian: MBRL) on 12/22. [The PCE testing is in preparation for the ground fueling of the ATV3 tanks, which occurs approximately two and a half months prior to ATV3 launch. ATV3 is scheduled to launch on 3/9/2012. Tanking depends on functioning onboard MBRL systems.]
At ~10:50am EST, Anton Shkaplerov (call sign: RS0ISS) conducted an amateur/ham radio session with Kiev Airspace School students at the Kiev National Aviation University. Questions were uplinked beforehand. [“How difficult would it be for a girl to succeed in the “space business” and fly to space? How long does it take for you to get accustomed to the food that you eat at the station? Aren’t you haunted by the feeling that you and the station are but a tiny bit in space? Do you feel any kind of mental stress because of that? I’ve read that you will be playing computer games at the station. Is this true? Which ones? Are there superstitions or signs in your work? I’m from Donetsk which is an environmentally stressed area. Do you see the most polluted areas of Ukraine from space, what are they? Do you have any kind of plan in case of emergency at the station? How long will oxygen last in your space suit? Tell us, do you always follow all the rules or there may be situations when you deviate from food or work schedules? People depend of gravity. How do human biological rhythms respond to micro-g environment? What do you do if you can’t sleep? In your opinion, is a stay in space harmful to your mental health, did you ever have a depression? How do you dispose of waste in space?”]
Burbank used the CSA-O2 (Compound Specific Analyzer -O2) to take oxygen partial pressure readings in the SM and COL.
Dan also filled out his 4th 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.]
Anatoly performed the routine daily servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM; [regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV & EDV on RP flow regulator.]
Andre completed his daily task of filling out his SHD (Space Headache) questionnaire which he started after Soyuz launch and continues on ISS (on an SSC/Station Support Computer) for his first week in space. (Photos of the two questionnaires from his time on Soyuz were downlinked to the ground).
At ~8:05am EST, FE-1 Shkaplerov conducted his weekly PFC (Private Family Conference), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop).
At ~8:35am, the three 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-5 & FE-6 had their (currently daily) PMCs (Private Medical Conferences) after arrival via S- & Ku-band audio/video, Andre at ~7:00am, Oleg at ~1:00pm, Don at ~1:30pm.
The “old” crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1, FE-2), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-1, FE-2), and T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR).
Jobs listed for Anton, Anatoly & Oleg today on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” task list were –
. A TV “Message to Santa Claus” from Anton to Japanese children as per request from JAXA,
. Another ~30-min. run of the GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X digital camera with Sigma AF 300-800mm telelens, focusing on the glaciers of Patagonia, Kolka Glacier, River Terek, Volga River delta, Volcanoes Hudson, Etna, Stromboli, A. Darwin. Arenal Volcano and Poas Volcano,
. 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,
. A ~15-min. photography session for the DZZ-13 “Seiner” ocean observation program, obtaining NIKON D3X photos with Nikkor 80-200 mm lens and the SONY HD video camcorder to record color bloom patterns in the waters of the South-Eastern Pacific, then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop, and
. Preparing & downlinking more 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 14)
2D NANO Template (JAXA): No report.
3D SPACE: Complete.
AgCam (Agricultural Camera): No report.
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.
ALTEA SHIELD (NASA/ASI): On 12/4 around 2:00pm EST, ALTEA stopped transmitting health & status data. POIC took the action to start the recovery activity already planned for this event, as per payload regulation, but the DAU power recycle did not solve the problem. A total of ~112 cumulative days of science acquisition have been acquired at the last location in the US Lab, so the minimum science requirement of 20 cumulative days of science acquisition has already been met a long time ago. At the moment the instrument is OFF.
AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer): AMS payload and laptop operations are nominal. Happy Holidays from the AMS team!
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: “Dan: Excellent job replacing the MDCA Fuel Reservoirs and the MDCA Radiometer! We appreciate all your hard work and attention to detail during the many complicated tasks. We apologize for not planning enough time for the activities and appreciate you putting in the extra time required. We will take this into consideration when planning similar activities in the future. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs you installed contain fuels for FLEX-2 test points, which we look forward to starting in the next couple weeks. You installed the MDCA Radiometer 2 because it allows for greater accuracy in its measurements of flame irradiance levels. This greater accuracy is required for the FLEX-2 test points.”
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): “EDR was activated on GMT356 in support of the KUBIK check-out.”
EKE (Endurance Capacity by Gas Exchange and Heart Rate Kinetics During Physical Training, ESA): No report.
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): No report.
ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.
EPM (European Physiology Module): “Dan thanks for activating the EPM laptop on 12/19. Unfortunately, there was a Columbus MMU anomaly during the file transfer. Therefore the SOLO PCBA s/w upgrade and MARES Crew Guided Procedures uplink were aborted and need to be replanned.”
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): “Dan: Thank you for installing the PACE Tissue Samples on 12/19 and 12/21. The 12/19 sample contains various mouse tissues, including spleen, muscle, heart and kidney. We were able to successfully image these tissues with the LMM Microscope 10X, 20X, 63X and in some cases the 100X lenses. As you know, you did not dispense oil on this sample. The 63X and 100X are oil objectives and still provided quality images even though new oil was not dispensed. We may have gotten good images due to these lenses having residual oil on them from previous runs. During test runs, we have been investigating how the epi- and trans-illumination light sources compare. We have found that sometimes epi-illumination (illumination from above sample) is better and sometimes trans-illumination (illumination from below sample) is better. When going to higher magnification, it was impossible to see some tissues in epi-illumination while trans-illumination was great. The 12/21 sample contains yeast and bacteria. As with the last sample, this sample also did not use oil. We were able to successfully image with the 10X, 20X, 63X, and the 100X lenses. This is the final PACE sample we plan to investigate prior to ACE (Advanced Colloids Experiment), which is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2012.”
Fish Scales (JAXA): Completed on FD7/ULF-4 and returned on STS-132.
FOAM STABILITY (ESA): No report.
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): There were no science runs performed this week, only data downlink activities from the science runs of last week were finalized. The next science runs will be started on 1/9/12. [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): During GHF experiment checkout at 12/15/5:58pm EST, we experienced shutting down of GHF. Ku band telemetries were not available at that time, but we confirmed there were no safety issues and no functional anomalies. At 12/16/11:24am, we rebooted GHF then continued Material Processor (MP) vacuum process until we started Hicari Experiment checkout on 12/19. There has been none of the anomalies so far, but root cause for the shutting down is unknown. On 12/21, the temperature of MP reached at 1,250 degC as planned. Hicari checkout will continue until 12/28.
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 4725 images to-date. The most recent HICO images include part of the Australian coast and mountains in Argentina. 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): “Dan, great job on last week’s ICV sessions! You’ll have a hiatus in ICV subject activities until your FD75 session in late January; however, you may be performing some operator tasks for Don and Andre’s ICV sessions which begin soon after their arrival.”
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): “Dan, the PI has received the first downlink of your Journals entries. He looks forward to many more Journal entries. Thanks for your commitment to the experiment.”” [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): “Thank you, Dan, for setting-up KUBIK-3 and testing KUBIK-3 and 6 on 12/22. We very much appreciate your valuable comments about the gasket on KUBIK-6.
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): No report.
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: “Dan: Excellent job replacing the MDCA Fuel Reservoirs and the MDCA Radiometer! We appreciate all your hard work and attention to detail during the many complicated tasks. We apologize for not planning enough time for the activities and appreciate you putting in the extra time required. We will take this into consideration when planning similar activities in the future. The MDCA Fuel Reservoirs you installed contain fuels for FLEX-2 test points, which we look forward to starting in the next couple weeks. You installed the MDCA Radiometer 2 because it allows for greater accuracy in its measurements of flame irradiance levels. This greater accuracy is required for the FLEX-2 test points.”
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 but the Communication Interface Board (CIB) has reset this past week. MISSE-8 is investigating potential correlations of CIB resets to active MISSE-8 experiments and sub-experiments along with the beta angle when these occur. 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): On 12/18, Dan completed MSPR VRU checkout #3 as Voluntary Science. We successfly completed the checkout of the Video Play Back function and the FTP download function. “Thank you for sharing your important time, Happy Holidays!”
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.
NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.
NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: No report.
ODK (Onboard Diagnostic Kit, JAXA): On 10/27, Satoshi completed the Questionnaire as a task list item.
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): No report.
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, thank you for your continued participation in Reaction Self Test!”
ROALD-2 (Role of Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression 2, ESA): The Experiment Containers were prepared successfully in the lab at the Baikonur launch place. They were handed over to the NASA representative for late load in 29S at L-11h and are now on their way to ISS. We are looking forward to this experiment and wish you all the best with the upcoming ROALD2 activities. [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: We’ve held our international science team meeting in Germany last week and we have also analyzed acceleration levels resulting from activities nearby the MSG. This week, we’ve included a plot that summarizes vibratory acceleration levels coming from the FIR, as measured by SAMS on the MSG. We have also included the resulting levels as compared to the ISS vibration requirements curve. Please accept our warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012!”
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): After the POIC outage on 12/17-12/18, there was a problem with MSG during the rack activation on 12/19. One of the MSG power boards needs to be replaced, which is tentatively planned for 12/28. SODI-DSC operations will remain on-hold until then. On 12/21 the science team finished programming a post-processing algorithm which improves the phase images drastically leading to significant better science return. Overall, since 11/27 to date, 34 science runs (out of a total of 55 runs) have been performed. The science team has analyzed 32 runs, and 2 runs are impacted by a laser mode hopping phenomenon. Those 2 runs will have to be repeated. Given the Experimental Cell#1 anomaly, we will not process this cell anymore, and we are left with 4 experimental cells to investigate.
SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory, ESA): Nominal sun visibility window #48 measurements started on 12/16 with both instruments SolACES and SOLSPEC. SOLSPEC activities were impacted by a ground problem at White Sands on 12/17 and the Columbus MMU problem on 12/19 but could be rescheduled. The Sun tracking period of 20 minutes was reduced with ~2 min on 12/19-12/20 due to the shadow of the robotic arm.
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): “Andre, you have already filled out some of the questionnaires. Thank you!” [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: No report.
SS-HDTV (Super Sensitivity High Definition Camera, JAXA): No more runs planned on Task List for Satoshi.
STP-H3 (Space Test Program – Houston 3): MHTEX is currently running in a steady state mode. Canary is planning to collect data during the 29S docking event. VADER is continuing lifetime testing of the VEDs at a reduced cycle rate. DISC has taken more images this week and 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): “Dan, thanks for your first VO2max / THERMOLAB / EKE session completed last week. We got confirmation that the science data is valid!”
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
TREADMILL KINEMATICS: “Thank you, Dan, for completing your second Treadmill Kinematics session! HAPPY HOL-ISS-DAYS on station!”
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): Since 12/11, housekeeping and science telemetry for the NORAIS receiver is arriving with a delay of several hours preventing from monitoring telemetry in real-time. In addition, it seems that about 20% of the data is lost as well. Troubleshooting was performed successfully on 12/22. The NORAIS receiver is back in nominal configuration.
VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): No report. [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): No report.
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): No report.
CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today were Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (the street grid of the city contrasts sharply with the surrounding desert. Overlapping mapping frames of the urban and surrounding rural area are requested), Freetown, Sierra Leone (Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, and is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean. Try to get context views of this city, as we have little imagery on this city), San Jose, Costa Rica (San Jose is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of almost 366,000. The city is situated inland. Shoot contextual views of this capital city), and Kingston, Jamaica (Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, and is located on the southeastern coast of the island. In the Americas, Kingston is the largest mainly English-speaking city south of the United States. Try to capture the whole city in a single image).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 8:59am EST [= epoch])
. Mean altitude – 391.8 km
. Apogee height – 408.3 km
. Perigee height – 375.2 km
. Period — 92.39 min.
. Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
. Eccentricity — 0.0024498
. Solar Beta Angle — -5.3 deg (magnitude increasing)
. Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
. Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 157 m
. Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 75,062
. Time in orbit (station) — 4782 days
. Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4069 days
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————-
01/18/12 — ISS Reboost (set up phasing for 46P)
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————-
