NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 7 April 2012
ISS On-Orbit Status 04/07/12
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – Crew off duty.
After breakfast, FE-4 Kononenko performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection.
FE-6 Pettit had Day 2 of his 4th (FD120) suite of sessions with the controlled Pro K diet protocol (Dietary Intake Can Predict and Protect against Changes in Bone Metabolism during Spaceflight and Recovery), with diet logging after the urine pH spot test, for a 5-day period. After recording his diet input today, Don will begin the urine collections for pH value on Monday (4/9) and blood sampling on Tuesday (4/10). [For Pro K, there are five in-flight sessions (FD15, FD30, FD60, FD120, FD180) of samplings, to be shared with the NUTRITION w/Repository protocol, each one with five days of diet & urine pH logging and photography on the last day (science sessions are often referred to by Flight Day 15, 30, 60, etc. However, there are plus/minus windows associated with these time points so a “Flight Day 15” science session may not actually fall on the crewmember’s 15th day on-orbit). The crewmember prepares a diet log and then annotates quantities of food packets consumed and supplements taken. On Days 4 & 5, urine collections are spread over 24 hrs; samples go into the MELFI (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS) within 30 min after collection. Blood samples, on the last day, are centrifuged in the RC (Refrigerated Centrifuge) and placed in MELFI at -80 degC. There is an 8-hr fasting requirement prior to the blood draw (i.e., no food or drink, but water ingestion is encouraged). MELFI constraints: Maximum MELFI dewar open time: 60 sec; at least 45 min between MELFI dewar door openings.]
As generally on Saturdays, the six crewmembers joined in conducting the regular weekly three-hour task of thorough cleaning of their home, including COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory) and Kibo JPM. [“Uborka”, usually done on Saturdays, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, damp cleaning of the SM 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) and the Potok Air Purification System pre-filters in SM & FGB.
Oleg also 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.]
CDR Burbank & FE-6 Pettit had an estimated 45 min each blocked out for cleaning up the US A/L (Airlock) in preparation for EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) maintenance activities scheduled on 4/9 (Monday) for Burbank. Dan & Don unpacked and relocated ATV-3-delivered cargo bags as outlined in an uplinked listing, stowing empties and packing foam in ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) “Edoardo Amaldi”. [This activity could unfortunately not be scheduled also on Monday for lack of time prior to the necessary EDDA (EMU Don/Doff Assembly) EMU swap.]
At ~10:50am EDT, Anton, Anatoly & Oleg supported two Russian PAO TV events via US Ku-band, downlinking messages of greetings & congratulations to the participants of Cosmonautics Day celebrations (April 12), and then answering questions from participants of the international “Ask A Cosmonaut” competition conducted by the International Association of Space Flight Participants and GCTC (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center). [“Hello, how do people become cosmonauts? Where do they need to study? And in general, is it a good idea to be a cosmonaut? Tell us why you love your work. (How much free time do you have? What does it pay?) Also, what are the downsides (hard, dangerous, boring work)? Thank you for your answer.”; “Dear cosmonauts, please tell us if it is difficult to fall asleep in weightlessness. How does weightlessness affect the quality of your sleep? Do you sleep well and do you get enough sleep?”; “Hello from Malance, my village. Can you plant a flower at the station? Do they grow there? Or can you just play? Working all the time is hard! I wish you that none of your stuff gets broken! So long everybody”; “How do you fold clothes in space? Can you use hangers and iron in weightlessness? Do you wash your clothes and how?”; “Question to A. Ivanishin: Hello, dear Anatoly Alexeyevich, I learned that this year you and Anton Nikolayevich Shkaplerov have celebrated your birthdays in space. On behalf of all children at our Birmingham Russian School I say happy birthday to you and wish you good health and space-sized achievements! In our England, on a birthday people usually get a cake and my Russian friends sing a crocodile Gena’s song, something like I wish a birthday happened more than once a year. Did you get a space cake on your birthday? Did your cosmonaut friends sing something for you? And, in general, how do people celebrate their birthdays in space, and what kind of presents do they get? Thanking you in advance for your story.”]
FE-1, 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), Anton at ~10:50am, Oleg at ~11:50am, Don at ~1:30pm EDT.
The crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (FE-5), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-1/2x, FE-2/2x, FE-4/2x), ARED advanced resistive exerciser (CDR, FE-5, FE-6), and T2/COLBERT advanced treadmill (CDR, FE-6). [FE-6 is on the special experimental SPRINT protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5 hrs per day exercise regime and introduces special daily sessions, followed by a USND (Ultrasound) leg muscle self scan in COL. Today’s exercise called for ARED+T2, with CEVIS, ARED+T2, T2, ARED+T2 & CEVIS, following in the next 5 days. If any day is not completed, Don picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day.]
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, focusing on the volcanoes, Galeras, Reventador & Hudson, Auckland, and the glaciers of Patagonia;
* 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 South-Eastern Pacific, 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).
Columbus C13 Software Transition: The Cycle 13 transition execution is complete, and COL is back to its nominal configuration. The crew was thanked for their “great support on this important activity”.
Weekly Science Update (Expedition Thirty/Thirty-One — Week 27).
2D NANO Template (JAXA): The experiment is continuing in Dewar 4 of MELFI-1. The samples are proceeding by arranging peptides slowly on base plates. The samples will be returned on 28S.
3D SPACE: Complete.
ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.
ALTEA SHIELD (NASA/ASI): No report.
Amine Swingbed (NASA): No report.
AMS-02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer): AMS Payload and laptop operations are nominal. AMS would like to thank the outgoing Increment 29-30 FCT (Flight Control Team) reps for the outstanding support. AMS has data for 14.5 billion particle events.
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.
BASS (Burning and Suppression of Solids, NASA): We completed two tests burning the SIBAL fabric samples (50% cotton/50% fiberglass). The first test was at an air flow speed of 10 cm/s, and the second at 5 cm/s. The burn times were 40 s and 60 s respectively.
Both samples burned uniformly and apparently reached steady state. The flame at the higher air flow setting was brighter, larger, and burned more quickly compared to the lower air flow test.
Initial analysis of last week’s tests show the flat sample response to the change in flow. In fig. 1 the flame length decreases dramatically when the flow speed drops. If the flow speed becomes too low, the flame will go out, and this critical flow speed will be investigated in upcoming tests.
Some sample images are given for the initial tests. In fig. 2, a SIBAL fabric burn shows the blue outer flame zone, soot forming region, fuel pyrolysis zone, and glowing char. In fig. 3, a 2-cm PMMA sphere is burning in a 5 cm/s air flow. Even at this low air flow, the fuel has become so heated that a vigorous flame is sustained. The fuel vapor jetting is evident as a mottled flame surface. In fig. 4, a close-up image from Don’s additional camera shows additional flame and fuel details. In fig. 5, a post-combustion image of the sphere shows the flow separation line before which the fuel is vaporizing (fuel appears shiny) and beyond which soot is deposited in the wake zone (fuel appears dull). Also, this image may allow us to estimate the amount of fuel burned based on the shape change from the initial sphere.
Future tests with the spheres will likely examine very low-speed flows (less than 5 cm/s) and the spheres will be moved closer to the nitrogen nozzle to enable extinguishment via nitrogen.
We are very pleased with the progression of the tests. Don is effectively moving through operations and his interaction with the science team on the ground is highly beneficial. This is especially true given the fact that there is a significant amount of hands-on work required and some decisions (camera settings, flow parameters, etc.) need to be made in real-time.
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): Thanks, Don, for a very swift performance of the BIOLAB oxygen sensor demating activity! A good step forward in the recovery of the BIOLAB Facility.”
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.
CSAC (Chip-Scale Atomic Clock, SPHERES): No report.
CSLM-2 (Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures 2): No report.
CsPins (JAXA): “Don, thank you very much for a successful on-time start of the experiment.”
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): “Don, thanks for your hand of help with the EDR switches check. This will allow us to pursue the replanning of a troubleshooting activity on one of the KUBIK incubators in the weeks to come.”
EKE (Endurance Capacity by Gas Exchange and Heart Rate Kinetics During Physical Training, ESA): “Dan, thanks to a data sharing with VO2max, you also completed a 5th dataset for the EKE experiment on 3/30. Don, thanks to a data sharing with VO2max, you also completed a 4th dataset for the EKE experiment on 4/4.”
ELITE-S2 (Elaboratore Immagini Televisive – Space 2): Planned.
EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System): “Thanks, Dan, for your help in changing out the EMCS Thermal Control System cold spot sponge on 3/29.”
ENose (Electronic Nose): No report.
EPM (European Physiology Module): “André, thanks for the help in the CARDIOPRESS troubleshooting! Results and next steps are being further coordinated.”
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 (Educational Payload Operations, NASA) (ISS Orbit): No report.
EPO (Educational Payload Operations, ESA): No report.
EPO CONVECTIONS (ESA): “No report.
EPO MISSION X (ESA): 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 Moon Score (JAXA): No report.
EPO Kibo Kids Tour (JAXA): Complete.
EPO Paper Craft (Origami, JAXA): No report.
EPO Poem (JAXA): No report.
EPO-5 SpaceBottle (Message in a Bottle, 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):
EPO-7 Try Zero-G (JAXA): No report.
EPO-8 Space Sakura (JAXA): No report.
EPO-8 Space Musical Instruments (JAXA): No report.
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.] “André, ESA received a visit from the team responsible for the ZDF production for ARTE, who is very happy with the footage in 3D gathered from ERB2. So all the ERB2 filming is very well appreciated. The film director loved your footage.”
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): 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): No runs have been performed this week, but a good meeting was held with the science team on the first results of GEOFLOW2. More to come on that in the near future. For now, it looks like we need 2 more runs to complete this GEOFLOW2 science campaign. [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): Ground activities on 3/30 started pre-vacuum, then caused a shutdown of the Vacuum Evacuation Equipment (VEE) 2 hours later. We have been investigating the root cause of the series of troubles with GHF, and have replanned for Hicari run #1 including process change. Now, we are focusing on starting Hicari on 4/13.
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): As of last week HICO had taken 5351 images to-date but the images from this past week are queued for processing. The images that are queued for processing include parts of South America, parts of the Australian coast and a couple of locations in New Zealand. 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.
HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1, NASA): No report.
HydroTropi (Hydrotropism & Auxin-Inducible Gene Expression in Roots Grown under Microgravity Conditions/JAXA): No report.
ICE CRYSTAL (JAXA): Complete.
ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): “”Dan and Don: Great job on the echo this week – always a pleasure to do some interactive science with you guys! Dan: Thanks so much for keeping us up-to-date on your progress with Ambulatory Monitoring. This feedback is very useful as schedules are reworked and it is nice to know that things are going according to plan!”
IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS): No report.
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): “ISSAC imaging operations are nominal and captured 6 stretch targets (~1000 images or frames) focusing primarily on the Northern part of U.S. Last week, your activity to update ISSAC software version was unsuccessful and the root cause was that the “agcam.exe” file got corrupted during the uplink process. Currently an OCR to uplink the “agcam.exe” file (from ground to SSC) via OCA process is in progress and the crew activity to transfer the file from SSC to ISSAC laptop will be scheduled in the upcoming days/weeks. Some of the advantages of this new software version include: auto-downlinking of images soon after taking the targets, minimizing of the delay/lag time (from 30sec to 2sec) between two consecutive images and a few more additional features to eliminate some of the previous anomalies. There will be no daylight passes over North America between 4/1 – 4/18 and ISSAC will begin collecting images for its primary growing season (starting 4/19) focusing on upper mid-west states (ND, SD, MN, WY, ID, MT).”
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): 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: 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): The Communication Interface Board (CIB) did reset on Day 90 so commands were sent by the ground controllers to restart the polling for experiment data. Also the Nadir tray exceeded the high temperature limit on Day 94 and the Huntsville team disabled both the ReflectArray and SEUXSE experiments per a Payload Regulation that is already in place. These events are associated with the high positive beta angle and are expected. The MISSE-8 ground controllers are performing special commanding to prevent further CIB reset during this high positive beta angle period. The ReflectArray and SEUXSE experiments will be re-activated by the Principal Investigator (PI) once temperatures return to within limits and the PI determines the experiments can proceed without damage to experiment hardware. PASCAL is performing nominal commanding that produced IV curves of the solar cells. IV curves are plots of the current versus voltage for solar cells and tell a lot about how these are performing. The SpaceCube experiment is running code for new radiation hardening by software.
The primary reason why the MISSE-8 PEC-8 exceeds some thermal limits during high positive beta periods is that it was designed to be EVA compatible, the PEC is attached to the ExPA via two EVA PIP pins through a single probe. This allows for EVA install/retrieval, but it also thermally isolates the PEC from the rest of the ExPA. This is the reason that the PEC temperature will fluctuate by ~10-15 degrees every orbit. In extreme beta angles (greater than +35 deg), the peaks of these temperature fluctuations will exceed the high temperature limit but quickly drop back down when the PEC starts to lose direct sunlight. Around 90 minutes later, the PEC temperature will peak again and exceed the high temperature limit, usually by more degrees and for a longer time. Disabling some experiments will remove heat generated by the components and this drops temperatures about 5 degrees at the peaks of the thermal cycle. The experiments more sensitive to the thermal cycles are disabled so that the PRO does not receive excessive temperature alerts.
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, the 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.]
NightPod (ESA): NightPod images have been presented in a news blog on the ESA PromISSe website: http://blogs.esa.int/promisse/2012/04/05/nightpod/
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): The experiment is continuing on walls of the JPM and the JLP. The dosimeters will be returned on 28S.
PASSAGES (JAXA): No report. [PASSAGES is an experiment about the strategies involved in the perception of the world around us. Seeing correctly the world is necessary to success our gestures, our actions, such as catching a ball, stepping an obstacle on the ground or passing through an opened door. In this experiment, we want to know if the strategies involved on Earth continue to be used when the astronaut is in a weightlessness environment for a long period. To investigate this question, the participant sees 3D scenes on the screen of a laptop such as a video game. The scene is a room with an opening which can vary in width. The task of the participant is to decide if yes or no he or she could pass through the aperture without rotating or scrunching the shoulders. The science team uses typical methods from psychophysics and manipulates several factors to highlight the strategies used by the participant. Then, the science team will compare the performances obtained on ground with those obtained onboard.]
PCDF-PU (Protein Crystallization Diagnostic Facility – Process Unit): No report.
PCG (JAXA, Protein Crystal Growth): Since 1/28, we are monitoring temperature until the day of the return of 28S.
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: Used for VO2max / THERMOLAB / EKE sessions.
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 André! Thanks for participating in Reaction Self Test, your efforts with this study are really appreciated!”
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): On 3/19, André completed maintenance checkout for 1-G and micro-G Measurement Equipment Unit (MEU) for the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF). Now, we are ready to start CsPINs experiment in Week 29. Thank you very much.
SAIBO Rack (JAXA): No report.
SAMS/MAMS (Space & Microgravity Acceleration Measurement Systems): No report.
SAMPLE: Complete.
SCOF (Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, JAXA): No report.
SEDA-AP (Space Environment Data Acquisition Equipment-Attached Payload, JAXA): Continuing telemetry monitoring.
SHD (Space Headaches, ESA): “Thank you very much for filling out your weekly questionnaire.” [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.]
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.
SLICE (Structure & Liftoff In Combustion Experiment): No report. [See under BASS.]
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): No report. [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 appears 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): Out of Sun Visibility Window since 3/29. Had some AIB failures, SOLACES and sun sensor glitches. SOLAR and its instruments were deactivated on 4/4 for the COL S/W Cycle 13 activities. Reactivation went nominally. No impact since out of Sun Visibility Window.
SOLO (Sodium Loading in Microgravity): No report.
Space-DRUMS (Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix System): No report.
Space Food (JAXA): No report.
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, great job with your FD90 Sprint ultrasound! The PI has the data and is analyzing. Thank you for keeping the marks on your leg and re-measuring to ensure accurate data.”
SS-HDTV (Super Sensitivity High Definition Camera, JAXA): Planned video activities currently in Week 30 and Week 31.
STP-H3 (Space Test Program – Houston 3): The MHTEX Capillary Pumped Loop evaporators are currently repriming in preparation for further tests and steady state operations. VADER continues to characterize the performance of the Aerogel blanket attached to the backside of the experiment. Canary is analyzing data taken during the rendezvous phase of ATV-3 on Day 85 and during the final approach and docking on Day 88. Canary also took data during the ATV reboost on Day 96. DISC has taken more imagery 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): “Thanks, Dan, for your 5th data collection for the THERMOLAB experiment during your VO2max protocol on 3/30. The THERMOLAB science team confirmed very good data and long enough cool down. Thanks, Don, for your 4th data collection for the THERMOLAB experiment during your VO2max protocol on 4/4. Awaiting feedback from the THERMOLAB science team.”
TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.
TREADMILL KINEMATICS: “Thanks, André, for your 3rd session!”
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 with the NorAIS receiver. ERNOBOX and VESSEL ID SYS were deactivated for a period of about ~7hrs due to Software Cycle 13 transition as was foreseen. Minor impact of data gap.
VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): “Dan, the science team was very pleased with a really smooth scan session for VESSEL IMAGING on 3/26, they confirmed good images!” [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): “”Dan, Don, and André: Great job on your VO2max sessions 3/30, 3/4 & 3/5! Dan, thank you for switching out the gas bottle. That was your final VO2max test on orbit. See you on R+1! Don, thank you for power cycling the Portable PFS when you saw the error. Also thank you for your help in confirming the good configuration for André’s test on Friday. André, thanks for the hard work today! “
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.
YOUTUBE SpaceLab: No report.
CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 4/2 the ground has received 162,921 of ISS CEO frames for review and cataloguing. “We are pleased to report that we have received imagery with times corresponding to our CEO target request times as follows: Valletta, Malta – 4 frames – target not acquired; Kingston, Jamaica – 32 frames in 3 sessions – target acquired in one session but too cloudy to meet requirements; San Marino, San Marino – 6 frames – target not acquired; Jerusalem, Israel – 16 frames – target acquired – lens requirement not met; Amman, Jordan – 10 frames – target acquired – lens requirement not met; Central Cuba – 40 frames – portions of target area acquired – under evaluation for content and completeness; Lome, Togo – 4 frames – target not acquired; Virginia Coast Reserve, Virginia – 13 frames – target area acquired – under evaluation for content; Havana Cuba – 22 frames – target acquired – too cloudy to meet requirements; Nassau, Bahamas – 10 frames – target not acquired; Port-au-Prince, Haiti – 13 frames – target not acquired; Chiloe Island, southern Chile – 22 frames in two sessions – target not acquired; Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe – 122 frames – target not acquired; Kiev, Ukraine – 27 frames – target acquired – under evaluation for content; Cairo, Egypt – 4 frames – target acquired – REQUIREMENTS MET – CAN BE REMOVED FROM LIST; and Dodoma, Tanzania – 12 frames – target not acquired. Thank you for your efforts to acquire our targets. Your handsome photo of the East African Rift Valley, Kenya was published on the NASA/FSFC Earth Observatory website this past weekend. Your nicely framed view is colorful and the late afternoon shadows help illustrate the complex tectonic processes and structures of a major geologic feature of the African Continent. Nice job!”
CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today were Ottawa, Canada (CITIES AT NIGHT COLLECTION: The Canadian capital with a population of nearly 1 million has an area of about 200 square miles. ISS had a fair weather pass with its approach from the NW. At this time the crew was to look nadir for Ottawa between Toronto and Montreal), Kerguelen Island, South Indian Ocean (clearing from the W is expected at the time of the ISS pass offering good views of this glacier-capped archipelago, just left of track, near the bottom of the orbit. Cook Glacier, on the high west side, is the focus of interest. With an area of ~403 square kilometers it is quoted as “France’s largest glacier,” since the islands are a French possession. ISS had a mid-afternoon pass with its approach from the W. Trying for detailed mapping), South Desolation Point, S. Chile (HMS BEAGLE SITE: Darwin and the Beagle navigated the treacherous Strait of Magellan on June 10, 1834 and passed South Desolation Point into the open Pacific where the long swell of the open ocean constantly rages. Desolation Island is on the south side of the Strait and marks the western end of Tierra del Fuego. ISS had a midday pass in partly cloudy weather. As it tracked eastward at this time, the crew was to look well right of track for shots of this challenging target), Woollya Cove, Chile (HMS BEAGLE SITE: This challenging target is located well right of track among small islands south of Tierra del Fuego. Charles Darwin visited here in 1834 as one of the first stops in his journey through this region. ISS had a midday pass with, at best, partly cloudy weather conditions expected. At this time as ISS tracked eastward over extreme southern Patagonia, the crew was to look obliquely right of track and try for overlapping frames of the islands and inlets of Tierra del Fuego), and SW Glaciers of S. Patagonian Glacier Field (ISS had an early afternoon pass with this target area just left of track. The crew may have found sufficient breaks in the cloud field for detailed views of these rarely-photographed glaciers near the southern end of this large ice field. As ISS approached the coast from the WNW at this time, the crew was to look for these glaciers ending in long fjords).
ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 9:03am EDT [= epoch])
Mean altitude – 393.1 km
Apogee height – 398.6 km
Perigee height – 387.5 km
Period — 92.42 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0008195
Solar Beta Angle — 55.4 deg (magnitude increasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.58
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 37 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 76,700
Time in orbit (station) — 4887 days
Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4174 days
Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change):
————–Six-crew operations—————-
04/19/12 — Progress M-14M/46P undock (7:03am EDT)
46P Orbital Operations
04/20/12 — Progress M-15M/47P launch (8:50:26am EDT)
04/22/12 — Progress M-15M/47P docking (~10:40am)
04/27/12 — Soyuz TMA-22/28S undock (4:19am EDT)
04/27/12 — Soyuz TMA-22/28S landing (7:45am EDT; 2:45pm DMT/Moscow) (End of Increment 30)
04/28/12 — Progress M-14M/46P deorbit burn (6:33am EDT)
————–Three-crew operations————-
04/30/12 — SpaceX Dragon launch (12:22pm EDT; target date)
05/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/S.Revin
05/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S docking (MRM2)
————–Six-crew operations—————-
07/01/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31)
————–Three-crew operations————-
07/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide
07/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S docking
07/20/12 — HTV3 launch (~10:18pm EDT)
07/31/12 — Progress M16M/48P launch
08/02/12 — Progress M16M/48P docking
————–Six-crew operations—————-
09/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32)
————–Three-crew operations————-
10/15/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin
10/17/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
11/01/12 — Progress M-17M/49P launch
11/03/12 — Progress M-17M/49P docking
11/12/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33)
————–Three-crew operations————-
12/05/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko
12/07/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking
————–Six-crew operations————-
12/26/12 — Progress M-18M/50P launch
12/28/12 — Progress M-18M/50P docking
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————-
