Station Controllers Eye Space Debris as Crew Trains for Departure

Nighttime Image of the Soyuz TMA-15M
ISS043E271162 (05/29/2015) — This nighttime image from the International Space Station shows the Soyuz TMA-15M which carried NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to the station and will return them in early June.

A fragment from a spent Minotaur rocket body is being monitored today as flight controllers decide whether or not there will be a conjunction with the International Space Station. A docked ISS Progress 58 cargo craft would fire its engines should the space station need to get out of the way of the space debris.

A trio of Expedition 43 crew members will still come home Thursday morning should an avoidance maneuver be necessary. Commander Terry Virts and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Samantha Cristoforetti are moving right along with their departure preparations. They trained for their descent through the Earth’s atmosphere and tested the thrusters of their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft.

Thursday’s undocking is planned for 6:20 a.m. EDT with a landing in Kazakhstan at 9:43 a.m. NASA Television will provide live coverage of the departure and homecoming activities.

The latest Expedition 43 trio including Flight Engineer Gennady Padalka and One-Year crew members Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko teamed up to review their roles and responsibilities in case of an emergency.

Station Managers Choose June 11 for Expedition 43 Homecoming

Expedition 42/43 Crew Members
JSC2014E088152 (10/23/2014) — Official photogragh of the International Space Station Flight Engineers US Astronaut Terry Virt, European Space Agency Astronaut Samantha Cristofretti, and Russian Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov.

Expedition 43 crew members Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov and Samantha Cristoforetti will return to Earth June 11 at 9:43 a.m. EDT. The trio from the U.S., Russia and Italy will enter the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft, undock from the Rassvet module and land in Kazakhstan after 6-1/2 months in space.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of the undocking and landing.

The homebound crew is packing gear in their Soyuz vehicle and training to use the Lower Body Negative Pressure suit which gets their bodies ready for the return Earth’s gravity. In the midst of Soyuz departure preparations, the crew is also continuing the International Space Station’s mission of advanced microgravity science to benefit life on Earth and in space.

There was more Rodent Research work on Friday as scientists study mice to understand the effects of weightlessness on muscles and bones. The crew is also participating in the Fine Motor Skills experiment which looks at how astronauts interact with touch-based technologies and spacecraft instrumentation.

Spacesuit and Life Science Work

The Expedition 43 crew
ISS043E270899 (05/30/2015) — The Expedition 43 crew gathers aboard the International Space Station to affix their mission patch to the vehicle.

Spacesuit maintenance took up most of the day for a pair of astronauts. Crew members also explored the long-term effects of microgravity on the brain and vision.

Commander Terry Virts joined Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in the Quest joint airlock to swap out a fan pump separator inside a U.S. spacesuit. The duo are checking the device after earlier maintenance work revealed it wasn’t functioning properly.

Before that work began, Cristoforetti relocated the Protein Crystallization Research Facility in Japan’s Kibo lab module. Virts wrapped up his workday with some maintenance in a science freezer ensuring it stays cold enough to store biological samples for later analysis.

One-Year crew members Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly joined fellow Soyuz crewmate Gennady Padalka for ongoing Fluid Shifts experiment work. The trio received assistance from ground operators as they collected vision data using a variety of medical tools. Watch an interview with Mike Stenger, one of the co-principal investigators of the Fluid Shifts experiment.

Crew Works Multiple Experiments and Observes 50 Years of Mission Control

NASA astronaut Terry Virts
ISS043E241729 (05/24/2015) — Expedition 43 commander and NASA astronaut Terry Virts is seen here inside of the station’s Cupola module.

The six-member Expedition 43 crew conducted a variety of advanced microgravity science and performed spacesuit maintenance. U.S. astronauts Terry Virts and Scott Kelly also commemorated 50 years of operations in Houston’s Mission Control Center.

The orbital lab’s inhabitants explored a complex set of subjects in space including physics, biology and crew health. Flight Engineer Gennady Padalka studied plasma crystals which could benefit future spacecraft design. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti continued her work with the Rodent Research experiment that could potentially lead to new drugs to treat diseases on Earth.

One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko was back at work on the Fluid Shifts study partnering with Kelly and Padalka. The trio took measurements as part of an investigation to better understand how microgravity impacts fluid pressure in the head, changes in vision and eye structures.

On June 3, 1965, Mission Control Center in Houston began operations when Gemini IV lifted off for a four-day mission with astronauts James McDivitt and Ed White. America’s first spacewalk also took place during that mission when White floated out of the spacecraft attached to a 25-foot umbilical line and tether.

Major One-Year Mission Experiment Begins This Week

Terry Virts Working in Quest
Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts gathers tools inside of the Quest airlock for upcoming spacesuit maintenance work. Credit: NASA TV

NASA astronaut and One-Year crew member Scott Kelly gathered hardware today for the start of the Fluid Shifts experiment. For the experiment on Tuesday, both Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will don the Russian Lower Body Negative Pressure (Chibis) suit and undergo ultrasound measurements. Fluid Shifts is a joint NASA-Russian experiment that investigates the causes for physical changes to astronaut’s eyes. Results from this study may help to develop preventative measures against lasting changes in vision and eye damage.

Meanwhile, NASA astronaut Terry Virts worked today to prepare the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) and Thermal Container to enable the ground to perform additional data collection in advance of the Cell Mechanosensing-3 experiment, launching on SpaceX-7. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took samples for the Microbiome experiment which investigates the impact of space travel on both the human immune system and an individual’s microbiome, the collection of microbes that live in and on the human body at any given time.

Virts and Cristoforetti also gathered tools inside the station’s Quest airlock for upcoming work on one of the U.S. segment’s spacesuits.

Today, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced they will provide an updated vehicle launch and landing schedule by June 9.

Crew Finalizes Module Remodeling Work

One-Year Crew Member Scott Kelly
One-Year crew member Scott Kelly ws inside the Japanese Kibo lab module talking to journalists on the ground Friday. Credit: NASA

The Expedition 43 crew is wrapping up the remodeling of the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) at its new location on the forward port of the Tranquility module. The station residents also participated in maintenance and experiments exploring the long-term effects of living in space on the human body.

Commander Terry Virts and One-Year crew member Scott Kelly are finalizing configuration tasks in the PMM after Wednesday’s relocation from the Harmony module. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was working in Europe’s Columbus lab module on advanced microgravity plumbing tasks.

One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko teamed up with Flight Engineer Gennady Padalka for the Fluid Shifts experiment studying how upper and lower body fluid shifts affect a crew member’s brain pressure and vision. Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov worked throughout the station’s Russian segment on orbital maintenance.

Over the weekend the crew the six-member international crew will have time to relax, exercise and talk to family members.

Leonardo Cargo Module Reopens for Business

NASA Astronauts Scott Kelly and Terry Virts
ISS043E198419 (05/15/2015) — NASA astronauts Scott Kelly (left) and Terry Virts (right) share a snack while inside the station’s Unity module which holds the food and drink supply for the U.S. segment of the International Space Station.

The Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) has been reopened at its new location on the forward port of the Tranquility module. Commander Terry Virts and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti worked on completing PMM configuration activities.

Meanwhile, the Expedition 43 crew went about its scheduled tasks of microgravity science and orbital maintenance.

One-Year crew member Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Gennady Padalka joined each other for the Fluid Shifts study. That experiment observes how upper and lower body fluid shifts may affect a crew member’s brain pressure and vision.

Kelly’s fellow One-Year crew member, Mikhail Kornienko, explored how fluid changes in microgravity can affect a crew member’s immunology and blood pressure for the Morze experiment. Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov primarily worked maintenance in the station’s Russian segment.

Leonardo Cargo Module Bolted to New Home

The Permanent Multipurpose Module
The Permanent Multipurpose Module is in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm during its relocation from the Harmony module to the Tranquility module Wednesday morning. Credit: NASA

The Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) was successfully relocated from the Unity module to the Tranquility module Wednesday morning. Engineers from Canada and Houston jointly maneuvered the PMM with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Astronauts Terry Virts and Scott Kelly monitored the installation then successfully bolted the PMM in place on Tranquility. The duo are now getting the PMM ready for its hatch opening Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Expedition 43 crew also conducted periodic fitness evaluations and worked on a fluid physics experiment observing surface tension where liquid and gas meet. In the Russian segment, the cosmonauts studied the effects of earthquakes on the Earth’s ionosphere and explored how sound waves can help pinpoint micrometeoroid impacts.

Module Relocated Prepping Station for Commercial Crew

International Space Station
The International Space Station configuration as of May 27, 2015, shows the newly relocated Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), two Soyuz crew vehicles and a Progress resupply vehicle. Credit: NASA

The Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) was successfully relocated from the Unity module to the Tranquility module at 9:08 a.m. EDT Wednesday.

The PMM was robotically relocated from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module on the International Space Station to the forward port of the Tranquility module in the next step to reconfigure the complex for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew vehicles. Robotic flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston, working in tandem with the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations Center at the Canadian Space Agency’s headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada, used the Canadarm2 robotic arm to maneuver the 11-ton module a short distance to its new location. Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts and Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA supervised the commanding of the bolting of the PMM to Tranquility. The PMM’s hatch will be reopened tomorrow.

The operation opened the Earth-facing port of Unity as another berthing location for U.S. commercial cargo vehicles. Future U.S. commercial crew vehicles will arrive at the space-facing and forward ports of the Harmony module, which will continue its transformation later this year when a pair of International Docking Adapters (IDAs) will be delivered on the seventh and ninth NASA-contracted SpaceX cargo resupply missions. The IDAs will be attached to Pressurized Mating Adapters 2 and 3, enabling the station to host up to two U.S. commercial cargo and two U.S. commercial crew vehicles at any given time.

 

Watch NASA TV at 8 a.m. EDT for Robotics Move

The Permanent Multipurpose Module
ISS038-E-015272 (12 Dec. 2013) — The Permanent Multipurpose Module and the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft docked to the Rassvet Mini-Research Module 1 are featured in this image photographed during Expedition 38.

The International Space Station’s Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) was detached from a berthing mechanism on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 5:50 a.m. EDT by robotics flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston, working in tandem with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) engineers at the robotics support center located at CSA Headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada. Used as a supply depot for the orbital laboratory, the 11-ton PMM is being maneuvered to an installation position at the forward port of the Tranquility module through the use of the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2. NASA Television will provide coverage of the final steps of the installation and provide a replay of pertinent video from the start of the operation beginning at 8 a.m. EDT.

Once it is in the proper position, Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts and Flight Engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will oversee the module’s final attachment to Tranquility. Virts and Kelly will reopen the hatch to the PMM at its new location tomorrow.

This move will clear the Unity port for its use as a second berthing location for U.S. commercial cargo spacecraft; the Earth-facing port on Harmony is currently used as the home port for U.S. cargo craft. The relocation of the PMM is the next step in the reconfiguration of the station that will allow U.S. commercial crew vehicles to dock to new docking ports on the forward and space-facing side of the Harmony module. That will provide a total of four ports for U.S. vehicles arriving at the orbital outpost.